 Atlantis. From out of the ocean, back into the ocean. From Timius, by Plato. Coffee Break Collection 25. Water. This is a LibriVox recording, all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Atlantis. From out of the ocean, back into the ocean. Critias is speaking to Socrates. Many great and wonderful deeds are recorded of your state in our histories, but one of them exceeds all the rest in greatness and valor. For these histories tell of a mighty power which unprovoked made an expedition against the whole of Europe and Asia, and to which your city put an end. This power came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean, for in those days the Atlantic was navigable, and there was an island situated in front of the straits, which are by you called the Pillars of Hercules. The island was larger than Libya and Asia put together, and was the way to other islands, and from these you might pass to the whole of the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean. For this sea which is within the straits of Hercules is only a harbor, having a narrow entrance, but that other is a real sea, and the surrounding land may be most truly called the boundless continent. Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire, which had ruled over the whole island and several others, and over parts of the continent, and furthermore the men of Atlantis had subjected the parts of Libya within the columns of Hercules as far as Egypt and of Europe as far as Therhenia. This vast power gathered into one endeavored to subdue at a blow our country and yours, and the whole of the region within the straits, and then so in your country shone forth in the excellence of her virtue and strength among all mankind. She was preeminent in courage and military skill, and was the leader of the Hellenes, and when the rest fell off from her being compelled to stand alone after having undergone the very extremity of danger she defeated and triumphed over the invaders, and preserved from slavery all those who were not yet subjugated, and generously liberated all the rest of us who dwell within the pillars. But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods, and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth. And the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea, for which reason the sea in those parts is impassable and impenetrable because there is a shoal of mud in the way, and this was caused by the subsidence of the island. End of Atlantis From Out of the Ocean Back into the Ocean by Plato From Timius Physics Chapter 3 Mechanics or Liquids Section 3 Archimedes Principle by Willis Eugene Tower Charles Henry Smith Charles Mark Turton and Thomas Darlington Cope Coffee Break Collection Number 25 Water LibriVox Recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to learn how to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Archimedes Principle A body supported by a liquid. Among the applications of the force exerted by a liquid upon a surface, Archimedes Principle is one of the most important. Most persons have noted that a body placed in water is partly or wholly supported by the force of the water upon it. A stone held by a cord and lowered into water is felt to have part of its weight supported, while a piece of cork or wood is wholly supported and floats. The human body is almost entirely supported in water. In fact, many people can easily float in water. It was the consideration of this fact that led the Greek philosopher Archimedes to discover and state the principle that describes the supporting of a body in a liquid. Archimedes Principle A body immersed in a liquid is pushed up by a force equal to the weight of the liquid that it displaces. The proof for this lie is simply demonstrated. Suppose a cube A, B, C, D is immersed in water, figure 25. The upward force on C, D is equal to the weight of a column of water equal to C, D, E, F. See Art 39. The downward force upon the top of the cube is equal to the weight of the column of water, A, B, E, F. Then the net upward force upon the cube, that is the upward force upon the bottom, less the downward force upon the top, or the buoyant force exerted by the liquid is exactly equal to the weight of the displaced water, A, B, C, D. Law of Floating Bodies This same reasoning may be applied to any liquid and to any body immersed to any depth below the surface of the liquid. If the body weighs more than the displaced liquid, it will sink. If it weighs less than the displaced liquid, it will float or rise in the water. A block of wood rises out of the water in which it floats until its own weight just equals the weight of the water it displaces. From this we have the Law of Floating Bodies. A floating body displaces its own weight of the liquid in which it floats. To test the Law of Floating Bodies, take a rod of light wood 1 cm2 and 30 cm long, Figure 26. Bore out one end and fill the opening with lead and seal with paraffin so that the rod will float vertically when placed in water. Mark upon one side of the rod a centimeter scale and dip the rod in hot paraffin to make it waterproof. Now, find the weight of the stick in grams and note the depth to which it sinks in water in centimeters. Compute the weight of the displaced water. It will equal the weight of the rod. Applications of Archimedes Principle There are numerous applications of Archimedes Principle and the Law of Floating Bodies. To find the weight of a floating body Problem A boat 20 feet long and with an average width of 6 feet sinks to an average depth of 3 feet in the water. Find the weight of the boat. What weight of cargo will sink it to an average depth of 5 feet? Solution The volume of the water displaced is 20 times 6 times 3 cubic feet equaling 360 cubic feet. Since one cubic foot of water weighs 62.4 pounds, 360 times 62.4 pounds equals 22,464 pounds in the weight of the water displaced. By the law of floating bodies, this is equal to the weight of the boat. When loaded, the volume of water displaced is 20 feet times 6 times 5 feet, which equal 600 cubic feet. 600 times 62.4 pounds equals 37,440 pounds. This is the weight of the water displaced when loaded. 37,440 pounds minus 22,464 pounds equals 14,976 pounds. The weight of the cargo be to find the volume of an immersed solid. Problem A stone weighs 187.2 pounds in air and appears to weigh 124.8 pounds in water. What is its volume? Solution 187.2 pounds minus 124.8 pounds equals 62.4 pounds, the buoyant force of the water. By Archimedes principle, this equals the weight of the displaced water, which has a volume of one cubic foot, which is therefore the volume of the stone, C, to find the density of a body. The density of a body is defined as the mass of unit volume. We can easily find the mass of a body by weighing it, but the volume is often impossible to obtain by measurement, especially of a regular solids. Archimedes principle, however, provides a method of finding the volume of a body accurately by weighing it first in air and then in water. Figure 27 The apparent loss in weight being equal to the weight of the displaced water. One needs only to find the volume of water having the same weight as the loss of weight to find the volume of the body. If the metric system is used, one cubic centimeter of water weighs one gram and the volume is numerically the same as the loss of weight. End of Physics Chapter 3, Section 3 Archimedes principle Beachy in biplane skims Niagara River by Anonymous from The New York Times, June 28, 1911. Library Break Collection 25, Water This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Colleen McMahon Beachy in biplane skims Niagara River flies through mist of horseshoe falls and dives under Upper Steel Bridge down Gorge to Rapids. Flight watched by 150,000 spectators on river banks and bridge, lost a sight in spray. Buffalo, New York, June 27 Sweeping down from an immense height in a shower of rain, Lincoln Beachy and Aeronaut in a biplane, today passed over the horseshoe falls under the Steel Arch Bridge on down the gorge almost to the Whirlpool Rapids then rose, mounted again and, shaving the wooded cliff, landed safely and unconcerned on the Canadian side. This was the first time any man had pierced the mists of the Great Cataract and flirted with the deadly currents in the gorge. Beachy said it was the most thrilling flight of his career and the 150,000 persons who witnessed it seemed to be of the same opinion. Disregarding the advice of friends who declared that the conflicting air currents in the gorge would surely send him to death, Beachy started about six o'clock to test the currents which up to then had made flying impossible. Going to a height of 2,000 feet he pointed his plane downward and sped directly