El VERS Sc LAKES.—BOOK I. 
43 
die trees growing* on them are precipitated into the stream, cre¬ 
ating frightful impediments to the navigation,and not unfrequent- 
ly overwhelming boats moored near the shore. In time, the trees 
thus fallen in, become sawyers and planters; the first so named 
from the motion made by the top when acted upon by the cur¬ 
rent, the others are the trunks of trees of sufficient size to resist 
it. There are also frequently seen at the heads of islands, im¬ 
mense collections of drift wood, piled up to a great height, 
thrown confusedly together and closely matted : here are found, 
boats, canoes, planks, and a great variety of timber, brought down 
by the rivers of a hundred climates and soils, and heaped togeth¬ 
er in chaos. These are amongst the most dangerous places in 
the course of the navigation.* The current rushes towards them 
with amazing velocity, and it is with great difficulty and the ex¬ 
ertion of skill, that they are avoided. It is therefore dangerous 
to float after night. 
The Mississippi is remarkable for the muddiness of its wa¬ 
ters, a quality altogether derived from the Missouri, but is less 
turbid than that river; the waters above the junction, being clear, 
the accession of the Illinois, Ohio, and other clear streams tend¬ 
ing also to render it more limpid than the Missouri. It is not 
from the falling in of the banks, as is supposed, that this mud* 
diness proceeds; this is scarcely sufficient to supply what is de¬ 
posited by the river on sand bars, islands, 8tc. between the up¬ 
per Missouri, (from whence the earth forming it is carried) and 
the mouth of the river. 
There is a surprising difference in the navigation of this tru¬ 
ly noble river, in the ordinary stages of water and during the con¬ 
tinuance of the floods. There have been instances of persons de¬ 
scending from St Louis to New Orleans, in ten days; the dis¬ 
tance, however, is much shortened by being able to cutoff points, 
and to go through channels impracticable in low water. The usu¬ 
al time in low water is from four to six weeks. In ascending, 
fifty days to the mouth of the Ohio is considered a good voyage, 
but two months is the most usual time; oars and poles are al- 
* For a more minute account of the difficulties of the navigation, and 
for many interesting details, I refer the reader to the Ohio and Missis¬ 
sippi Navigator. 
