The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-09
DAMAGE TO GRAIN IN ONTARIO.
Heavy rains yesterday broke down and damaged
thousands of fields of grain in this vicinity.
TIE ANGRY MISSISSIPPI.

THE ANGRY MISSISSIPPI.
The chief cause of the devastating nundaton Of the
bottom lands of the Lower Mississippi after periods Of
heavy from the melting of the and ice in
tho spring. tho elevation Of the river bed by deposits
of alluvia matter
| The snuosty of the channel below the junction of
the Missouri is caused by the low of inclination Of
the river from that point toward the sea- the actual
average rate of decnaon south Cairo being less
than four inches to the mile total fall of 322 feet
LOO miles The Ohio River presents similar low rate
OF inclination toward the Mississippi, for its level at
Ptsburg-975 miles from its mouths only 600 feet
above tho level OF the giving average fall for tho
river of about five inches to the mile The mouth of
the Yellowstone River, on the Upper Missouri is
2,0l0 feet above the level while the level of the
Mississippi at ST. Paul, Mimi, is S2s feet, showing
gradual rise westward from that city of only two feet
per mile distance of GO miles
ALLUvIAL DEPOSITS
In ordinary stages of the level the Mississippi
forces its winding way through the great aluvia plain
that extends from Cairo to the Gulf and by of
the peculiar character OF the deposit and the low
velocity of the bends of thirty miles in
length occur in the channel in making two three
milos in southwark direction.
As already stated the deposits in It's bed large
part Of the sediment brought down by its waters from
the upper regions Of the watershed and these deposits
assume time the alluvia plain formation which Is so
much priced for its fertility The levcc system has
extensively applied to the preservation Of these bottom
lands from inundaton whore diversion of the river
CHI anncl leaves them in large bodies either side
of its Tho supply of earthly matter being as
constant that of the that transports IT, and
Of deposit being limited by cvees the river bed
the raising of the level of the bottom results
natural consequence and progresses in pro-
portion to the accrction of each preceding year We
nd therefore, this region the active operation of the
same agencies that combined create
'BLUPP FORMATION"
| Of certain section of the watershed, and which
nothing more than vast Accommodations of auval mat
ter which were deposited along the submerged lower
cves of the Mississippi Valley when that portion of the
great basin bore the relations the river systems
of the time that the Gulf of Mexico bears the
! Mississippi River the only difference being that ut
present the building up Of the future bun formation is
more rapid than that of the former period and moro
limited in area This phenomenon is illustrated on a
smaller scale by the changes taking place in
CHANNEL RIVER 10,
in northern Italy recent writer on the physics OF
that river when describing the transportation of earthly
matter by its waters remarks NEVERTHELESS much is
still deposited in the bed of the river, which is in
sequence raised higher and higher each successive year
Hence has become necessary, in order to prevent
foundations, to add every to the height OF the
embankment so that the river now presents the APP
pcarancc of an aqueduct, of which idea
may be formed from the fact that in the ncighborhood
Fcrrara the surface of the higher than the
roofs of the houses" The late Professor Mahan in his
article Rivers, makes special mention of the rails
ing up of the beds of the Mississippi and the Pc by the
adoption of the levec system on both rivers, and
although he suggests the erection of cvees the proper
means of excluding surplus waters from the low lands,
he also advises the utmost crcumspcction in the scec
ton of their site that the capacity of the river
carry of all its waters may not BIO impaired by the nu
dcious location of these works.
Iflevecs are intended merely 10 protect river bottom
lands from foundations arising from regular in
their operation ms those which produce the periodical
d IN I'm
attached to the question of location when they
erected 10 ynrd AGAINST an over thrcotcninr danger
such may term the sudden floods that pour
down from the upper regions of the great watershed of
the Mississippi
THE QUESTION OF PROTECTION AGAINST IxUxDArIoN
far the threatened territory along the Mississippi
is concerned, assumes something like the following
shapc:-
Whether it better be guided by cxpcdicncy and
recognize only the pressing necessities OF the by
the extension and repair of the present defective system
OF cvecs and take all the chances OF great disaster in
the near future, that well maturcd plan for tho
permanent protection of tho entire territory be devised
and carried out joint work 10y the interested
States and that this pan in its conception and cNccu
ton, shall provide for the most feasible mode Of
harmonZing the necessities of the region with tho
operation of the immuabc laws that govern the natural
forces to be dealt WITH Hitherto the simple PROPOSE
ton has been presented for solution Hero
Of valuable bottom land how is it to be preserved
from nundation from the Mississippi Rvcr2 We have
tried to solve it by dking but the river and its terri
bic floods have changed the nature Of the problem
rather forced IL notice in its true construction,
and we must now recognize the river ms the principal
factor in calculations and subordinate Interests and
values to the uncompromising demand Of great phys
cal force.
Whether on the Mississippi or any of its great tribu
tarics, wherever experience shows
THE NECESSITY or INCREASING THE AREA OF THE WATER
WAY,
oven the valuable lands be sacrificed for this
purpose, unless provide artificial outlets that will in
the fullest degree make up for tho cnCrOachmcns Of
the carly settlers and dixie builders on the truo
bed of the stream. neglect of these prccau
tons will result in time In abandonment
by the river Of its present bod and the formation of
one through the much priced cotton plantations,
which will leave the elevated bed Of the old channel to
form cmbankmcnt, IL were, for the new water
way just the river has left its former bed on the top
of the earthly bluffs many hundreds of feet above the
present level
ANOTHER IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION
worthy Of notice is that the volume of the Mississippi
waters is not likely to decrease in time On the
rary, II is natural expect increase in the
rainshcd all the great basin, rather gradual
return caused by the increasing of forest lands
that degree of humidity that existed before the dostruc
ton Of the vast forests that covered the plains and tho
Ohio Valley. This prospect taken in connection with
the impaired capacity of the river to carry on flood
waters through its present channel furnishes of the
strongest arguments IN favor of providing artificial
let's 10 supplement the desired want
AREAS AND AVERAGE RAINFALL OF THE SUBDIVISIONS
THE MISSISSIPPI BASIN.
Under this head an interesting comparison can be
made of the areas and annual rainfall OF the great
tons OF the main basin representing the watersheds Of
the tributary river systems and il has been proved
by the latest advccs that even these subdivisions have
not been affected alike their respective we
will divide the one, drancd by the Arkansas
and Red rivers into two parts which will embrace only
the watersheds Of these rivers, respectively The com
putations and records OF eminent authorities give tho
Arey,we
Subdivision of Main area in Rqb{dH
North Mississippi River. .............. i7a,63o "a
Missouri River........ ..'.'''''.'''' 3S.'o',I ~
south Mississippi River. .............., ,5,Gi6 50
Arkansas