The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-12
THREATENS TO CHANGE.
Citizens of st. Joseph Fear the Missouri
River Will Seek Another Channel.

The Missouri river again threatens
to leave st. Joseph, Mo. high and dIy
and 10 miles from water. 1t is not the
first time the town has had dry scare.
Once year what is known as the June
rise in the Big Muddy cuts across
farms, washes away landmarks ANA
! gives employment to surveyors.
But the present scare is caused lax
something worse than a June rise The
river seems to be deliberate in its in
tention to break new channel. All
there is to check it is a railroad en-
bankment five feet in height. Unless
the breaks on the north side of the
peninsula are repaired the water viii
cut across the neck Of land and irrigato
Kansas territory. This would leave st.
Joseph without any river traffic, iniurp
railroad property and probably neces-
state Il change in the water supply OF
the city, during which time it's sanitary
condition would be deplorabie
1t is a habit with the river when il
changes its course to leave great sand
bars formed in front of the city. It
is no reflection on the intelligence Of
New York people 10 assert that If they
never saw an exposed sandbar in the
| Missouri river they know nothing about
the capacity Of such a formation ID
raise Cain in more ways than une.
When one Of these arid plains is kept.
| by reason of the fickleness Of q stream,
in the front of a city which has en-
joyed a steamboat trade. il changes the
levee and that class of business which
thrives about steamboat landing
moves as the infractions Of the river
demand. The entire water front Of
river town of the West viii change a
dozen times in as many years. The
property holder who owns Il front lot
one year is four miles from the levee
the next, but he only crosses his legs
and whistles. because he knows that
sooner or later the levee viii come. his
way unless the river changes its course
entirely. as it is now threatening Il 10.
There is another thing for which one
of these sandbars is famous For three
months in the year. during the dry sea
son. the prevailing winds are from the
southwest They blow day and night,
just as they blow across the lands Of
Arizona and oklahoma. Some years
ago property owners Of this city and
/ few engineers met To discuss plan by
| which the Missouri river could be kept
| in it's channel. and by which the sand
bar might be removed. II was hot
DAY and the sunlight was darkened by
clouds of sand. which blew upon the
town and settled against the win
dows like hail one Of the committee
informed the meeting that il would he
a useless expenditure Of money 10 at
tempt any removal Of the sandbar,
the wind would transfer 1T all in tn
course Of time.
Appropriations were made. however,
and skilled engineers We're employed,
and the work of saving the city. and
If coaxing the river 70 resume tts oid
course was begun The old style 81
+ breakWater was constructed from tha
/ Black Snake hills out into tins old
channel Of the rIer BreakwaIers we're
also constructed on the other side.
Then the June rise was awaited. IL
came it changed the course Of the ct.f-
rent for awhile. and then it smashed
A. Is 4
farm land and town lots, and another
sandbar came UP out % the water and
stretched its brown length IN front 81
the town The work Of saving the city