Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-02-21

I tbe owners were nearly put out Of the
! business"
Freight charges were SO terrific that
| the owners Of the boats received enough
| from single trip to compensate them
| Tor the loss of vessel aud oven TO pay
q g pilots $1,000 for making the trip one
| way
The caprice Of the Missouri river a
| fcW weeks ago to abandon i'm % singie
| night the course of its channel at Ne-
| blaaka CITY. Noh leaving chat town
without water, light or power. Illus
tra'cs the greatest need OF an appro-
| piiation for curbing this gtroam Thirty
years ago the Missouri changed IT'S
course &C Nebraska city. making a cut
of across the head OF great bend.
This fan II determined TO resume its old
course and did so between the setting
and rising Of the sun, not only carving
She new channel, but filing up the one
II haG LETT The town water pipes were
half q mile from the river
There are few towns or cities along
the whole course OF the Missouri river
some OF whose property IL not endang-
cred by the propinquity OF the stream
Farm lands are left TO It's mercy At
times OF high water, when the corrod-
Ing current Is most vicious. one may
hear the boom of falling bluffs for
great distances Valuable farms thus
digappeNr In week. To save river
fcnts of towns and cities from a STINT
lar fate the engineers have built reyct-
mCnt. This Is done by making mat
trCsses Of branches Of trees, grading
the banks by hydraulic pressure and
sinking the mattresses. These are held
IN place by large rock and the large
rock Is protected by several inches OF
smaller stone which prevents the river
from working It's way under the stones
and the mattress.
The difficulty arises from the fact
that when the course Of the cupriclous
current Is stopped by dykes or revet-
ment the pressure Of the water is great
" increased and often the water works
ite way under or around and carries out
the artificial structures, For this rea'
son considerable sum Is required am
nually 10 repair the damage done By
the river
DID 1T FOR THE MISSISSIPPI.
1t is because Of experience gained up
on the Missouri river, government Ell
giueers say, that the Mississippi river
now has deep channel from the ohio
O. the gulf, and the engineering depart
ment has confidence In its ability to
Ultimately restrain the Missouri Tho
appropriations have been mere baga-
telle In comparison with the immensely
ol the task. The Missoun's course Is
two and a half times as long as its
valley. The river carries in It's current
a great quantity Of sand and silt. II
deposits this or carries Ii along AT viii,
anG this Is the reason why Il may gnaw
cut new channel or an mp an old one
iu an incredibly short time The task rs
facilitated by the fact that the soil
is Of a soft alluylal nature, and the
unusual energy Of the current.
Near Glasgow Mo. a force OF men
has been working some years, az to-
tai expense of $4,000, to keep intact a
small tract Of land, no bigger than 4
fve-acre cornfeld. and ordinarily not
worth $780, This strip Of soil however,
supports Chicago & Alton railroad
bridge. costing $500 OOO II is a half mile
Of steel and one OF the longest viaducts
river. shortly after the completion OF
the bridge, began eating Is way surely
toward one OF the bridge abutments.
Allowed 10 take its course Il would
have tumblcd the big structure In the
water. TO stop It an elaborate revet.
mcnt has been built aud the measly
island it safe for a time.
Ten years ago a, l.. Beardsley OF !
Sioux City bought seven acres Of land |
along the Missouri, 10 miles south of |
Sioux city, Soon the river BEGAN back !
ing away forming a great bend, tin
Rcardsley found that 100 acres hal |
hren given him by the law OF accretion. |
Then one night the river cut across the |
neck and threw the entire tract over |
into Nebraska. But, under the law nt |
emulsion. the property is stlll Boards |
ley's The river has made for him
fortune. Kansas City Star