The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-06-28
RIVERS MOVING WESTWARD.
Il this Accounted for by the Revolution
of the Earth on Its Axis?

The people who live on the banks of
the Mississippi River are accustomed
to the astonishing activity of the vast
volume of moving water in shifting its
channel and cutting away its banks
in one place while it builds up new
territory at another. The entire al
luvial region of the Mississippi valley
was created by the river, and the land
it has built up is ever at the mercy of
forces that made it.
So long as the changes wrought by
this mighty current are all in the same
national limits no political complica-
tions are possible, consequent upon the
ravages of the river and its power to
transfer territory from one place to
another. 1t would be different if two
nationalties were concerned, and.some-
thing like this is coming into view in
the case of the Rio Grande, which is
the boundary for a long distance be-
tween the United States and Mexico.
In this connection the following state
ment, which comes from Mexico; is of
interest:
Gov. GARLIC of the State of Chihuahua
has recently made trip of investiga-
ton along the banks of the Rio Grande
from Paso del Norte down for a dis
tance of about 100 miles. He. found to
his astonishment that the river was
making slow but constant inroads into
Mexican territory, eating away the
Mexican banks and depositing them on
the American side, and that thus acres
of the most fertile lands in the Rio
Grande valley on the Mexican side had
been washed away. Upon inquiry into
this subject he ascertained from the
leading inhabitants of that section of
the country that this had been going
on for over a generation, and that
large numbers of people had thus been
made homeless and forced to leave the
country, many of them going to the
New Mexican settlements of Messila,
Chamberino, Launiore, Las Cruces, and
SocorrO. Gov. Garlic 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 Cover
nor has, since his return to Chihuahua,
indicated that he is fully impressed
with the Importance of the subject, and
that he intends to advise not only the
State Representatives at the city of
Chihuahua, but also the national Con-
gress now in session in the city of
Mexico, to make appropriations to be
expended in fortifying and mattressing
and riprapping the river bank at all ex-
posed points. He says these encroach-
ments of the river, unless speedily
stopped, will cause loss of national
wealth, irreparable loss to Paso del
NOrte, and the financial ruin of hun
dreds of families.
Apart from the International inter-
ests involved, there are speculations of
a scientific nature suggested in the
premises which may be worth men
ton. 1t appears that the western and
southwestern bank of the Rio Grande
is the one that suffers most from the
abrasion of the current. Why does
not the river show this tendency to
work to the westward? Something
like this appears in the case of the
Mississippi. Formerly the river had
it's principal debouchment into the sea
through Bayou Manchac and the lakes.
In the course of time that route was
abandoned for the one now known as
the main river, which is very consid-
erably to the westward of the old out
let. In the mean time the river had
shown a disposition to transfer its
channel still further to the westward
through the Atchafalaya. Can it be
made to appear from these facts that
there is a tendency in great rivers flow
ing in general directions along meri-
dians of the earth's longitude to swerve
to the Westward? Can it be held that
because 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? This matter is worth ex-
amination.-NeU OrlednS Picdyune.