The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1874-08-14

banks are composed Of the same
materials, and its bed is not crossed by
solid bed of rock in all that distance,
about eleven hundred miles, it's banks
and its bed are impressnated with all
tho vast variety of earths, al<alies and
minerals that are so profusely scattered
through the mountains, plains, and
flow. AS general remark, a substra-
tum of quick sand generally prevails
twenty feet beneath the surface of its
banks; that was found to be the case in
excavating the ditch to facilitate the
making of the Raccouici cutoff, and
also at other points on the river. AS
the banks and bed of the river are COM
posed of such unstable materials,
trifiing implement dropped in its bed,
such, for example, as q large forest tree
with a largo ball Of earth attached to
| its roots, will often form nucleus for
sand bar, and ultimately for an island.
The river is very crooked or winding,
and its current is consequently easily
detected from its course. This is more
especiallythe case in the upper plane
Of the river from Cairo to Natchez, and
hence the channel of the river when it
recedes from Il high stage to low water
mark, varies so much that q pilot who
has ceased plotting during this period,
is not qualified to keep his boat in the
channel after the river has fallen to low
water mark. The banks Of the river
being composed ofsuch friable materials
ceaslcssly crumbling away, and there
is no point above Natchez where the
banks are permanent: plantations in a
! straight reach of the river have been
considered most permanent, but even
in such locations no reliability can be
placed in their pcrmanency. From the
year 1928 and for many years previous
to that date up to the year 1868, Il
period of more than forty years, the
channel Of the river between Water
proof and Rodney, q distance of twelve
miles, was on 4 straight line that
straight section of the river is at the
present time being converted into Il
bend, and two or three large planta-
lions on The Louisiana side, which were
formerly considered safe from caving,
have been swept away, and the bed Of
the river is where they once "blossomed
as the rose,' and far in the rear Is the
Kemp Levee, through which there has
been an immesne crevasse, and ,although
the levce has been rebuilt, is destined
in a few years to be again swept away
by old father Mississippi's jolly work.
men, his over ccasless currents and
. counter currents operating on banks Of
sand and loan through which the
. water permeates as through sugar loaf
) The channel of the river especially in
its upper plane is constantly shifting its
position as we have already remarked
\ and the river is very tortuous, anG
from its national characteristics is ever
! destined to remain so; many gifts bends
are eighteen or twenty miles in circuit
. the lower part OF the bend approximate:
the upper part very close until finally
the current of the river, during n high
) stage of the water, passes over the necl
+ Of the bend, and in an incredible shor
, period Of time, establishes it's m:,ir
, channel there. And as the current ha!
, ceased to flow round the bend the allu
Won held in solution is immediately
r deposited in the still water ut the twt
ends of the bend, and they are thu
t closed up, and the old bend becomes
I lake; q forest Of cotton wood trees i'm
t mcdiately spring up and the deposi
still continues to be precipitated unit
, what n few years before was the mai,
river, becomes arabic land. This is TIN
= process by which all the vast chain O
. Lakes which border the Mississippi
!, have been formed. Tho ends of al
these lakes point to the river, prOvin.
! that they were formally bends of tn
, river; viz: Lakes Bolivar, Washing
/, ton, Bunches Bend, Providence. st
! Josephs, st. Peter, Concordia, Re,
!, River, Raccouici and a host of other
a not here enumerated. The period Il