The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-03-06

sufficient to carry off the enormous
quantity of water supplied by its
tributaries, the consequence of
which is that it overhows its banks
and the bluffs then form the bounda-
ries of the sides of the stream; in
the summer of 1914 the river rose to
the extraordinary height of varying
from % to 20 feet at different points
above the present low water mark,
and boats of the largest class plying
upon the Mississippi were able to
navigate it throughout the greater
part of the year; in 1888 it was, |
was informed at Peru, le inches
higher than in 1874, the present sea-
son being an extraordinary dry one
the water has in consequence been
very low; as near as | could ascer-
tain the water has been lower by )
inches the present summer than ever
before known; the navigation has
been difficult throughout the whole
summer even for the smallest class
of steamboats,; there are but two
upon the river able to reach Peru,
both of them stern wheel boats about
40 feet in length 20 feet in breadth
and drawing about II inches water,
these boats find it difficult on ac-
count of the narrowness and crook
edness of the channel over the bars
and shoals to get along. About the
latter end of September the river
gets so low that boats drawing two
feet of water alone, can navigate the
stream from this time till the close of
the navigation by ice.
The distractions to navigation at
a low stage of water consists of bars
and shoals formed at the mouths of
the different streams emptying into
the river and at the heads and feet
Of the different islands; snags are
frequent but do not materially inter-
fere; there are no sawyers in a
low stage of water throughout the
greatest length of the river the char
mel is quite narrow; in many places
it is not wide enough to let two boats
pass; except in a few long stretches
bar extends the whole length of
the river; it lays generally along
the shore crossing the river at every
bend; at all Of the crossings, at
which places the channel changes
sides with the bar, are shoals afi,or-
ding but small depth of water
these are very numerous, and al
though they do not cause detention
to the smallest class of boats, in the
Improvement of the river it will be
necessary to deepen the water upon
them; these shoals are composed of
loose sand or light material some
times thickly mixed with muscles.
The bars formed near the mouth OF
the streams emptying into the river
are generally composed of a heavier
material, few of them of gravel,
and extend across the entire width
of the river, atfording but a few in
ches of water except in small open
ing through which the current pass
es; these openings are narrow and
many of them no doubt would be-
come level with the rest of the bar
was it not for the continual passing
of boats through them which keeps
them open, these bars, shoals, and
Snags, are the only distractions to q
good and safe navigation.
Here Mr.. Mowry gives two tables, containing
a list Of the diiltren, bars 90 in numbcr) ant
shoals (Il) in the river, their length, depth q
water in the channel upon them the quantity u
material necessary 10 remove from them to uiIuTt
a channel 90 feet in width, and three fee, waite
in it, &c. These tables we are obliged to omi
for wan, of room. 1t appears, however, from
them tina, to improve the river with channel 81
feet in width, ailording feet of water a, the low
est stage there will have 10 be removed l75 Az
cubic yards of excavation but much Of this hi
says i, is thought might he saved by constructor,
wing dams, at the foot Of the bars, which woul,
Hood the waters over the bars and shoals above
Another table is then given, containing a list o
the bars, their fall, width of the present channel
leas, depth, and velocity Of the current upon them
after which no proceeds:
, From an examination of this table
it will satisfy any one that there i,
: no aid to be expected from a combi.
nation OF Improvement by ring dams
and excavations; the whole body o
water in the river passes througI
these channels; the channels ever
: at present pass all the water tina
could be collected by wing dams ane
t are too narrow and shoal for the
: smallest class of boats to pass with
out much difficulty; the fall is too
little to effect any good, and the cur
, rent too slight to keep the channe
: clear; and were all of the necessa
. ry qualifications to be obtained b,
l such an Improvement the materia
t of which the distractions are formed
= would settle in the pools immediate
r 10 bnlnw thncn dams ,n1 r,r,, th,