Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-05-13
FREAKEH STREAMS.
REMARKABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF
SOME LARGE RIVERS.


SOME LARGE RIVERS.
ne NGississippi No Longer Holds First
P1scs In North Ameriea-A River Of
writang Ylsid-wonderf1l Channel Of
'VChina's Sorrow"
II Is q recognized fact in science that
very few great rivers have been thor.
oughly explored by going up stream
For nearly 2, 900 years travellers and ex.
plorers endeavored to discover the
sources Of the Nile by ascending that
wonderful river. But by the time they
had reached the difficult part Of the
stream their supplies and energy were
exhausted. and they could go no farther.
1t is only by seeking the sources Of
rivers by overland routes that explorers
meet with success. 1t was in this man.
ner that Henry NJ. Stanley traced the
route Of the Kongo in Africa In this
way Of procedure Frederick Schwatka
was enabled to float down to Yukon
and Spoke found the secret Of the river
Nile.
One Of the most curious rivers that
has come to the knowledge Of men is
the Webbe Shebeyli. Of eastern Africa.
deep and rapid stream, Astounding in
strange fish and ferociOus crocodiles.
Although it flows for hundreds Of miles
through fertile lands the immense vol.
umc Of water never reaches the sea. A
short distance north Of the equator the
river is lost in a desert region o few
miles from the Indian ocean.
Some Of the more recent explorers Of
Alaska and British America claim that
the Mississippi can no longer be regard
ed as the largest river on the North
American continent. This distinction
is claimed for the great Yukon river
According TO Ivan Petroff, who spent
over two years in Alaska, collecting
materials for the last census. the Yukon
empies into Norton sound about one
third more water than the Mississippi
pours.into the gulf Of Mexico. The Yu-
kon basin comprises the larger part of
northern Alaska. and GOO miles from
its mouth the river is a mile in width.
Many centuries before it was discovered
by white men it very likely served as
the water highway into the interior,
for tribes that we believe to have crossed
from Asia to the American continent.
The Yukon river is over 1000 miles i'll
length.
Travellers report that in Algeria there
exists q small stream which the chem.
istry Of nature has turned into ink. 1t
i is formed by the union of two rivulets,
one of which is very strongly impreg-
mated with iron, while the other,
| meanderingsthrough q peat marsh, i'm
bibes large quantities of gallo acid.
Letters have been written with the nat
ural compound Of iron and gallo acid
which forms this small, yet wonderful,
stream.
The Rio de Vinagre, in Colombia, is
q stream the waters Of which, by ad.
mixture with sulphuric acid, become SO
sour that the river has been appropri.
ately named the Rio de Vinagre, OF
Vinegar river.
| The Orange or Garieh river, in south.
ern Africa, rises in the mountains which
separate Natal from the Orange River
Free State. The length Of this stream is
I, 200 miles. Its banks abound in vari
L
found rich copper ores. In this stream
are many varieties of fish, which are
found until the river passes through Q
rocky region containing copper, below
which the water il said to be poisonous,
almost instantly killing the fish that
| venture near it.
"China's SORROW" q curious name
for q river, is the title bestowed upor
the great Hoang Ho. which rises in the
mountains Of Tibetsand follows won
derfully circuitous channel for 9, 5O(
miles to the Yellow sea. The maynard
ness of this mighty volume of water
makes the river a constant source of aux
iety and danger to the 10000, 600 O
people inhabiting the central plaii
Asia. 1t is known to have suddenly
changed its course nine times. 1t ha
moved its month four degrees Of lati
tude each time. emptying its vast food
in different directions, and finding
new channel for itself where scores o
towns and villages have. stood. Tn
river has greatly changed the physica
character Of wide area, converting fer
tile regions into sandy desert or max
ing shadows Of them. Whether it i
within the power Of modern science {,
save this great plain from disastrou
overflow and changes Of the rivers be,
is question which during late year
has been widely discussed. especially il
the scientific circles Of Paris and Lon
don.
Another remarkable river is the In
dus. a great stream in Hindustan. l
rises in Tibet. and its course is n won
derful one. On reaching Sussi. its mos
northern point. it turns southwark. lose
itself in the hills and reappears at Take
in Kohistan. The Indus is I, 200 mile
in length. After receiving the waters @
many tributaries its channel grows ma,
row. and here il is divided into man
) channels, some Of which never return {
the parent stream. It abounds in fis
and crocodiles.
That classical river. the Ganges,
cratic in its course, like the Hoang He
II Is prominent both in the religion an
the geography Of India 1t varies NO