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THE THIRD ELECTION.

     On Monday, the third day of April, 1848, the third election was held in Dallas county.

     Nothing of unusual importance transpired on this occasion, other than the common occurrences of the average spring election.

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     There were only two new officers to be elected at this time, a school-fund commissioner and a prosecuting attorney. Beside these, two other offices were to be filled, one of which had been made vacant by resignation since the previous August election, and the other was still vacant because of the failure to qualify on the part of the elected candidate.

     Noah Staggs had resigned the office of county commissioner to which he had been elected for the term of three years, and Tristram Davis was elected in his place, to hold office until the August election following, when a candidate must again be elected regularly, who should continue during this unexpired term of three years.

     William D, Boone was elected at this time, also, to the office of probate judge, to fill the vacancy caused by the failure of Samuel Miller to qualify as the law required, the latter having been elected to that office at the previous fall election.

     Stephen K. Scovell was duly elected as the first School Fund Commissioner of the county, which office was created by an act of the State legisture [ legislature] of Iowa, and approved January 24, 1847; but had never before been filled in the county.

     Henry Stump was elected as the first prosecuting attorney in the county, at this election also. This office had heretofore been filled by appointment of the court.

     At this election there still was only one voting precinct in the county, as at the previous fall election, and all the votes were polled at Penoach (now Adel).

     There were, in all, twenty-four votes cast this time, showing an increase of five over the previous election, but a decrease of one still below the number of votes cast at the first election, This, however, was not on account of any decrease in the number of inhabitants in the county, for in this there had been a great increase during that time; but it simply showed a decline in the interest manifested on the two occasions.

     The first election was a new and an important event in the history of the county, while the third one began to appear like the old story often told. Besides this the greater part of the citizens were becoming too much interested in, and occupied with, their private affairs and spring work, to be very desirous of public positions, unless there was more money in them than was afforded by the majority of the offices then to be filled.

     The coming fall election would, doubtless, display a different feeling, and awaken a much deeper interest on the part of all, as new issues were again to be met, all the offices announced in the proclamation of the organizing sheriff, as necessary for the complete organization of the county, had now been duly filled by the votes of the people at regular elections, and the new county's political machinery was fully organized and in running order. The coming fall election would give the voters of the county their first opportunity, as such, for casting their votes for State officers.

THE FIRST COURT-HOUSE.

     Lot 8, block 9, of the town of Penoach, was purchased by Buel Lathrop, July 8, 1848, and upon it he built a double log cabin; which he soon afterward sold to the county for a temporary court-house, and offices in which the county business could be transacted.

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     This cabin consisted, in the main, of two separate rooms, built a short distance apart, but connected by one roof, and a porch-way extending between them, with a door leading into each room from this porch or alley.

     This cabin was built of hewed cottonwood logs, and was roofed with shingles, or rather clapboards made of the same kind of material, which rendered it not by any means always waterproof, but made it to answer the purpose for which jt was used, very conveniently and acceptably in the absence of any better place.

     There was a large awkward-looking chimney on each end, made of blocks of prairie-sod and sticks of timber, daubed between with mud mortar, and each setting outside of the building. These rough chimneys afforded ample room for log fires within sufficient to make the rooms quite comfortable for hardy pioneers, even during the coldest winter weather, and many happy hours have been spent around those great log fires, relating the various adventures experienced and heard of, and enjoying the jokes of the season.

     It was supplied inside with a rough puncheon floor and a number of extemporized seats, desks, tables and other necessary furniture, all made of like material as that of the walls and roof. These were all of the best style and. quality that the times and circumstances could afford.

     On the side next the street each room had one six-light window of 8x10 glass, which served the important purpose of letting in the amount of light the inmates were allowed to make use of each day while engaged in their official duties.

     Judging from the photograph of this rustic relic, which is still extant, it is evident that this cabin was not especially noted for its beauty of architecture, nor even for the wonderful degree of comfort and convenience it afforded to those who occupied it; but at all events it was the most convenient and comfortable structure the people could afford in those days, perhaps more so than many of them afforded at home, and very appropriately served the purpose for which it was' intended until a better place could be secured. Within that rough exterior doubtless, not only logical reasoning with rhetorical flights of eloquence were frequently displayed, but most important business was there transacted, to which the county is indebted, in a great measure, for its present condition of improvement and prosperity.

