The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1873-05-22
RIVER GAUGES.

The telegraph informs us that Gen. AL
bert ]. Myer, chief Of the signal service
has just put into operation q regular sys-
TEN Of daily river reports in connection
with tho weather report system, and its
proposed connection with the lighthouse
and life-saving stations. The new river
report system was com menced on the LIST
day Of May. 1t involvs the employment
of civilians as observers (the only civil
ians in the signal service), but it has been
found cheaper to adop. that plan. Sta
tions have been ordered to the fol-
loving points Adslusis, Ills; Boone
vile, Brownsville, Brunswick, Cairo, Gin
cinnsti Confluence, Davenport, Evans
Vile, Fort Benton, Fort Smith, Fort
Sully, Freeport, Grafton, ILL.,, Hermann,
Mo; Jefferson, Mo-; Kansas City, Keo.
kuk, Leavenworth, Lexington, Little
Rock, Louisville, Marietta, Memphis,
Nashville, New Geneva, New Orleans,
Oil City, Omshs, Pittsburgh, Shreveport,
st. Joseph, et. Louis, st. Paul, Vicksburg.
rhe usual river reports have been based
on standards of given years, understood
by boatmen, but the difficulty has been
that they lacked reliability, because boat
men, by reason Of interested motives, fire.
quently gave false reports, and in many
instances caused the delay or advance Of
shipments to be held back or stuck on
shoals while the party giving the infor.
nation took the benefit Of the knowledge
Under the new system . gauge i:
planted in the river bank at each station.
1t is made Of pine or oak timber, two
inches thick by ten inches wide, and long
enough to cover the whole range between
extreme low and extreme high water
This timber is placed edgewise and firmly
imbedded in the ground, leaving one and
. half inches exposed above the surface
A scale Of measurement is furnished be.
ing the extreme standard Of 1857 for the
low water mark, or bench mark, as il Il
technically called. The edge of the guag,
is plsned, and after being placed in posi-
ton is graduated in feet and inches. TIL,
graduation 10 governed by the test Of al
upright rod, and the exact mes
sure in feet and inches ID
determined by an ordinary spiri,-level
placed on . straight edge, reaching from
the vertical rod TO the tim Der in the bank.
After this measurement has been re-.
corded in feet and inches, the observer
can tell at = glance how much water there
is in the river. When the rise or fall of
water is gradual, one observation will be
made at Q clock p IN, local time, from
May to July and October / to Novem-
Der 30 Of each year; but, when the change
Is sudden aud unusual in its character, re-
ports will be made every three hours dur.
Ing such change until the river resumes
its normal condition. These reports are
all sent 10 m ingenious CIPHER, invented
with view of secrecy and brevity, and Sc
curing both objects.
There is no appropriation for the river
report system. 1t has SO far taken abou,
S25, coo from the weather signsl sppropri-
alton, and ii is quite probable tina. con
gress will endorse the undertaking. Gen
Myer says that if congress would give
him 100000 year to prosecute the work,
he would furnish to all the cities daily re-
ports of the condition OF every navigsble
river in the United States. Early news Of
an approaching food or break of an ice
gorge would ordinarily save a single city
the whole amount required to support the
the system year.