The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-04-13
Mississippi Moods
Depicted in Tale of
Former Flood Time

=. =. Robbins has had . long and
intimate acquaintance with the
Mississippi. At his post % SUPER
intendent Of government bridges
for IS years, he has had the oppor-
tunity to study her moods and
know her idiosyncrasies. So, she
ID more to him than an incident in
topography, . river rising In the
north and emptying into the gull
stream; more than the country's
commercial asset, made to be the
tool Of industry; and more than
Just the Mississippi. which one
must cross via street car or ferry
boat to reach the other side.
He knows her to possess very
human nature, marked with faults
and frailties as with virtues, al
though she has lived much longer
than the Sphinx and should have
accumulated wisdom from the
stars. She has moments when she
is happily at peace under q sun
set; times when she is frantic and
rebellious in the sway Of storm
sometimes she is the playmate Of
the light-hearted excursionist; she
10 patient under her gigantic bur-
dens of ore and lumber; and some
times, angry, she has hurled,
Trojan-like. great chunks Of ice
with terrific power against the
bridge. so that they climbed the
lower framework to the top.
Mr.. Robbins has kept diary OF
the Mississippi, a record both Of
her routine life and the highlights
in her career. He knows for each
year when the first ice went out ;
when the floods came; when the
first steamboat passed through In
the spring and the last ferry cross
ed in the river; and all the little In
cidents Of every day. One dip into
the diary il ample to awaken for
him funds-of memories and start q
score of "reminiscences.
THE June Rise
In earlier years, according 10
Superintendent Robbins, the flood
period occurred late in the spring
The June rise" was looked for.
ward to annually. For the north.
ern SHOWS, held back and sheltered
from the sun by the thick pineries
Of the Mississippi watershed. did
not melt gradually as now. When
the first warm days came, with
warmth enough to penetrate the
pine woods, the SHOWS melted and
sent their flood into the river
swelling it to high water mark.
Since then, billions Of feet Of pine
logs have been borne down the river
by raft boats, and the SHOWS are
earlier released by the plundered
pine forests. This logging began
in the EOS. was at its height in the
late SOS and began to diminish ir
the early COS. Davenport had five
sawmills. Rock Island two, Musca
tine, Clinton and Dubuque two, tt
which the RATS bore their cargoes
The river is now at the highes
stage it has ever reached at 81
early date, according to Mr.. Rob
bins. Its present high mark is no
usual, for this is the third time i
has exceeded Is feet for a dozei
years. In 1916, there were tw'
periods of high water. the recor'
recounts, one coming in February
when the mark reached Is feet, tn
other in June, when due to heav.
rains, it rose to 1910.
But the highest stage ever reach
ed by the Mississippi since any rec
ord has been kept. occurred o.
June q. 1892, when the water ros
to 19.45 feet, and all of lower Roc
Island was flooded. Water stoo
deep in the streets, and the dam
age mounted into millions. Sue
an overflow now would not resul
in similar catastrophe, since tn
filling in Of the lowest places an
raising Of many of the street.
| Flood Of 1869.
Mr.. Robbins has heard his fathe
relate Of the flood of 1869, when a
ice gorge near Credit island cause
the water to rise and rush into tn
streets of Rock Island. They re