     Hon. James P. Charlton and Hon. William McKay are the. only Judges whom we find mentioned on the records as having presided over terms of District Court held in this first Dallas county court-house.

     In 1849 this double cabin was converted into a store building by George B. Warden, and was used by him for this purpose for some time, but finally was sold to Jesse K. Miller and moved away.

     In 1853 a new court-house was built on lot 4, block 17, where the brick bank building now stands, on the south of the court-house square and just east of Boaks' grocery store.

     This second court-house was a great improvement on the first one, being a one-story frame structure, about foury feet in length by twenty feet in width, comfortably finished and furnished, and served the purpose finely for a number of years until the present one was built. Some years afterward it caught fire, and, with the building adjoining it on the east, was burned to the ground. According to the records it appears that Hon. William McKay, during his last terms of service, Hon. Charles J. Mc:Far-

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     land, and Hon. William M. Stone were the judges who presided over the various terms of the District Court in this second court-house during the four or five years that it remained in use for that purpose by the county.

     The present court-house, which is the third one for Dallas county, was built in 1858. It is a firm brick structure, two stories high and about sixty-four feet in length by forty-two feet in width, costing about eighteen or twenty thousand dollars when built. The lower story is divided into five offices, while the upper one serves as a comfortable and sufficiently commodious court-room. This building is situated about the center of the court-house square, being the first one erected on that ground.

     About two years ago the county, finding there was not sufficient room in this main building down stairs for all the different offices, erected another brick building one story high in the southwest cornel' of the court square and divided it into three commodious and attractive offices, which are occupied respectively by the treasurer, clerk, and recorder. This structure is built in the shape of a letter L, thus forming two wings each eighteen feet wide, while the south and west walls of the building are each about forty feet in length, these being the longest sides.

     At the election of April 2, 1855, a vote was taken on levying a tax for building a new court-house, but was lost by 99 to 179 votes.

     The county officials and tax-payers were not disposed to run in debt for such public improvements, but preferred to wait awhile until the county had procured the means by which to defray the expenses of such a structure before entering upon the task of building.

     Accordingly, on the minute-book is found the following record of the action taken two years afterward on this subject which proved much more successful and met with the favor of the people:

     "WHEREAS a petition has been presented to the county court of Dallas county, Iowa, praying that the county judge take immediate steps for the erection of a court-house; and
     WHEREAS, the county having available means, amounting to about ten thousand dollars, that can be applied for that purpose; and believing that a good and substantial court-house can be built without increasing the ordinary expenses, or the taxes heretofore laid; it is therefore ordered by the court that an election be held in Dallas county, at the several places of voting therein to take the sense of the people of said county, for a court-house, and against a court-house.
     The manner of voting on the above proposition-the tickets shall have written or printed
thereon the words, "For the Court-house," or "Against the Court-house."

     The vote on the above proposition was carried by a handsome majority, there being 240 against to 401 votes in favor of building a new court-house which resulted in the erection of the present brick structure, from the treasury funds, without levying a tax.

     The contract for building said court-house was let during the June term of court, 1857, to C. Rodenbach for $9,980, and the building was erected during the next year.

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MORMON RAID.

     The fourth election in Dallas county was held August 12, 1848, and proved to be an occasion of considerable importance, as a member of Congress, together with several State officers, were to be ejected at this time, and Dallas was to have her first experience, as a county, voting in a State election.

     Iowa was, at that time, entitled to only one representative in the lower house.

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     The two political parties then in the field were Whig and Democrat, and the party lines were pretty distinctly drawn so that a close political contest seemed inevitable.

     During the summer the board of county commissioners had again divided the county for political purposes and increased the number of polling places from one to three, in order that it might be more convenient for the voters who were now scattered over various and quite distant parts of the county.

     One of these new polling places was at Penoach, as before, one at the house of William P. McCubbin, situated in what is now Boone township, and the third at the house of Judah Leaming in the northeastern part of the county. This division made it much more convenient for the attendance of all parties concerned.

     There was, however, a rather ingenious and disgraceful political trick played at this election, which resulted in very suddenly increasing the number of votes cast in the county to one hundred and ten (110) while there had been only twenty-four (24) cast at the previous April election of the same year.

