USA > Missouri > Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. II > Part 86
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struction of the celebrated Eads Bridge across the Mississippi River at St. Louis. Captain James B. Eads had discovered his great ability, and at the beginning of that enterprise he associated Colonel Flad with himself in the work-and it was a constant cause of self-gratulation all through it that he had the good fortune to possess so valuable an assistant. The most cordial professional and friendly relations existed between the two men. Captain Eads had implicit faith in his assistant, and, indeed, in several matters -notable among them being the subject of the pressure of ice against the piers of the bridge, and the lateral pressure of the wind against the bridge itself-he had more faith in Flad's judgment than in his own, while in the unforeseen difficulties encountered in the prosecution of the work he was constantly in the habit of asking his counsel and advice.
Colonel Flad was president of the Ameri- can Society of Civil Engineers in 1886 and president of the Engineers' Club of St. Louis from 1868 to 1880.
Flag Springs .- A village of 150 in- habitants, in Empire Township, Andrew County, taking its name from a large spring of pure water in the vicinity. The site was first in possession of Marshall McQuinn and a man named Gaddy in 1841. The town has one of the largest cheese factories in Mis- souri, and a sorghum factory.
Flanigan, John H., lawyer, was born July 3, 1857, at Almont, Michigan. His parents were James and Olive M. (Hager) Flanigan. The father was Irish by birth, coming to America an infant; he was a farmer by occu- pation, and is yet living, at the age of sixty- nine years, in Carthage, Missouri. The mother was born in New York, of German parents; her death occurred in 1893. John H. Flanigan came to Jasper County, Mis- souri, when nine years old, with his parents, and was reared upon a farm. His only . educational advantages were those afforded by the common schools, and his large store of general information, and habits of thought and mental application, were acquired through his own effort. His ambitions were high, and he early began to earn his own livelihood by teaching school, at the same time devoting himself intently to the study of law, without a preceptor. So satisfactory
471
FLATBOATS-FLAT RIVER.
was his progress, that at the age of twenty- three years he was admitted to practice in the Jasper County courts, in which he has come to be regarded as one of the most capable and brilliant members of the local bar. For several years past he has been recognized as possessing peculiar talent for criminal pro- ceedings, and no case of moment has oc- curred in recent years, in which he has not appeared as counsel. In January, 1900, he represented four persons held under indict- ment for murder. In 1884 he was elected city attorney of Carthage, and discharged the duties of that position with marked ability. He is known throughout the State as an in- tensely ardent and influential Republican, and his vigorous and eloquent expositions of the principles of his party have been heard in political campaigns in nearly every county. His uncompromising aggressiveness and deep sincerity have marked him as peculiarly fitted for leadership, and he has been called to various positions where such qualities were necessary to party advantage. He has been a strong figure in all local conventions, and an active participant in nearly all State conventions during the past ten years. For four years he was a member of the executive committee of the National Republican League, and his interest in the party has led him to attend three National Republican Conventions. His principal political dis- tinction lies in his service as a Representative in the Thirty-fifth General Assembly, to which he was elected in 1889. In that body, he was the recognized Republican leader, holding his party closely aligned upon all questions of a political nature, and repeatedly forcing the opposition to take more moder- ate ground, or appear to disadvantage upon the .record. His readiness to detect an op- portune or necessary movement, and his vigor in leading his party, caused the Demo- crats to apply to him the sobriquet of "Fire Alarm Flanigan," a term which his friends . accepted as an unintended compliment. His fearlessness of adverse criticism, from friend as well as foe, is evidenced by his conduct in the presidential campaign of 1896, when as one of the principal Republican campaign speakers of southwest Missouri he stood alone in advocacy of gold money, where the party in that section was overwhelmingly favorable to free silver. The only fraternal body in which he holds membership is the
Knights of Pythias, and he has occupied all the chairs in the subordinate lodge, and has been several times representative in the grand lodge. Mr. Flanigan was married May 5, 1883, to Miss Mary F. Leedy, daugh- ter of A. G. Leedy, a contractor, of Spring- field. Two children have been born of this marriage, John H., and Lon P. Flanigan. Mrs. Flanigan is an active member of the Christian Church.
