The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-12-27
QUEER WHITE RIVER.
II IS THE cRookeoEsT STREAM ON
THIS CONTINENT.

seven Times II Crosses the Missouri
Arkansas Border and Travels Per-
haps 1000 MiIes to Progress 100.
The Wreck Of the Mary G.
From its four heads In the Boston
mountains to Batesviile, where it leaves
the Ozarks and enters the Arkansas low.
lands, White river Is q succession Of as.
tonishing curves. No other river on the
continent so nearly and 80 frequently
doubles upon itself. From the source
to the Hat country is a distance on a
straight line Of perhaps 100 miles. White
river between these points has course
Of over GOO miles; some estimates make
It 1000 miles.
The beginning is near the Indian Terri.
tory border In the western part Of Ar
kansas. The water runs toward all points
OF the compass in quick succession many
times before 1t adopts comparatively
direct course to the Mississippi. From
the Boston mountains the general course,
with many a bend and curve, is north.
ward and northeastward into Missouri.
Probably the highest point in this direc-
tion is Forsyth, near the center Of fancy
county. From this place the White wrig.
giles its way back into Arkansas and down
through Marion county, to where the
Buffalo joins 1t. But not until the Mis-
s0uri-Arkansas border has been crossed
seven times does the uncertain stream
bear away to the southeastward to stay.
Adding to the marvel Of White rivers
eccentric meanderings are the walls Of
rock which tower from 200 to 500 feet
often from the waters edge. A birdseye
view from above would show the river
deep set in canyon Of continuous and
often sharp curvatures. A mile of river
In a straight line is unusual. The can
yonlikc valley of the White narrows in
places almost to the channels width.
Over most OF the course 1t is wide enough
for strip of fertile. bottom land along
the river. The water wanders from one
side of the valley to the other. 1t washes
the base of the towering palisades first
on the right and then on the left. 1t
maintains close relationship with cliff
for half dozen miles. Then it sudden
ly crosses through the bottom lands and
hugs the opposite frowning mass.
On bright day a stretch of the wind
ing river seen from the summit of the
palisades shimmers like well polished sill
yer. White" aptly describes the ap-
pearance A nearby view from the banks
reveals degree of purity which is not
equaled by any other western river. The
contrast Of comparison with the streams
which flow through alluvial country is
striking White river has its origin in
mountain springs. Numberless under
ground channels in the limestone strata
help to swell the volume. Tributaries
vary from tiny rivulets starting high up
on the benches of the mountains to pow
crful streams which gush forth with a
roar from beneath shelves of overhang-
Ing r. :. Twenty miles below Forsyth,
beside the White. is McGill spring. which
pours out from the face of the cliff n
body of water strong enough to run
large mill. 1t is a,type of hundreds, while
the smaller and unnamed springs can
only be enumerated by tens Of thousands.
The Buffalo. the Crooked and the North
Fork in like manner grow from the
springs along their courses and add to
the White their contributions of the
same clear, sparkling water.
Only when heavy rainfall occurs in the
watershed OF the White does the water
lose Its distinctive character. Even then,
while the rocky surface conveys to
the river considerable portion of the
rainfall stained by the vegetation and
the soil the greater part sinks into I'M
foreground reservoirs and courses and,
slowly tiltering and settling. reaches the
river through the springs. which defy the
longest drought periods. White river
booms for few days with n mighty flow
after protected rains. A 40 foot rise is
not extraordinary in the contracted parts
of the valley. The water assumes n dirty
whitish look. But the flood subsidies
quickly. the current clarifies even more
rapidly, and the river runs steadily dur
ing the dry season. 1t is not want Of
water which causes the unnayigable
stage. 1t i he character of the channel
"a series OF long levels and Of short rap
ids. If the current was evenly distribute
ed. there would be depth enough for the
light draft stern wheclers all the year.
Many years ago Forsyth was reached
by steamboats, on White river The bold
navigators pushed their stern wheelers to
the foot of the rapids. Then they sent
the roustabouts clambering over rocks
and through the trees. dragging tho tow
line its full length. The upper end was
strongly fastened to stand the strain.
The boat end of the hawser was wound
around the capstan. With the paddle
wheels driven by every pound of pressure
available and with the donkey engine
winding in the tOwline, the boat dragged
and p ed itself up foot by foot through
the fuauiing rapids. After the passage
was made long reach OF smooth. deep
water made easy progress for perhaps 20.
perhaps so. miles. In this way Forsyth
was reached. And when the boat. Toad.
ed to the guards" with lead and cotton
and hogs and the various products of the
White river country, turned PROV down
stream there was little to do but to
trust to Providence and the nerve of the
man behind the pilot wheel. The current
did the rest.
One day. in a spirit of daring, Captain
Bateman said be was going to take the
Mary C. to Forsyth il it was her last
trip. He made McBee's and the other
landings above Buffalo City and triumph
antly awoke the echoes of the heights of
Pine mountain as the boat came in sight
of Forsyth. But pride went before the
worst fall that could happen to steam
boatman. In trying to turn the Mary Q.
to head down stream. the captain failed
to gauge the width Of the channel. He
iran her nozzle ag'in the bank" on one
side The stern went around with a
sweep and lodged against gravel bar on
the other side. The Mary G. lay for
few momen.r hroadside in the channel.
blocking it. There was creakins and
grooming. The hog chains parted. The
Mary C.'s back was broken" The
wreck lay there until the elements wore
It to pieces. That was the end of naviga-
ton to Forsyth.-St. Louis Globe-Deilo-
crat.