     The cause of this sudden increase of votes at this election was the unexpected appearance at the polls, on election day, of some fifty or sixty Mormons who came in wagons and camped out near the place of voting.

     At that time Dallas county really extended in its political jurisdiction clear to the Missouri river, and people proving themselves to be naturalized citizens and living within said bounds were entitled to cast their votes at this election. This condition of things afforded broad latitude for political chicanery for those who desired to avail themselves of it in order to gain a political triumph; and it appears that on this occasion one Pete Myers, then of Fort Des Moines, took advantage of this favorable opportunity and perpetrated a shrewd but unjustifiable trick on the honest voters of the county.

     He is accused of having negotiated with the Mormon leaders for their votes in the interests of the Whig candidate for Congress. Accordingly the above mentioned. company of Mormons came in their wagons, claiming to belong to the attached territory of Dallas west of this on the Missouri slope, but really lived some distance south of the attachment line, and cast their votes en masse for the Whig candidate, Daniel F. Miller, each and everyone swearing in his vote.

     The result was that Miller received eighty-eight votes for Congressman, and William Thompson, the Democratic candidate, received twenty-two, giving the former a majority of sixty-six.

     The most of the excess vote by the Mormons was cast at the house of Wm. P. McCubbin, where the greater part of them camped with their wagons.

     The clerk of the board of county commissioners, S. K. Scovell, according to law having chosen two justices of the peace, Samuel Miller and Levi A. Davis, to assist him in the election canvass, saw, as soon as the returns from the different precincts were received, that a serious fraud had been committed, and positively refused to join with the two justices in completing the canvass and making the returns.

     In this case the law required that three separate abstracts should be made in the returns, one giving the votes for Congressman, another for the State officers, and the third for-the county officers.

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     Notwithstanding this, when the clerk refused to join them, the two justices, Miller and Davis, proceeded on their own responsibility, completed the canvass themselves, and made but one abstract of the whole, either ignorantly or willfu1ly, giving the entire vote of Congress, State and county officers an on one and the same sheet, in open violation of the law, and requested the clerk to forward said returns to the Secretary of State.

     Scovell refused to do so on the same ground on which he refused to join the canvass, and finally through the influence of Daniel F. Miner's friends an order was issued by the court requiring Scovell to correct the abstract and forward the returns in due form to the Secretary of State, and the Mormon tricksters gained their triumph.

     Tristram Davis was elected county commissioner to fill the unexpired term of three years previously vacated by the resignation of Noah Staggs.

     William P. McCubbin was elected in the place of O. D. Smalley, whose one year term had expired, and Uriah Stotts was elected Judge of Probate, to fill the place made vacant by the resignation of William D. Boone.

     The following is a copy of the abstract of the election returns as made by the two justices, on the single sheet, including the votes cast for all the officers, and which the clerk refused to forward or approve until specia1ly ordered by the court:

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     We, Samuel Miller and Levi A. Davis, two acting justices of the peace in and for Dallas county, do hereby certify that the above abstract of the election in all the precincts in said county is correct.

     Given under our hands this 12th day of August, 1848.

SAMUEL MILLER, Justice of the Peace.
LEVI A. DAIVS, Justice of the Peace.

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PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

     In the year 1848, on the seventh day of November, the sixteenth presidential election occurred, which was the first election of this kind since the organization of Dallas as a county. It was therefore an occasion of considerable interest as it gave the voters their first opportunity of casting their ballots in their new county for the Chief Executive or the nation. The population of the county had not yet become sufficiently extensive to call forth any very great demonstration in a political campaign; but those who were here were generally as thoroughly interested in the important event which was about to transpire in the nation's career as those who were living in parts more densely populated; and as the appointed election day drew near, the display of interest and enthusiasm continued to increase until the excitement became quite interesting and called forth some lively speeches and zealous electioneering from the different parties.

     The three political parties then in the field were the Whig, Democratic and "Free-soil" parties.

     Gen. Zachary Taylor, or "Old Rough and Ready," was the Whig candidate for the presidency, being nominated on the fourth ballot over Henry Clay, Gen. Scott and Daniel Webster, in the Whig convention, which met at Philadelphia, June 7th, 1848.

     Gen. Lewis Cass, an American statesman and eminent United States senator from Michigan in 1844, on account of his able opposition to the" Wilmot Proviso," * was nominated as the Democratic candidate for the presidency in 1848.

