The Caucasian., 1903-02-05

|, RIVER ABANDONED NEBRASKA CITY.
Missouri, which is stream of innu-
1flerable 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 channel fully two miles
from the bed in which it had been
wont to flow. 1t looked like a 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
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 go 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 unaecountable 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.
bur along the greater portion of the
rivers length there is nothing to stay
the tide of the Missouri IL it takes no
tion to quit tile town. 1t might leave
st. Joseph in the same way, and posi-
bly, Kansas City, though this city is
better secured than any other place on
the Missouri.
4 The banks of the Missouri 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 it's banks an average of some
10000 horsepower. which is enough to
do zfSlS utStiuGeiSe5 WOi IA
An excess of energy in the Missouri
means the creation of a new channel
that is, If there is placed any obstruc
ton in the stream the water mounts
higher and exerts an increased pres
sure. The result is that the Missouri
works around behind dikes and all
sorts of shore projections and tumbles
them down or covers them over
The Missouri carries in its water
great quantity of sand and silt 1t de- |
posits this or carries it away according
to condieIons, and it can change its
course in night because it can fill one /
channel with silt and cut another in /
the soft aIluvium without any trouble |
at ALL
It must be understood also that the /
Missouri is some two and one-half I
times as long as the valley it traverses,
and probably has more bends and T
crooks and less straight stretches than
any other big river on earth, which T
adds to the difficulty of retaining the t
water within its channel at. times of
food.
What to do with the Missouri river I
has been a problem ever since it was
1t remains d great prob
lem today, The United States govern
ment has spent something more than
s7.00o,0o0 upon it and has finally aban-
doned the effort TO male it tractable
stream
In the early days the Missouri was
the great highway between the Missis-
sippi valley and the great northwest
When the railroads began to crawl
out on the plains the steaniboating
business on the Missouri began to fall
off But it did not entirely perish TN
ID within the last ten years During
last year there was but a single Mis-
souri, river steamer out of St Louis
and that a wee bit of a boat
which would hardly have been able. TO
whistle roust9 bout away from his
dreams on the stage plank in the hal
eyoIl day ef Missouri iver boatlng
HESEs I'VE MILLER.