for the brink of the horseshoe falls. Then, hesitating on the verge, he swept up again, circled twice about the falls and plunged. The crowds held their breath as he dived into the gorge and after he had passed under the bridge and was skimming along less than 15 feet from the tumbling water, the odds that he wouldn't get out were lowered. But almost in the spray of the whirlpool rapids, Beachy pointed his controls upward and, missing the top of the gorge by a few feet, landed on the Canadian side. During the trip through the gorge, Beachy's machine rocked and tipped in terrifying fashion. He went directly beneath the middle of the bridge, the crowd watching with interest his marvelous control of the machine. The start was made from a baseball diamond on the American side of the river about a mile from the falls and to the north. He went nicely and then mounted upward, moving always in the direction of the cataract. His course was almost due south at the outset of the flight and when he crossed the American falls he was about 2000 feet in the air. In a great sweeping circle he swung toward the north and over the horseshoe falls. Down the river he flew, almost to the lower steel arch bridge, two miles below the falls, and then coursed to the west and then south again, always dropping as he circled. In the second circle he went well to the southwest before beginning his low flight toward the upper steel arch bridge, under which he was to pass. Swinging again to the north and traveling about 50 miles an hour he came on probably not more than 200 feet over the horseshoe and swishing through its spray. Once over the cataract he lowered his plane and rushing with the wind at a speed estimated at 60 miles an hour he dipped quickly under the arch. As he did so he caught some of the wash of the outlet of the power tunnel which shoots out from the rocky side of the precipice at that point. At no time from his final dip until the time he was clear of the structure was the biplane more than 30 feet above the spume. The space through which he flew was 168 feet in height and barely 100 feet from side to side. The distance from the brink of the falls to the bridge in which he made the dip is about 400 yards. Beachy will repeat the flight tomorrow. End of Beachy and Biplane Skims Niagara River Recording by Colleen McMahon Recording by Nima I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers from the seas and the streams. I bear light shade for the leaves when laid in their noonday dreams. For my wings are shaken the doos that waken the sweet buds every one. When rocked to rest on their mother's breast as she dances about the sun I wheeled the flail of the lashing hail and whitened the green plains under. And then again I dissolve it in rain and laugh as I pass in thunder. I sift the snow on the mountains below and their great pines groan aghast and all the night tis my pillow white while I sleep in the arms of the blast. Sublime on the towers of my sky-y bowers lightning my pilot sits and a cavern under is fettered the thunder that struggles and howls it fits. Over earth and ocean with gentle motion this pilot is guiding me lured by the love of the genie that move in the depths of the purple sea. Over the rills and the crags and the hills over the lakes and the plains wherever he dream under mountain or stream the spirit he loves remains and I all the while bask in heaven's blue smile whilst he is dissolving in rains. The sanguine sunrise with his meteor eyes and his burning plumes outspread leaps on the back of my sailing rack when the morning star shines dead as on the jag of a mountain crag which an earthquake rocks and swings the eagle a lit one moment may sit and the light of its golden wings and when sunset may breathe from the lit sea beneath its arters of rest and of love and the crimson pall of Eve may fall from the depths of heaven above. With wings folded I rest on mine airy nest is still as a brooding dove that orbed maiden with white fire laden calls call the moon glides glimmering or my fleece-like floor by the midnight breezes strewn and wherever the bee to her unseen feet which only the angels hear may have broken the roof of my tent's thin roof the stars peep behind her in pier and I laugh to see them whirl and flee like a swarm of golden bees when I widen the rent in my wind-built tent calm rivers, lakes and seas like strips of the sky fallen through me unhigh are each paved with the moon and these I bind the sun's throne with a burning zone and the moon's with a girdle of pearl the volcanoes are dim and the stars reel and swim when the whirlwinds my banner unfurl from cape to cape with a bridge-like shape over a torrent sea sun-bean proof I hang like a roof the mountains its columns be the triumphal arch through which I march with hurricane, fire and snow when the powers of the air are chained to my chair is the million-colored bow the sphere fire above its soft colors wove while the moist earth was laughing below I am the daughter of earth and water and the nursing of the sky I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores I change but I cannot die for after the rain when with never a stain the pavilion of heaven is bare and the winds and sunbeams where their convex gleams build up the blue dome of air I silently laugh at my own cenotaph and out of the caverns of rain like a child from the womb like a ghost from the tomb I arise and unbuild it again End of The Cloud Curious Water Sports With the growing popularity of the river amongst pleasure seekers the list of sports connected with it has of recent years become a much more formidable one the old forms of racing were too slow and needed too much hard work and preliminary training for the man who was anxious to show his skill without the expenditure of any great amount of labor or time an account of some of the novelties used may be of interest especially to those who may be thinking of organizing such sports during the coming months the first of these novelties seems to have been the dongle-erase why so-called it is impossible to say it is road in punts propelled by six ladies or gentlemen armed generally with paddles though sometimes punting poles are used this was I believe first introduced at Mulsey which has always been the happy hunting ground of the more frivolous water sports is now very general at nearly all the up river regattas except Henley which needs no such attractions and sticks entirely to business from this was developed the tug of war in punts the two punts are fastened together at one end and placed broadside across the river when the crews paddle in opposite directions each trying to drag the opposing boat to the bank the struggle very frequently ends in one at least of the punts being filled with water and gradually sinking beneath the feet of its crew for this reason no doubt the pastime has not yet found favor with the fair sex but is confined to those who do not object to a dunking another development of punting is punting in canoes this also was first seen at Mulsey invitation regatta and on this occasion hardly one of the competitors was able to bring his frail craft to the winning post a canoe of course being very much more liable to be upset when the occupier is standing upright then is the case with a punt many performers have since by practice become very expert in its management and the sport may now frequently be seen at other regattas water jousting in canoes is also an innovation in the old sport common amongst watermen the competitors stood at the end of punts and tried to upset each other's equilibrium by thrusts from mops the amateur in adopting this amusement has replaced the punt by a canoe and in some cases a water tournament is organized where three boats distinguished by red mops contend against an equal number armed with blue mops the tub race too which was always held at old-fashioned regattas with the benefit of the boys who generally paddled about with a spade for some time going in no particular direction finally upsetting their lopsided craft without arriving at their destination has been imitated in the coracle race also introduced at Mulsey invitation regatta the coracle is very similar to the tub but has rather greater floating abilities and with proper paddles can be navigated in a very satisfactory manner the walking the greasy pole for a pig is a very old form of the pastime which always causes amusement as it is nearly always the last item in a regatta program it is rather difficult to get enough light for a photograph and one taken at Sunbury will probably be of interest the water derby is seen at many regattas both on the river and on the coast the sport consisting in propelling oneself by means of a paddle