, 1881-10-08
Some Interesting Facts Concern
Ing a Very Peculiar
River.
How It Divorces from Its Course and
Obliterates Farms.
The Sad Experience Of m IristtInnn Who
Settled on lis links.
Navigation Of the Stream Attended with
Manifold Vexatious and Dangers.
A Trip IRON Sioux City 10 Omaha That Contained
Some ExcIling laeIdonts.
1t'r'ttrn jor Tnr Chtrttqa Tribune.

II tll9 4hl5anuTl IL llOt L!lD DrUfllGSI OF Lla
"bea,ltlFul!est I" river lii America It is ctr-
tninly tho most crratlc, g0utl.for-nutl-
Ing, evt-Intentlonett. cuttruly-unnannEcablc,
t(rvtI-'nay-oare river, not only 1T America hit
u tlie universe. People fruM tino ftttinoinor'al
havo been In tho llabl.of personifyin4 rivers;
we hnyp heard pf Fnther Iibur nN,On4si
the ancient Romans, and wo hear ot Father
Thahcs nn,ungst the m,alcrn Cocki,eys; but
In tho most distant future none Of our de-
scctltlants will ever forgot themselves 80 fnr
rs TO say FEATHER Missouri; they will al
ways look OIL 1t rs MI enemy to themselves
mil their race, md II they pcrsonlfy 1t Mt I'LL
They Will not call It either fnther, mother, or
bfother, bit, oh tlle contrary, sosna very bntt,
Inevitable, md tllprtntNble name.
Tho real character Of tlla Missouri Is some
thing between q clown Ind II trump. 1t Ii a
river without an atom of selt-respcct, neither
l.s 1t my respect for others; Its character Is
essentially vagaD0iltt and loose; 1t pullutes
nna ,1emorallzes every stream with which It
en'nes IN contact. 1rla. Il clear, bright. re-
spectaolc river tho Mississippi Is before 1t
llnkcs tie acquaintance OF tho Missouri, anl
what nj aooidtiaabic, dlsropttalic ditch 1t Is
after it partnkcs Of tho evil characteristics Of
the strcnn' tlut ]olns 1t, and seems absolutely
To Elory fiji iaS dirt aill ttgIincss rs It unsscs
ST. 1onis. bccause 1t knows how mati ttat
ilalses the st. lnnisians aml tic natives Of
MI the other country towns ulollg Its banks
Yet what
AN ExcEEp1y01y 1lEsrEcrAuLE STREAM
the Upper Mississippi isi No other river IN
llle world, 1,erl.ats, ,as more regard for MP
rcaranco tllun tic Upper Mississippi; 1t
Mnkes tho most nf itsrlf m pvnrv ornsa;nn.
md dr,i,rbts In ton,.inr 1no, rlcnn mr., r,'
s.ct"n,s ~ W 10 s'ons ttn ,.en', es t ,. n'",
want Of water, bit It ,t makes tic most of
every drop Il possesses, and spreads II oft 80
,bIn TINT tle roor. dear rIvor Is nftcu nrnrIv
niia ,v,,a ,.hnrn ~ n,,-nt ~ ~,
oM'y about hundred yards. This
convenient far stcau,boat men, but It
gives Tho river n mntestic nm nnncnrnncn
.1nu ol1eh mnEss IL look llsa Times moro I'M
DOSING lllnh II Its waters were c0llltre.t to Il
steamboat cuptutns, but would Iu M nbomt-
,.t'ts ~ toas'sss ss i'. 1"no vi ussc sta'u,
Wllle reaches OF the Mississippi glvc 1t, Gvelt
when tt is s1ailuwpst. tic nprgnl.Illru Of Il