     And Martin Van Buren, the eighth President of the United States was the "Free-soil "candidate for the presidency at the same election.

     Quite a schism had been caused in the Democratic party about that time over "the question of the permission of slavery in the newly-acquired territory," and a considerable faction branched off under the name of "Free-soilers" forming a new party, and nominating their own candidate above mentioned.

     This, of course, very materially weakened the old party, and helped secure the victory for the Whigs. Besides, in nominating Gen. Taylor, with his great popularity as the "hero of the battle of Buena Vista," for which he had just received the gold medal and thanks of Congress, the Whig party had "struck the key-note of success," and the result was Taylor received 163 electoral votes to 137 received by Cass; and a popular vote of 1,360,752 against 1,219,962 for Cass, and 291,342 for Van Buren.

     As one has truthfully said regarding this presidential race, "Old 'Rough and Ready,' so recently from the victorious battle-field of Buena Vista, was a power in the land, and, we dare say, the 'Great Michigander,' with all his knowledge of men, with all his laurels of field and forum, of statesmanship and diplomacy, could hardly have expected to be successful, as against Gen. Taylor, before the American people."

     But the facts in the case are, eminent statesmanship has not appeared to

     * David Wilmot, a Democratic congressman, on August 8th, 1846, offered an amendment to a bill appropriating $2,000,000 for the purchase of Mexican territory, which amendment became celebrated under the name of "The Wilmot Proviso."
     In substance it required: ."That as an express and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any territory from the republic of Mexico by the United States * * * neither slavery nor Involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of the said territory."
     This proviso was adopted by the House, but rejected by the Senate, and became the starting-point for the .. Free-soil" movement of 1848.

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be the essential qualification in a public man for gaining the nomination, or for carrying the popular vote for the presidential office, and there has not been any radical change for the better visible in that respect during our entire career, even until the present day. The natural result is, as shown by a glance at the past political record, comparatively few of our chief executives have been especially noted for what is understood as eminent statesmanship.

     Gen. Taylor received the nomination on that occasion over at least two men in his own party who stood in the foremost ranks of American statesmanship, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, and by a handsome majority he carried this election over Gen. Cass, another of our first statesmen and most powerful orators, either of whom, doubtless, was greatly his superior as an orator or a statesman, and as such, by their superior powers and extended knowledge and experience, could sway the masses at their will on almost any other important question; but could not, for themselves, command the popular vote, or control the political scheming with sufficient success to gain the presidential chair.

     Too often it is the case that wide notoriety over some sudden success, and the great burst of public applause that is made to follow it, through the agency of influential friends, rather than true popularity from real merit and eminent qualifications for the position, are made the principal means of deciding who shall fill many of our high offices of trust, and thus bring danger and disaster upon our government. A man may be deservedly popular and eminently fitted for one important position, and yet be very unfit for another one of an entirely different character to which the popular voice may call him; and yet such great mistakes as these are often made of placing the wrong man in the wrong place, thus dwarfing his powers and injuring his usefulness to the detriment of the nation. This great political evil can only be remedied, and the disaster resulting from it averted, by carefully and accurately measuring each candidate by the special qualification and fitness he possesses for filling the particular position, and thus choose the "right man for the right place."

     In Dallas county's first experience in presidential elections, she had the privilege and honor of casting her vote for eminent and worthy men, which made the occasion one of interest and importance to all.

     In view of the troubles experienced by the perpetration of fraud at the preceding August election, and in order to effectually prevent the like from occurring again at this time, the board of county commissioners decided to have only one voting precinct for the entire county, in place of three, as at the previous election. To this end, at one of their sessions, they passed the following order:

      Ordered, That hereafter the only place of voting in Dallas county shall be Penoach, until otherwise changed, and that due notice be given as required by law.

     Accordingly the election was held at the house of J. C. Corbell, in Penoach. There were in all fifty-seven votes cast at this time and the following list shows the names of all the voters in the order in which each vote was cast:

     W. W. Miller, John Sullivan, Sr., John Sullivan, Jr., Harvey Adams, John Bivens, L. D. Burnes, S. K. Scovell, Isaac Tribby, William D. Boone, Thomas Butler, Samuel Miller, John Miller, William Ellis, Eli Smithson.