while a stride of a tub decorated with a horse's head the steeds generally seem rather unruly and the riders are more frequently thrown than not log rolling cannot be said to have yet been introduced in this country as a sport it being confined to a few exponents of the art who have had a proper training but one of these recently appeared at an up river regatta and proceeded in a leisurely fashion amongst the crowd of rowing boats plank rowing is a sport which the rider came across at a recent coast regatta the competitors stand on planks which they can propel by whatever means they prefer and to anyone who does not object to getting his feet wet the plank is a safer means of transport than would be generally supposed a novelty race held at Hampton Court and Ditton's aquatic sports 1898 on a course stretching across the river was remarkable for the peculiarity of the vessels entered the only conditions were that the craft employed must be of a kind not previously used in a race and that on reaching the opposite bank the competitor must land and drag his boat after him round a pole and paddle back again to the starting point the makeshift craft used included a closed basket a table turned upside down a washing tub and an air mattress the latter finishing first while most of the others performed somersaults in mid-stream the Jubilee race at Molesy Invitation Regatta held at the end of the 1897 season was a race between two aides one being a representative Molesy BC 8 of 1897 and the other composed of old members of the club supposed to be of the time of 1837 and dressed in the costume of the period the race looked like a win for the 1837 crew until within a few yards of the finish when the boat capsized and the top-hatted crew had to swim ashore and of curious water sports the Desert Lands of Western America by an unknown author Coffee Break Collection 25 Water this is a LibriVox recording while LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Desert Lands of Western America The geography of North America tells you that a chain of lofty mountains runs down the western side from Alaska to the Isthmuth of Panama the warm winds from the Pacific deposit their moisture on the western slopes and blow unkindly over the plains between the ranges and the Mississippi in some districts nothing can be grown at all without an artificial water supply for others water is needed in dry seasons or to obtain the full yield of the soil until 1902 the government of the United States did not concern itself with the matter but private individuals had constructed dams and canals which watered nearly 10 million acres on this land there were more than 34,000 farms and the cost had been nearly 20 million pounds the United States is a big country it has a rapidly increasing population which is now more than 90 million 20 years ago they were exporting large quantities of foodstuffs corn and meat but the amount has become smaller and smaller until at the present time they were beginning to import them the land under cultivation is incapable of yielding the amount which the growing population requires but there are large areas which produce nothing and in 1902 the government established a reclamation service to deal with wastelands a service showed that irrigation would render it possible to cultivate 30 million acres which otherwise would lie idle and unproductive so at a cost of 14 million pounds a scheme was set on foot whereby by 1911 nearly 2 million acres would be watered the money was found by the sale of public lands in lots of from 40 to 160 acres the price is depending upon the cost of the irrigation scheme and the working expenses are to be covered by an annual charge for the water the first million acres will support 20,000 people on farms and steps have been taken to provide proper training for those who take them up demonstration farms where the settlers operations should be carried out and what crops should be grown have been established when the whole 30 million acres have been brought into cultivation they will provide homes for 15 million people about a third of the present population of the United Kingdom it is estimated that half of these will be engaged on the farms and half in the cities the immensity of this scheme will best be understood if a short account is given of the work required for the first 2 million acres and their poultry 21,000 inhabitants to begin with a large dam the Laguna Dam has been thrown across the Colorado River near Yuma in Arizona this is merely a weir which holds up the water so that it can flow into two canals serving for 100,000 acres again in Arizona the mighty Roosevelt Dam has been thrown across the Salt River where it flows in a deep rocky canyon this dam is 284 feet high and converts the river above it into a lake more than 25 square miles in area to convey the machinery and material a road had to be cut across the mountains about 160,000 acres of low-lying land will be irrigated by canal in the ordinary way but there are 50,000 acres more of thirsty landline at a higher level a special canal 18.5 miles long has been cut and through this the water flows to a power station where it drives turbines which in their turn drive pumps these pumps attack the underground waters and fill a reservoir which serves the higher ground the Shoshone Dam in Wyoming is only 175 feet long but it is 310 feet high here again a road had to be made over the mountains the water leaves the reservoir in an open canal but 30 miles below the dam it passes through a tunnel three and a quarter miles long before proceeding to water 100,000 acres the Pathfinder Dam across the North Platte River serves land both in Nebraska and Wyoming the canal is 95 miles long and owing to the poorest character of the soil it had to be lined with concrete for many miles it waters 110,000 acres but when the scheme is complete four times that area will be irrigated the Snake River in Idaho is also being controlled it feeds 130 miles of canal and 190 miles of ditches at present only 100,000 acres are watered but this will shortly be increased to 370,000 acres the most interesting of all schemes however is that of the Uncompagrate Valley in southwest Colorado and this must be included in a list which may easily be made so long as to become tedious side-by-side and only 10 miles apart runs the rivers Gunnissons and Uncompagrate the former is a vigorous torrent and a deep rocky canyon the latter a trickling stream and a wide open valley of 700,000 acres between them rises a range of mountains towering to a height of 2,000 feet this deep rocky walls of the Gunnisson Canyon are useless to man the soil of the Uncompagrate Valley would be fertile if only it were well watered so the reclamation officers decided to carry the waters of the Gunnisson to the Uncompagrate Desert which lies at a lower level before the Gunnisson could be dammed a road 16 miles long had to be cut in the side of the gorge and when it was dammed a tunnel 6 miles long 12 feet wide and 10 and a half feet high had to be driven through the mountain barrier but the task was accomplished and 140,000 acres of rich land have been brought into use this list is long enough even though it is only a small part of a small beginning there are all together 28 schemes for the first 2 million acres and the success which has already been attained will ensure the progress of the enterprise the farmers who have settled on the land which was once desert find it rich beyond expectation if they grow corn they obtain 40 bushels as compared with 15 in the eastern states but they are mainly growing hay in the area of the gorge especially alfalfa or Lucerne for stock the plan is to feed the cattle and sheep on the grassy uplands in summer and bring them into the irrigated valley in winter from this land they can obtain 5 tons of alfalfa per acre worth $5 a ton and in one case no less than 30,000 sheep have been fed in this way but remember that the population of the 20 years have been occupied in providing for less than one-tenth of the 15 million people which the irrigated land has been estimated to support end of the desert lands of western america Epicurus on different forms of water from the lies and opinions of eminent philosophers by Diogenes Laertius coffee break collection 25 water this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org hail is produced by an energetic condensation acting on the ethereal particles which the cold embraces in every direction or in consequence condensation acting however on aqueous particles and accompanied by division in such a manner as to produce at the same time the reunion of certain elements and of the collective masses or by the rupture of some dense and compact mass which