46 HISTORY OF OHIO. 



seldom seen on the Ohio. And, even the old Orleans ark, is 

 less and less used, every year, while the steamer is employed 

 more and more, to convey persons and their property. 



If the surface, drained by any river, gives a very correct 

 idea of the quantity of water, passing off through its channel ; 

 the Ohio is as large, as all the rivers in Pennsylvania, New- 

 Jersey, New-York and the six eastern states. It rises early 

 in February, and continues up, generally in good order for 

 steamers, until in July or even in August. From that month 

 and frequently, even earlier, it is too low for the navigation 

 of vessels of much burden, during two, or even three months, 

 until the autumnal rains raise it, so as to be in a good naviga- 

 ble condition. It rises and falls, about sixty feet, on an aver- 

 age, along the coast of the state of Ohio. Indeed it rises, 

 even more than sixty feet, sometimes, as it did, early in the 

 spring of the year 1832, when it rose sixty-five feet, and produced 

 immense injury, by carrying off fences, houses, hay and grain. 

 It carried off the bridges on, or near it, across its tributaries. 

 From Wheeling to Cincinnati, this freshet did a vast deal of 

 damage, to all sorts of property. It flooded the lower part of 

 Cincinnati, and drove away, for several days, nearly all the 

 people, residing in the lower part of the city. This was the 

 highest freshet ever known, since the settlement of the west- 

 ern states, by the English. This extraordinary rise, was occa- 

 sioned, by a rise of all the streams at the same time, which 

 empty into the Ohio, whether originating north or south of its 

 channel. This circumstance was never known to have occur- 

 ed before, and may not occur again, within a century to come. 

 But, we must leave this beautiful river — this Belleriviere, of 

 the early French missionaries and traders, and, notice some 

 of its branches ; especially such as originate, in " The Thriv- 

 ing State," and we begin with the 



MUSKINGUM, 



Which rises and runs wholly within the limits of this state. 

 In Richland county, it originates in a swamp, not over thirtj'- 