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John Bennett, Lewis Stump, Shubal Haworth, Isaac Ellis, Bavid Daily, Z. Babcock, Uriah Stotts, James Wright, Milton Randolf, Buel Lathrop, George Haworth, "Jeff" Jones, James Drummond, Jonathan Sullivan, James A. Butler, George P. Garroutte, Samuel P. Garroutte, James Brooks, Daniel James, Andersou Kelly, Daniel Stump, "Chris" Fowler, Horatio Morrison, Ed. J. Fowler, Archibald Crowl, Eli Miller, Levi Wright, John M. Davis, Ira Sherman, J. O. Corbel], Chelsea Shelton, Nathan Moore, Barney Morrison, Tristram Davis, Howell Blacketer, Isaac Magart, Judah Learning, Sr., O. D. Smalley, Judah Learning, Jr., Samuel Todd, F. O. Case, Elisha Leaming, G. H. Reynolds-57 votes.

     There were but few legal voters in the county who failed to cast their ballots at this election. A number had come in since the previous August election who were entitled to a vote in the county at this time, but some of these living so remote from the polls, and being so new and unsettled in the county, failed to make their appearance at the polls on election day.

     Aside from these few cases a full vote was cast, and a general good feeling prevailed, though each party was intent on its own especial interest, and worked faithfully to gain the victory.

     The Whig electors for General Z. Taylor, presidential candidate, were:

Fitz Henry Warren, }
Jesse Brown, }
William H. Wallace, }      These three received 22 votes in this county.
Stephen B. Shelleday.}

     The Democratic electors for General Lewis Cass, presidential candidate were:

Augustus C. Dodge, }
Joseph Williams, }
John S. Sellman,}
Lincoln Clark}          These received 22 votes in this county

     The Free-soil electors for Martin Van Buren, presidential candidate, were:

George McDonald, }
William Ince, }
Ira Sherman, }
George Thomas. }         These received 1 vote in this county.

     There were no regular Van Buren tickets here, and in the absence of any Ira Sherman receives the credit of furnishing, impromptu, Free-soil tickets bearing the above names; among which his own appears. And he also is accredited with casting the only ballot in the county for the Free-soil electors.

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THE FIRST WATER MILL.

     As previously mentioned, the first water mill for grinding grain, in the county limits, was built by Buel Lathorp, in the year 1848. After selling his property in Penoach to the county for a court-house, Mr. Lathrop took a claim on Hickory Creek, a little south of Matt. Freeman's farm. He built a dam, cut a mill race across the bend of the creek, constructed a breast-wheel and so placed it as to utilize the power of the water fall, erected a log mill house, purchased Samuel Miller's old horse-power "stump mill," and thus fitted up an improved pioneer mill on his new site

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for the accommodation of the public on quite an extensive scale, capable of grinding at least one and one-half bushels of corn per hour.

     After a short time, however, he sold this mill to "Chris." Fowler, who ran it for a while, or rather let it run itself as a general thing, after filling the hopper, until it became empty again, without making any special effort to keep it in repairs, or improve its condition, or increase its capacity for grinding. With this lax treatment the mill soon ground itself out until it was almost without grist or patrons, so that the miller, finding it unprofitable business, and becoming so enamored with the attractions of Mormonism, soon disposed of his mill property and left the country. As Mr. Burnes, one of his old patrons, says of him:

     "Chris. was a disciple, theologically, of Joe Smith, Jr., and this mill required so little of his attention after the hopper had been well filled; that 'Chris.' would take advantage of his leisure hours (and they were many) to impress his patrons with a sense of the beauty and self-abnegation of Mormonism, enlarged and improved upon by Bro. Young.

     "Poor 'Chris.' became environed by the hobgoblins on his return home one night from an effort at Penoach, after which he became trist, and soon after left the county, in fear of a second seance of infernals over his missionary labors in Penoach."

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THE OWENS MILL.

     Sometime this same summer of 1848 another water-power grist and sawmill was put up by "Yankee" Smith and his son-in-law, Henry Owens, near the mouth of Cottonwood creek, in what is now Union township, on section 11.

     This was commonly known as "Owens' Mill," and is very distinctly remembered by most of the early settlers yet surviving, on account of the general good time enjoyed on the occasion of its being raised and christened in pioneer style.