Flatboats .- The flatboats, or, as they were often called, "broad-horns," of early navigation on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, were boats built for downstream trips only. They were square at each end, usually about thirty feet wide, and from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet long, had hewn gunwales at the bottom, and were generally about eight feet deep. Boards were sprung over the top to shed the water, and long "sweeps," or oars, were adjusted so that they could be used when necessary to keep the boat in the channel. The current was the motive power, and large cargoes could be carried downstream, say three hundred tons. From 1820 to 1840 a large share of the flour, farm and other products of the river region, which found their best market in New Or- leans, were transported in this way. The flatboat, being an unmanageable kind of a craft, was exposed to so many of the perils of navigation that no insurance could be ob- tained on the boats or their cargoes, about one out of every ten failing to reach its desti- nation. It took about seventy days to make a trip by flatboat from St. Louis to New Or- leans. When the boat got into port, its cargo was unloaded and the craft was then dismantled and the lumber sold or put to other uses. A part or the whole of the cargo was often sold at intermediate points.
JOSEPH BROWN.
Flat River .- A town in St. Francois County, twelve miles west of Farmington, on the Mississippi River & Bonne Terre Rail- road. Near by are extensive lead mines. It has smelting plants, several general stores, a hotel, school and three churches. Settle- ments were made in its locality early in the history of the county, but the town assumed no importance until the building of the "Boone Terre Railroad," after which its growth was rapid. Population, 1,800.
472
FLEMING-FLETCHER.
Fleming, Alfred Walton, was born August 19, 1828, in Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, and died at his country home near St. Louis, January 10, 1898. A descendant of Scotch-Irish ancestors, he was the son of Thomas and Clarissa (Walton) Fleming, and his father was, in his day, a leading dry goods merchant of Philadelphia. The son received a classical education and then studied medi- cine, receiving his doctor's degree from a Philadelphia college. After practicing med- icine for a time lie read law and was admitted to the bar, but his study of the sciences of law and medicine appears to have been pur- sued rather because of love of the sciences themselves than for the purpose of fitting himself for an active professional career. He was favored by fortune with a comfortable patrimony and, upon coming west in his young manhood, invested a considerable por- tion of his means in Missouri lands, which turned out to be rich in mineral wealth. He was associated with his brothers in the open- ing, development and operation of the famous Lamotte lead mine, and from 1857 until the time of his death, was a resident of Missouri. He was engaged in the operation of this lead mine at the outbreak of the Civil War, at which time his career as a business man was temporarily interrupted by a term of service in the Confederate Army, in which he was a commissioned officer. After the war he resumed the conduct of his mining enterprise, which continued to yield rich re- turns for his outlay of time and money until 1877, when he disposed of his mining in- terests for a princely sum. He then retired from active business, and, after purchasing a tract of land in the suburbs of St. Louis, built upon it a beautiful country home, at which he spent the greater part of his time thereafter, although he occasionally made his home in the city during winter months .. Having no occasion to encumber himself with the cares of business other than those incidental to the guardianship of the ample fortune which he had acquired, he gave him- self up to the enjoyment of his home, his books, and the society of a limited circle of friends. Naturally of a retiring disposition, he became something of a recluse in later years, but his cultivated tastes were evidenced in the ornamentation of his spa- cions grounds and the embellishment of his beautiful home. His library was large and
well selected, choice paintings adorned the walls of his home, and those who knew him intimately were always impressed by his broad knowledge of art and literature. He delighted in living near to nature, devoted much time to the cultivation of trees and flowers, and was well versed in almost all branches of natural science. His quiet tastes and studious habits kept him from mingling to any considerable extent in society and from participation in public affairs, and with the exception of a term of service as member of the Kirkwood School Board, he held no official position. He, however, was always interested in the advancement of the com- munity in which he lived, and contributed liberally of his abundance for charitable and religious purposes and in aid of public enter- prises, the site of the town hall of Kirkwood having been one of his gifts to that village. He was never, in any sense, a politician, but was a member of the Democratic party, and as a churchman affiliated with the Presby- terian denomination. Mr. Fleming was twice married ; first, in 1871, to Mrs. Anna Dilks Foster. In 1892, he married for his second wife, Miss Mary Cecillia Quan, daughter of Matthew William Quan, a well known hydraulic engineer, of St. Louis. One son, Alfred Walton Fleming, Jr., the only child born of either of his marriages, is the only surviving member of his family.
