The distance across was a little over a mile.

It was Williams' expectation that when the river rose it would cut a navigable channel through; but the canal started in an eddy from both ends, and, of course, it only filled up with water on the rise without doing any execution in the way of cutting.

Mr.Lincoln had navigated the Mississippi in his younger days and understood well its tendency to change its channel, in places, from time to time.

He set much store accordingly by this canal.

General McClernand had been, therefore, directed before I went to Young's Point to push the work of widening and deepening this canal.