The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-24
MISSISSIPPI RUNS UPHILL,
DROUGHT MAS MADE me RIVER
SALIVA TER STREAM,

II IL now an Enormous Estuary OF ia.
Guf-NaviERtion Almost stopped
Orleans Water supply Crippicd -or.,,.
Fish Being Caught on the City Nhnr,rs.
New ORLEANS Dec. 81 In conscouer., =,
the prolonged drought and deficiency of tu,,,,
than one half in the rainfall for the year the N,s.
sissippi River has changed its course, is now ,,r.
ming upstream TO ST Louis and has bcrom. ,
saltwater stream. This has occufi,; ..:.
but very rarely and has never been quite as b,J
as II Is now Tho tide IL felt plainly at New ~,
leans and even as far north as the mouth Of rl.
Red River, 25O miles from the Passes ThcUs.,
is so brackish in front Of the city that it is Nm,
palatable OF available for the many putpu,,.
in which II is ordinarily used
The primary cause Is the drought The lover
Mississippi like the Nile. hasvcry few tributatfe,
pouring into IT, tho policy Of the early settlers -
Ing TO cut of the tributaries by bikes built act,,
the mouths where they Join the greet river \sA
consequence, the river depends largely upon IN,
food above and upon the rainfall along its coufs.
II the rainfall is small the water poured in il bv
the Ohio, Missouri and upper Mississippi become,
largely exhausted by evaporation in the long ,f.p
TO the Gulf. The river Is always low during dry
season; and this has been the driest season IN
record Again, the Gulf tides have been phcuum.
enally high this season. and have forced the -al,
water up the river against the sluggish and weak
current The tides have been supplemented hy
strong winds, which have blown the salt water IN
several feet When IL is further recalled that tho
Mississippi In less than two feet above ocean tr1s
level at New Orleans, distance Of los miles from
the sea, II can readily he seen why the river has
become an estuary OF the Gulf and is salty, OF,
This has had several remarkable effects Tn,
mrs, Is on ,hs water sir supply Of the city That
preserved in overhead cistcrns and river water
The rain water supply In short and Of poor quality
water, containing pereeptibls amour, Of s,i,
is NOT dTinEable The result has been to bfIns:,
about very considerable boom in spring OF d..
titled water New Orleans now imports NIL.
lions Of gallons Of water from springs in neivh-
boring parishes in Louisiana and Mississipp
not mineral waite, but plain, ordinary drink.ns
water, as many people prefer IL Ia the rain n
river water The artificial ice factories. which
dsull the water ney use in the msnnfacturr q
able TO- manufacture and sell disiilled water 70
the trade at from 3 toe cents gallon New oT:
upon which il depended for two centuries
intcrfered with nnvi satlon and only vessels 4
the lighiest drnught tan now go any distance up
the river The larger ST Louis steamers have been
unable to leave that city since September and
the Hill City, which recently made the down tiny.
was able 70 do 80 only because Of ligh, drauEht
every foot Of the river from ST. Louis to Cairo.
70 feel The way. as I, were and take edyAn,age
all previous records Of low water have been broken
and at ford's crossing, Just below Na,chcz, tho
:, ,Ss can be tordsd from 1x The LTSsSm,
time in It's history
The low water. and the brackish condition q
ton in another way The steamboats, navigating
the mississippi gci the water for their boilers
Tor the purpose Just now il Shows dispos'oS
TO foam because Of the salt in 1t, and II PLAYS
havoc with the boilers Of high tension steamers.
causing them to scale. seriously iniuring them
This, however, is Of more frequent occurrence
than is popularity supposed and compcls the cap
Red River is slightly saline. but the Arkanra,
is the most troublesome tributary in the matter
Of water for boiler purposes The upper Ar.
kansas runs through the great alkali plains Il
the Indian Territory Kansas and Colorado
When. therefore. there s frcshct in the Arkansas
II rours an immense amount Of alkali into tho
Mississippi II that stream Is rising while tbs
Mississippi s low and the other tributaries srr
Mississippi above New Orleans il 50 great that I,
Is not safe 10 use IL in the boilers and The water
has 10 be distilled or otherwise purified
Perhaps the most popular result II this conversion
ri the Mississippi from n fresh tp salt water
stream " in the change in fishing 1t affords.
IL one Of the worst streams In the world for FISHING
and contains scarcely an edible fish it is ~,
muddy for them. Mississippi cat large fish
growing TO six OF seven feet and weighing often
a. much as $50 to $50 pounds Is coarse and
IL eaten only by the negroes Buffalo hsh and
crntratcd extract of river mud Hut with thu advent
OF salt water, and the disappearance of the mud
crmcn. and fzask Waltons can I've seen to day.
for the first time in years, seated on its whArycs
fishing for salt water fish, and meeting with won
dcrful success. REDDISH and shccpshead have
been caught in great quantities In front Of the
city and even red snappcrs, fish that usually
calls for fifty or sixty feet Of salt water and even
sharks have crossed the bar after the food FISH
and followed them up the river Below New
Orleans in Paquemines parish, even sea erals
have appeared. And the Mississippi has put 90
a marine aspect. and is quite green instead Of lis
usual tawny yellow.
How long the present phenomenal condition
Of affairs will continue II is impossible 10 say.
The heavy rains that usually fall in Dccembr.
but which have not come. could. Of course, make
a radical change. but II they do not. the January
rise which comes about the end Of January, dur
ing the first thaws will convert the Mississippi from
a salt water back 10 a fresh water siIcam.