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INDIANA UNIVERSITY STUDIES 



three acres. The bar opposite this cut is at least ten acres in ex- 

 tent, all of which is entirely bare of vegetation, showing that it 

 has been made within the past two years. Immediately below 

 this great bar the current of the channel has made another cut 

 of about three acres. This is the last meander in this remarkable 

 series. Thus during the last flood sixteen acres were lost within 

 an air line distance of two miles. This means a loss of something 

 like two thousand dollars for the land alone, to say nothing of the 

 accumulating crop loss for the minimum ten years. 



The region is very susceptible to bank-cutting on account 

 of being composed of loose gravel with about three feet of sandy 

 soil on top. This condition, however, is favorable for the cor- 

 rection of the river channel here. It could be easily dredged out 

 in any attempt to straighten the channel. The great loss con- 

 stantly occurring in this region could be done away with, with less 

 cost than that occasioned by the 1913 flood alone. Less than two 

 miles of dredging would take the channel in a straight line from where 

 it comes against the bluff in Section 22 to the straight stretch of 

 the channel which leads toward the bridge in Section 20. It 

 would take less than two miles on account of part of the old channel 

 itself being within the straight line, and, therefore, able to serve. 

 Undoubtedly this stretch of valuable valley land cannot be aban- 

 doned to the ravages of such profligate meanders as now occur, 

 for very long in the future. Practically five hundred acres are 

 unfit for use. With the river corrected, and taken care of when 

 once corrected, these five hundred acres of practically worthless 

 land would be worth one hundred and twenty-five dollars an acre 

 in a very short time, to say nothing of the value to society in general 

 of the amount such land might produce. A cost of two thousand 

 dollars and a small annual outlay for taking care of incipient 

 meanders would bring this practically worthless area to a selling 

 value of gt)62,500 in a very short time. 



For four or five miles below Paragon the river is relatively 

 straight, having only a few incipient meanders that should be stopped 

 by all means. The damage done here was slight. Not over twelve 

 acres were denuded, while much of the region was silted, enhancing 

 its value considerably. 



The region below Limestone Creek to the vicinity of Romona 

 must be mentioned in this report. It is a region of meanders 

 which are past the incipient stage. They are likely to become still 

 larger, but the damage they are doing now approaches the maxi- 

 mum. The first two little cuts (see Chart No. 3), one on each 



