Élet a Mississippin

PEATÜKK 1.

Chapter 1.

Jõgi ja tema ajalugu

The River and Its History

Mississippist tasub tõesti lugeda.

THE Mississippi is well worth reading about.

See ei ole tavaline jõgi,

It is not a commonplace river,

vaid vastupidi, igas mõttes tähelepanuväärne.

but on the contrary is in all ways remarkable.

Kui pidada Missourit tema peaharuks,

Considering the Missouri its main branch,

on see maailma pikim jõgi —

it is the longest river in the world —

neli tuhat kolmsada miili.

four thousand three hundred miles.

Võib vist julgesti öelda, et see on ka maailma kõige looklevam jõgi,

It seems safe to say that it is also the crookedest river in the world,

sest ühel teekonna lõigul kulutab ta tuhat kolmsada miili, et läbida sama maa, millest vares lendaks üle kuuesaja seitsmekümne viiega.

since in one part of its journey it uses up one thousand three hundred miles to cover the same ground that the crow would fly over in six hundred and seventy-five.

Ta kannab merre kolm korda rohkem vett kui Püha

It discharges three times as much water as the St.

Laurentiuse jõgi,

Lawrence,

kakskümmend viis korda rohkem kui Rein

twenty-five times as much as the Rhine,

ja kolmsada kolmkümmend kaheksa korda rohkem kui Thames.

and three hundred and thirty-eight times as much as the Thames.

Ühelgi teisel jõel pole nii tohutut valgala:

No other river has so vast a drainage-basin:

ta ammutab oma vee kahekümne kaheksast osariigist ja territooriumist;

it draws its water supply from twenty-eight States and Territories;

Delaware’ist,

from Delaware,

Atlandi rannikul,

on the Atlantic seaboard,

ja kogu maalt selle ja Vaikse ookeani nõlval asuva Idaho vahel —

and from all the country between that and Idaho on the Pacific slope —

neljakümne viie pikkuskraadi ulatuses.

a spread of forty-five degrees of longitude.

Mississippi võtab vastu ja kannab Lahte viiekümne nelja aurulaevadele laevatatava lisajõe vee

The Mississippi receives and carries to the Gulf water from fifty-four subordinate rivers that are navigable by steamboats,

ning veel mõnesaja jõe vee, mida mööda saab sõita lodjade ja kiilpaatidega.

and from some hundreds that are navigable by flats and keels.

Tema valgala on sama suur kui Inglismaa,

The area of its drainage-basin is as great as the combined areas of England,

Walesi,

Wales,

Šotimaa,

Scotland,

Iirimaa,

Ireland,

Prantsusmaa,

France,

Hispaania,

Spain,

Portugali,

Portugal,

Saksamaa,

Germany,

Austria,

Austria,

Itaalia

Italy,

ja Türgi pindala kokku;

and Turkey;

ja peaaegu kogu see lai ala on viljakas;

and almost all this wide region is fertile;

Mississippi org,

the Mississippi valley,

kitsamas mõttes,

proper,

on seda erakordselt.

is exceptionally so.