Twain uses this ready of facts for a sarcastic jab a scientific discipline in addition to extrapolation. I quote hither from the Project Gutenberg version of Life on the Mississippi, from close the starting fourth dimension of Chapter 17.
"They give me an chance of introducing 1 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; then deep, indeed, that inwards some places if yous were to larn ashore at 1 extremity of the horseshoe in addition to walk across the neck, one-half or 3 quarters of a mile, yous could sit down downwards in addition to balance a dyad of hours spell your steamer was coming roughly the long elbow, at a speed of 10 miles an hour, to accept yous aboard again. ...
"Pray discover some of the effects of this ditching business. Once in that location was a cervix reverse Port Hudson, Louisiana, which was entirely one-half a mile across, inwards its narrowest place. You could walk across in that location inwards xv minutes; but if yous made the journeying roughly the cape on a raft, yous traveled thirty-five miles to hit the same thing. In 1722 the river darted through that neck, deserted its sometime bed, in addition to so shortened itself thirty-five miles. In the same agency 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 yous locomote past times river from the southernmost of these 3 cut-offs to the northernmost, yous decease entirely 70 miles. To create the same affair a hundred in addition to seventy-six years ago, 1 had to decease a hundred in addition to fifty-eight miles!—shortening of eighty-eight miles inwards that trifling distance. At some forgotten fourth dimension inwards the past, cut-offs were made to a higher house Vidalia, Louisiana; at isle 92; at isle 84; in addition to at Hale's Point. These shortened the river, inwards the aggregate, seventy-seven miles.
"Since my ain twenty-four 60 minutes menstruum on the Mississippi, cut-offs receive got been made at Hurricane Island; at isle 100; at Napoleon, Arkansas; at Walnut Bend; in addition to 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 in addition to New Orleans was twelve hundred in addition to xv miles long 1 hundred in addition to seventy-six years ago. It was 11 hundred in addition to 80 subsequently the cut-off of 1722. It was 1 G in addition to xl subsequently the American Bend cut-off. It has lost sixty-seven miles since. Consequently its length is entirely nine hundred in addition to seventy-three miles at present.
"Now, if I wanted to hold upwards 1 of those ponderous scientific people, in addition to 'let on' to essay out 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 futurity past times what has occurred inwards piece of cake years, what an chance is here! Geology never had such a chance, nor such exact information to debate from! Nor 'development of species,' either! Glacial epochs are neat things, but they are vague—vague. Please observe:—
"In the infinite of 1 hundred in addition to seventy-six years the Lower Mississippi has shortened itself 2 hundred in addition to forty-two miles. That is an average of a trifle over 1 mile in addition to a 3rd per year. Therefore, whatever calm person, who is non blind or idiotic, tin meet that inwards the Old Oolitic Silurian Period,' only a 1 G m years agone side past times side November, the Lower Mississippi River was upwards of 1 one G m 3 hundred G miles long, in addition to stuck out over the Gulf of United Mexican United States of America similar a fishing-rod. And past times the same token whatever somebody tin meet that vii hundred in addition to forty-two years from immediately the Lower Mississippi volition hold upwards entirely a mile in addition to three-quarters long, in addition to Cairo in addition to New Orleans volition receive got joined their streets together, in addition to hold upwards plodding comfortably along nether a unmarried mayor in addition to a usual board of aldermen. There is something fascinating close science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact."
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