would explain at the same time the numerousness of the particles and their individual hardness as to the spherical form of the hail one may easily account for that by admitting that the shocks which it receives in every direction make all the angles disappear or else that at the moment when the different fragments are formed each of them is equally embraced on all sides by aqueous or ethereal particles snow may be produced by a light vapor full of moisture which the clouds allow to escape by passages intended for that end when they are pressed in a corresponding manner by other clouds and set in motion by the wind subsequently these vapors become condensed in their progress under the action of the cold which surrounds the clouds in the lower regions it may also be the case that this phenomenon is produced by clouds of a slight density as they become condensed in this case the snow which escapes from the clouds would be the result of the contact or approximation of the aqueous particles which in a still more condensed state produce hail this effect is most especially produced in the air snow again may result from the collection of clouds previously condensed and solidified or from a whole army of other causes dew proceeds from a reunion of particles contained in the air calculated to produce this moist substance these particles may be also brought from places which are moist or covered with water for in those places above all others it is that dew is abundant these then reunite again resume their aqueous form and fall down the same phenomenon takes place in other cases before our own eyes under many analogies whorefrost is dew congealed by the influence of the cold air that surrounds it ice is formed either by the detrition of round atoms contained in the water and the reunion of scaling and acute angles of the atoms which exist in the water or by an addition from without of these latter particles which penetrate into the water solidify it by driving away an equal amount of round atoms a rainbow may be produced by the reflection of the solar rays on the moist air where it may arise from a particular property of light and air in virtue of which these particular appearances of color are formed either because the shades which we perceive result directly from this property or because on the contrary it only produces one single shade which reflecting itself on the nearest portions of the air communicates to them the tints which we observe as to the circular form of the rainbow that depends either on the fact of the sight perceiving an equal distance in every direction or the fact of the atoms taking this form when reuniting in the air or it may be caused by its detaching from the air which moves towards the moon certain atoms which in the clouds gives rise to this circular appearance end of Epicurus on different forms of water Merseydocs and Harbour Board Offices by William B. Forwood Coffee Break Collection 25 Water This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information Please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Chad Horner from Balli Clare in County Antrim, Northern Ireland situated in the northeast of the island of Ireland Merseydocs and Harbour Board Offices The River Mersey at all times beautiful with its wonderful alternations of light and its brisk flowing waters has never been so beautiful since the old sailing ship days when at the top of high water the outward bound fleet to sea and the entire river from the pier head to the rock light was filled with shipping of all sizes working their way out to sea tacking and cross-tacking the clipper with her taut spars and snow-white canvas and the small coaster with her tanned sails all went to make up a picture of wonderful colour and infinite beauty The Duck Board There is no branch of the public service than the administration of the Merseydocs and Harbour Board The members of the board have always been recruited from our leading merchants ship owners and brokers and they have been fortunate in selecting as their chairman men of exceptional ability I can recollect Charles Turner MP Robert Brinkin William Langton Ralph Brugelbank T.D. Hornby Alfred Olt John Brinker is today presided over by Mr Robert Gladstone who worthily maintains the best traditions of his office of late years the members have been elected without any contests but it was not always so in the 70s there were severe contests which arose not upon questions of personal fitness but were prompted by trade rivalries it had become the fashion for the various trades to nominate members who would look after the particular interests of their trade jealousy was aroused if one trade obtained larger representation than others the interests of the steamship owners were opposed to those of the sailing ship owner the one wanted allotted births to secure dispatch the other quite space free and unappropriated cotton men wanted special facilities for cotton and the timber people yard space for the storage of timber and deals each trade had its associations and in addition there was a rate payers association which sought to break up the system of trade delegation by electing independent men the payment of 10 pounds in dock dues gave a vote so faggot votes were easily and extensively manufactured ship owners and merchants qualified every clerk in their employ the nomination of members took place on the 1st of January and the election of the day following the elections were hotly contested but always in a gentlemanly way and with much good humour it required skill to fill up the voting papers so as to secure a majority for any particular candidate among those who busied themselves over these elections I remember William Johnson Robert Colthart Worsley Battersby Edmund Taylor Arthur Forward GB Thompson George Cunliffe and James Barnes the rate payers association accomplished much good and with great confidence my particular desire at this time was to try and induce the board to fund their debt it was felt that such a large floating debt was not only cumbersome and inconvenient but in times of financial stress or with a cycle of years of bad trade might be a source of danger I urged the funding of the debt on the nomination days and also through the press and Chamber of Commerce Mr Rocklebank but in course of time after the corporation had taken the lead the dock board wisely funded a portion of their debt the gradual increase of steamers the passing of the sailing vessel and the large share of the trade of the port being now conducted by liners have to a very large extent done away with the trade rivalries hence the little interest now taken in the dock board elections the present generation scarcely know that the docks were up to 1857 administered by a committee of the corporation in my young days Liverpool people were very sore and angry at the action of parliament in foisting upon them the Birkenhead docks these docks had been constructed by a private company and were insolvent and a hopeless failure Birkenhead had however powerful influence in parliament and stoutly opposed any extension of the Liverpool docks that the Birkenhead docks had not had fair play and could accommodate the surplus trade of Liverpool in the end in 1857 Liverpool was obliged to buy them for £1,143,000 and within a very few years had to expend upon them £3,859.41 this outlay has ever since been a serious burden upon Liverpool nor did the hostile action of parliament stop here the town dues were taken from Liverpool and commuted for a payment of £1,500,000 the management of the dock estate was placed in the hands of the trustees who are except three elected by the dock rate payers in olden time the dock board had an annual excursion to inspect the light ships the whole of the council they were pleasant days and it was supposed that the mayor for the coming year was selected on these occasions these excursions contributed to a good feeling between the dock board and the corporation which is so essential if we are to preserve the prosperity of the port I sometimes think that our city fathers apparently forget that our docks and our commerce are the lifeblood of Liverpool Mr John Bramley Murs great work on the dock board for my day but he continued his interest in Liverpool to the last and was present at the opening of the north docks system in 1882 where I saw him he used to tell how indefatigably he worked to secure the extension of the docks in a northerly direction how he asked Lord Darby to present the buttle shore to the dock board urging that it would be greatly to the gain of the Darby family Lord Darby replied that it would be very difficult to convince him of that and that he had already refused £90,000 for it Mr Bramley Murs then