The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-10-03
The River.

The st. Paul passed up this afternoon.
The Ida Fulton passed down the river
this morning.
The Dexter came down this morning
with lumber raft
The A. j. Whitney went down to An>
dalusia this morning.
The Sidney will pass down this even
ing.
The Josephine met with an accident a
few miles below Buffalo yesterday morn
ing. She was taking an excursion to the
Muscatine Soldiers reunion when the
shaft which runs through the wheel broke
and the boat was thus disabled. The ex-
cursionists were transferred to the A. ]
Whitney and taken on to Muscatine and
the same boat brought the whole party of
about 400, that the Josephine took down
on three trips, back to this city and Day
enport, arriving heIe at an early hour this
morning after an all nights trip She
tOwed big barge containing the major
ity of the party. 1t will be some time be>
fore the Josephine will be able to run, as
new shaft will have to be made in Chi,
cage. 1t is lucky thing that the acct
dent did not occur short distance above
the Government bridge here, else we
would have had second Jennie Gilchrlst
disaster to report.
Dubuque Times: Major Durham, of
the Government arsenal at Rock Island,
now in the city. is in charge of fleet
of Government boats operating in Cass-
vile slough. Major Mackenzie was ex-
peCted to arrive at Cassville Yesterday
The boats are the General Barnard, j. G.
Parker Louisa and Lucia They are
employed in building dams which will
throw the water into the chute on the
| Wisconsin side.
RIVER IMPROVEMENTS
In his report, Maj Mackenzie says:
| During the past fiscal year improvements
have been carried on at Louisiana, Mo
and Quincy, ILL.,. at Gilbert's Island and
vicinity at Alexandria. Quincy, Mason 5
City, Hannibal, Canton, Towards. Dem
mark Island and Dardenne Island The
work at all points, excepting Towards,
has been of the same character as that
heretofore carried out. At Towards bar,
| between Canton and LaGTange, Mo, a
government dredging outfit was used in
the connection with the formation of a
new channel and the construction of dams
Towards crossing always one of the
worst between Keokuk and st. Louis,
threatened during the fall of 1888 to Sc
riOusly interfere with navigation. A cut
about 200 feet long, ITO feet wide and
of depth of feet at extreme low water
was made through the bar in about a
week, and at comparatively small ex-
pense.
Enough work has been done to fully
establish the fact that dams can be con,
structed ofEravel more rapidly and at &
much less cost than those built of brush
and rock. This class of work will be re-
sumed when further appropriations per-
init.
The experience of the past season has
shown that much assistance can be given
to navigation by this kind of work, which
though temporary in certain sense, is
likely to be permanent for one season il
not longer. By the temporary use OF
dredges, at an expense so comparatively
small as to be fully justifable, | have no
doubt a good navigable channel can be
maintained during the low water season
on this stretch of rivers, and if the navi-
cation of the river is to be continued with
success by steamboats, such temporary aid
must be given until such time as the per
manent channel improvement is CONS
pleted.
THE system of improvementnow being
carried out between the Des Moines rap
ids and the mouth of the Illinois river,
which consists in closing side chutes and
reducing to q uniform width, will in time
accomplish ali the results claimed for it;
and that this system is generally Endorsed
and has greatly benefited commerce is
conclusively shown