As the table may be interesting, showing the height and temperature of the water as well as the result of the experiments at the different times, we introduce it complete:
TABLE _showing the Quantity of Sediment contained in the Water of the Mississippi River_.
Date of Height Temperature. Grains of Sediment Experiment. of River in a Pint of above Water. Low Water.
1846. ft. in. ° A. B. May 21 10 11 72 6.66 7.00 " 25 10 11 73 9.08 9.12 " 27 10 10 78 7.80 9.00 " 29 11 0 74 7.30 8.10 June 2 11 1 75 4.80 5.45 " 4 11 1 75 7.87 6.10 " 6 11 4 75 4.60 4.90 " 8 11 4 75.5 5.48 5.60 " 10 10 4 76 6.70 6.80 " 12 10 8 76 6.50 6.30 " 14 10 5 76.5 6.00 6.00 " 16 10 4 76.5 6.47 6.15 " 20 10 4 77 7.08 7.40 " 22 10 2 77 9.88 9.00 " 24 9 8 77 8.40 8.48 " 26 8 9 77.5 8.25 8.78 " 28 8 0 79 9.10 9.58 July 1 7 2 79.5 9.15 9.25 July 3 7 2 79.5 9.63 10.00 " 6 6 2 81 8.20 7.57 " 8 6 0 81 7.30 6.96 " 10 6 1 81 6.12 6.28 " 13 5 9 82 7.72 7.30 " 15 5 10 82 6.67 6.60 " 17 5 10 82 4.45 4.57 " 20 5 4 82 6.07 5.75 " 24 3 10 84 5.76 5.72 " 27 3 1 84 4.77 4.60 " 29 3 11 84.5 4.28 4.13 Aug. 1 2 6 85 4.40 4.44 " 3 2 0 84 3.18 3.34 " 5 1 9 83 3.56 3.40 " 7 1 5 83 2.85 2.85 " 10 1 6 83 3.03 2.92 " 13 2 8 84 2.97 3.00
The mean average of column A. is 6.32. " " " " " B. is 6.30.
Transcriber's note: This table has been reproduced exactly as in the original.
'By comparison with distilled water,' says the same, 'the specific gravity of the filtered river water we found to be 1.823; pint of such water at 60° weighs 7,297.40.' Engineer Forehay says the sediment is 1 to 1,800 by weight, or 1 in 3,000 by volume.
Professor Riddell also comes to the following conclusions, after an analytic investigation of the sediment. He took one hundred grains from the river margin, dried it at 212° Fahrenheit, before weighing, and found it to contain:
Silica, 74.15 Alumina, 9.14 Oxide of iron, 4.56 Lime, 2.08 Magnesia, 1.52 Manganese, 0.04 Potassa,} not determined Soda, } Phosphoric acid, 0.44 Sulphuric acid, 0.07 Carbonic acid, 0.74 Chlorine, 0.01 Water, 3.12 Organic matter, 3.10 ----- Total, 98.97
The existence of so large a quantity of sediment in the water of the Mississippi, leads to divers formations in its bed. These formations are principally 'bars' and 'battures.' The banks are also much affected.