This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1897 Excerpt: ...the new ones as they arrive, several speciallyequipped vessels being kept for that purpose. All the rivers carry sediment at high stages, and few are clear at any time. The western tributaries of the Mississippi are the most persistent siltbearers, the Missouri especially carrying large quantities, even at its lowest stages. Nevertheless, the possibility of effecting extensive channel corrections by induced silting is the exception rather than the rule. Extent Of Inland Navigation. The length of the navigable rivers of the United States on which some measure of improvement has been undertaken exceeds 20,400 miles. The geographical distribution is: Atlantic slope, 5,300 miles; Gulf slope, 4,200 miles; Mississippi basin, 15,100 miles; Lake basin, 300 miles; and Pacific slope, 1,500 miles. The Great Lakes have, in the United States, a developed shore-line of 4,700 miles, along which are seventy-six harbours, improved or artificially created; while the bays and sounds of the Atlantic coast have 3,600 miles, and those of the Pacific, not including Alaska, 1,900 miles, making a total of 10,200 miles of shore along which goods might be embarked for water transportation. Of the 26,400 miles of navigable rivers, 19,500 miles have been improved for open navigation, distributed as follows: of 3 feet depth or less, 7,941 miles; of 4 feet depth, 3,373 miles; of 5 feet depth, 3,200 miles; of 6 and 7 feet depth, 2,799 miles; of 8 to 10 feet depth, 1,559 miles; of 11 to 20 feet, 280 miles; and of more than 20 feet depth, 246 miles. Besides this open navigation, projects have been approved, and work completed or begun for 2,400 miles of slack-water navigation, with locks and fixed or movable dams. These projects will require 193 locks, with a total lift of 1,850 feet. Ninet...