The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-07-15
BOTTOM IS
near The TOP
River is Low and May Break ali Pre-
vious Records for Shallow
ness Before Summer
NOT ENOUGH RAIN
Steamboats, Have Quit Running and
Government is Busy Clear
ing Away the
Z ENOUGH
RAIN

While there Is no danger OF the
river running dry, it is getting mighty
low and may break all previous rec
ords for shallowness before the sum
mer is over, A Dubuque paper says OF
the low stage:
The Mississippi river is breaking all
records in the matter OF low water
The stage at the draw bridge is now
0-in other words, but one foot
above the lowest mark 1t ever reached
at this point. Tnis record was estab-
lished back in 1864. Each point OF
record along the Mississippi has its
own basis for figuring, but whatever
the basis is it never is changed. The
point of zero represents low water
Should it drop below this point the
record is made with the minus sign
and the foot in all calculations On the
Mississippi is not divided into inches
but is reckoned on the decimal system
by tenths.
The effect of this low stage is being
felt throughout the Upper Mississippi
valley. From Davenport on below the
Inconvenience is less pronounced but
at the present time the Diamond 10
line of steamers is making no effort TO
carry on business. The Eclipse, which
during the season of navigation for
several years has made regular trips.
running packet between Dubuque and
Praire du Chen, and handling freight
and passengers to and from these and
all intermediate points, has been COM
PEELED to abandon its Journeys. A
week ago it became stuck on sand
bar and remained there twenty-four
hours. There are a few small raft
boats plying the stream in its upper
reaches. but this constitutes all the
traffic that is being carried on aside
from that of launches.
Active work is now under way by
the governemnt fleet in clearing away
bars and getting, SO far as possible
the stream into navigable condition.
The recent announcement of the con
gressional appropriation, small as it is,
has made it possible for resumption
of river work
A one-foot stage, to the lay mind,
means very little. That it is a low
stage of water the public generally
understands, yet there is plenty of
water were it evenly distributed.
Throughout the greater portion of the
great reaches of the stream the chan
mel is ample. 1t is the bars that form,
one of which is sufficient to entirely
stop all river traffic. 1t is these that
compel the use OF the powerful
dredges and suction pumps with
which the government fleet is equip
ped. During low water these bars
become serious factors and when the
stage reaches the extreme lowness OF
the present unless there is constant
work on them, they stop all heavy
traffic. Never before in the history Of
the stream, SO far as white men know
has there been such stage at this
time of the year as is now noted L
is to provide against eonting
like this that the Upper Mississippi
River Improvement association with G
project in view of six-foot channe
from Minneapolis to st. Louis is or
gained and which seeks to make con
gress see the situation as the people
of the Mississippi valley see it.
Contrary to the generally accepted
opinion regarding the cause Of tbs
present low water the old rivermen d.
not ascribe it to the denuding of tn,
forest lands to the north They holt
at as matter of lack Of precipitation
of moisture. Periods of high and Low
water have alternated for the past for
ty years, These periods have run ii