Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-11-15

fv,on tho New York Journal Of Co.us,.sr
One Of the n oct valosble and notc. |
.ortby books. among resulta Of .cien,i. |
tic investigation, Is the report Of Cat |
Humphreys and Lient. Abbot, of The
Topoersphical Engineers, submitted 10
The bureau in 1861, and the .Physic.
and Hydrsuics OF the Mississippi R,y.
err Only small number Of copie,
were Or pted, bu: those who are unable
70 procure il, will be interested ia A .r.
,icle REVERSING and condensing much OF
u that j, most important, Which an.
neared 10 the last number Of the Norh
American. and is publ shed 10 .ep.rat.
nauphIe. by Crosby & Nichols, 10 Bos
ron. from which We take q few interest.
ing statements.
The first great fact brought forward
is that tho aiiuvlsl plain o. the M,ssis
sippi, on its two sides, is mostly below
the level Of the ho' DIS, .loping of from
the river ranks where the principal de.
posit Of soil Is made by ,he Owe, flows.
At Columbus The river is 2,24O fee,
wide. and here the first high po,nt, be
low the OHIO, occurs; at Memphis the
RIVER is 800 feet wide; at V.cksburg
| 266O; at Natchez 1910, while it IS
remarkable fact that nearer the mouth,
from B You La Fourche to Fort St
rhjIip. the low water width ie only O.
$50 feet. Twenty miles below Fort st.
Philip it widens to 1000 and 5000 feet,
and then divides into tie three great
passes. The great problem OF Originating
The flow oil this VAT stream. providing
guards for the farms on its banks agai 81
overfows, aud SO controlling the cur
rent and direction OF the river, as not
to injure one section of county while
bcnefl,ing another, is the principal Oh.
iect Of the investigation which has led
to this report. The various systems Of
reservoirs, cut-offs, canals and embark
ments, are thoroughly discussed, and the
conclusion arrived at is in favor OF The
latter, as the only really practicable AID
certain defence CT the lanIs against
floods.
The river is described as canal
running through bed Of hard blue clay,
almost a. enduring a, stone. Hence the
channel does not change as do other
streams resembling this, hut it remains
always the same, unless when a cut off j.
made through neck. 1t thus seem.
that the river is vast natural trench
into which forever flow he stream.
from the Rocky Mountains and the
AIeghanies aud this entire flow j.
carried on with all its sediments, depos-
ting nolhin. except in times Of over
flow, and sweeps TO the Cult, leaving
always the same clear clay b1ttom, arc
clay aud sand sides to the great canal.
The tides in the Mississippi are felt a
tar up as Red liver landing, 10 -'fes
rom the mouth. At Baton Rouge the
mean tide is ,wc.tenths ga loot. Iht
tide in the Gulf is bu' one foot ard two
tcn,hs, vet this =" ceptIoie effect Is pro
dnced o45 o-ises up the river. There
are three great annual floods 10 the rlv-
er. ic January, March, and Oc,ober.-
I.se liver IS above mid water stage from
The las, OF December ill July, and be
low it the res, of the v ,ar The area
of the Mississippi valley is l,256,o5t
square miles. The yearly fall OF ram il
THIS valley is about "a, 100000, 100000
cubic feet. The Mississippi, discharge
annually 10, 40 900, 100000 cubic feet
or about one-qnarier OF the amount
which falls from the clouds.
The report seems 10 set at rest thu
idea hat an arm Of the sea once exten
ed up to the mouth Of tie Ohio, or Il
tia, point below the Ohio where thu
to,tuons character Of the river begins
The probability is. that the mouth Wal
once at or n.ar Plaquemne. 22o mile.
up the stream. The present yearly rat,
OF progress Of the land is ascert4lned Il
be, at South west Pas, 33S feet; at lh,
) South Pass, $50; at The Northeast ant
Southeast Pas, es, 1870 feet, and at Pas
la'Outrr, 500 feet. This gives an az
erage Of 262 feet per annuD, ard indI
Gates 400 wears as the time for thu
growth If 900 miles. The reviewe
will remember that it is an interesting
fact that the delta of the Mississippi i
Younger than the rest of the world
We refer our readers to the report, o
the review, tor further interesting facts