The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-13
THE MISSOURI RIVER BREAKS THROUGH THE
'sNARRows INTO THE PLATTE.
IFrom the st. Joe Herald

From the st. Joe Herald
The Missouri and Platte rivers are forming
a combination that bids fair to do immense
damage to portion of the Missouri bottoms
in Platte county. The scene of this disaster
is near Farley, about three or four miles
southeast Of Leavenworth, on the Missouri
side of the river, where the Platte and Mis-
souri, run almost parallel for a short distance.
For months it has been expected that the
Missouri would burst through the Platte
The landmark says the catastrophe occurred
last Thursday morning at o'clock. For a
distance of ten or twelve mics, following the
course of the river, the two rivers pursued a
parallel course being separated, after the
Platte leaves Farley, by q fiat, alluvial bot
tom, averaging not more than two miles in
width. The "Narrows" is the point where
the two streams have approached each other
the nearest, and is about eight miles from the
mouth of the Platte River. For thirty years
it has been predicted that the Missouri River
would some day break through this narrow
strip This little bottom has never, within
the memory of the coolest inhabitant," been
more than half mile in width.
Every successive rise of either river has re-
duced this distance, until within the last
three months it became evident that the cal
amity would not be much longer averted. At
the ordinary stage of water the Platte is nearly
four feet lower than the Missouri. The cur
rent of the latter, rendered strong by the re-
cent rain, has for years been thrown from the
Kansas Bluffs directly against the Narrows
The soil being sandy and alluvlal, yielded
rapidly to the attrition, and of late the waters
have made great inroads, great bodies of land
and huge trees being swept into the current.
As already stated. on Tuesday morning the
few remaining feet Of earth intervening gave
way, and the waters of the Missouri burst
with great fury into the Platte So suddenly
did it come that the ferryman at Waldron, a
mile or two distant, made narrow escape.
He was in the middle of the stream with his
fiat-boat when the tide came 1t is described
as column of water four full feet in height,
coming with great rapidly. It struck the
fat-boat and threw it withgreat force against
the opposite bank.
The rise at Waldron's is about five or six
feet. The back water reaches the dan at
Platte City. At Cows ferry it is two feet and
at Darnalls, two miles south of Platte City,
the rise is eighteen inches.
The break at the "Narrows" is about
three hundred feet in width and constantly in
creasing. The effect is, of course, a great
calamity because much of the very best land
in the county will be destroyed. Thus far
the principal sufferers are Mr.. John Acker
and the tenants of the Burnes' land, but every
body on the island (aS 1t now Is from the
Narrows to tlosmouth of the Platte River
will suffer more or less injury.
What the effect will be upon the hourishing
mill at Waldronis all conjecture, some con-
tending that the town will be eventually
ruined, and others asserting that the change
of the river will have no bad effect. 1t is GER
tain, however, that the increase in elevation of
the waters of the Platte, which, of course, is
permanent will cause the bottom lands to be
more easily oyerfowed when the usual rises
occur. The calamity is a serious one and the
pecuniary loss must be very heavy.