The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-02-01

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DIAGRAM SHOWING HOW THE MISSOURI
RIVER ABANDONED NEBRASKA CITY.
Missouri, which is d stream of innu-
merabie bends aud turns, twenty-five
years ago the river was comparatively
straight in front of the site of Nebras-
ka City, but it suddenly swerved in
against the Nebraska bank and estab-
lished there a channel fully two miles
from the bed in which it had been
wont to flow 1t looked like perma-
nent change. The founders Of Ne
braska City were without doubt of it's
permanency. The city was built, and
the river was made the source of water
supply.
OF course all this is bad for Nebraska
City, involving some serious losses and
much inconvenience and giving rise to
perplexing questions affecting riparian
rights and real estate titles. However,
to an enterprising and progressive town
like Nebraska City the damage is not
irreparable. The troublesome thing is
the uncertainty about the future con-
duct of the river Nobody knows when
the big Muddy will 60 on another
rampage and change its course again.
What the Missouri has done to Ne
braska City it may possibly at any
time of flood do to other cities or towns
along its banks. So at least say the
engineers who are reasonably familiar
with the strange and unaccountable do
ings of the great river. There are per-
haps some few points where local
work has been done with such thor
oughness that there is no immediate
danger of the river breaking it down,
but along the greater portion of the
rivers length there is nothing to stay
the tide of the Missouri il it takes Il no
ton to quit the town. 1t might leave
st. Joseph in the same way, and posi-
better secured than any other place on
the Missouri.
The banks of the Miss ouri are soft
alluyium. into which the water cuts
rapidly. They are softer banks than
those of the Mississippi, and the power
of the Missouri is greater. 1t exerts
against its banks an average of some
1000 horsepower. which is enough to
do very destructive work.
An excess of energy in the Missouri
means the creation of new channel
that is, if there is placed any obstruc-
ton in the stream the water mounts
higher and exerts an increased pres
/ 80 mi
works around behind bikes and all
sorts of shore projections and tumbles
them down or covers them over.
The Missouri carries in its water a
great quantity of sand and silt. 1t de-
posits this or carries it away according
to conditions, and it can change its
course in night because it can fiji one
channel with silt and cut anot! cr in
the soft alluYium without any trouble
at ALL
It must be understood also that the
Missouri is some two and ope-half
times as long as the valley it traverses,
and probably has more bends and
| crooks and less straight stretches than
any other big river on earth, which
adds to the difficulty of retaining the
water within its channel at times of
! flood.
What to do with the Missouri river
has been problem ever since it was
| discovered. It remains great prob
/ lem today. The United States govern
ment has spent something more than
100000 upon it and has finally aban-
dened the effort to make it tractabie
| stream.
/ In the early days the Missouri was
the great highway between the Missis-
/ sippi valley and the great northwest,
When the railroads '>egan TO crawl
j out on the plains the steamboating
/ business On the Missouri began to fall
OF. But Il did not entirely perish uns
/ til within the last ten years During
4 last year there was bat 4 single Mis-
souri, river steamer ont Of ST. Louis
regularly and that d wee bit Of d boat
1 whica would hardIg have been able to
whistle roasta bout azYay from his
ei1asl ms Oh ne age plank III the htli-
eyoil DAY uf Missouri river bort
N IL Fl