offered if Lord Darby would transfer his foreshore rights to dock committee would raise all the back land by using it for the deposit of their spoil which would he thought be an inadequate compensation the deal was closed on this basis the dock committee secured two miles of river frontage on the Darby family the site of the most important part of buttle and now forming one of the most valuable of their estates one of the first docks constructed on this newly acquired land was the Bramley Mur so named after the chairman no one can fail to acknowledge the enterprise and wisdom which have characterised the administration of the dock estate municipal work follows the demand of the people and seldom goes ahead but the provision of docks must anticipate the demand likely to be experienced in all this the dock board has acted with boldness and with prudence under circumstances of much embarrassment the construction of the Manchester ship canal presented a problem of considerable difficulty but the dock board adopted the courageous but wise policy of looking to Liverpool and Liverpool trade only and the facilities they have provided changed conditions of trade have done not a little to conserve the commerce of the port and of Merzy Docks and Harbour Board Offices by William B. Forwood Neither out far nor in deep by Robert Frost Coffee Break Collection 25 Water This is a LibraVax recording All LibraVax recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibraVax.org Recording by T.J. Burns Neither out far nor in deep The people along the sand all turn and look one way they turn their back on the land they look at the sea all day as long as it takes to pass a ship keeps raising its hull the wetter ground like glass reflects a standing gull the land may vary more but whatever the trade may be the water comes ashore and the people look at the sea they cannot look out far they cannot look in deep but when was that ever a bar to any watch they keep end of neither out far nor in deep Recording by T.J. Burns On Flood by Isidore of Seville 560 to 638 560 to 638 AD Coffee Break Collection 25 Water This is a LibraVax recording All LibraVax recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibraVax.org On Floods The first flood occurred under Noah when the government offended at man's guilty deeds covered the whole circle of the lands and destroyed all and there was one stretch of sky and sea and we observed the proof of this to the present time in the stones which we are want to go to see in the distant mountains which have mingled in them the shells of mussels and oysters and besides are often hollowed by the waters The second flood was in Akia in the time of the patriarch Jacob and of Ogigias who was the founder and king of Ellucina and gave his name to the place and time The third flood was in Thessaly in the time of Moses and Amphitian who reigned third after sea crops at which time a flood of waters destroyed the greater part of the peoples of Thessaly a few escaping by taking refuge in the mountains especially on Mount Parnassus on whose circuit Ducalion then possessed dominion and he received those who fled to him on rafts and warmed and fed them on the twin peaks of Parnassus and so the fables of the Greek say that the human race was created from stones because of the inborn hardness of the heart of man and of armed floods by Isidore of Seville Once by the Pacific by Robert Frost Coffee Break Collection 25 Water This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by T.J. Burns Once by the Pacific The shattered water made a misty din great waves looked over others coming in and thought of doing something to the shore that water never did to land before The clouds were low and hairy in the skies like locks blown forward in the gleam of eyes You could not tell and yet it looked as if the shore was lucky in being backed by cliff the cliff in being backed by continent it looked as if a night of dark intent was coming and not only a night an age someone had better be prepared for rage There would be more than ocean water broken before God's last put out the light was spoken End of Once by the Pacific by T.J. Burns Over Niagara in a Barrel by Anonymous Coffee Break Collection 25 Water This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Anita Sloma Martinez Over Niagara in a Barrel Remarkable feat of a woman who escaped serious injury Mrs. Anna Edson Taylor of Bay City, Michigan celebrated her 43rd birthday by making a successful trip over Niagara Falls in a Barrel She is the first person to attempt such a performance and the thousands who witnessed the performance were amazed at the manner in which the Barrel plunged over reef after reef in the upper rapids and the current toward the famous waterfall Regarding the feat Mrs. Taylor afterward said I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon knowing that it was going to blow me to pieces than to make another trip over the falls I made it voluntarily but I would not do it again for a million dollars The Barrel in which Mrs. Taylor accomplished the feat was about six feet long attached to the bottom with heavy weights to hold it upright Within the Barrel were straps attached to the bottom which were placed over the woman's shoulders to prevent her head from bumping against the top Over her head during the trip was a pillow for further protection On the memorable day Mrs. Taylor and her Barrel were rode into the upper river and set a drift in a current that rapidly bore her toward the rapids Striking the first incline of the river in the rapids the Barrel took an upright position and bobbing like a cork moved straight for the curve of the horseshoe falls A little to the Canadian side of the center of the falls the Barrel took its plunge and dropped clouded in mist to the lower river a distance of 158 feet When the desperate plunge was being taken thousands of spectators held their breath in anxiety and suspense The fall would be fatal and that another would be added to the long list of the victims of Niagara Two minutes after the plunging Barrel had been lost in the mist of the tremendous cataract it appeared in the seething white water below the falls It gradually was carried by the current to the Canadian side and was hauled ashore The top was hastily sought off and Mrs. Taylor was taken out She had suffered a contusion on the right side of the head and had received numerous bruises on the body Her nervous system had suffered a severe shock and since then she has been afflicted with severe headaches Exactly 50 minutes had elapsed from the time she was sent to drift until she was released from the Barrel When she reached her hotel she broke down and wept When she was rescued the Barrel was one third filled with water The tremendous pressure had forced the water through the air tube which connected with the small opening near the top of the Barrel Mrs. Taylor is a native of Auburn, New York She is a graduate of the state normal school at Albany and has taught school in Texas and more recently at Bay City, Michigan She owns a ranch in Texas and it was with the view of making money by exhibiting herself and lifting a mortgage on the ranch that she made her perilous trip through Niagara Rapids End of Over Niagara in a Barrel The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner Parts 1-4 of 7 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Coffee Break Collection 25 Water This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org This recording by Michelle Fry, Baton Rouge, Louisiana in November 2019 The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner Parts 1-4 It is an ancient mariner and he stopeth one of three by thy long gray beard and glittering eye Now wherefore stopeth thou me? The bridegroom's doors are opened wide and I am next of kin The guests are met, the feast is set Mayest hear the merry din He holds him with his skinny hand There was a ship Quote he Hold off on hand, me gray beard loon Eft soon's his hand dropped he He holds me with his glittering eye The wedding guests stood still and listens like a three years child The mariner hath his will The mariner hath his will The wedding guests sat on a stone He cannot choose but hear and thus spake on that ancient man The bright eyed mariner The ship was cheered The harbor cleared Merrily did we drop Below the Kirk, below the hill Below the lighthouse top The sun came up upon the left Out of the sea came he and he shone bright and on the right went down into the sea Higher and higher every day Kill over the mast at noon The wedding guest here beat his breast For he heard the loud bassoon The bride hath paced into the hall Red as a rose is she Notting their heads before her goes The merry minstrel-ly The