WATERS OF NEBRASKA. 69 



but they all meander more or less through their wide bottoms. 

 Every few miles, however, places can be found on most of the 

 creeks and rivers where the fall is from seven to ten feet to the 

 mile, and even more, for the reason that the descent is very 

 irregular, being much greater at some points than at others. 

 Where there is no fall for a mile, it is made up by a more rapid 

 descent further on. Counting in then all the creeks and rivers of 

 the State the motive power that is now wasted and waits to be used 

 is beyond calculation. 



The dams built across the Nebraska rivers are best modeled after 

 those of the beavers. These brute engineers constructed their dams 

 by laving sticks and twigs up and down the streams across their 

 currents, and filling in the interstices w r ith mud. It has been found 

 by experience that mill dams constructed in this way, with brush, 

 wherever there is no rock bottom, most successfully resist the 

 action of floods. In fact, very few dams well built on this plan 

 have ever been disturbed by the severest freshets. 



»-@^o 



