Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, January 17, 1913, p. 1 (late edition). NOTE: Other records indicate that W. M. Alexander is aka Williamson M. Alexander. Wikipedia defines freshet as "a flood resulting from heavy rain or a spring thaw." The same source defines side wheeler as a type of steam-powered paddle boat. FRESHET RECALLS OLDEN TIMES When Boats Went from Monroe County to New Orleans "This January freshet reminds me of the old days from 1840 to 1861 and also a few years after the war when flat boats went twice a year from Harrodsburg and Mt. Tabor to New Orleans," said Capt. W. M. Alexander while calling at The Telephone office this morning. "In those days, freshets generally came in January and June, and with each freshet a number of flat bottom boats would leave Harrodsburg and Mt. Tabor loaded with pork, wheat, corn and other supplies and drift into New Orleans. The flat boats would be built and loaded in readiness for the rains, and when Bean Blossom raised, the journey started. "Several men at Harrodsburg and Mt. Tabor made it a business of running these boats down the Mississippi. At New Orleans, the boats were abandoned, and their crews returned to New Albany by a river side wheeler. From New Albany, they came by stage or walked the 100 miles if they happened to be out of money. "There were a good many tragedies connected with this mode of getting the supplies to market and several local men mysteriously disappeared on the trip down the Mississippi or at New Orleans."