wedding guest he beat his breast Yet he cannot choose but hear And thus spake on that ancient man The bright eyed mariner And now the storm blurs The mariner hath his will And now the storm blast came And he was tear in his sense strong He struck with his o'er taking wings And chased south along With sloping masts and dipping prow As who pursued with yell and blow Still treads the shadow of his foe And forward bends his head The ship drove fast Loud roared the blast In southward eye we fled And now there came Both mist and snow And now there came Both mist and snow And it grew wondrous cold And ice massed high Came floating by As green as emerald And through the drifts And snowy cliffs Did send a dismal sheen Nor shapes of men Nor beasts we can The ice was all between The ice was here The ice was there The ice was all around And roared and howled Like noises in a swound At length did cross an albatross Through the fog it came As if it had been a Christian soul We held it in God's name It ate the food it never had Eat and round and round it flew The ice did split With the thunder fit The helmsman steered us through And a good south wind sprung Out behind and the albatross did follow And every day For food or play came To the mariner's hallow In mist or cloud On master shroud it perched For Vesper's nine While all the night through fog Smoked white, glimmered The white moonshine God saved the ancient mariner From the fiends that plagued the dust Why looks thou so? With my crossbow I shot the albatross Part the second The sun now rose upon the right Out of the sea came he Still hid in mist And on the left went down Into the sea And the good south wind still blew Behind, but no sweet bird Did follow Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariner's hallow And I had done An hellish thing And it would work him woe For all a bird I had killed The bird that made the breeze to blow Ah, wretch, said they The bird to slay That made the breeze to blow Nor dim nor red Like God's own head The glorious sun uprised Then all a bird I had killed the bird That brought the fog into mist To us right, said they Such birds to slay That bring the fog and mist The fair breeze blew The white foam flew The furrow followed free We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea Down dropped the breeze The sails dropped down To as sad as sad could be And we did speak Only to break the silence Of the sea All in a hot and copper sky The bloody sun at noon Right up above the mast Did stand no bigger Than the moon Day after day Day after day we stuck Nor breath nor motion As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean Water, water everywhere And all the boards did shrink Water, water everywhere Nor any drop to drink The very deep did rot Oh, Christ, that ever this should be Yay, slimy things Did crawl with legs Upon the slimy sea About, about in real and route The deathfires danced at night The water like a witch's oils Burnt green and blue and white And some in dreams assured Were of the spirit that plagued us so Nine feathered deep he had followed us Nine feathered deep he had followed us Nine feathered deep he had followed us Nine feathered deep he had followed us From the land of mist and snow And every tongue Through uttered drought Was withered at the root We could not speak no more than if We had been choked with soot Ah, well a day What evil looks had I From old and young Instead of the cross The albatross about my neck was hung Part the third There passed a weary time Each throat was parched And glazed each eye A weary time, a weary time How glazed each weary eye When looking westward I beheld A something in the sky At first it seemed a little speck And then it seemed a mist It moved and moved And took at last A certain shape I whisked A speck, a mist A shape I whisked And still it neared and neared As if it dodged a water sprite It plunged and tacked and veered With throats unslaked With black lips baked We could not laugh nor wail Through uttered drought All dumb we stood I bit my arm, I sucked the blood And cried, a sail, a sail With throats unslaked With black lips baked A gape they heard me call Grammarcy they for joy did grin And all at once their breath drew in As they were drinking all See, see, I cried She taxed no more Hither to work us wheel Without a breeze, without a tide She steadies with upright keel The western wave Was all aflame The day was well nigh done Almost upon the western wave Rested the broad bright sun When that strange shape Drove suddenly Betwixt us and the sun And straight the sun Was flecked with bars Heaven's mother sent us grace As if through a dungeon great He peered with broad And burning face Alas, thought I And my heart beat loud How fast she nears And nears Are those her sails that glance in the sun Like restless gazimiers Are those her ribs Through which the sun did peer As through a grate And is that woman all her crew Is that a death And are there two Is death that's woman's mate Her lips were red, her looks were free Her locks were yellow as gold Her skin was as white as leprosy The nightmare life in death was she Who thicks man's blood With cold The naked hulk alongside came And the twain were casting dice The game is done I've won, I've won Quote she, and whistles thrice The sun's rim dips The stars rush out At one stride comes the dark With far herd whisper Or the sea offshot The spectre We listened And looked sideways up Fear at my heart As at a cup My lifeblood seems to sip The stars were dim And thick the night The steersman's face By his lamp gleamed white From the sails the dew did drip Till clump over the eastern bar The horned moon With one bright star Within the nether tip One after one By the star dog moon Too quick for groan or sigh Each turned his face With a ghastly pang And cursed me with his eye Four times fifty Living men And I heard nor sigh nor groan With heavy thump A lifeless lump They dropped down one by one The souls did From their bodies fly To bliss or woe And every soul had passed me by Like the whiz of my crossbow Parth the fourth I fear the ancient mariner I fear thy skinny hand And thou art long and Lank and brown As is the ribbed sea sand I fear thee and thy glittering eye And thy skinny hand so brown Fear not, fear not Thou wedding guest This body dropped not down Alone, alone All, all alone Alone on the wide wide sea And never a saint Took pity on my soul In agony The many men so beautiful And they all dead did lie And a thousand thousand Slimy things lived on And so did I I looked upon the rotting sea And drew my eyes away I looked upon the rotting day I looked upon the rotting deck And there the dead men lay I looked to heaven And tried to pray But or ever a prayer had gushed A wicked whisper came And made my heart As dry as dust I closed my lids And kept them close And the balls like pulses beat For the sky and the sea And the sea and the sky lay like a load On my weary eye Were at my feet The coals sweat Melted from their limbs Nor rot nor reek did they The look with which they looked At me had never passed away An orphan's curse Would drag to hell a spirit from On high but a hoe More horrible than that Is the curse in a dead man's Eye Seven days, seven nights I saw that curse and yet I could not die The moving moon went up The sky and nowhere did abide Softly she was going up And a star or two beside Her beams be mocked The sultry mane Like April, whore frosts spread But where the ship's huge shadow lay The charming water burnt All way A still and awful red Beyond the shadow Of the ship I watched the water snakes They moved in tracks of shining white And when they reared The elfish light fell off In hoary flakes Within the shadow of the ship I watched their rich attire Blue glossy green and velvet black They coiled and swam And every track was a flash Of golden fire Oh happy living things No tongue their beauty might declare A spring of love Gushed from my heart And I blessed them unaware Sure my kind saint Took pity on me And I blessed them unaware The self-same moment I could pray And from my neck so free The albatross fell off And sank, like lead Into the sea This ends the rhyme Of the ancient mariner Parts one through four of seven By Samuel Taylor Coleridge Sea Fever by John Macefield Coffee Break Collection 25 Water This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer Please visit LibriVox.org Recording by William Jones Benita Springs, Florida Sea Fever I must go down To the seas again To the lonely sea and the sky And all I ask Is a tall ship And a star to stir her by And the wheels kick And the whims song And the white sails shaking And a gray mist on the sea's face And a gray dawn breaking I must go down To the seas again For the call of