﻿A Brief Sketch of the Floods*in the Ohio River. Ill 



stream before the rise in the more sluggish rivers of the northern slope is 

 ready to empty in. If it were not for this fact, overflows would be much 

 more frequent than they really are, for, as we shall see further on, it is 

 when under rare conditions that the rise from both sides of the river is 

 emptied into it at the same time, that the disastrous floods occur. Let it 

 be distinctly understood that the floods are directly connected with the 

 amount of moisture precipitated thoughout the basin, and that the river, 

 like the outlet of a funnel, overflows whenever the amount thrown down is 

 greater than it can discharge. 



Coming next to a consideration of the reoords of the various rises in the 

 river, I shall consider all those above fifty feet, including those uncertain 

 ones before the days of record, and beginning with the Indian legend 

 "From hill to hill." 



1774.— .... 63 feet + (?) 



Some time in March, 1774, two brothers, Joseph and Samuel Martin, 

 reached the mouth of the Big Kanawha, where they were detained by a 

 remarkably high freshet in the Ohio. 



1789. Remarkable freshet during the winter, which Judge Groforth 

 says was 112 feet high. 



1792. Flood with over 60 feet of water. The time of the year is not 

 stated. 



1815. Another great flood. Time of year not mentioned. 



1832. 



February 16th, water 64 



feet 3 inches. 



1847. 



December 17th, 



it 



63 



it 



7 



tt 



1859. 



February 22d, 



a 



55 



a 



5 



tt 



1862. 



January 24th, 



tt 



' 57 



a 



4 



it 



1865. 



March 7th, 



tt 



56 



it 



3 



it 



1867. 



March 14th, 



tt 



55 



a 



8 



a 



1870. 



January 19 th, 



a 



55 



it 



3 



tt 



1875. 



August 6th, 



tt 



55 



a 



5 



tt 



1876. 



January 29th, 



a 



51 



a 



9 



a 



1877. 



January 20th, 



it 



53 



tt 



9 



ti 



1880. 



February 17th, 



tt 



53 



tt 



2 



a 



1881. 



16th, 



a 



50 



tt 



7 



a 



1882. 



" 21st, 



a 



58 



a 



7 



a 



1883. 



15th, 



a 



66 



a 



4 



tt 



1884. 



14th, 



a 



71 



tt 



i 



a 



Among those floods before 1832, so far as record goes they are assigned 

 to the winter and spring, so that they materially strengthen the position 



