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Sioux River, 110 yards wide, enters it 853 miles
from its mouth, on the N. E. side; Platt Riv-
er, 600 yards wide, enters it on the S. W.
side, 600 miles from its mouth; Kansas River,
233 yards wide, enters it on the S. W. side, 340
miles from its mouth; Grand River, 190 yards
wride, enters it on the N. E. side, 240 miles from
its mouth ; La Mine River, 70 yards wide, enters
it 200 miles from its mouth; Osage River, 397
yards wide, enters it on the S. W. side, 133 miles
from its mouth; and Gasconade River enters it on
the S. W. side, 100 miles from its mouth. The
largest of these tributaries are navigable from
100 to 800 miles. Through the whole course of
the Missouri there is no serious obstruction to
the navigation, except, perhaps, from the shallow-
ness of the water, during the season of the
greatest drought, before arriving at Great Falls,
about 260 miles from the Mississippi. The Mis-
souri is over half a mile wide at its mouth, and
through the greater part of its course it is wider
than this. It is a rapid and turbid stream, and
generally carries along a powerful volume of
water; but owing to its passing through a dry
and open country, and being subject to extensive
evaporation, it becomes low at certain seasons,
hardly affording sufficient water for steamboat
navigation. From much greater relative eleva-
tion, from higher latitudes, and from the pecu-
liar courses of some of its tributaries, the flood
in the Missouri is the latest in order, and does not
reach the Mississippi proper until after the flood
in that river, the Ohio, Arkansas, and Red Rivers
have in great part subsided. At the Great Falls,
distant about 2600 miles from the Mississippi,
the river descends, by a succession of rapids and
falls, 375 feet, in about 16A miles. The lower
and greatest of these falls has a perpendicular
pitch of 87 feet, the second of 19 feet, the
third of 47 feet, and the fourth of 26 feet.
These falls, next to those of Niagara, are the
grandest on the continent. At the distance of
110 miles above these falls is a remarkable pas-
sage of the river through the mountains, denomi-
nated the Gates of the Rocky Mts. The scenery
at this place is exceedingly grand. For a dis-
tance of about 6 miles, the rocks rise perpendicu-
larly from the margin of the river to an eleva-
tion of 1200 feet. The river is compressed to
the width of 150 yards, and for the flrst 3 miles,
there is only one spot, and that only of a few
yards, on which a man could stand between the
water and these perpendicular walls of the
mountain. Nothing can be imagined more
gloomy and impressive than the passage through
this deep chasm.
Mobile Bay, Aa. This bay is connected with
the Gulf of Mexico by two straits, one on each
side of Dauphin Island. The strait on the W.
side will not admit vessels drawing more than 5
feet of water: that on the E. side, between the
island and Mobile Point, has 18 feet of water,
and the channel passes within a few yards of the
point. There is a bar across the upper end of
the bay, which has only 11 feet of water. The
length of the bay is 30 miles, its average width 12
miles.
Mobile River, Aa. The Alabama and Tom-
bigbee unite, 40 miles above Mobile, to form this
river. A few miles below the junction it divides
into several channels. The main W. channel is
called the Mobile ; the main E., which is widest
and deepest, the Tensaw. It is navigable to St.
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Stephen's for vessels drawing 5 or 6 feet of water,
by the Tombigbee branch, and to Claiborne by
the Alabama branch. The two branches unite in
31° 6' N. lat, and 11° 5' W. Ion. from Washington.
The river sometimes rises 50 or 60 feet in time of
flood.
Mob Jack Bay, Ya. An arm of Chesapeake
Bay, lying between Matthews and Gloucester
counties.
Moffet's River, Augusta co., Va. A small
stream flowing into Middle River, a branch of
the Shenandoah. ,
Mohawk River. N. II., rises among the moun-
tains of Dixville, and in its course through Cole-
brook, receives some considerable branches from
Stewartstown, and falls into the Connecticut.
Mohawk River, N. Y., the principal branch
of the Hudson River, rises in Oneida co., near
the source of Black River, and runs S. about 20
miles, to Rome, and thence nearly E. to the
Hudson River, which it enters at Waterford, be-
tween Albany and Saratoga. Its whole length is
about 135 miles. The river has many rapids, and
two large falls in its course. At Little Falls, it de-
scends over a stony bed, and through a remarka-
ble gorge in the mountain, 42 feet in the course
of a mile. At Cohoes Falls, about 2 miles from
its mouth, it pours its waters down a perpendicu-
lar descent of about 70 feet. Three fourths of a
mile below this point is a bridge over the river,
from which a fine view of the cataract is obtained.
The Erie Canal now passes along, chiefly on the
S. bank of the Mohawk, nearly through its whole
course; consequently the channel of the river
is but little used for navigation. The banks of
the river are very level, and in some parts very
fertile, particularly in Herkimer co., though in
other parts they are poor and rocky.
Moltchunkamunk Lake, Me., lies about 80 miles
N. by W. from Portland, and is one of the chain
of large lakes extending N. W. from Umbagog
Lake, through Oxford and a part of Franklin
co., and emptying into the Androscoggin River.
The borders of these lakes are thinly settled,
but the soil is extremely fertile, and the scenery
equal in beauty to that of the celebrated Winni-
pisiogee.
Molly's Pond, Yt. See Cabot.
Molumkus River, Me. This large stream rises
mostly in Aroostook co., flows in a S. direction,
and falls into the Matawamkeag about 8 miles
from its mouth.
Momsco Bay, Chippewa co., Mn. A branch of
the Straits of St. Mary, opposite St. Joseph Island.
Momsco River, Michilimackinac and Chippewa
counties, Mn., flows N. E., and empties into
Momsco Bay.
Mongaup Creek, or River, N. Y., rises in the N.
part of Sullivan co., and flows S. into Delaware
River.
Monistique Lake, Mn. Situated on the S. bor-
der of Schoolcraft co.-
Monistique River, Mn. This river and its nu-
merous branches drain the E. part of School-
craft co., and empty their waters into Lake
Michigan.
Monk's Hill, Kingston, Ms. Height 313 feet.
Monocacy River, Pa. and Md. This river rises
in Adams co., Pa., flows S. S. W., and empties
into the Potomac at the S. angle of Frederick
co., Md.
Monody Creek, Pa., falls into the Swatara 12
miles W. from Lebanon. |
