Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-09-15
THE Low WATER.
Navigation Practically Suspended
in Consequence of it.
The Stage Below the Record OF 1864
so says an Exps ritnced steam
boafman.
bOafman


Reindeer, is authority for the rather sur.
prising statement that the river is IL
lower today than it was in the celebrated
year Of 1864. steamboatmen have a per,
feet record Of low water of 1864 on
boulder on the Keokuk rapids called
Mechanics Rock. In 1864 this rock stood
3s2 inches out of water Today it is SO!
inches out. This mark is more reliable
than any other. such as bridge and other
gauges, or those at the canal. Low water
at the canal is marked on the piers of the
upper and lower locks; but the building
of the canal since 1864 has encroached
on the river and disturbed the channel by
occupying it, SC that the gauges do not
read as they should, showing higher
water.
Capt. Davidson is warm friend of
the present system of river improvement
by the government. To Gate City re
porter he said yesterday:
81 remember the low water of 1864
very well. There was only 90 inches at
Beef Slough, aud 80 inches was consider
ed good water on most of the other shoal
places. was running RATS at that time
and they were rafted but 10. IA and Is
inches deep. My raft today is from %
TO "a inches deep, and l un-
questionably could not have brought it
here but for the river improvements. l
left Reeds Landing Aug. 81 and found
low water al along. Above La Crosse
the river is particularly good, owing to
the greater extent of the river improve
ments. I found three and one-half feet
at Beet slough and to La Crosse only one
place with less water, at Dakota, where
Major Mackenzie is fixing it so as to in,
crease the depth. AT this place there
was nearly three and half feet and i'm
proving. The next bad places were Dead
Mans bar below Dubuque, three feet
large, three feet at Musdstine; Keiths-
burg. three feet large, Burlington. three
| feet scant; Fort Shokokon, three feet be-
low Pontoosuc. three feet. All other
| places over three feet. What we need is
continuation of the present river i'm.
| proyemenis until it has reached all the
bad places, any one of which at low
water may become an impossible barrier
to STEAMBOATS,. The improvements al
ready built have proved successful ex.
cept q: two or three points where more
work will be needed.
The water is so low at the present time
that every packet has been Withdrawn
from the river above St. Louis. 1t is
! practically impossible for boats to ge,
over The bar at Keokuk. and unless the
water washes out the channel navigation
will be suspended for the season.
The government steamer Vixen, which
struck pile IL the river at Keithsburg
several weeks ago and sank, has been OF
the Keokuk dry dock since and repairs
are nearly finished. She will be out in 6
few days and will return to work on the
river improve nents above Burlington
where the Lucia has been since the keiths
burg ork was finished. That little DC
cident TO the Vixen cost the government
about 81 500
A St Paul dispatch says: Mississippi
stes N bostmen are very wroth because, a
they claim. The river is being manipulated
in the Interests of lumbermen. No boat
are Low running north of Rock Island
and the trouble lies in the closing Of tb,
dams and tie upper reaches Of the river
When the log owners want TO drive dow
lot of logs the dams are opened and tn
logs floaied Then the dams are close
until another drive is ready. In thi
way the water is kept at so low stag
most Of the tine that the boats are una
Bile to run.
| A. In ra \ n