﻿Ill] 
  Shreveport 
  Area 
  ; 
  The 
  Raft 
  i6i 
  

  

  after 
  each 
  flood 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  considerable. 
  Trees 
  thus 
  

   thrown 
  into 
  the 
  river 
  catch 
  on 
  the 
  bars 
  ; 
  are 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  sun 
  

   and 
  thoroughly 
  dried, 
  the 
  branches 
  are 
  broken 
  off 
  ; 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  

   time, 
  in 
  a 
  high 
  flood, 
  they 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  into 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  

   and 
  finally 
  into 
  the 
  sea. 
  If 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  timber 
  

   brought 
  down 
  should 
  be 
  unusually 
  large 
  it 
  may 
  become 
  jammed 
  

   in 
  a 
  short 
  narrow 
  bend, 
  or 
  accumulate 
  about 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  snags 
  or 
  

   " 
  planters 
  " 
  and 
  start 
  a 
  "raft." 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Paxton 
  describes 
  at 
  certain 
  stages 
  of 
  high 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  

   Mississippi 
  an 
  eddy 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Red 
  river 
  which 
  ascends 
  

   or 
  descends 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  stages 
  of 
  the 
  

   two 
  rivers. 
  Timber 
  floating 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  would 
  tend 
  to 
  col- 
  

   lect 
  in 
  this 
  eddy, 
  and, 
  as 
  Paxton 
  suggests, 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  for 
  the 
  

   conditions 
  to 
  be 
  such 
  that 
  this 
  mass 
  of 
  timber 
  should 
  become 
  

   jammed 
  in 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  Whether 
  this 
  be 
  the 
  true 
  explanation 
  or 
  not, 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  

   the 
  narrowness, 
  crookedness 
  and, 
  before 
  any 
  improvements 
  were 
  

   made, 
  the 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  " 
  planters" 
  in 
  Red 
  river 
  would 
  in 
  

   themselves 
  be 
  quite 
  sufficient 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  log-jam. 
  A 
  jam 
  once 
  

   solidly 
  formed 
  collects 
  all 
  other 
  material 
  floating 
  down 
  the 
  river. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  logs 
  become 
  soaked 
  with 
  water 
  and 
  gradually 
  sink 
  to 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  or 
  are 
  forced 
  there 
  by 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  other 
  logs 
  and 
  the 
  

   small 
  spaces 
  between 
  the 
  logs 
  are 
  soon 
  filled 
  with 
  leaves 
  and 
  silt. 
  

  

  Formation 
  of 
  Outlet 
  Bayous. 
  — 
  The 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  above 
  is 
  

   raised 
  by 
  this 
  obstruction 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  continues 
  to 
  rise 
  until 
  it 
  

   flows 
  over 
  its 
  banks. 
  More 
  water 
  will 
  flow 
  over 
  the 
  lower 
  places 
  

   and 
  there, 
  aided 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  velocity 
  given 
  it 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  

   slope 
  between 
  the 
  front 
  and 
  back 
  lands, 
  will 
  soon 
  erode 
  a 
  very 
  

   considerable 
  channel. 
  This 
  channel 
  will 
  then 
  become 
  for 
  the 
  

   time 
  the 
  main 
  river 
  channel. 
  

  

  This 
  water 
  goes 
  to 
  the 
  extreme 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  and 
  follows 
  

   the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  till 
  it 
  enters 
  the 
  river 
  again 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  

   of 
  the 
  bottom-basin 
  it 
  happens 
  to 
  have 
  entered. 
  

  

  Growth 
  and 
  Decay 
  of 
  the 
  Raft 
  

  

  Manner 
  of 
  growth. 
  — 
  Between 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  raft 
  and 
  the 
  out- 
  

   let 
  bayou 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  space 
  of 
  water 
  with 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  current, 
  and 
  

   timber 
  floating 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  will 
  stop 
  at 
  the 
  upper 
  end 
  of 
  this 
  

  

  K 
  

  

  