The Mississippi River

THE Mississippi river, extending over a length of 2550 miles, has been placed by the United States Government under the charge of a Commission, whose duties include the making of a detailed survey of the channel from the headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico; a topographical survey showing the natural and artificial features lying within a mile of the river; a system of triangulation with base lines along the stream; longitudinal and cross sections of the channels; observations and records as to floods; and, for the assistance of future surveys, the placing, at intervals of three miles, of permanent marks, consisting of four stone or vitrified tile monuments placed in a line normal to the stream, two on each bank, about half a mile apart. The Commission has also the charge of the works carried out for regulating and deepening the channel.