Twain uses this gear upwardly of facts for a sarcastic jab a scientific discipline as well as extrapolation. I quote hither from the Project Gutenberg version of Life on the Mississippi, from close the initiatory off of Chapter 17.
"They give me an chance of introducing i of the Mississippi's oddest peculiarities,—that of shortening its length from fourth dimension to time. ... The H2O cuts the alluvial banks of the 'lower' river into deep horseshoe curves; as well as so deep, indeed, that inwards some places if y'all were to larn ashore at i extremity of the horseshoe as well as walk across the neck, one-half or 3 quarters of a mile, y'all could sit down downward as well as balance a twain of hours piece your steamer was coming to a greater extent than or less the long elbow, at a speed of 10 miles an hour, to accept y'all aboard again. ...
"Pray detect some of the effects of this ditching business. Once at that topographic point was a cervix contrary Port Hudson, Louisiana, which was alone one-half a mile across, inwards its narrowest place. You could walk across at that topographic point inwards 15 minutes; but if y'all made the journeying to a greater extent than or less the cape on a raft, y'all traveled thirty-five miles to grade the same thing. In 1722 the river darted through that neck, deserted its former bed, as well as so shortened itself thirty-five miles. In the same means it shortened itself twenty-five miles at Black Hawk Point inwards 1699. Below Red River Landing, Raccourci cut-off was made (forty or l years ago, I think). This shortened the river twenty-eight miles. In our day, if y'all go past times river from the southernmost of these 3 cut-offs to the northernmost, y'all expire alone 70 miles. To produce the same matter a hundred as well as seventy-six years ago, i had to expire a hundred as well as fifty-eight miles!—shortening of eighty-eight miles inwards that trifling distance. At some forgotten fourth dimension inwards the past, cut-offs were made higher upwardly Vidalia, Louisiana; at isle 92; at isle 84; as well as at Hale's Point. These shortened the river, inwards the aggregate, seventy-seven miles.
"Since my ain twenty-four hr catamenia on the Mississippi, cut-offs receive got been made at Hurricane Island; at isle 100; at Napoleon, Arkansas; at Walnut Bend; as well as at Council Bend. These shortened the river, inwards the aggregate, sixty-seven miles. In my ain fourth dimension a cut-off was made at American Bend, which shortened the river 10 miles or more.
"Therefore, the Mississippi betwixt Cairo as well as New Orleans was twelve hundred as well as 15 miles long i hundred as well as seventy-six years ago. It was 11 hundred as well as lxxx afterward the cut-off of 1722. It was i thou as well as xl afterward the American Bend cut-off. It has lost sixty-seven miles since. Consequently its length is alone nine hundred as well as seventy-three miles at present.
"Now, if I wanted to endure i of those ponderous scientific people, as well as 'let on' to attempt what had occurred inwards the remote past times past what had occurred inwards a given fourth dimension inwards the recent past, or what volition occur inwards the far hereafter past times what has occurred inwards belatedly years, what an chance is here! Geology never had such a chance, nor such exact information to fence from! Nor 'development of species,' either! Glacial epochs are dandy things, but they are vague—vague. Please observe:—
"In the infinite of i hundred as well as seventy-six years the Lower Mississippi has shortened itself 2 hundred as well as forty-two miles. That is an average of a trifle over i mile as well as a 3rd per year. Therefore, whatever calm person, who is non blind or idiotic, tin run across that inwards the Old Oolitic Silurian Period,' only a i thou m years agone side past times side November, the Lower Mississippi River was upwards of i one thou m 3 hundred thou miles long, as well as stuck out over the Gulf of United Mexican US similar a fishing-rod. And past times the same token whatever individual tin run across that 7 hundred as well as forty-two years from right away the Lower Mississippi volition endure alone a mile as well as three-quarters long, as well as Cairo as well as New Orleans volition receive got joined their streets together, as well as endure plodding comfortably along nether a unmarried mayor as well as a usual board of aldermen. There is something fascinating most science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact."
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