While this story is long, I thought you might like to have it. I don't have
anymore information on Joseph Eyanson. While reseearching for my husband's
great grandfather, we dound this. However, we have never found the grave for
Gililand Bates.
The Floods of Adams County, Indiana. In the north part of Adams
County, the St. Marys river is the focal point of flooding as the Wabash is in the
south; in between, the creeks and ditches pour their muddy waters into the
flooding torrents. The St. Marys river reaches flood stage at fifteen feet. The
farm lands throughout the county is subject to flooding. At seventeen to
eighteen feet, the flood waters become high enough to close some highways. As the
river continues to rise, residents in the eastern and southeastern portions of
Decatur begin to feel the effect of the water - yards, crawl space and city
streets are flooded. As the river continues to rise, more roads and bridges are
closed, such as the Pleasant Mills Bridge.
The level of both the St. Marys and Wabash can be affected by the Grand
Lake St. Marys reservoir, which opens both ways. They call the "great flood" of
1913 as a bad flood, and the deepest, but no the "worst" flood.
Unfortunately, the February 1867 flood is believed to be the worst flood
even though it was two feet less in depth than that of 1847. No mail was
received at Decatur for a week, snow was eight inches deep, the newspaper failed
to print for two weeks because it could not get newsprint from Ft. Wayne. An
article in the Decatur eagle stated: "Old residents claim that the water has
been higher during the last week than it has been since 1847, and according to
the old landmarks lacked about two feel of being as high as it was then. We
understand the same remarks are applicable to the Wabash. As it is, the damage
to the farmers in fences washed away, in the aggregate will amount to a large
sum, besides the labor it will take to reset those that have been floated off,
and the rails not carried away." No only were all communications cut - this
was before the telegraph, railroad, or telephone has reached Decatur - but two
men drowned and another almost last his life.
On Saturday last [February 16, 1867] about four o'clock, Mr. Joseph I
Eyanson and Gilland Bates attempted to cross the overflowed levee on the east
side of the St. Marys River, and on the road leading east from town, when as it
is supposed, the horses either became frightened or were struck with a fragment
of floating ice, and plunged off the embankment into the water some eight or
ten feet deep, and were drowned, together with the horses, before any
assistance could reach them: in fact, before an alarm could be given. At the same
time, Mr. Eli Zimmerman, Jr. and Daniel Beers were attempting to cross from the
opposite direction, when Beers' horse fell from the levee at the same place.
Beer threw himself from the horse and tried to stem the current, but was unable
to make any headway. On the advice of some of the bystanders, he turned and
swam to the horses who had just drowned and clung to the head of a dead horse.
This buoyed him enough so that a plank with a rope attached was floated to him
and he was towed ashore.
We have seldom, if ever, seem as excited mass of humanity as was there
assembled; a fellow creature was struggling in the water with every prospect of
perishing before aid could reach him. The cries, lamentations, and frantic
appeals of the women and children were truly heartrending, and were only appeased
by the rescue of the the unfortunate man from the very jaws of death.
A raft was then hastily constructed for the purpose of recovering the
bodies of the unfortunate men. The remains of Mr. Bates was taken from the water
about 7 o'clock. Mr. Eyanson's body was not found until around noon the next
day.
Mr. Bates leaves a family of eight children in rather destitute
circumstances. He was buried on Monday. It is currently rumored that Mr. Bates had
recently fell heir to a large fortune left him by his grandparents in England and
that his business in town the day he drowned was to mail a letter to his
attorney regarding it. According to the 1860 Census, Mr. Eyanson was a neighbor of
Gilland Bates. We found this account in Jay Co.,Indiana "The History of
Adams Co., Indiana"