ENGELMANN — STAGE OF THE MISSISSIPPI KIVER. 79 



which the number is placed. It will be seen that in the win- 

 ter of 1841 to 1842 (one of the mildest winters we have had, 

 and followed by the earliest spring), the snow water scarcely 

 amounted to more than \ an inch (about 5 inches of snow) ; 

 in the winter of 1849 to 1850 it reached over b\ inches 

 (about 4-5 feet of snow), the average being nearly "1\ inches 

 of snow water, corresponding to 2 feet of snow. 



Stage of the Mississippi River at St. Louis in 1861. 

 By George Engelmanst, M.D. 



The diagram, Plate 4, exhibits, besides the three curves 

 indicating the quantities of rain, and explained in the last 

 paper, a fourth line recording the observations of the stage 

 of our river, made by the City Engineer, Truman J. Homer, 

 Esq., as published in the Missouri Republican. 



Mr. Homer has established a new low water mark, based 

 on his observations made in December, 1860, when he found 

 the level of the river to be 2 feet 8£ inches lower than the 

 former City Engineer, Mr. H. Kayser, had observed in 1840. 



The City Directrix (as the top of the curbstone at the inter- 

 section of Market street and the Levee is called), to which all 

 the street levels, etc., in the city are referred, is therefore, 

 according to Mr. Homer's measurement, 33 feet 2| inches, 

 and the high water mark of June 27, 1844, 40 feet 9% inches 

 above the low water mark of 1860. 



The zigzng line on the diagram shows the stage of the river 

 in the first six weeks of the year to have been nearly sta- 

 tionary — between 2 and 3 feet above low water ; it then 

 rises suddenly, reaches in March 15 and 17 feet, in April 21 

 feet, and in May 25 feet; falls in June to between 19 and 16 

 feet; rises again in the beginning of July to more than 23 

 feet, but falls later in the month to 14 and 13 feet; in August 

 it gradually recedes to 7 feet; remains neaily on the same 

 level through September; rises again in October for a short 

 time to over 13 feet; comes down to 8 feet; remains in No- 

 vember at between 6 and 8 feet, and falls in December to 4 

 feet, though it fluctuates temporarily up to 9 feet. 



In a practical point of view it is important to know, that, as 

 a general rule, our river is lowest in mid winter; rises to a 

 good boatable stage in early spring ; to high water in April, 

 May, and June; falls rapidly in July and August; and then 

 more gradually continues to recede to December. 



Heavy and extensive rains in the interior have at any sea- 

 son a temporary effect on the stage of the river, such as our 



