Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-09-30
H MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
A Curious Essay on il and Similar
Streams, by Capt. Ericsson.

Cant. Ericsson contributed to The Ma
tional Academy Of Sciences, at ES1recent
session, a rather startling essay on n re-
tardation Of the earth's ax1al motion re-
sulting from the movement OF wafer and
sedimentary matter carried by the Miissls-
sippi and other great rivers toward the
-adna.or The center Of the Mississippi
basin. as he shows bydiagrans and calcu-
fstions. rotates in a circle OF u.s. S4, 7S2 feet
rsdjus with a circumferential velocity of
IIAs an feet per second. But the mouth OF
he river rolates in a circle of Is, 24O, 102
feet radius, with a circumferentlal veloe-
itv of ISS6.S9 feet per second. Thus amin
creased velocity of nearly l79 feet per sec
ond must be impartedto the s~edimentary
matter in its course from the center of the
basin TO the mouth OF the river. Where is
the motive energy necessary to supply
this increase 10 come FRONT The earth
must Weld the needed force; that is to say
the earth must lose an amount of its UiS
RIGA equal to the force required to gener-
ate the augmented speed. We here quote
Capt. Ericsson's own words:
at has been already stated that the
mean annual discharge Of earthly matter
at the mouth of the Mississippi Is 903, 100
basin being 2,46l 800 feet nearer the axis
thai the mouth Of the river, we can read
ily calculate that the increase of rotary
velocity will be, as already stated, l79 feet
per second; a rate acquired by a fall
through 5OO.6 feet. The elements are thus
furnished for determining with precision
the amoun OF us ViUd which the earth
must part with in consequence of the
change of position of matter attending the
abrasion during the aow of the rain water
from the basin TO the mouth of the river.
Multiplying 903 100 millions by 5O0.6, we
prove positively that the amount OF ener-
w TO be given IT, by the earth In order to
impart the stated increase Of rotary Veloo-
Ity to the abraded matter, exceeds four
hundred aud fifty-two trilliOns of foot
pounds annually. But the formation of
50. 600 square miles of delta, over which
the Mississippi now runs, has required
ages, during which the earth has beer un-
ceasingly deprived Of pis viva"
Capt. Ericsson then considers the re-
tarding Influence of the water discharged
by the Mississippi river, at a rate exceed
ing 3S,60O,OO0 pounds per second. He
1.-THE mean rate Of discharge o fthe Mis-
sissippi into the Gulf of Mexico somewhat
exceeds IS, 800, 200 pounds per second. We
have already seen that the position ofthe
center of the basin is so far north of the
outlet of the river as 10 place the latter
1AEA IA VIII AAOAA ~AAA AT VI IA
earth than the former, and that this diff
ference produces an increase Of oircQmfer-
ential velocity so considerable that a fall
through 5000 feet is necessary to generate
the same. The amount of TiS Uipd of
the earth is being deprived every
second by the waters OF the Mississippi
and its tributaries during their flow to the
sea will accordingly bs 1888, 600, 600 OF
fO~ot-pOunds. As the mind cannot prop
r,nn y tho NAOMI nna of fhi9
force. let us reduce it TO a standard with
which we have become familiarized. A
horsepower is $1,000 pounds raised one
high in aminute, or $50 pounds raised
foot high per second. Dividing the
ststed total energy by this stand
Of $50, tbs important fact will be es-
that to MAXI good b loss OF
ris vipa which the earth suffers demands a
constant expenditure of S5,l33,000 horse
power" a
He next discussed the question of COM
.pensation, in the way OF recovery Of the
us Vigg, by the action ofsolar force
through wind currents, clouds aHd rivers
iischarging into the Arctic seas; and be
concludes tina all these forces fail to up
ply the energy extinguished by the action
IF the Mississippi and the rivers flowing
the equator. NO reasonable
he saws, " can be entertained that
aAAE EdA IL bhHAAlAlH q AtNA Vi ITO tftN VI w.
sq4, $50 foot pounds every second. Multi
this sum by Sc, 400 seconds, we learn
hat every succeeding day marks a dimi-
in the earth's UiS Uird OF :, 446 ,45l,-
700 foot pounds, in consequence of the
of position OF the abraded matter
toward the equator.
A very interesting part of the essay re-
TO the depression of the earth's sur
lace 6V ebrasive operation of rain water.
Il has been aGsu3Red by many Intelligent
persons that the lowering process attend
.ng rain flows IL sufficiently rapid to
,%ounteract the retarding effect 10 the
equatorwards Of large rivers
ibaEged with s~edimentaTy matter; and
some baVe even fancied that, at not a very
Instant day, the shoie OF the terra grmd
bills NJ valleys Yould be
down to a grade about even with
he sea level, while the sea bed, annually
raised by huvial contributions, would
gradually rise to the plane of continental
md insular surfaces, so that distinction
JetRoeu sea and land would no longer ex-
st, man UnBla become extinct or aInphib-
and mOnsteF Geprians would once
more wallOw and wnggis IN tlimitable
waste of marsh and mire. In a brief GAL
based on acceptable data, Capt.
Ericsson allays this alarming fancy thus:
Gen. Humphreys official report of the
Mississippi river SHOWS that b annual
discharge ofsediment aud earth (of specific
of I.93 or 100 S pounds to the cubic
ootD amounts 10 74T4 millions Of cubic |
eet. The Red river district of o. 900 |
'qusre miles, drained by tbs bayops Atch- !
Plaquemine and LaDHTehe, is
lot included in this amount, and hence
he stated discharge il contributed by !
III, 800 square miles of basin. Each
.quare mile accordingly yields Hp only
SIC cubic feet Of earthly matter, and as
his qusntity would cover only 1916
qusre feet of spFf&cs 20 the depth OF one
ngh. IL will be seen that tls entire surface
4 the Tyer basin ouly loses 1.3o5 part of
~ inch in depth per annnm. This fact,
by 3 GarsfRl examination Of a !
liver basin which covers 9 considerable |
of the earth's SURFACE, Is one of |
interest. 1t enables Us 10 deter |
nine with a certainty that 1t will require |
So years TO lower the stErface of the Mis- |
basin one inch, and that the
Father of Waters nus toll 1872
'ears to lower the entire surface a single
DOT.