Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-08-20
THE MlSSISSIPPrS FLOOD.
WHAT CAUSES THE GREAT R1'-
EH'S ANNUAL. OVERFLOW,
Rivers md IBayOus Have Built Up
Ridge, on Which They Flown.
uudatiuy he Bottom Lands. =


~ vrpy s,,;ny the Mississipp, R,v-
s~.cfion lay the melting Of
"a a, !, IN, Rocky Noun
IL 80 AMI hv the abundant |
,,.na.ne u;,b ;nundatio,
y. ,.d. N;ss;so;,,; and Iou;si. |
x. ;rfr,u.,t Il breaks fhrouoh |
.L...1. ,t;cb ~co,f;,e TIA course and
. - u,,ddr waters over thousand.
r. e-,ara Il. of tina, fertile region.
rn~.h ~. he,ds Of Young cotton and
- 80 l,-r,,, m. fertile coil be-
- ia,ox g r,yar mud
r.. 10 ,oad counts of these in.
-. t.hc,, vioe.snrcad destr,c-
-; ~. ,,,,o,se areas covered
IL ,h.n NJ t.. At \ loss 10 understand
lo. ~. mc,e fac. If this river overflow.
H., - ,o,gs.,, ,eqi !, s,ch extensive
eaods
r.. Ln..o-, land, ara. a ne~c,ll:ar re-
mon Ocoin,lv . shallow arm Of the
-,1f ,h... No. he., filled Nv denosits
,an H., -, ry.n a, present nine.
,e,,hs IN ~. r,,i,n "a q marsh covered
viii maze -, ryn,css forest. through
,,h;cb fn, ,h. N,ssiss,pni with il,
hr., and winch are intersected
br co,n,lc.. I,rous. forming An intri.
GOV. ,.,a 81, ~ .,,.r courses. Al, tho
..roan. vim ,c,rc..ly an execution. dow
.,rnn -. tn,. 81 riines. These rides
a.. las, ,.no bnt ,rn>to twenty feet
nboy, IL, Intervening ares of marsh, aud
range - tr.YItb from q few rods up to
pcrha.. ,oar ml!r~, The stream bed is
!, nn,cf, nnon :hr summit.
TLcor r.J. cs have been built by the
str.au,. /, former times. before the
stre,.ns v,... confined to their beds by
J ,.ve.. ,b.v overdowed their banks with
every hich .,tiac." II. the flood 10 called.
Tn riv,r. ALWAYS muddy. is in time of
food heavily CHARGED with sediment,
brouoht pernaps frolu the high plains
md The Rocky Mountains. Where the
stream !. 1anid it has no difficulty in
bcar;no inward its load Of sediment. but,
when ITS velocity is checked, as it is
when the stream is suddenly broadened,
it is forced to deposit some of it. When
the stream o%vcrLuws its banks it be-
comes tau, htoadencd, it's velocity is
checked, and it consequently deposits
some of its load, the coarsest material
first, the finer material later. BY this
process of overflow l:avc the rivers and
bayous built up the ridges on winch they
flow.
The only habItablc and tillable parts
Of thi, rrginu are the gentle slopes OF
these RIVER ridges, aud upon these, which
form but 4 trltilny~ proportion OF the Ell.
tire area, the inhabitants are corgre-
gated. nc roads commonly folio" the
river. running Immediately at the foo
of the lcvce, and 1T is along these roads
that 1.-THE houses are iound. Inc pianta
tions ~s,rctctr IN narrow strips pack from
the river.
The %lcyccs, which are built contlnu-
ouslv along both sides of the river and
principal bayous of this region, art
somctimcs ten or twelve feet IN height
aud in time Of flood the river Is ire
quentiy full up to the top OF the levee'
'cSee WIN nc ""te' % W i've =
: - -
"Hef'"o - - NV" ,"' ""ee
NV i"''o'' nS'e =" LAY V nv III
naoi''''~' - . Nv e'S,' u
''E'o = y
water mo ~ :" ono hnSet oie"A' III;
'h'o"S'' II t'"'' p"'o ~ e"eo ma
~ -, ~ 'ooP NV ,
hleaA or c'e'assc WHICH can not W closeu
ana wh'ch may f"F"''c Moss Vi "''tioh