The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-11-28
the Mlss0uRl's MARCH.
The Stream Making a Bee Line
Through the Bottom, East
of the Great Iron
Bridge,
And Seemingly Has Everything all
Its Own Way at the Present
Time.
The Danger Immihent-What Shall
be Done to Keep the Tor
rent Back.
ALL ITS OWN WAY.

L
The raging, muddy, rolling, treacherous
| Missouri seems TO be having II all Its own
way now, and it begins to look as If the en-
| deavors OF the United States government 10
check its ravages would prove fruItless. Al
| a point perhaps half a mile above the mag.
niticent iron bridge which spans the stream,
| the river III axes a sharp bend, almost, in
fact, more than right angle TO the bank at
| the bridge, and ii is at this bend where the
| river is doing its most destructive work. The
| IN ghty and ali bat resisiless roll OF waters
COMES DOWN WITH SWEEPING FORCE
| there at the bend, and instead of coming
| around the bend as every civilized river
would, any other river in the world except
the Miss uri would do, IL is eating, not slowly
10y any means. but very rapi .ly, too rapidly,
into the Missouri bank and engulfing yard ai.
ter yard and acre after acre OF the faireSL
farming land of our sister state, and running
the farms which lie adjacent 10 the river.
THE Rocky BLUFFS
along the east bank serve a protection to
the Land behind IL until that point is reached
where the bend begins, where, there being
nothing To protect the land, the river has IL
all its o~n way, aud like a wild beast poun-
cling upon its unprotected and defenceless
prey, Is gorging Itself TO the full.
THE WORK so FAR PROSECUTED
by the men nos in the employ OF the gov
ern Inent and under the direction of the en-
gineer in charge, has not yet reached TO that
point on the Missouri bank where the rayage>
OF the water have been the worst, and The
present stage of the proceedings IL begins TO
loo, as II the river was bidding defiance to
Uncle Sam and all he can do toward checking
IL. The MATTRESSES which form
THE PROTECTING BARRIER To THE BANK
against the waves are still being made and
LAID south OF the place where The cutting
away by the stream is being done, but none
have yet been Il rown into the breach TO stop
The slaughter oil n ne farming land now going
on. AT the rate the land is now being de-
ar.-I raj h.
channel L. cut for the turbid, rushing waters
TO Iun through, which new channel Will form
another river 10 be brldged, aud isolate en-
Jirely the magnificent iron structure which
represents TO the c ty and the county OF Leav-
uwOrth nearly sl,V)J,uJO-
FARMS AND HOUSES GONE.
Formerly there was quite a neat little farm |
with two dwelling houses thereon, which |
bSTde-yd on the river; now the greater por- /
ton of the farm has become sediment for /
the rivers bed and the houses gone to be re. 1
sldences for the fishes which disport them |
s,.lv, sogaily within the bosom oil this most |
destructive Of rivers Last september the |
river WAS quite a distance from the wagon
highway winch runs between Leavenworth
and Platte city now the river has encroach-
co to the very borders of the road and viii
in short time cut entirely through TINS
and force 10. location N saier
place. Ii the river Ike pS on L
ITS KENoRsELEss MARCH
The track of theChicasu, Rock Island Pacific
road, hicn L. not such very great distance
rom the Platte City highway, will he endan-
sered and go the way Of all the rest, which
will entail "a heavy loss upon the company,
and when this Is done, it will complete the
of the bridge. Ii is not proposed,
however, to let the river hsy, its own way
entirely In this thing, but measures VIII be
taken at once TO stop the damage and .eep
his impeTioUs Tavager within its Own proper
limits.
THE DANGER OF HIGH WATER.
Ifau this damage and ruin is being accom-
plI>hed while the rive. Is at It's present low
stage, what can be expected when the spring
rise comes? Then the volume al wal Will
be greatly increased by the melted snow from
he mountains and the spring rains and VIII
-nm,- rushing down in a perfect torrent, IRE ,
;istiblp, and if something il not done betwt en-
his time and spring, We can safely look {
or In
ANOTHER CHANNEL TO DE OPENED ,
Iround the bridge. There is no denying the
acr that the outlook is serious and that
nmething must be done, or hundreds of {
housand- of dollars Will suffer. We can't
iery well afford To have the bridge rendered ,
lseiess n a depend again upon the ferry for
ON uection between the Rock Island railroad q
md the city. Ii