ae ne CE any ee See OMe ae SO ae 
. ba Baar Sy icagy 
« 
ENGELMANN—CURRENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 667 
The Mississippi River has therefore an average fall of about 
4 inches per mile; between St. Peters and the Rapids, a little 
more; from the lower end of the Rapids to New Orleans, a 
little less; in the region of the Rapids, about 7 inches; and 
from New Orleans to the mouth, about 1 inch per mile. A 
further analysis of the tables shows the fall on both rapids to 
be 21 inches to the mile. ' 
The rise and fall of the Mississippi River,* the velocity of 
its current, its volume of water, and the quantity of solid 
matter carried down, are most important elements in the 
natural history of our river, not yet solved, not even ap- 
proached yet. 
In the absence of all other information, the following few 
data, though based on rather loose observations made by me 
many years since, may be of some interest; the river oppo- 
site the city was, at that time, not yet confined between its 
present narrow banks. 
Date of Observation, Height of River Current One mile 
above low water. per hour. in 
1845. Feb. 20, 5 feet, 3.00 miles, 20 minutes. 
. eS Je Cae $50... * 17 . 
1844, Mar. 5, 15 « 4.00 « LE NEE 
S| Ape 962.720 500 (Bee 12S 
1839, May 27, 21 « 00 8 AM oe 
1837. July 10, 27 « bbb.) *: AU 7 
* The great city of St. Louis with its magnificent river and with the 
greatest river trade perhaps of any city on the globe, exten Sars 
sands of miles north and south and east and west, has not yet 
its surface. All we know about the stage of the river is from vague news" 
Paper reports and from our river pilots, who keep an eye on the cepts of 
the channel. 
