Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-08-10
THE RIVER SURVEY
Description Of the Work Being
Prosecuted Here.
THE SEARCH AND IT'S EXPEDITION.

Object of the same-The Maps Prepared
and Their Great value-Last Years Op.
erations.
The U. S. boat, Search and barge
Illinois, now here with the expedi-
ton prosecuting the Typographical
| survey of the river fronts of Rock
Island and Davenport and the Rock
Island rapids, constitute the head.
quarters of the corps Of engineers
that in making the survey A. I. Nor.
row is chief of the party, which con.
sists of 10 or - assistant engineers,
eight recorders, and enough pole
bearers and other helpers in field
and kitchen and elsewhere to in
crease the roster TOGO or 65 persons.
They are comfortably lodged on the
boat and barge, are doing their work
with all the expedition that is con-
sistent with thoroughness in atten
ton to detail. and the product OF
their labors is as valuable a public
record as exists in the archives at
Washington. The work of making a
complete Typographical survey OF
/
rection of the Mississippi river com.
mission, and is indirectly, therefore,
under the control of the war depart
ment of the federal government. II
was commenced several years ago
and has been prosecuted with more
or less regularity every summer
since, the seasons of low water being
best adapted to the work, as its
charts bear as complete a reproduc-
ton OF the bed of the river as they
do OF the land that lines along its
banks. The survey covers the river
valley proper from bluff to bluff, US
ually strip of territory from three
to six miles wide. All the cities
along the banks of the river are sur
veyed and incorporated in detail on
the maps, and the work shows up
very plainly when large city is
reached, and especially so when a
trinity of cities such as exists at this
point is found. The rapids above
here with the devious channel and
uneven depth will also somewhat
impede the progress of this seasons
work, but Mr.. Morrow states that he
expects to cover about 125 miles OF
the river before the work is dropped
| this fall.
The Maps
For the benefit of 4 scribe, Mr..
Morrow spread upon the table in the
parlor of the Search, book of maps
published by the government and
showing the result of the surveys
from the mouth of the river up to
about Quincy. The maps are COM
plete in all their details, showing
every crook and turn in the rivers
course, each island and sandbar, the
elevations and depressions of all the
| al AGENT lands. the cut-offs and
ponds and small lakes that are to be
found in the river valley, and vari.
| Gus other data valuable to the river
men of today and essential to the
work of the improvement commits.
sion. To permanently improve the
river it is necessary that all its
freaks and caprices, should be
understood. For its information
as to variations in the channel, river
bed. depths land other conditions of
the great body of water, the com.
mission has heretofore been depend
| ent upon the say-so of the old settler
and the Old-timer on the river, and
although each is vcrita BILE fountain
of information, the opinions some
| times clash and are as whole I'M
reliable. The survey Of the river
that is now being made and CON-
mitted to paper will afford basis
for all Improvement work in the fu.
ture. Where bank needs riprapping
it will be possible to determine just
the amount of wash at that point by
second local survey, and in SINH
lar manner can tab be kept on all the
changes in the valley for which the
river is responsible. These maps do
not represent the entire result or the
surveyors work. as much of it is
solely for the information of the gov
eminent departments aud as such is
fled away for future reference. The
maps and data that are Of public in
tercst are procurablc of the com mis-
sion, however, at nominal price
the price being intended to cover
nothing but the cost of publication.
Last Years Work.
Last year the work stopped at the
mouth of Rock river and only n, few
days ago it was resumed. This i'm
mediate neighborhood offers so much
work that it is hardly probable the
party will move its headquarters for
several days. The Hennepin canal
has been surveyed to Milan. The
engineers and recorders spend the
days with their levels and compasses
and in the evening their reports are
prepared for forwarding to st. Louis,
where they are reproduced in the
form of maps and data for publica-
ton by the government.
River Riplets.
The stage OF the water at the Rock
Island bridge at noon was 1:20 and
falling: the temperature, 80.
The r. 1. Wheeler. Cyclone. Irene
ID. and Zalus Davis brought down
eight strings of logs each.
The Verne Swain came down and
the Bella Mack. Quickstep, Sam Atlee.
T Whaafa- ~ H., n