The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-08-19
MACON VALLEY FLOODS
undations Of the Mississippi
Spring Freshets as Compared
With Them.
Thrice That OF the Web
Foot Country West OF
Montana

4EE W#Ag N3Elr
Montana
oudb urstA Daily for = Series Of Weeks
Vast Forests Covered with Water
Wild Animals.
The worst inundations Of Louisiana and
stern Arkansas are but spring freshets
impaired with the monster foods thnt visit
q Amazon valley every year, with a rsgu-
rity equsled only BY ast. onomical 2 vents
Id tax collections. The rainfall OF north
n Brazil ID about three times that Of the
pb-footed counties OF Oregon, and In mid
INNER the thunder showers that drench
. woods every afternoon resemble = daily
oudburst. On the northern Pacific no
her word would be applied to an a.
ospheric waterfall, darkening the air like
London winter fog for hours together,
i'd swapping a house. il the ioof should
ak. through an aperture OF . few square
ches.
Rains Of that sort are apt to OCCUR day
tier day for a series Of weeks. and their
fect on the lowlands can be only imper-
ctly indicated by the fact TINT the ANA
bn river drains an area Of more than 2.OOO.-
10 square miles. The Mississippi, too.
aims half the eastern slope of . country
lrger than Brazil. but it's largest affiuences
e dwarfed by the third-class tributaries
the south American father Of waters.
Not euch flowing lakes only ne the Rio
egro and! the Madeira, but the Pnrus. the
avari. tho Gu, ua, the Hinge, the Papajos.
nd dozens Of other streams rarely men
oned on this side Of the isthmus, cnter
he main river through a delta miles in
|idth and deep enough for the largest river
keamers on the st. Lawrence.
About the middle OF summsr these
Dreams begin to rise, those from the south
ksst first, those from ths northwest and
orth a few weeks later, and q fortnight
|fter the arrival of the second supplement
ho valley Of the Maranon, the wild hog
liver" as the early %colonists called the Am
zon. becomes a paradise Of swainp-lovinR
rutes. The tapis, the p%eccari, the fish OF.
or, celebrate the picnic season Of their
hummer life, and herds of wild deer begin
heir westward exodus. Near Monte Beira.
b the province (now ''state") of Matte
Crosse, the woods in midsummer get full
II game, az 100 years ago the foothills OF
he southern Alleghenies swarmed with
Wild pigeon when the foi ests OF the north
Fere buried in snow.
A moo than unusually sudden rise OF
he food cuts off many of these fuRitlves.
Who are thus reduced to the alternative OF
making for the highest accessible ground,
|urther east, till every knoll becomes a hill
bf refuge, crowded with timid blutes. whose
|"u.vival depends on their escape from the
kreat cats and boas who may approach
heir stronghold by swimming if the water
|hould have submerged too large a portion
bf the contiguous forest.
About two months after the beginning OF
Fhe rainy season the deluge Of the lowlanda
|quare miles are submerged SO effectually
that canoes IA be paddled through for
bsts apparently free from undetbrush,
kince only the taller trees. with their net
york Of climbing vines, rise like islands
kbove the surglng waters. The swollen
rivers have found new currents, and broad,
kurgling streams twist md eddy through
tho leafy wilderness. tearing on whole
Of trees. with all their roots. but
amends by depositinR hillocks OF
iriftwood, which soon get covered with
tufts of new vegetation.
The pressure of the surRiDg aood against
these mounds OF alluvium soon becomes
but the deep rooted stems of the
.dansonio and the canoho tree may resist
ill new deposits of driftwood consolidate q
number of mounds. thus forming Rood-sized
with a downstream base of per-
haps half a mile, but a narrow head. de-
the current left and right, like the
front Of a stout bridge pier.
At the time Of their incipie1 cy these new
islands may be tenanted only by river
lizards, but necessity il the mother of sue
exploration. ss we'll as invention.
and a week after its birth the driftwood hill
Bwarms with animal refugees. hogs, deel
and capybsris, jostlinR each other in thsi,
often getting noisy enough to attract the
c%arnivora.
The climbing talent of the great cats.
Rays the San Francisco Chronicle. saves
them the trouble Of emigration. The jagual
and the ocelot becomes entirely arboreal-
travelling. like monkeys, from branch &c
and making themselves at homo il
the treetops; so much so. indeed. that SOM
of them 60 to housekeeping md raise 4 lit
tor Of oubs in the cavity OF a hollow tree.
Their larder is replenished by all sorts o.
pheasants and wood hens. who make thei
in the u%nderbfush, but Wit
nre obliged to tnke up their lodgings on the
lower branches of the u~nsubmsrged trees
by climbing around the stem and rising
suddenly in view an ocelot can scare . ROOF
Of g~allinRceous fowl out Of their wits an6
before the whole flock contriv,
10 take wing.
A swimming deer in these submerged
woods has no chance at all aRainel
the pu suit of an enemy that can leap from
to brauch OF climb along the via
cable of tho great Llama vines, ant
jaguar would not begin to regret a pho.
nomena deluge till the waters had olosee
over the tops Of the tnllest palms.
The Brazilian antbear survives the rainy
in a peculiar way of his own. Hi
hunting grounds, the big ant-hilll
of the underbrush, are soaking unde
twenty feet Of water, and tree ants hug tn.
hooks of their dens during the senson O.
showers. In spite Of his big claws
their enemy is not prepared to rip big trse
In quest of his food, and his proficiency il
big oats. but bis talent for long fasts 10 uu-
rivaled even in this era of Tanner freaks
drink per week will do him for = psriot
Of ten or twelve weeks, during which b.
husbands his vital resources on tho princi
pie of minimum expenditure.
With his busy tail coiled about his noel
he dozes away the rainy day under the roo
Of q fallen tree. while his physical torpor i
apt to be Offset by IN excess of menta
activity. Pet denlers often warn their Gus
against the blundsr of mistskinl
that lethargy for q symptom Of disease, ens
experienced menagerie keeper once toll
that he would not waste a cont on slim
q lsting drugs till the patient should seen
to consider ten days too long q time be
tween drinks.
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