the running tide Is a wild call And a clear call That may not be denied And all I ask Is a windy day With the white clouds flying And the flung spray And the blown spew And the seagulls crying I must go down To the seas again To the vagrant gypsy life To the gulls way And the whales way For the winds like a wetted knife And all I ask Is a merry yarn From a laughing fellow rover And a quiet sleep And a sweet dream When the long cricks over. End of Sea Fever Song of the Chattahoochee by Sydney Lanier Coffee Break Collection 25 Water This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Nima Song of the Chattahoochee Out of the hills of Habersham down the valleys of Hall I hurry amane to reach the plain, run the rapid and leap the fall Split at the rock and together again accept my bed or narrow or wide and flee from folly on every side the lover's pain to attain the plain far from the hills of Habersham far from the valleys of Hall all down the hills of Habersham all through the valleys of Hall the rushes cried abide abide the willful waterweeds held me thrall the laving laurel turned my tide the ferns and the funneling grass said stay the dewberry dipped for to work delay and the little reed sighed abide abide here in the hills of Habersham here in the valleys of Hall high over the hills of Habersham veiling the valleys of Hall the hickory told me manifold fair tales of shade the poplar tall wrought me your shadowy self to hold the chestnut the oak the walnut the pine over leaning with flickering meaning and sign said pass not so cold these manifold deep shades of the hills of Habersham these glades in the valleys of Hall and oft in the hills of Habersham and oft in the valleys of Hall the white quartz shone in the smooth brook stone the army of passage were friendly brawl and many a luminous jewel loam crystals clear or cloud with mist ruby garnet in amethyst made lures with lights of streaming stone in the clefs of the hills of Habersham in the beds of the valleys of Hall but oh not the hills of Habersham and oh not the valleys of Hall avail I am feigned for to water the plain downward the voices of duty call downward to toil be mixed with the main the dry fields burn and the mills are to turn and a myriad flowers mortally yearn and the lordly main from beyond the plain call or the hills of Habersham calls through the valleys of Hall and of the long of the Chattahoochee Spring Pools by Robert Frost Coffee Break Collection 25 Water this is a LibriVax recording all LibriVax recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVax.org recording by T.J. Burns Spring Pools these pools that though in forests still reflect the total sky almost without defect and like the flowers beside them chill and shiver will like the flowers beside them soon be gone and yet not out by any brook or river but up by roots to bring dark foliage on the trees that have it in their pent up buds to darken nature and be summer woods let them think twice before they use their powers to blot out and drink up and sweep away these flowery waters and these watery flowers from snow that melted only yesterday End of Spring Pools recording by T.J. Burns I started early by Emily Dickinson Coffee Break Collection 25 Water this is a LibriVax recording all LibriVax recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVax.org Recording by Nemo I started early I started early took my dog and visited the sea the mermaids in the basement came out to look at me and frigates in the upper floor extended hempen hands presuming me to be a mouse aground upon the sands but no man moved me till the tide when passed my simple shoe and passed my apron and my belt and passed my bodice too made as he would eat me up as holy as a dew upon a dandelion sleeve and then I started too and he he followed close behind I felt his silver heel upon my ankle then my shoes would overflow with pearl until we met the solid town no one he seemed to know and bowing with a mighty look at me the sea with dew end of I started early Down the Great River Chapter 5 Two Source of the Mississippi by Willard W. Glazier Section 25 Water This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Anita Slamma-Martinez True Source of the Mississippi The exhausting portages of July 21st between the east and west forks of the Mississippi prepared us for a sleep which even the Minnesota mosquitoes did not disturb and which was not broken until long after the sun was glinting upon us through the trees on the morning of the 22nd Although I had cautioned the guides to awaken me at dawn I found them snoring lustily at six o'clock As soon as all were astir Chenowagasic and the Lagards prepared breakfast George struck tents and rolled the blankets while Payne busied himself with an article for the St. Paul Pioneer Press descriptive of our voyage to Lake Itasca But a little ceremony was observed at breakfast which was served with a due regard to our scant rations and consisted of a small slice of bacon and a flapjack each of very meager dimensions Notwithstanding the fact that we were now confronted with empty haversacks and nearly depleted cartridge boxes my companions were still eager to follow my lead in the work on the exploration beyond Itasca which from the beginning had been the controlling incentive of our expedition the grand objective towards which we bent all our energies to stand at the source to look upon the remotest drills and springs which contribute to the birth of the Great River of North America to write Phine in the volume opened by the renowned De Soto more than three hundred years ago and in which Marquette Hennepin Lahantan Carver Pike Beltrami Schoolcraft and Nicolette have successfully inscribed their names were quite enough to revive the drooping spirits of the most depressed During our encampment on the island Chenawagasic again reminded me that he had planted corn there many years before and that his wigwam once stood near the spot where we had pitched our tents he also repeated what he had told me before launching the canoes at Leech Lake that the region about Lake Itasca was his hunting ground and that he was thoroughly acquainted with all the rivers, lakes and ponds within a hundred miles he further said that Paul Belieu was in error concerning the source of the Great River and led me to conclude that the primal reservoir was above and beyond Itasca and that this lake was simply an expansion of the land, cast, Winnibigoshish, Pepin and several others fully convinced that the statements of Chenawagasic were entirely trustworthy and knowing from past experience that he was perfectly reliable as a guide we put our canoes into the water at 8 o'clock and at once began coasting Itasca for its feeders we found the outlets of six small streams two having well-defined mouths and four filtering into the lake through bogs the upper end of the southwestern arm is heavily margined with reeds and rushes and it was not without considerable difficulty that we forced our way through this barrier into the larger of the two open streams which flow into this end of the lake although perfectly familiar with the topography of the country and entirely confident that he could lead us to the beautiful lake which he had so often described in his book Winnibigoshish was for several moments greatly disturbed by the network of rushes in which we found ourselves temporarily entangled leaping from his canoe he pushed the rushes right and left with his paddle and soon to our great delight threw up his hands and gave a characteristic Chippewa yell thereby signifying that he had found the object of his search returning he seized the bow of my canoe and pulled it after him out into the clear glistening waters of the infant Mississippi which at the point of entering Itasca is 7 feet wide and from 12 to 15 inches deep lusty work with our paddles for half an hour brought us to a blockade of fallen timber determined to float in my canoe upon the surface of the lake towards which we were paddling I directed the guides to remove the obstructions and continued to urge the canoes rapidly forward although opposed by a strong and constantly increasing current sometimes we found it necessary to lift the canoes over logs and occasionally to remove diminutive sandbars from the bed of the stream with our paddles as we neared the head of this primal section on the mighty river we could readily touch both shores with our hands at the same time while the average depth of water in the channel did not exceed 10 inches every paddle stroke seemed to increase the ardor with which we were carried forward the desire to see the actual source of a river so celebrated as the Mississippi whose mouth had been reached nearly two centuries before was doubtless