Fletcher, Thomas Clement, Gov- ernor of Missouri, was born in Jefferson County, Missouri, January 22, 1827, his father being Clement B. Fletcher, who came to this State from Maryland, in 1818. Thomas C., his second son, received a good common school education, and in 1854 was elected clerk of the Circuit Court of Jefferson County. He studied law while holding this office, and in 1857 was admitted to the bar. A zealous opponent of slavery, he became an active Republican on the organization of that party, and was sent as delegate to the Na- tional Republican Convention in 1860, and again in 1868, attracting attention by his fine personal bearing, pleasant manners, and his spirited and effective off-hand speeches. In the Civil War he espoused the Union cause, and was, for a time, assistant provost mar- shal in St. Louis under Colonel Farrar. Afterward he took an active part in raising the Thirty-first Regiment, of which he was
alfred t Forming
473
FLITCRAFT-FLOODS AT ST. LOUIS.
made colonel, serving with gallantry in the siege of Vicksburg and in the battle of Pilot Knob. In 1865 he was chosen Governor of Missouri, being the first native-born citizen of the State and the first Republican chosen to that position. At the expiration of his term of office he resumed the practice of law in St. Louis. In 1890 his professional duties made it necessary for him to remove to Washington City, and there he continued to reside until his death, March 25, 1899. Gov- ernor Fletcher was tall and commanding in person, and affable in manners; warmly esteemed by his personal and political friends, and respected by his political oppo- nents for his sincerity and honor. As a public speaker he had few equals. He was married in 1851 to Miss Clara Honey, of Jefferson County, Missouri. Their children are Mrs. Perry Bartholow, of St. Louis, and E. L. Fletcher, a civil engineer in the employ of the Missouri Pacific Railway.
Flitcraft, Pembrook Reeves, law- yer and ex-judge of the Circuit Court of St. Louis, was born at Woodstown, Salem County, New Jersey, January 8, 1847.
During the latter part of the year 1847 his parents removed to Ohio, and from thence to Indiana, where his father died. His mother then returned to Ohio, and there remained until 1858, when the family removed to Michigan, his mother in the meantime hav- ing remarried.
The foundation of Judge Flitcraft's educa- tion was laid, as is common in the Northern States, in a country school. He prepared for college in the Quaker boarding school of Raisin Valley Seminary, near Adrian, Michi- gan. He entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, in the fall of 1867, and in 1871 graduated, receiving the degree of bachelor of arts, and, in due course, from the same in- stitution, the degree of master of arts, in 1874.
Between the date of his graduation and the date of his admission to the bar in Kansas City in 1875, part of the time he was superin- tendent of schools at Charlotte, Michigan, and part of the time represented various large publishing houses, and was also de- voting all his spare time during this period to the study of the law, the practice of law having been his sole object and aim.
In 1875 he formed a law partnership with
John T. Voss, at Girard, Crawford County, Kansas, where he remained until 1878, when he came to St Louis, which has been his home ever since. In 1882 he formed a law partnership with Henry E. Mills The law firm of Mills & Flitcraft continued until Judge Flitcraft was elected one of the judges of the Circuit Court of St. Louis, at the fall election of 1894, taking his seat in January, 1895.
In September 1883, Judge Flitcraft married Emma Belle Brenneman, daughter of Levi and Mary Brenneman, of Pittsburg, Pennsyl- vania. They have two children, Ada Vir- ginia and Edna Belle.
