Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-01-08
iowa state Agricultural
College,.

iowa state Agricultural
College.
Lecture by Professor Townsend
= on Rivers and their Uses
3 s1i" to Man.
lgT omitted to say in my former com-
muication that the branch OF study
which DIR. Townsend is now daily
bringing before his class, Is "Physi-
cal Geography This subject opens
the way, In its regular course, for the
informal lectures nowd being deliv-
ered t II DatJ Sn
After the usual quiz, the answers to
the questions propounded generally
showing very clear understanding
of the subject by the class, the lectur-
er proceeded to say, that the advan-
tages of crooks la rivers, referred to
by the question and answer just CIV
en-, was to diminish tho fall, thus
greatly facilitating navigation. If
rivers ran in q straight line with the
total fall they now show from their
origin to their mouth, the current
would be SO rapid az 10 cut off al
chance of navigation as n general
thing. Rivers having fall of six
inches tn the mile are navigatcd very
fcon1fortably.t A fall of three inches
to the mile is said to secure flow of
three milss To the hour. Possibly
this estimate may not be strictly cor.
rect, but | presume that itdoes not
vary much from the fact. a 8
The Ganges arises high on noun
tain ranges, has rapid current, and
affords an example of river with n
flow too rapid for the purposes of
navigation. 3sat.sa.5S tr...
Our best soils for farm crops are
found on river bottoms. These are
termed "alluvial,n in contradistinc-
tion to the soil or deposit on the
carth's surface general, this latter
deposit being termed .tlilluvial,n -
and Is supposed to have it's origin
from the great flood. Your surface
soil here In Iowa Is not the result OF
the dislntegration of rocks, as is the
case In some regions, but Is the resid-
uum left upon the subsidence of the
great waters,' or else followed some
other great convulsion of nature.
As before remarked. the aliuvial
soils are, as rule, best for the growth
of plants. They are porous, easily
penetrated by the roots of plants, end
abound In the elements necessary for
the growth of such plants as are re.
quired for the food of man.
Rivers should be studied with ref
erence to man, AZ a means Of commu-
nicati0n by navigation, also as n
source Of food. They are great reser-
voirs of food, abounding In excellent I
nj hn t,a 4. ~
tained so cheaply as fish. .5, -
Egypt was the first to have q toler-
able civilization, owing to its availa-
BILE river communication. Navigablo
rivers are In this way powerful aids
IN civilization, affording easy and
cheap communication between the
cities aud towns along their course.
Rivers are valuable also as a means
o. irrigation. BY this means lands
are rendered exceedingly fertile.
They are also valuable as means OF
motive power, propelling mills and
factories, thus uffcrding the cheapest
propelling power within our reach,
Rivers are OF great sanitary advant.
age. Great cities could hardly be
maintained without the drainage af-
forded by these. The city Of London
with Its immense population, could
not exist but for the presence of the
Thames. This river is nothing less
than great "sewer,n carrying off
the filth Of this immense population.
Even the Thames of itself would be
insufficient, but the tide comes i'm aud
efiectnally washes the river bed every
twenty-fou hours.
All large cities are built on rivers,
as New York, Chicago, st. Louis,
New Orleans, London, and MANY
others we could name, Pekin Is al
most the only exception. laAN "A P
ane drainage necessary to secure
the health OF a large city can hardly
be secured by any artificial system OF
sewerage.
Rivers are great facts In the struc-
ture of the earth, necessary TO the
earths occupancy by man. As before
said, civilization can make rapid pro.
gress through the agency of this Kind
OF water communication, Thedrain-
age, the commerce, are all necessary
to the complete development of the
civilized arts, aud of the health OF
the human family.
Imagine city of 100000 inhab-
itnnts without river drainage. What
do you suppose would become of the
people? Such ale the influences as
doctors look upon as dispensations
Tor non observance of immutable nat.
ural laws. Thorough drainage does
away with causes Of disease.
The hospital ut Baton Rouge was
supplied with imperfect drainage,
aud the result wis, that very soon
.erysipelas broke out In nearly every
ward, many deaths occurred, and
threatened fearful results. But by
prompt attention to the source Of
mischief, repairing the drains
thoroughly, the disease at once abated
and very soon disappeared entirely.
liz were about to build building,
the first thing would look To would
be the drainage. All brooks and
streams, ever so small, answer val.
liable purpose. There benefits should
not be overlooked. - loioa Homestead.