542 MISSISSIPPI FLOODS. 



therefore often happens in flood time that steamers on 

 the river sail many feet above the natural level of the 

 surrounding country. Indeed in accordance with a 

 common characteristic of sediment bearing rivers, the 

 banks are generally highest at the edge of the stream 

 itself, which thus apparently follows a low ridge running 

 through the bottom lands. * The " levees " therefore, 

 are merely artificial additions made to this natural 

 ridge. But occasional bursts in these constructions 

 sometimes still lay many square miles under water 

 and destroy much crop and property. Thus in 1874 a 

 great flood occurred, which caused terrible suffering 

 and losses to inhabitants of the Mississippi Valley. In 

 consequence of the flat nature of the country, these 

 floods spread with great rapidity, and in the States of 

 Mississippi and Louisiana soon cover large areas. 



Owing to the friable nature of its banks and the 

 constant falls of earth from them, the Lower Mississippi 

 is a particularly muddy stream ; for. long periods trje 

 .sediment held in suspension is to the water nearly 

 as i in 1500 by weight, or as i in 2900 by bulk, f 

 Yet it makes excellent drinking water. A glass of 

 water taken from this river is usually so thick 

 that it is almost opaque, but when allowed to stand, 

 the earthy particles quickly fall to the bottom, leaving 

 the water perfectly clear, bright, and tasteless. In 

 former days at New Orleans no other water was used 

 for drinking purposes, and perhaps it may be so still, 

 the mighty flood of the great river being so vast and 

 the stream so powerful, that impurities are quickly 



* See Encycl. Brit., gth Edition, VoL xvi., pp. 518 519 (Art. 

 "Mississippi River"). 

 f Ibid., p. 520. 