Floods at Kansas City .- The region about Kansas City and that now occupied by the city itself has within comparatively recent times been deluged by the waters of the Mis- souri and Kaw Rivers. Notable floods of this character occurred in 1782, 1826, 1843 and 1844. The greatest of these floods was that of 1844. On the 13th of June of that year the waters of the Missouri covered the bottoms from bluff to bluff for several feet. On the next day the Kaw poured its flood into the valley and the land was covered to the depth of twenty feet. The houses of those who lived in the bottoms were over- whelmed, and the people needed the aid of their neighbors and friends to save them from watery graves. Some were rescued but several houses and persons were swept away into the abyss of waters. The flood cut out new channels and twelve hundred acres of land below the mouth of the Kaw has since been gradually carried away. The process went on for thirty years, until in 1868 the railways arrested it by riprapping the banks. The Kaw ate into the land on the west and made Turkey Creek, which had been an affluent of the Missouri, one of its own tribu- taries. Thus the floods plowed their way through the bottoms making new channels and proving an ever shifting boundary line. T. R. VICKROY.
Floods at St. Louis .- The city of St. Louis, owing to its elevation above the river, has been, in the main, exempt from the rav- ages of floods, the occasional damage to houses on the river front forming hardly an exception worthy of consideration against the general statement. But indirectly the city
474
FLOODS AT ST. LOUIS.
has suffered in various ways from the high floods. These usually occur at St. Louis between the 15th and 30th of June, and are caused by the heavy rains and the snows melting in the mountains at the sources of the Missouri. In some seasons the Yellow- stone pours out a flood which reaches St. Louis about the last of May or the first of June. According to Scharf's "History," the first unusual rise of the Mississippi of which we have any record took place in 1542, and its effect on the lower Mississippi was ob- served by De Soto and his followers. The earliest submergence of the American Bot- tom of which there is any record was in 1742. In 1772 another flood came and covered portions of the Bottom. The next period of extreme high water was in June, 1785, when the river rose twenty feet above the highest known water-marks. Opposite St. Louis the overflow extended to the bluffs. Grain fields were submerged, cattle drowned and cabins washed away on the alluvial lands. This year was known in the annals of French history as l'annee des grandes eaux. There were high waters subsequent to 1785, but none deserving of attention until that of 1811, which resulted in part from the annual rise of the Missouri. The flood was much greater than any that followed until 1823, about the 8th of May, caused by the heavy rains on the Mississippi. The river continued to rise rapidly until the 23d of the month, when it came to a stand. The water entirely covered the American Bottom, and the resi- dents of Kaskaskia, Cahokia and other French villages were compelled to abandon their homes and seek refuge on the bluffs and in St. Louis. The houses in the lower part of St. Louis were surrounded by water, and the river then rose to the lower floor in the store kept by John Shackford, at the foot of Oak Street. During 1826 there were tremendous rainfalls, and from the 15th of April the Mis- sissippi was very high, and toward the close of May overflowed its banks and spread for miles over the country. By the 8th of June, the inhabitants of Cahokia and the Bottoms sought refuge either on the bluffs or in St. Louis. The river came to a standstill on the Ioth of the month, and by the 25th had reached an ordinary stage.
We now come to the great flood of 1844, when the water rose two feet five inches
above the high-water mark of 1785. The winter of 1843-4 was one of unusual severity, with tremendous snow storms throughout the northwest By the 10th of May, in the latter year, the river began rising, and by the 16th the flood began to create alarm in St. Louis. The river continued to rise until the 20th of May, reaching the doors of the stores on Front Street north of Pine, and the mer- chants were compelled to move their stock of goods into the second stories. The waters came to a standstill on the 21st, and the river was in its banks on the 7th of June. But from the 3d to the Ioth of that month there was a succession of terrible rain storms and the flood from the Missouri was coming down. The Mississippi began to rise again at St. Louis on the 8th of June. By the 15th the floods began to alarm the people, and "the great flood of 1844" had commenced its devastations, and five hundred people were driven from their homes. The water was running into the lower stories of the houses of "Battle Row," on Laurel Street ; a portion of the curbstones on Water Street were covered; and in Illinoistown the water rose above the first story of the houses. On the 20th the river was from three to six miles wide, and in many places nine miles. The water covered all of Front Street and the sidewalk, and along "Battle Row" it was nearly up to the door latches. The lower part of the city in the vicinity of Mill Creek was all submerged. All the lower lands in Soulard's Addition were overflowed. At Kaskaskia a large portion of the town was from ten to twenty feet under water. The water receded with great rapidity, until by the middle of June the river had reached an ordinary stage.
