Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-11-22
TANNING MISSOURI
is TASK FOR u. S.
ARMY ENGINEERS

Kansas City, Mo. Nov. 22.--(By the
Associated Press.)-Taming the Mis-.
souri, river, outlaw among American
rivers. Is the task of the United States
army river engineers. whose head
quarters are here. Their sector is the
Missouri river, from Fort Benton
Montana. to a point opposite Alton
illinois,, where the Missouri. with d
roar and a rush joins the Mississippi
and thereafter sweeps with some de.
grees of calmness to the Gulf oil
Mexico -4
= The task of the river engineers il
to persuade and coerce the Missouri
river into staying OUT and to coaa
it out of its longtime custom OF
changing its channel whenever the
whim moves it.
A Real Outlaw.
This may sound like an exasgera.
ton but to ANYONE who has spent a
day on the river with the army .cngi,
neers, and has seen the Missouri eat,
ing away at a corn field with wicked
energy. swallowing up earth, corn
weeds. fences and trees. 1t seems
sometimes as if the river actually haG
d personality. and an outlaw one al
that. And while carrying away farm
land from one bank, somewhere else
it is equally busy. piling up sand
LIAM lii Va OOu, Itd.hAusr ldlu Ou1
of what~Was river a few days before
Then, too, the river has a habit of oc,
casionally clogging it's own channel
building sand bars SO long and SO higt
that it must needs become broad ano
shallow in order to continue it's rest.
less course.
1t is a constant struggle, but 1t II
not a hopeless one. and the engineers
| point with Il measure of justified pride
- rl~-, ~- -~o-
where they have built bikes. which
resulted in the making of land: to the
concave bends where revetments have
stopped the river from cutting it,
bank. Given a dixie on one side and
revetrnent On the other. and constant
diligence, so that small breaks nay be
repaired before they become serious
the river engineers say they can keer
the stream fairly we'll anchored.
Fifty yea ago.. before he com
ing of the railroads. h Missouri wa.
the great western artery Of commerce
and steamboats, plowed it's waters a.
far as Fort Benton. Montana. Know
ing how difficult it always is for thu
railroads to handle great whea har'
| vests. one wonders why it is not pos
sible for the river to handle some O
this traffic.
The engineer, quietly tells you tina
IL Is POSSIBLE. tnen ne SOeS on anu GA
plains the two general reasons why i
is not being done. One is that ther'
is now very little money for improy
ing and keeping up the river.
Many Mistakes.
The other reason is that many mis-
takes ave been made in the type o
towboats used. Boats designed TO
any other river in the world but tn
Missouri. have been used. and becaus
of the shifting depths of the rive
have failed. With all its disadvan
tages, there is a good deal to be said
/ according to the engineers. for tn
old paddle wheel steamer. side wheel
er, or stern wheeler. that draws littl
or no water. which condition is idea
for service on the Missouri.
The river is navigable, say the en-
gineers. and with sufficient time an
patience. it can be made manageable
"a great game if you don't weak
e,t.' one says to Major Wilkes. i
charge of the river work. and hi
aides.
"You can't weaken" they assur
you, you Just keep after it. for tn
river itself never weakens,"