The Detroit times., 1914-03-13
veg-sAifting 6txsam Presents
spns Hard Knots For Solu.
tiea BY Government
b00T OF WORK REACHES
MILLIONS EVERY YEAR
Dbjes4 Not, - Commonly Sup
Desed. to Protect Land. But
10 Clean Stream Itself

@yoe near Courtney. 60 men are en-
Doyo4 ~ . eontEActing outdt 70 keep
- aAifting Missouri river within IL
tooor hanks. Few people realise tn
1voc wrought By this river IN . ain
y year. They have heard, probably
&pgies oe how Il acts just like regu'
" sboUoy man." and eats W . whole
RkD u eve night. But people even
elooe, 70 the Missouri river - II
aneoo CITY DO not realise it, power.
Thsi vDrernsnspt u spending mil
pns C dollars annually In the n
Scooto Of Improvement OF this one
roan The PRIMARY object Of this
rponditNye = not TO protect the poor
Symer whose land adjoins the river
Ia II IN DANGER Of being carried
nay. ~ rather To prevent this gro.
ou WITH. The ssSe. h view that Il
SDro - 10 erosion or cutting Of the
Inks that thu river Will Sc0ur III
<A channel dean and cease 70 al IL
IA WITH huge SnagS and treacherohG
M, which are such q menact 70 nav.
9tion. SO far. these have been the
roat factors In preventing " com
~ ouOceSs.
Such beihg the cb.ect Of the work. Il
l&urAlly, IN IL contamination, accom.
tohes ne oecYAdary and lees vital
the, Hublic Ut largsl purpose OF the
ptoction of the individuals who hap.
to Own land IN the troublesome
61ons.
Several large contracting outfits are
)GAged In this work batween Kansas
w and st. Louis In addition 70 the
tats which are owned and operated
the government. The work IL un.
~ the supervision Of Maj. Herbert
nkyne. corps Of engineers. y. 8. A.
The work 1t Blue Mills Band began
Qctober last year and % far about
toe-Quarterp VI 2 mile, or approx
1&eIy one-half Of It, has been COM
cted. 70 do thlj. the superintendent
tie outnt, w. 4 Martin, has been
the lob oil no time. For Il Isn't
oed Of roses 10 keep everything Ia
~. and the work going In good
6nlng order. Perhaps the steam
nt he has hired has run aground
- barge Of rock. He has "a look
mp Perhaps I brush has failed
ngfive when + needed THE has 20
about Il, Thus Il goes. always
ohine the rivef and the weather,
not, heing. able 70 tell anythiao
Ham About either.
~ Construct IA OF q standard r.,
nnout Tor the protection Of . cutting
u. consists OF nrst grading the
II to Z three 70 one slope. then
hing . willow mattress from the
Kline out into the river. following
y up with stone for sinking the
ktresI and paving the slope Of the
ne grazing 10 accomplished BY
1ops OF hydraulic grader. which il,
lnly speaking. barge carrying q
lor and pumps connected to IN or
D4ry hre hose supplied with water
M the river ct about the same pres
NJ a. In city main. BY means
this the bank IL washed down 70
desired slope and the dislodgou
kerIal u washed into tho river.
Willow Mats . Mile Long.
ne grading Il followed up by the
9 gang, which weaves the mattress
III the waterline out into the river
11A1el q distance Of So feet. Every
- along the Missouri knows .btg
- JordAn-but hc has to ~ seem
known to be appreciated. 6tano'
oix feet four inches and weigh1Ag
pounds, 10 daily directs the WORK
The mat gang. The mattress uaeo
~ Missoufi d called : bsskat
I've, and differs from that used on
y Mississippi ip that Il II weven Of
tn1lef Willows, one-half to two inches
1iamssss. therefore the basket
Avo mattress Tor. mat q Il q usu-
~ callod) Ia mure. flexible and con.
49, 10 the irregularities of the bot,
= q tho river.
4his mat ID woven upon . barge
j1eh 70 pulled out from under Il q Il
woven up; thus The work procsssis
Wnstream, the mat On one Job over
nilo long oftsn, being IN one conttn'
w. piece.
"a carpet ser the Rlvsrs oettom.
Whenever Z few hundred fee& 81
~ mat u xiloat, the sinking Of Il
DGins, thia being Ia charge Of anOtheI
Imam. The mat n sunk with stone,
r1ch 10 thrown upon Il from barges:
r. the mat forms . sort e Carpet o.
= bottom Of the river. The mat II
okored to the hank ~ eAbles attach
@ logs or ''deAd-men" which an
3soA IN the ground.
Then comes tho last stage In the
npletion Of the work. The paving
~ comes along with their stoos
nST1od from some c0nvenient bluG
orby, and paves ne Slopo a. tA<
-. the stone bs1ng laid n - shin
- ars laid upon = rood. 1he PAWN
DoSxled out upon the mattreos = few
- = order TO make . good Joint 20
- the mattress under the water
~ he paving upon the. hank. The
- 4 thea complete and the Mis-
I'M = oeIectuslly turned away from
~ a1jacent farms.
~ men Who DO the lsbof q thia
10 for the nest part are "hoboea. :
49, commonly term themselves
"a workers, senerous, doing then
~ cheerfully IN Ill kinds ct weatb
~ under ill sorts Of 'cool )tio4s
Vo9thelsss they like 70 50 into ~
~ every - often to spend their 10
II stake. Not q hobo on the GAM
n Aurn down . chance - help ~
Dctuneto co1nszde of fail 70 pct I
Va log. And this camp n the plAc(
k6neloos dogs IN western Missouri
tor. pplit =, situations oil ,ovel
~ oountry. and the latset neus d
~ ~ af1. Known 70 eyefy nan %
= ~ n1ny ~ wheu are able q
1Ho ~ ~, hton1l01S intetl1Cont
u ~ ~ nAkeo - 1tghtiy ~
7H0.Vl n0eo - ~ e11nD, ma efoot
Iloo0nGnnomGne g ~ noa K 4