the impelling motive in their eagerness to obtain the first view of the beautiful lake toward which we were paddling and greatly annoyed by the slow progress made in the canoes my brother and Payne stepped ashore and proposed a race to the crest of the hill which Chenowagasic told them overhung the lake to this proposition of my companions I made objection and insisted that all should see the goal of our expedition from the canoes what had long been sought at last appeared suddenly on pulling and pushing our way through a network of rushes similar to the one encountered on leaving Itasca the cheering sight of a transparent body of water burst upon our view it was a beautiful lake the source of the father of waters a few moments later and our little flotilla of three canoes was put in motion headed for a small promontory which we discovered at the opposite end of the lake we paddled slowly across one of the most pure and tranquil bodies of water of which it is possible to conceive not a breath of air was stirring we halted frequently to scan its shores and to run our eyes along the verger covered hills which enclose its basin these elevations are at a distance of from three to four miles and are covered chiefly with white pines intermingled with the cedar spurs and tamarack the beach is furnished with the mixed foliage of the evergreen species at one point we observed pond lilies and at another a small quantity of wild rice as we neared the headland a deer was seen standing on the shore and an eagle swept over our heads with food for its young which we soon discovered were lodged in the top of a tall pine the waterfowl noticed upon the lake were apparently little disturbed by our presence and seldom left the surface of the water this lake is about a mile and a half in greatest diameter and would be nearly an oval in form but for a single promontory which extends its shores into the lake so as to give it in outline the appearance of a heart its feeders are three small creeks, two of which enter on the right and left of the headland and have their origin in springs at the foot of sand hills from five to six miles distant the third is but little more than a mile in length has no clearly defined course and is the outlet of a small lake situated in a marsh to the southwestward these three creeks were named in the order of their discovery eagle, excelsior and deer the small lake which is the source of eagle creek I called Alice after my daughter having satisfied myself as to its remotest feeders I called my companions into line at the foot of the promontory which overlooks the lake and talked for a few moments of the Mississippi and its explorers telling them that I was confident that we were looking upon the true source of the Great River and that we had completed a work begun by DeSoto in 1541 and had corrected a geographical error of half a century standing concluding my remarks I requested a volley from their firearms for each member of the party in commemoration of our discovery when the firing ceased pain gave me a surprise by stepping to the front and proposing that the newly discovered lake be named Glacier in honor of the leader of the expedition the proposition was seconded by Moses Lagarde the interpreter and carried by an acclamation not withstanding my protest that it should retain its Indian name, Pokegama much to the surprise of everyone as we were about closing our ceremonies Chinawagasic assumed an oratorical attitude and addressed me as follows in a few words of true Indian eloquence my brother I have come with you through many lakes and rivers to the head of the father of waters the shores of this lake are my hunting ground here I have had my wigwam and planted corn for many years when I again roam through these forests and look on this lake source of the Great River I will look on you the latitude of this lake is not far from 7 degrees its height above the sea is an object of geographical interest which in the absence of actual survey it may subserve the purposes of useful inquiry to estimate from notes taken during the ascent it cannot be less than 3 feet above Lake Itasca adding the estimate of 1575 feet submitted by school craft in 1832 as the elevation of that lake the Mississippi may be said to originate in an altitude of 1578 feet above the Atlantic ocean taking former estimates as the basis in computing them through the western fork its length may be placed at 3184 miles assuming that the barometrical height of its source is 1578 feet it has a mean descent of over 6 inches per mile at Lake Bemidji the Mississippi reaches its highest northing which is in the neighborhood of 47 degrees the origin of the river is an untraveled and secluded region between Leech Lake and the red river of the north not less than a degree of latitude south of Turtle Lake which was for a long time supposed to be the source removes both forks of the stream outside the usual track of the fur traders and presents a good reason perhaps why its fountain head has remained so long enveloped in uncertainty end of true source of the Mississippi water party on the Buley river in the new forest by William Lyle Bowles Coffee break collection 25 water this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Phil Schempf water party on the Buley river in the new forest I thought it was a toy of the fancy a dream that leads with illusion the senses astray and I sighed with delight as we stole down the stream while the sun as he smiled on our sail seemed to say rejoice in my light ere it fade fast away we left the loud rocking of ocean behind and stealing along the clear current serene the Phadria spread her white sails to the wind and they who divided had many a day been gazed with added delight on the charms of the scene each bosom one spirit of peace seemed to feel we heard not the tossing the stir and the roar of the ocean without we heard only the keel that went whispering along the green shore and the stroke as it dipped of the feathering ore beneath the dark woods now as winding we go what sounds of rich harmony burst on the ear Hark! cheerily the loud swelling clarionettes blow now the tones gently die now more mellow we hear the horns through the high forest echoing clear they cease and no longer prolong the swell of the concert in silence we float in silence oh listen to his woman's sweet song the bends of the river reply to each note and the ore is held dripping and still from the boat mark the sun that descends o'er the curve of the flood seize Wilmot the pencil and insta-convey to the tablet the water the banks and the wood that their colors live without change or decay when these beautiful tents die in darkness away so when we are parted and tossed on the deep and no longer the light of our prospect shall gleam the semblance of one lovely scene we may keep and remember the day and the hour like a dream when we sighed with delight as we stole down the stream end of water party on the river in the new forest water supply by Mark Twain coffee break collection 25 water this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Chad Horner from Liverpool water supply Mr. Clemens visited Albany on February 27th and 28th 1901 the privileges of the floor were granted to him and he was asked to make a short address to the Senate Mr. President and Gentlemen I do not know how to thank you sufficiently for this high honour which you are conferring upon me I have for the second time now enjoyed this kind of prodigal hospitality in the other house yesterday today in this one I am a modest man and diffident about appearing out of bodies and yet utterly and entirely appreciative of a courtesy like this when it is extended to me and I thank you very much for it if I had the privilege which unfortunately I have not got of suggesting things to the legislators in my individual capacity I would so enjoy the opportunity that I would not charge anything for it at all I would do that without a salary I would give them the benefit of my wisdom and experience in legislative bodies and if I could have had the privilege for a few minutes of giving advice to the other house I should have liked so but of course I could not undertake it as they did not ask me to do it but if they had only asked me now that the house is considering a measure which is to furnish a water supply to the city of New York why permit me to say I live in New York myself I know all about its ways its desires and its residents and if I had the privilege I should have urged them not to worry themselves over a measure like that to furnish water to the city of New York for we never drink it but I will not venture to advise this body as I only venture to advise bodies who are not present End of water supply