Identifier: illustratedhisto00davi ( find matches)
Title: An illustrated history of Sacramento County, California : containing a history of Sacramento County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future ... portraits of some of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also prominent citizens of today
Year: 1890 ( 1890s)
Authors: Davis, Winfield J., 1851- 4n
Subjects: Sacramento County (Calif.) -- History Sacramento County (Calif.) -- Biography
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Contributing Library: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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but as yet therewere scarcely any settlers here with property tobe destroyed. 1850.—By tills time ^acramento was a livelylittle town, and the flood well nigh carried itaway. The people continued to hope that thewater had about reached its highest point untilit was too late to save their property. Theywere unprepared when the rush came uponthem, and some were even drowned in theirbeds! Women, children and feeble personswere found floating about upon loose material,and crying for help. The inmates of the cityhospital, twelve to tweny in number, narrowlyescaped drowning. Only two of thetn ulti-mately recovered! It was during this floodthat a Dutchman, employed to take corpses outin boats for burial, met with an accident, andon endeavoring to swim ashore with $2,000 ingold in his pocket, sank several times and wasdrowned. Many of the rougher class of menbecame horribly reckless, drinking, laughing,hurrahing and carousing generally, withoutturning a hand to save life or property. Of the
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HISTORY OF SAGRAMENTO COUNTY. 300 or more men who were doing business inSacramento, not more than a halt dozen hadsecond stories to their buildings, in which goodsmight be stored, or persons saved. After this flood subsided the weather wasfine and exhilarating for several weeks, and thepeople almost forgot that they had met withlosses, when in March another freshet arrived,and would have swept them away had it notbeen for the determined efforts of Hardin Eig-low in leveeing the city, despite the sculling ofthe multitude. 1852.—March 7, at 1 a. m., there came a madrush of waters from the American River, break-ing through the levee. The mayor summonedthe citizens to the rescue, but in vain; it wastoo late to cast up levees. Qy daylight nothingcould be seen upon the surrounding landscapebut Sutters Fort and the Ridge. The head ofI street, near the Plaza, being the highestground in the city, was densely covered withhuman beings. This terrible distress continuedfour days. 1853.—January

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