The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-06-09
Moving Westward. New OrlaAna PicAyune.


 New orieAna Picayune.
 The people who live on the banks of the Mississippi river arc accustomed to the astonishing activity of this vast volume of moving water In shift- ing it's channel and cutting away it's banks In one place while 1t builds up new territory at another. The entire alluvial region of the Mississippi valley was created by tine river, and the land it has build up is ever at the mercy of the forces that made 1t.
 So long ss changes wrought by this mighty current are all in the same national limits no political complica- tions arc possible, consequent upon the ravages of the river and Its power to transfer territory from one place to another. It would be different if two nationalities were concerned, and something like this is coming into view in the case of the Rio Grande, which Is tho boundary for long dis tance between the United States and Mexico. In this connection the fol- lowing statement, which comes from Mexico, is of interest:
 Governor Carillo of the state of Chihuahua has recently made a trip of investigation along the banks of the Rio Grande from Paso del Norte down tor 6 distance of about 100 miles. He found to his astonishment that the river was making slow but constant inroads into Mexican terri tory, eating away the Mexican banks and depositing them on the American side, and that thus many thousand acres of the most fertile lands in the Rio Grande valley on the Mexican side mad been washed away. Upon inquiry into this subject he as- certained from the leading inhabi- tants of that section of the country that this had been going on for over generation, and that large numbers of people had been made homeless and forced to leave the country, many of them going to the New Mexican set- dement's of Messilla, Chamberino, Launiore, Las Cruces and Socorro. Governor Carillo ascertained also that great losses of valuable territory had been taking place in the vicinity of Paso del Norte, at which town de- fensive works are now being erected by competent engineers.
 The governor has, since his return to Chihuahus, indicated that he is fully impressed with the importance of the subject, and that he intends to advise not only the state representa- tives at the city of Chihuahua, but also the national congress, now in ses- sion in the City of Mexico, to make appropriations to be expended in for titying and undressing and riprap- ping the river bank at all exposed points. He says these encroachments of the river, unless speedily stopped, will cause & loss of national wealth, irreparable loss to Paso del Norte and the financial ruin of hundreds of fam flies.
 Apart from the international inter- ests involved, there are speculations of a scientific nature suggested in the premises which may be worth mention. It appears that the western and southwestern bank of the Rio Grande is the one which suffers most from the abrasions of the current Why does the river show this ten- dency to work to the westward9 Something like this appears in the case of the Mississippi.
 Formerly the river had its princi- pie debouchment into the sea through Bayou Manchac and the lakes. In the course of time that route was aban- doned for the one known as the main river, which Is very considerably to the westward of the old outlet. Tn the meantime the river has shown a dis 1 position to transfer its channel still farther to the westward through the Atchafalsya. Can it be made to ap- pear from these facts that there is a tendency in great rivers flowing in general directions along meridians of the earth's longitude to swerve to the westward? Can it be held that be- couse of the rotation of the earth on its axis to the eastward the weight of the water in such longitudinal rivers is thrown by the centrifugal force against the western banks so as to abrade them with increased energy and effect? The matter Is worth ex- animation.