The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1856-12-11


The Mississippi river Is the greatest stream
in the world. la total length is 1000 miles
On looking over a volume recently issued, en-.
titled Loyds s,eamboa, and Railway Direc-
tory, we find the folio, ing instructive article
ON the waste Of waters Of the Mississippi --
II says;
No experience win enable person 10 an,ic.
iT~ae. with amy degree of certainty, the cIeva.
seasons. the waters do not rise above their
channels IN others, the entire lower valley Of
the Mississippi is submerged. Embankmen,s
called levecs have been raiscl rom five 10 ten
fset high. on both sides Of The struam. extend.
Ing many miles below Now Orleans iiy this
means the river j. restrained within liz proper
limits except NJ thr greatest fr~hcts when
the waters sometimes break over everything,
causing great destruction to property. and
sometimes loss Of life, The average height Of
the food from the Delta 10 the junction u the
Missouri Ia above sixteen frrt A. the month
ot the latter river Il ir tweot y.6ve feet Below
the entrance Of the Ohio river tho rise Is often
lftyfive feet
Al Natchcz, Il seldom exceeds thirty fsct
and al New Orleans abont twelve k~t. What
goes with the NAirry II IL known that the
dinermcs between high and low water mark,
~ high a. White river. is about thirty six FRET,
and the current Of high wstcr mark fu1s near
seven miles per hour, aud opposite 10 New Or
lesns the difsrcncc between high and low Wa
ter mark u only twelve lcet, and the current
little over three miics W tia hour. Jhe width
and depth ol the river being the same. IRON
which we calculate that nearly sk times as
much water pass. by the mouth oI White ry.
~ M by New OrIeans. What gas with the
exo@! The onIy solution ever oilsred. Ia that
Il escapes by the bayous PlaQuemiDe, = A" La
iourcle" and " IberyilIc," but when VIZ calcu
ats tbe width. depth aud current OF these bay
yas, tbfy fall vastly short ol afording . sof
icifnt escap,mebt The true explanation ran,
We think. b. given.
Al low wste-, throughout tho whole extent.
We se land stractare exposed, underlying ,be
bank or that tho auyisl structure on which
the plsntstiobs are. is structure VI dsposi,
msde by thc river shove ita low water mark
which. opposite W the mooth of White river,
n thirty Art thick. As you deseeDd, tho river
dirn,nisbes 10 volume m tss d,Iere1ce between
hIsh and low water mark dig,,nshcs and near
ly oosrespoDds t0 IL. and wherever tbe bottom
10 cxposcd u shows throughout tho whole cS-
tnt that the bottom 10 pWs 6eaJs sand cs.
hibitiDg at many PLACES tis oeAan I,ngi,
thsopgh tba supssimposed aIluyisl structure
misei with GSs sAnd. Tbs water pscolatfs
with such facility and rspidty that tbs water
IN veil dog ~ considerable distance from
The sives bank risez and falls with tbs rise "
the river. nOt varying ~ inch, nod through the
cOssW ssnd asd shingles u the bottom. 1t psss-
n - rspdiy ~ through common SIEVE.
by TIE accurate surveys VI several scientific
esgiDscsp, II b sseeftsiDsd that the isll of the
Mississippi nves " Gow inches TO the mile
The distance from NHscbsz W New Orleans Of
,krss ba0drei mikes. will give twelve hundred
inches. a oos hundred txt. Tbs depth d the
river 10 les than fiity feet st high water mark.
This riva debooctes into pfomoGtoy made
By itseif. Tho surtsoe u tbe ocean, by meas
srsmtnt. below uhs bottom of the river, above
New Orisans, corrapcsds with the low water
nsk below Nes Orleans, thudore tie Missis
app, rvx 10 pouring througb ix ovn botton
into The ocean, the ssTerimnssd weight giving
lateral pressure 10 hurry the sub,erraaeaa cur.
rent. II the rea,isr has ever stood upon Ms
sixipp sand bar 10 bard rain, az seen water
poured from bucket on the .and-bsr, he has
sssu that neither coo h. done In sufficient qBsD-
ti,y 10 prcdace Aoy current ~ accumulation oo
ths surface. 1be riyq Is. therefore, from the
tine j, CONES teISw the lime s,0De stfa,as Of
MiSoan sod kentucky, wasting itseli through
" own botton-
II ,he MisiA.ippi riyu had to psfsne 70.
course, Bhe the Ohio, over rocky strata, vailed
ia BY rock AID imJeryioas clay backs, the high
wstsr mark st NeS Orleans would reach one
hundred iest above iis presni limit bot rua-
niae over coarse ssad. Walled 10 W dspo.'t
rnAlk Of ssod, ancient doldyisl dstritns, and
vegetable mound, no more water reaches the
ocsan than the eIoss over The afaount thai
tssmestss the surroGDding structure nsd psssrs
"a 10 the process Of psrcosstion or trabspcrS
ton In sabtsrrsaesn descsnt 10 the ccoAn. -
Y Ths river. withoui any otbm rstraint from