Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-07-07
RIVERS MOVING WESTWARD.
Ks his accounted Cor by the Rcyolutio@
of the Earli, on Its Axis?

. y Nuis 80 w u beSOhuLhO0
of the Earit, on Its Axis?
-
The people who live on the banks OF
the Mississippi River are accustomed
to tle astonishing activity of the vast
volume Of moving water in shifting It's
channel and cutting away It's banks
IN one place while it builds up new
territory ut another. The entire al
luvial region of the Mississippi valley
was created by the river, and the land
ii has bnilt up is ever at the mercy Of
forces that made il.
So long rs the changes wrought by
this mighty current are all in the same
national limits 10 political complica-
tons are possible, consequent upon the
rayagcS OF the river and its power 20
transfer territory from one place to
another. 1t would be different if two
nationaltics We're concerned, and some
thing like this is coming into view i'm
the case OF the Rio Grandc, which is
the boundary for n 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 heStateof chihuahua
has recently made n trip OF invcstiga-
ton along the banks of the Rio GrandG
from PaSo del Nortc down FOR u dis
t"ncc of about 100 miles. He found to
his establishment that the river was
making slow but constant inroads into
Mexican territory, eating AVA tho
Mexican banks and dcposi,ing them On
the American side. and that thus acres
of the most fertile lands in the Rio
Graudc valley ON the Mexican side had
been washed away. Upon inquiry into
this subject he asccrtaincd from the
leading inhabitants of that section of
the country that this had been going
on for over q generation, n 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,
C~hamherino, Launiore, Las Cruces, aud
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-
fcnsive 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 tho
State representatives at the city OK
chihuahua. but also the national Con-
gress now in session in the city Of
Mexico, to make appropriations To b6
expended IN f%ortifying and mattressing
and riprapping the river bank ut all X
posed points. He says these encroach-
ments OF the river, unless speedily
stopped, will cause u loss of national
wealth, irreparablc 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. II appears that the western and
southwestern bank Of the Rio Grande
is The mt that suffers most from the
abrasion of the current. Why does
not the river show this tendency to-
work to the westwardo Something
like this appears in the ease of the
Mississippi. Formerly the river had
lis principal dcbouchment into the sea-
through Bayou Manclac 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-
crably To the westward of the old out
let. In the mean time the river LA
shown a disposition 10 transfer it,
channel still further TO the westward
tnroagh the Atrhafalaya. Can it be
made To appear from these facts tllat
there is Il tendency in great rivers flow
imE in general directions along mcri-
dams OF the earth'r longitude to swerye
to the westward? Can it be held that
because Of the rotation of the earth On
It's axis 10 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 cx-
animation. Ncw Oria7p7 Picnyllle.