The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1879-06-14
Lanlestiag Hves.

sSe
Correspondence Of The st. Paul
Pioneer Prsss.
St. joseph, Nay A.-The Mis-
souri ls . remarkable river, un-
like any other I ever saw. 10 be
appreciated il must be seen and
heard during the April or June
rice. when its waters arc red and
thick with shc powdered soil they
have brought from the mountains
and stolen from the farms in the
valleys. Then II pours aud swirls
ard eddiss along with = treacher.
ouS sound between . chuckle and
. half suppressed whisper, that
repsls while fascinating the listen
er. Il has made millions Of acres
Of rich black deposits, on which
Il still holds . mortgage, the fore
closure Of which no man can fore
see. Some Of these fertile acres
may sustain forests that have been
growing for hundreds Of years, but
not Z rod Of the yast level bottom
lands which lie ou either side Of
the muddy monster. varying. In
width from two 10 twenty miles
stretching all the way from Yank.
ton to 81. Louis. aud covered with
the finest woods aud richest farm
produce that land can bear up
under, 10 exempt from the possi-
bility Of some day being devoured
by its hungry and Ackle mother.
Hundreds Of farmers, af,er clear.
ing away ths heavy timber and
raising lne crops ysar after yesr
on their eighty or more acrcs Of
deep incxhamstiblc river bottom
have seen their entire possessions
swept away iu . few days BY sud.
Gen and unexpected "changc Of
channel during au April or June
"rise."
These changes Of channel havo
different causes. Sometimes .
giant cotton wood tree that has
been uprooted where the river has
raiscd upon the forest above, y
borne down by the current anu
lodged IN the mud, where II will
gradually become imbesldcd In tho
yielding bottom, and, perhaps liz
IN wait for months, Or even years
without giving any particular
sign Of cxistcncN At last an un.
usual rise takes place and this hid
den '.snog' creates u diver.iun iil
tho strong current, wh'ch ,uln'i'
mates III u boiling eddy. The eddy
increases IN depth and force; grad
ually diverling the water from ia
| former course until y new pnth'
way is formed in tho river bed. il
the eddy is located near the shore
Ut The upper edge ofa prtmontorJ
and tho water Is sufficiently high
10 overflow the Oats. a new char
mel is sometimes carved straight
across some valuable farm or tim
Der strip, aud river town, wher'
steamboats, took freight and pass
engers last year, may bs from two
10 six miles distant from nsviga
bic water next year. A few year
ego Forest City. Mo-, was k'sses
day and night by he dirty hps Q
this Western hirt. To day th'
river sports miles away, out Q
eight Of the old cave, si'd is whis
pering soft things 10 White Clont
on the Kansas side, which ha'
gained q river, while the state ha'
lost several thousand acres OF pro
ductive cotton land that now cup
ports cattle and hogs In Missouri
When the Missouri river Begin
70 indulge In its semi-annuI fret
lunch II frequently devours strip
" bottom land several rods Il
width every twen,y.four hours
AT such times It is dangerous y
drop to sleep near the waters EGG
There lives In Rulo, > river tow
in Southeastern Nebraska, a ven
erablc physician named Thompson
Ono warm June day the docto
cast his fish-iines into the rive
close 10 the timber, aud l!ing dow
Ia the shade, 10 watch for cat fish
dropped otto sleep and 10 pleas
Ant dreams. He YVES awakened
quite abruptly by ncighbor, VIII
told him he was sleeping on III
wrong side Of a long, narro'
crsvice that had formed about
rod from The rivera brink.
He dld not wait much to sav
HE lines, bat instantly "got y
and got" Tho next instant
strip Of cottonwood land psrte
company with the mainland fo'