Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-07-13

to Beardsley.
John II. Mensing, squatter, settled
on an island opposite Kansas City
The government wanted it for a
reservation and soldiers were sent to
drive Mensing away. He barricaded
in corner of the island Then the
was determined the squatler should
stay. Great chunks began falling into
the river. The island was reduced
from 100 acres TO 3 and the soldiers
fled leaving Mensing inpossession
The biggest marine graveyard in
the world is the Missouri river be-
tween Sioux City and st. Louis, where
over $50 wrecks of steamboats, lie
buried in silt From the year 1919,
when the first boat ventured up the
river, until 1870, 1913 boats went to
the bottom Then, in 1871, the gov
ernment began removing the host of
snags in the channel. Since 1890 but
eight boats have sunk. which is entire
y due to the work of the government
The report of Capt Chittenden last
year showed that 6S.3SS coo pounds of
freight had been carried by Missouri
river boats. while in 1878 the amount
was but S,96600o. showing that the
decrease in wrecks is not due to a
suspension of business. Since 1890,
S376.144 60 had been spent in keeping
the upper river channel, upon which
all the present navigation is to be
found, free from snags.
The first boat to ascend the river
anv great distance was a government
steamer. the Western Engineer, in
/ 1919, built for the special purpose Of
4 terrorizing the Indians She was
4 sternwheeler, IS feet long On Ter
j bow was an escape pine made III the
form of serpent with red r.outh.
Steam escaped in awful groans and
Indians fled in panic, thinking the
Mantou had again appeared
Pierre Chouteau, the hea Jf the
American fur compan.'. was tie 1rst
,nan to navigate bcyon the Iowa IRON
Ser passing as .ar north as MIX
J river. S. D., in 1851 Ole boat was
.snt each year to [ Z headwaters by
, this company Indaas a. oo.e,. the
heats. and it was le"essa.y to spend
Z nights anchored in midstream and
: chop wood under guard during the
e day. Then came the golden era OF
a Missouri river traffic. The boats be
over half a hundred were operating
g regularly south of Sioux City.
7 Many of the boats cost as hlgh as
n $50 ,U00 but, in spite of the large Mum
+. Der that went to the bottom, the busi-
n ness was profitable because OF the
d enormous charges for transportation
e The Missouri river pilot was the first
g real autocrat of the West. HIS serv-
y ices were Indispensable and ne was
y able to obtain as much as p ooo
s trip. because so few men could at all
remember the vagaries of 2oo0 miles
Q of the shifty river The first labor
e union west of the Mississippi river
was that of the pilots
But now the Missouri river valley Is
gridironed by railroads. The only
9 part left for Missouri to play IN
t the commerce of the West is the
1 TRANSFORMATION of native products TO
Q nearest railroad crossings. Eleven
i steamboats, were so o~- ofcd ~ the
Q upper river during the past year
: However. as suggested by Capt
Chittenden, The principal task before
a Congress now IS not to keep the river
j omen for a dozen ste but TO
g harness it TO prevent enormous des'
S truction of property In fact, this part
s of the work has been much the more
e importan The amount expended TO-
y banA protection on the river fronts c'
IS cities the entire length OF the river Is
IS tenfold that spent to clean the channei
he river exerts pressure upon th'
'e hanks OF 10000 horsepower. 10 re
sist this force, which works with tht
4. same ease horizontally, downward, i
a problem that has really not yet beer
ri The best device yet discov
n. cred is the revetment work, which
MS now used the entire length OF tn
le river In laying this revetment. WI
en- low boughs are first interwined int
-er a network and sunk in place The
Iel. are weighted down with rocks whe
zen other layers are put on. The roci
of kean tho willows from floating aw
not and willows keep the river from wa
lsh ing away the support OF the rocks