The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-08-19
SUCH AS WHITE
Man never saw
The Mississippi River is Lower Than
it Has Ever Been in It's History
and Old River Men are
BaffIed.
NEED LIGHT DRAFT BOAT
Government Work Should be Going
on Now When the Splendid OPP
portunlty is Presented
What Veterans Say.

Oh Tue upper MISSISSIPPI Is very evil
dent this year when the water is
lower than it has been for half
century or longer. The Father-of-W Wa
tiers from st. Paul clear down to st.
Louis has reached the low water
mark established forty-six years ago.
AS an old steamboat man here said
few days ago, probably no white
man ever before saw the Mississippi
so low at this time Of the year. The
drouth of 1864 was the worst known
in the Mississippi valley up to the
present. The river took slump and
navigation was badly impaired, but 1t
was no worse than now. The low wa
ter mark was not established until
sometime in September, while this
year it was reached about six or
seven weeks earlier. Newspapers said
the river had a green, sickly appear
ance, like the dregs of a frog pond.
But most of the packet boats were In
service until fall, while the Damsel
and other boats of her class did not
retire until the close of navigation.
They were boats drawing 10 to %
inches of water, which could travel in
less water than now required for
many of the local launches and mo-
torboats.
In 1894 when the river got pretty
low and the adjacent country was
suffering for want of rain, the Dia-
mond 10 boats, continued In service
until July 31st, after a hard battle
with sand bars and shoals, and the
other through packets had already
gone to the bank or were running on
short schedules out of st. Louis.
Most Of the big boats in service, then
are still on the upper river, and could
not maintain their schedules then
for the same reason as now. On Aug
ust Bird of that year navigation was in
bad way and very, very few boats
even tried to run. In 1864, the lowest
water was In September and the
drouth ended in October when there
were very heavy and very frequent
rains that filed the big creek in a
hurry Much the same thing happen
sed in the fall of 1894, and this leads
the old timers to believe that the
coming fall will be unusually wet.
However, it is remembered that the
old timers predicted unusually high
floods for this spring and they didn't
come; they now predict heavy rains
for the fall and they too may fail to
come
1t Is too bad that the government
had to miss the best of opportunities
to accomplish river improvements
and repairs Instead of working all
the time during the low water, the
fleets will start later than ever, and
If the rains do come, it is more than
likely that the contractors and their
fleets will be able to accomplish
next to nothing this year. United
States Engineer Edwards, formerly at
Keokuk, comments on the low stage
of the water and the inactivity of the
river Improvements department, as
follows:
1T is to be regretted that the riv-
CLIO anu DdlDOlS OAil JuoI pooSCo w
congress did not pass year ago in
which case even this low stage
through navigation. The distractions
though many, in stretches that have
not been improved, are generally
short and can be anticipated in time
to deepen them before low water
makes them hindrance to naviga-
ton.
THE improvements of the upper
Mississippi river under the Rock Is
land office covers about 700 miles.
For this stretch there are available
only three suction dredges, and with
the unprecedented low water from
st. Paul to st. Louis, developing
many shoal places. and with lack of
funds to contend with, it was impos-
sible to satisfactorily cover this long
stretch
Major Keller Is now building three
more large 18-inch suction dredges,
one for each subdivision, of which
one probably will be permanently as
signed to the Keokuk division for use
between Hannibal and Burlington"