     Though the mill itself endured but for a short season until it was entirely swept away by the flood, still the building of it at that early day remains green in the memory of many, even now.

     Judge L. D. Burnes, who was present and performed a very important part in the building of this mill, gives the following interesting account of the raising and what soon followed:

     "Henry Owens put up a water-mill on South Raccoon river, near the mouth of Cottonwood, in the summer of 1848. Mr. Harvey Adams, George P. Garroutte and Squire Babb were invited, as were nearly everybody else, to help raise the house and frame the mill.

     The house was built of hewed logs, and was a double, two-story one. In fact, it was as fine a hewed-log house as we had ever seen. Henry Owens was a gentleman of the old school, and had, of course, laid in a very large supply of 'liquid fire' for this occasion. 'Fun and frolic' abounded. The colonel's table fairly groaned under the rich supplies he had provided for the hungry. Just at nightfall the work was done.

     "Many could not make home that night, and, of course, stayed with the chivalrous colonel, and we were treated like princes of the blood.

     "We, Squire Babb, George P. Garroutte, Harvey Adams and Eli Miller determined to return home that night. There was not a road leading homeward, nor even a pathway going to Penoach. We chose Eli Miller,

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upon his own recommendation, as guide and cicerone, and started out for home by the way of Penoach. The night was bright and clear, the moon was in its new, first quarter, the dew fell rapidly and abundantly.

     "We had not proceeded far when Squire Babb fell from his horse, from the effects of Colonel Owens' 'liquid fire.' We and George P. Garroutte got off our horses and replaced the Squire on his horse and steadied him a moment, but as soon as we had remounted and started, off came the Squire sprawling on the ground. We were soon off again to replace him, but we found the Squire limber and deaf to all our appeals to go on.

     "George P. Garroutte finally got out of patience and bounced him, gathered the Squire by the throat and plied his fists vigorously to the person of the inebriate Squire.

     "Every blow was accompanied by such a gush of virulent invective that the little stars above seemed to hide their faces in very shame.

     "The Squire finally came to, and replied to George's chastisement thus:

    " 'Mr. Garroutte, I can whip you the best day you ever saw; but, sir, I scorn to do such a thing. You are my neighbor, Mr. Garroutte, and, sir, I would as soon be found fighting my mother as my neighbor, sir!'

     "George replied, vigorously: 'Get up, you d-d old whig, or I will kill you and throw your old carcass into the creek to feed the minnows.'

     " 'Mr. Garroutte,' replied the Squire, ' you are a villain, sir, but you are my neighbor, Mr. Garroutte, and I would just as soon, sir, be found fighting Mrs. Babb as to be found fighting my neighbor, Mr. Garroutte, hic'

     "George rejoined at the very top of his voice: 'The h-ll you say! Get up, you old sheep thief, or I will bait my wolf-trap with your old rotten carcass.'

      "By this time the Squire was on his feet, ready for fight.

     "George got him by one leg and we by the other, and lifted him astride his horse and started on, we holding one leg and George holding the other, Eli Miller leading the way.

      "After winding over the prairies for some time we came to the house of our old friend, Abner McKean, on Panther creek, where we unloaded the Squire, and left Harvey Adams with him to keep him quiet.

     "We went on, struck the ford on the slough above the site of the Adel Mill, and reached Horatio Morrison's late in the night. Horatio was living on and owned the claim on the river at the east side of the island. There we staid all night. On our arrival at Morrison's Horatio got up, struck a light, asked us if we would have supper. After we had replied in the negative he got down his old red violin, and we were welcomed with the 'Arkansaw Traveler,' 'Mony Musk,' 'Fisher's Hornpipe,' and 'Jenny, get your hoe-cake done.' "

     Thus the curtain fell on the jovial scene of important mill-raising in Dallas county.

     How Squire Babb fared with his generous hest during the rest of the night, we have not been able to ascertain; but undoubtedly he felt the unpleasant effects of Dr. George P. Garroutte's radical remedy for a serious and sullen attack of mill-raising inebriety for several days, and was exceedingly fortunate if Mrs. Babb did not give him even a much more severe trouncing for affirming that he would just as soon "fight her as his neighbor."

     It is little wonder that this mill could not long endure the pressure of circumstances.

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     As a mighty flood of the most dangerous liquid attended its construction, it was quite in keeping that another flood should also be the cause of its destruction.