fea1 father OF waters; Tint Is 10 say, to tue
stranger; the pilot who scowls 0ti tho Wide
n, Inn ,",,,t ~, oo s,,n,u,',,. . ~, u''t
Ills tlut-hDtlGshGl boat. k,tuws TINT In lMUst
places wllerc tho Mississippi makes such
admirable Efforts to louk ,nuJestlo ii boy III
@ km!ekernofkers' 1s & Or moderately ionE.legEel
e,e a sxsen sS IN Ss s eonpo p 0w Mo iuu nrv % ~
up 10 l',s khees' WhHn INC -Mlsslssippl Is ut
ud.haDk bare, It covers Il with II sand so
iine ullti 50 cisar tlut lis tlnintiest fnry tlat
q Eyer siept nnler n rose !tAf, Or tho pnrryt
~ hphI.y M"otna pelts taal ts!u titelr
stIIy ,Ir! !"aEK n ,e o'!S%wfeatmsa
walis oyer It larsfuut without selling
even tho tops Of her toes. 1naglne n, fairy
iw Tia resa;ns wa,srs t,f tl,e SfIssn,,r .a 'Sus
i,l,n l., s,rn"ns1o"ans ShnyT ~, n,n, 4. ~ "
tiraggle!i sprto Tint or nearcst xiii aud XIII
The lirst time w saw the Missouri .wns
ninE aEo, when @ INC on.y rallways west OF tlle
lllY iia.tllilni Il ST. jas. W. I travelled i aGy 6v
siNsn from Kul,sus CITY to Ll,nycnworth. anil
W. @ rnuSkea W. say mrsaf r sps " M' HE se II Eysr II:
lrewartl. for the strung wind of March
WIS hnwinE from tho southwest We asked tho
sIrsS 81 M 1s s1 % n1 ~ to continuous tn ovs
t,Hl scncls: Why, that Is tho Missouri River"
saaa he W. ne naturally Eiveta 10 tan!tnr'iily,
@ @ m fr nor halt r Wu 'nse III a ooni
ta!c;a ~ to how, above NIL other thlt'gs In tho
world, ..-........... ,......-
a
7,ho moro ,rn th,,,,ht H., ,tar,,n. s.,, ,,",o
hnr,"ss ws.,.n9 9AH"a ~ s"o eta,.1 "tu ".n ~
nrot1ioim. and mt Inst 'o,we''a W. nv ~ ,nnE @
IL mir " a",t " ,.,"ss rs,,, '"s .',., nvn
tho,t,t,t nra sot Sorfo"tiM ,ro tt"t t. ,tEuno ,m
s"i,"t NJ Il" .,,nnns"1 NM rns,tt. i y. ir
Hvatnr ~ III cit. ,ys ~ !,ai ts ~ ~ ~ n. ti n
tb"muks ~ tha fan,s MI r!sr M M to,, y as
Mqnra ne ,rvtt,t ,,.,i v,,,11,,tt H." .r - @ mms
ut II } ,,a ~ ,ris}, ,,1 ~ nrt "s ~, ~ @
~ + % G ,,St "G .is @ ~ ~. r, nS nn te!.m
mil - H. nv .n,rt x .s,,n ~ y ,,n us % ons nLJ
M,,t,,, ues T., ~, h",s " M!u GseFy posao aoo.
hr,,shwnnH ~ ~ ",I rot1s ,r.or" .s ..unnt s't
| mcIanchuIy. locking ttau smoking Il biauk pipu
standing Oil tho t,aHk Of tho river ,ls W, gut ait
oil tia st9Hu, md Enzltly stupidity at tho muddy
torro,lt lint rolled nt BIZ fc9t,
~ 'ia ths tho Missouri! islycr?" we asked.
II H. sttrc cHdhRb ;"
" Ia tha tho nialll river right hero?'
UT Ia, III troth und dauiIuatn river It is," was
tho RafeNstiu reply.
~ think yuu'r9 M lrlshnlan," said VIC, "Dlt
ytn tlon't look Ike QUO, What Mal8 you 50 yo!-
lowY'
,''Mayho II YOU wor as long ttvlu' near this
rlysr us 1nn you'd bo yallowor nor me-" to re-
| Pllutl.
"The climates not healthy round hero, per-
':it's healthy enough, hut It's thnt ,ulsfort.
uHatn river thAt n!a,.e NJ, oad l,nN out q me-
1,n, ~, nf .l1,ar hu,u t,uu,J ,,nu