Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-11-14
CHANGES In CHANNEL
The Missouri River Has Another
One of Its Freaks,
'AkA'ies which Result in QuarreIs
over the Right TO Land Aecre-
lions and Make Busines.
for Lawyers.

II
Inc Missouri river has started .ast
again With one of its sudden period.
ical changes il has attacked the low
Dank' and just north Of Omaha l.
making Nebraska soil with great ra-
pidity. Fifty years ago the river was
neaded north. Twenty-Five years
later IT took it into its head that the
south presented greater attractions.
put Ia recent years it has favored the
east with its distinguished considera-
ton. SO far there has been no up-
rising on the part of the people Of
iowa 10 stay its progress, but its ma
neuVerings have added greatly to the
income of Omaha lawyers. Ten cases.
quarrels over the right to the accre-
lions, are now before the supreme
court, says correspondent of the
Chicago Inter Ocean.
The fact that there is no other river
IN the United States which exhibits
such vagaries and INDUCES in such
meanderings as the Missouri sets at
naught the ordinary rules OF law as
to apportionment of accretions and
puzzles the courts as to the proper
distribution. In some instances the
shore lines OF property have received
additions TO the extent of 400 TO 500
feet, fine bit Of property to fight
over, especially when some squatter
comes along and builds his shanty.
claiming the right to IL as govern
ment land. II all depends. too, upon
the basis Of measurement from the
meander line on the old survey line
whether the accretions are upon one
plot Of land or another.
The whole trouble lies in the fact
that the Missouri courses through
valley the substratum soil Of which, /
as a result Of the deposit Of distant
centuries, Is largely Of quicksand The
current Il far above the average in |
rapidity, and by reason OF the SHOWS |
on the mountains there are two /
rises, in April and June Of each year.
The large volume Of water coming l
down at those times has great and /
rapid action upon the banks Where |
there is a deposit Of solid soil above
the qnicksand, the washing out OF the
latter often causes a simultaneous
falling Of great stretches OF the river
bank. in some instances below 81.
Joseph and Atchison. eating up rail-
road tracks as IL did before the rail-
road managers became wiser.
Where the law becomes confused is
that the land thus taken from one
side is not deposited directly upon
the opposite bank. and no engineer
can. in fact. tell where the fallen
earth goes 20. All that IS known is
that there is a gradual filling up on
the other side. The river is about a
quarter OF a mile wide on the average
along the Nebraska shore, and there
has been little change in this width
IS the years pass.
Once in awhile. as in 1877, the river
seeks an entirely new channel, leav-
ng large areas of land available for
and IL Is generally over
.hese accreiions that the larger law
,uits occur. In some years the river
has travelled TO the east 100 to 200
let a year. but since ripraps have
been put in on the gumbo soil its
progress has been but ten or fifteen
'eet. At present the Nebraska bank
" the river is from half a mile TO
nile east Of where IL was in 1856.
The law of accretions is something !
II a curiosity. As laid down in the
,ools the rule is first TO measure the
whole extent OF the ancient bank and :
compute how much each riparian
proprietor owned on the river line.
md then TO divide the newly formed
,ank or river land into equal parts
nd appropriate proportionate {
mount TO each proprietor. The trou-
lie in applying this law TO the Mis-
our lies in the fact that the new
ines are generally convergent, and
hat the sharp projections or deep IN, n
entations cannot be fairly included 4
line