Delaware patriot & American watchman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1828, 1828-11-04
THE RAFT or RED RIVER.

structiye article in the Little Rock Gazette, upon
the Rift of Red River. The article IS the copy
of letter addressed BY him to the Hon. A. H.
Sewer, Delegate to Congress from afKansas' anu
dated, Mount Prairie August Isl In 'h's 'e''er'
the publication of which IS not yet complete ne
gives what appears to be very satisfactory ac
count Of the manner in which the raft begun to
collect and arrive at its present state, and gives
his opinion as to the best means oi obvatlns the
distractions which it opposes to navigation, and
what is Of more pressing Importance, OF saving .
norton of occupied territory from the threatened
delugc; or perhaps permanent submerslon. 'r.
PAXTON attempts to show that the Red River has
sh fled its channel-that it must at some time or
other have emptied into the gull Of Mexico. as lar
west as tic Ncrmlllon Bay, and perhaps farther
This lie arenes from the peculiar depnsiie OF the
Red River. a tlepositc totally unlike that OF any
other river in thar region, and necessarily so IRON
the soil OF the territory 10 which i Uses lie dues
rot think that the channel was suddenly changed
iron It's old position to IT'S present. on that II mas
for ages been encroaching on its lett bank. and
rccodiug from lis right, till at last having ,ravcrs
ed all the country between lis former and its pre-
sent charncl. Il came in contact with the Missis.
sippi al the Eackasec bend and was bsec'ed by il ;
the Achaiaays being the part cut off IRON what IS
called thr Red River.
lie further states, that it is still going on in the
same prccess aud continually wearing away to the
ct or the NORTH. lie ii :es the time when the
junction was made vita tine Mississippi at about
500 wears ago THIS he ventures to do, IRON
comparing the distance Up the river which the raft
mas attained with rs scariy progress at the pre-
sent tine. lie supnuscs the ralt TO have com
mcnccG thus AT the time Of the junction OF the
twu rivers, which was probably vhcn they were in
flood, an eddy was made extending up tie Rcd
Riypr f,rtv Ittv utipa tho py
cry spring, and the enormous quantities Of drift
wood which las before been carried oil BY the cur
rent. were deposited at tie head Of still water
and the Red River subsiGlaS first or both together
no current was produced by the fall, and the crift
timber was lodged in the bed Of the river. BY
the arrival o. another fresh the wood had become
Thoroughly soa I'D 50 t'sat it wbul not loat, and
at the same time had gathered leaves anil sedi
mcnt so a TO form complete dan, impcIlng the
water backwards still further, and arrcstine in its
course the floating rubbish OF another year.
Such is the enormous quantity OF brush, trunks
Of trees, &c, that the dcposte may be supposed
to have gained at least one milc per annum, which
it does at the present time. IN It's progres, up
HE river. It frequently throws back the water upon
the land tor many miles. and makes lake Of what
was before prairie. The forests. too, which il
some places line its banks. often Killed By the
overflow of water, and after standing Tor a few
wears with their roots submrrsed, the trees De-
come rotten and fall the first fresh that comes,
they are propelled forward TO the raft and thus
AID in the destruction cl other forests. which be
fore were beyond the reach OF the water
Only thirty five wears ago, the ioreau Lake
was beautiful prairie. and probably several other
large lakes in that vicinity were formed in the
same manner The raft la, nov reached a dis.
lance Of three hundred mites from the place where
j; Is supposed to have conmc1ced 1t is crafty
inr, however. 10 know that. as il is forming above
i j. decavinI below Within the memory OF per
sons living in Nachitoches, the lower end Of tie
rait was below that place, now i IS sixty or Sc
>entv miles above. Almost every sprng Il portion
IT the lower end is carried away by the food. All
he timber except some Of the more durable kinds
nave tlecaved az" LETT the mass without ans thing
70 hold it together. From these loose materials
new raft is frequently formed below in some mar
row part or bend OF the channel" Fhis ac-
cnunts,'' SAYS m Paxton, s. for the RATS that
choke up the old river below Nachitcches, for
tho-e that remain in the Rgolct dc Bonilier, and
also for those in the Achaalays. These immense
floating RATS are frequently seen passing the set.
Element below, apparently in nearly the same Sit
uatop as when they started. No one here is at
loss correctly to account for them, as it is well
known no drllt wood ever passes through the great
raItn
ihe great rattis now eighty miles long. 1t will
no be supposed that the river finds its way through
or OYER this enormous mass Of lumber On the
contrary, the river, when the water has risen 20
level with The banks, finds new channel at the
next bend above, because the bends are nearer the
margin Of the valley Which is generally lower
than the bank Of the river" IA soon as an open.
ing IS made, tie current stopped below runs thith
e. with rapldity, accompanied with thu dritwood
which, while the opening is charging above, be-
gins soon to lodge against and fill UP the lower
SIDE, and even to extend Itself diasonay across
the river to the opposite banh THIS new rat, thus
formed, continues to accumulate, and becomes
more impcryicns, until 4 again causes another open
ms above, aad again in the same way. another raft
so commenced" IA his wuy the raft il continual.