The next flood, that of 1851, was preceded by the rise of the upper Mississippi over its banks in many places. On May 30th the river at St. Louis began to rise rapidly, and by sundown it was fifteen feet eight inches below the high-water mark of 1844, as marked on the column in front of Center Market, and eight and one-half feet below the city direc- trix. A portion of the dike erected by the city between Duncan's Island and the Illinois shore was washed away. By June 23d the water had risen to four feet nine and one- half inches below the high-water mark of 1844, but then began to recede.
475
FLORENCE CRITTENTON MISSION AND HOME-FLORENCE FIGHT.
In 1854, the river was very high, the water covering the St. Louis levee, and doing great damage in the lower portion of the river.
In 1858 the water rose to a point two and a half feet below the flood of 1844. Also in 1863 the river rose very high, the water com- ing into the stores on the St. Louis levee, and much property was swept away on the lower river. The water also rose quite high in 1867, in 1871, in 1875 and in 1876, but the floods did little damage in the upper valley, although destruction was wrought in Mississippi, Ar- kansas and Louisiana.
In 1881 there was a flood in May. Look- ing from the foot of Anna Street, on the St. Louis side, the only limit for the water was the Illinois bluff, three miles to the east. The principal devastation was confined to the east side of the river. On June 19, 1883, reports were rife that the Missouri and Mississippi were rising rapidly, threatening a coming flood. The levee between Olive and Cherry Streets was submerged, and merchants were busy moving their goods to upper floors. The flood was also very threatening in East St. Louis. On the 20th there was a rise of one foot, and a fifteen-foot rise in the upper Missouri was reported. On the 21st the river was still rising, and two hundred men were guarding the Madison dike. By the 23d a portion of the Toledo Narrow Gauge embankment was washed away, and Brook- lyn and the surrounding country were flooded in consequence. A serious break in the levee occurred at Smith's Landing, twenty miles below St. Louis. The river then began to subside, and by June 30th had lost all its terrors for the people.
May 16, 1892, the Mississippi, in conse- quence of continued heavy rains, registered 34.9 feet, and with a rise of one foot more it was seen that the damage in East St. Louis would exceed computation. By the 18th the Mississippi began to swell in volume, and four hundred square miles of land near St. Louis were overflowed. The situation became ap- palling, and thousands of people were with- out homes or food. The main suffering and desolation were on the American Bottom and at Mineral Point. The eye rested on a bound- less expanse of murky, turbulent water, the inhabitants having fled to some higher point of safety. On the bluffs back of East St. Louis five hundred people were gathered. Hospital tents, food and clothing were sent
over to the flood-sufferers from St. Louis and from Jefferson Barracks. A relief fund was inaugurated by the Merchants' Exchange at a grand mass meeting. At II o'clock p. m., May 21st, the water, which gradually fell, stopped, and East St. Louis was considered safe. Conservative estimates placed the damage at $10,000,000. The waters were a long time in receding, and trains passed through to the bluffs on submerged tracks.
Since 1892 there have been seasons of high water at St. Louis, but no disastrous floods. In 1897 the devastation on the lower Missis- sippi was caused by the great rise of the Ohio and its tributaries.
WILLIAM FAYEL.
Florence Crittenton Mission and Home .- In 1883, Charles N. Crittenton, of New York City, established in that place a mission home for girls, friendless, or in trouble, and named it after a daughter who had died at the age of four years. He has since been instrumental in instituting more than forty similar houses in various parts of the country. In October, 1895, he visited Kansas City, and interested a number of resi- dents, who formed an organization which was incorporated as the Florence Crittenton Mission and Home. Active membership was restricted to those belonging to evangelical churches, and officers are chosen from among these and honorary members elected by vote of the society. The Mission and Home was opened February 4, 1896, in rented premises. In 1899, the society pur- chased the property now occupied, paying a small sum, and assuming an indebtedness which brought the cost to $4,150. October I, 1900, the remaining indebtedness was $3,000, and this is expected to be liquidated out of a bequest of $4,000, made in the will of Joseph Benoist, deceased. The capacity of the home is for seventeen girls and eight babes. In 1899 forty-two girls were cared for, of whom ten were returned to their homes, and sixteen were placed in honorable situations. The home is maintained by voluntary contributions.
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