The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-05-07


now II feet above low water mark.
The Arkansas passed up last night, with
a good lot of freight.
The Josie was the up boat to-day.
The next boat from below is the Grand
! Pacific. which is due here Monday.
The Libbie Conger is due from above on
Monday
The Caffrey brought down a raft last
night and returned up river this morning
The Viola and Willie Wilson continue to
have good trips between this city and other
points.
TO PREVENT FLOODS.
A correspondent to the st. Louis Re
publican gives the following.
The following stage of the Mississippi
| if property considered, clearly shows the
necessity of taking a more comprehensive
view than has heretofore been taken if we
would prevent these disastrous overflows
such are at present alarming the country.
| Whilst the writer does not claim to be a
prophet, he claims to be able to show why
our floods, with the same volumn, are now
more destructive than formerly. and why
| they must continue to increase In distruc-
/ tiveneSs until they reach minimum, I'M
| less system is adopted and carried out
that will regulate the flow from some of
the great tributaries, if such can be done
When the Western rivers were first used
for navigable purposes the whole country
was a primitive wilderness, covered with
either timber or grass, and the surface of
! the country was dotted with small lakes
and swamps that became reservoirs to
hold large portion of the surplus water
J.
through the soil kept up large supply to
springs during the dry season. and thus
preventing the extreme low rivers we now
have. But since the country has bugun to
be settled and improved the swamps have
| been opened and drained, and now when
the rain falls, or the snow melts ii immedi-
ately passed off
There is also another element brought in
! to the paoblem, namely the different
character of the sediment brought into the
rivers by the creeks and side streams.
When the country was covered with
woods and grass the sediment was alluvial
with but little clay, and being light flOated
| off with very slight current, but now
/ every Dlowed field sends its quota of clay
into the nearest creek and filling it; it is
! beginning to till up the small rivers, as wit
messed in the Illinois and Fever rivers. as
Z
/ This clay is of such character that unless
| it is prevented from settling it will require
dredging to get rid of it. Formerly the II
/ linOis had no less than four feet at the low
/ est stages of water, and Fever river, up to
/ Galena, had six feet, and now the Illinois
| river in low water is as low as one foot,
/ and Fever river even less, and the lesson
/ they teach is the uselessness of attempting
! to improve river unless we first change
the conditions that produced the damage.
| Another effect of the Improvement of the
country on the navigable rivers is the wild
| ening consequent on the clearing of the
banks. This widening Of the waterway is
accompanied by a Swallowing of the depth
and will in time, if not checked, totally
destroy navigation.
/ Thus it is clear that some more energetic
system must be adopted if we would not
| give up the low lands to overflow and
abandon our rivers as channels of com
merce, and the question arises, is it possible
to do anything that win be of permanent
value in changing the condition?
! This question leads to an examination of
| the topography of the country in order to
| ascertain if we can secure reservoirs to
store our surplus of water during floods, at
/ the same time have it so that it can be re
| turned during dry weather. If such reser-
! voirs can be found and our government en-
/ ginecrs can be induced to begin a system
/ of gradual Strengthening and narrowing of
/ the river by protecting the bends and re
/ duclng the curves we may expect that in
+ time the country will he free from inunda-
/ ton and navigation viii be unobstructed.
| Before we undertake to ascertain the
/ feasibility of reservoirs it will be well to
state that all the floods that have been de-
structive to the country below Cairo have
come from the Ohio. There is no record
of any destructive flood out of the Missis-
/ sippi above Cairo unless reinforced by a
heavy rise out of the Ohio.
We will now call your attention to the
great lakes Lake Superior has an alti-
! tude above the sea of 702 feet, and the
Mississippi river at Prairie du Chen at
low-water level is 900 feet, with 10 feet
rise to high water
Lake Michigan has an altitude, accord
ing to government engineers, of 581 feet,
whilst each of the lakes named have by
other surveys been claimed to be 10 and IS
feet respectively higher than the govern
ment engineers make it, The head of
Rock Island rapids is sos feet above the
sea, and consequently between rs and 95
feet below the level of Lake Michigan.
There are no surveys that will give exact
data on which to state the exact figures,
yet enough is known to show that there are
several points where the water witt go eth
er way with the rise or fall of the river,
whilst an unlimited supply could be
drawn from the lake by either new canal
into Rock river, or above the rapids or
through the Illinois canal and down the IL
linos river.
The next is Lake Erie, lying $50 feet
above the sea, with Mariette about $50
miles from it, lying $40 feet at low water,
with a rise of 40 feet, head of Letart 555,
and mouth of Kenawha, 522.
The above figures show clearly that it is
possible to prevent overtiows by making
canals at points on the rivers of sufficient
elevation to carry the surplus volume into
the lakes during high water, and returning
it again in the dry season, cause them to
act as complete regulators.
We are well aware that the foregoing
views may seem Utopian, but if we will
look at the Erie canal and the machinery
used to build it, with the sparsely settled
country it was built through, we need not
be scared ut the magnitude of the under
taking.
Already the question has been sprung of
providing reservoirs for the double purpose
of protecting agriculture from overflow and