4QS THE IMPROVEMENT OF RIVER CHANNELS. 



depth. Human ingenuity has however been successful 

 in many cases in greatly ameliorating the navigation 

 of river estuaries, by means of engineering works, 

 some of them being of great magnitude and carried 

 out at enormous cost. But upon a vast river like the 

 Ganges, and its branch channel the Hooghly, the puny 

 efforts of man are brought to naught; the tremendous 

 floods which frequently assume the character of a 

 rapid, sweep away everything in their course. The 

 largest ship, touching the ground, is at such times 

 instantly capsized, and in a few moments disappears 

 from view for ever. The three methods that are 

 usually resorted to for the improvement of rivers are: 

 (i) jetties; (2) training walls; and (3) dredging. In a 

 river like the Hooghly these expedients are of little or 

 no avail, large banks of shifting sand often forming 

 in its channel in a few hours, where there was previ- 

 ously deep water. With a channel thus changing 

 from day to day, and almost from hour to hour, great 

 difficulties naturally arise; and it is only by being 

 constantly on the river and closely watching the set 

 of the current and the changes which are in operation, 

 that a pilot can hope to bring vessels up in safety. 

 Even then, on rivers like the Hooghly, terrible ac- 

 cidents are sure to occur from time to time. In order 

 to give an idea of what the water can do, during flood 

 time, it may be of interest to mention a few of the principal 

 fatalities which have recently taken place on this river. 

 The seasons when it is most dangerous are April and 

 May, and again in August and September, as it is 

 at these times that the floods are strongest. Thus on 

 April 22, 1868, the "Ethel" dragged its anchor near 

 the James and Mary shoal, and falling foul of the 



