The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-04-27
Evening Chat -

AAH9H $kAS4 A4SSSS4 t SSS44ti tsSSkSt5LEn.I, =
the great QpegKagA4S astas 81 TIE
United States when the Jnite1 States
GeoIogi cal Survey ID constructing =
die map oGI the area knoWl as we 4es'
fngtonS quadrangle, lying HesL o. hock
Island Az Iowa and lllinois, tbs a !ist.
which covers about 230 SQUARE M1les'
is nearly bisected nay mississippi r ny
Or and taken by itself presents tne
Father of Waters IN 9 somewhat ~
strange position, Tor the river lows owe
almost due west across the are&, me
map shows Iowa on the north slos
81 The ffyerg and Illinois On the south.
Iinmed iatoIy west OF this area, near
HaBoatine, the stream resumes lss
H0HtlWafd flow.
Fhaiaraa within the tdgtngton Quad.
Fahkfa back from the bluffs that bor'
HefSfi Mississippi, Is essetitially IN
AGRICULTURAL regionI. although y large
BART E6fEit lid devoted to. pastdre.',
Bluffs 30 to goo feet In height close
aybdfd srSth river except along pors
s4ion 6lsS the Illinois side, where there
ri Af Raiiuvia1 fiat q quarter to hall q
ifiiie i'd width, which Ii Hooded ID
Extremely high waters oh the Iowa va.
sfdef HE Immediate bank OK ithe, river
n 4bftoi ngJ feet high, aud above this IS
II narrow terrace OF gravel thderlatn
6#alImest6 One, bordering the foot Of the
i3iaffss The bluffs on both sides aud
most 81 the rayines are heavily TIM
befeds fine larger islands IN the tt.-
sf ara also covered With h heavy
Er6Wth1 timber In which baks pre-.
aonlnte:
iFhs five: has changed but little
dHfing the last 30 years, as shown
81, 81 tomparlsor with tho charts OF
8the \ Mississippi River Commission,
mad tn9lS92. The channc! is practl"
5rallys the same now rs 1t was then
owing TO the facts that the north bank.
sbeingtp partly OF limestone. ia not easllE
saroded Il that probably considerable
portion Of the river bed also Is bed
ock,2and that subuarged dams have
gbeentbuilt, to keep the river now III ITS
natural channel.
For many years the waters OF the
sriyer3in this section have furnished the
material for thriving business In the
manufacture OF buttons from mussel
shells, and incidentally a few pearls
S(fayeibeen obtained. Muscatlne Is the
center of this industry. The United
States Government has established a
hiologi station on the Iowa side near
Fairport for studying the natural l1t is
torylofl the fresh .water mussel and pro-
pagatingii st, with the object OF restock-
fnEgthe early exhausted beds
Mississippta river within the area
ofFthei Edging ton quadrangle is a beat,
tiful stretch Of water, flowing plactuly
afJtteI base Of the bluffs through a pan
0ramafo of wooded islands new vista
NJ each turn. The westerly course OF
the Mississippi in this area is proba-
bly, the result of the drainage locating
Itself along the receding border OF one
8ofs the great prehistoric glaciers or ice
sheets. Being forced out Of It's old"
2ad channel, which may perhaps lie
much farther east, 1t cut new cnannei
along q new line crossing drift'buried
valleys and covered rock ridges indls-
crtminately.
The field men OF the United States
theological Survey, in their tnvestlga..
lions OF the ground-water resources OIL
the Virginia Coastal Plain, have OBJ
served that the flows from many artes-
Unveils in that region are utilized TO
drive hydraulic rams for the purpose
of lifting the water to higher levels.
Along the lower courses OF the Poto-
mac and Aappanhannock and along the
shores Of the many inlets that run BACK
from Chesapeake bay above the James
there are hundreds Of artesIan wells
that supply perennial flow OF heaulf-
fIiIlyBc clear water which is. as a rule,
excellently adapted to all domestic
usesfand Is largely utilized by the can
ming factories and other industrial es'
Establishments that abound in that part
ofEtheg country. Though the pressure
f!the water from the wells is ample at
the shore level, the head dimtnishes
So Quickly with increase in elevation
that no flow can be obtained along
the higher banks above the shores
where the water is most needed. one
method of obtaining 1t at these higher
levels is to use the force developed
BY the 8artesian flow to operate hyd-
Sraulicf rams, which in turn raise the
water to the heights desired along
the bluffs above the river and 1nlets.
Thus it may be said that the artes'
SianGwells pump themselves.
ii rs easier to authorize big army
9thanSto get men to serve In It. II
Congress approves the pending leGis-
IationII for $50, 600 men in the regular
federal service, 1t will be four years
at least before these men can be Sc
ScuredEunless the present rate OF OF en-
slistments is greatly increased. The
department is getting men now at the
rate Of about $50 week. The War
department is expecting to spend ST.
100000 to secure 10000 men and At
this rate the cost of enlisting 100000
additional men will be $15,000,O00.
Losses by desertion and retirement
wlllsmake the required enlistments ev.
en- greater. tits the contemplation of
facts like these which lead many in
telligsnt army men to conclude that
Congress will have to do more than
authorize an increase in the army
that sarmy life will have TO be made
more attractive. either by increasing
the pay or adding educational oppor'
Stunitiasf to the service, II fighting men
1a-