The Arkansas advocate., 1834-02-21


 be stated, that the snags are much less nu- merous above Iittle Rock than below if; and on the sketches which will accconpany this report, exhibiting in detail every part of the river, with it's channels, sand bars, shoals, reefs of rock, Sec, shall mark those bends which are particularly bad.-- Judging from tie number of prostrate trees et some of the falling banks, which bore marks of having recently fallen, l should infer thaf The river acts upon the sfiable soil on it's borders with very great force, and all observation and testimony agree in proving this to be the ease.
 he question of the piaetie5saiity ei io- moving these Instructions has. fortunately, been entirely settled by the success Of Capt. fS55iiireye ou inc Ohio and Mississippi rivers; and as to the expediency of the measure, little doubt can be entertained, ader a very slight examination of the importance of this navigation to an extensive Territory, winch is fast increasing in population and wealth. and which is destined very soon to be received as q State into the American confederacy. There are already five or six steam boats regularly employed il inc trade of this river during the boating sea- son, besides one or two others which make an occasional trip, and this number must soon be increased to supply the wants of country which Is rapidly filing up with en- igrants, The larger class of these boats carry from 100 to l25 tons, and draw, when loaded, from four to five and five and half feet of water; others draw, when light, two feet, and even less. The boating season begins late in the fall, or early in the win- ter, and sometimes continues without much interruption through the winter and spring, and eat!Ypaft of summer; occasionally, how ever, ii is subject 10 long and tedious inter- vals from the lowncss of the water; but be- lieve 1t has rarely happened that there has not been time 10 transact the necessary freighting business of the country in steam boais, before the low water of the latter ed that kind of navigation, though trips up stream in keel boats have occasionally had to be made at great expense, to supply some urgent demand. I he best informed siearp boat captains and pilots, with whom i nave eonvefsed, agree in saying, that in general one foot more ol water ss,sss be
 ssi,oa sa se h''as ss , sss.asss Afotg wafer there IS usually from TWO 10 tWt and a half feet on the shallow bars betweeI i title Rock and the mouth of the river.
 By the law of the Sd July, 1892, with al extract from which l was furnished by you SIS, ,000 are appointed for improving tlle navigation of the Arkansas, 'Proesded tht Engineer Department, after due exanolna ton, is satisfied that during portion oi tht ensuing year, the men and machines now employed in removing obstructions Tn th' Ohio and Mississippi rivers, can be more usefnlIy employed in removing those of th'
 Arlxapsas river.n Tn obedience to your m
 structions, I saw Capt. Shreve in Lotus
 vile. Ky. and obtained from him the siz'
 and draaoht of the different boats used bJ him tooether with much other yaluablc@in formation. The fielepells snag boat draw
 about six feet of water, the Afchtnede
 snae boat, about three feet three inches, ant inc double flat boats, used for pulling III
 enaos in shallow water by manual labor, b
 a purchase similar to that on the snag boat
 can work in water from one and halt
 two feet deep. The Helepolis probabl draws too much water to be used to adyaf
 face in iha Arkansas, except, perhaps, l
 the first sixty or eighty miles from its mouf n. a medium, stage of the river, but the A chimedes can doubtless work to great at X vantaoe, for considerable lengths of tim' i when the Mississippi IS too high to adinlt work being done on it, as. tor instance. 7 June and the early part of July of thus SCI
 con. afier Capt. Shrcve's return from II
 raff of the Red River, and the double fl ] boats will at all times Dc very efficient q , zines at low water.
 ;, With feeerd to the estimate of the e | pense, which ! am required by your Il e structions to furnish, must speak With c, IT ceedipg eiiffidcnec, both from the feiy . regular nature of the work itself, and T ;, own want of experience. No better met 2 cd occurred to me, than to enaeavor to a T certain as nearly as possible, the number ,t snags which would require removal, ana e fix the cost at lhs same pnce tor each u . # was stated Capt. Delaiieid to ha l. amounted to, on the Mississlppi rlyer.- ,- This f:tte may he too high, because ,e snaosi in the Arkansas, are III general sm e- Ter than those in the Mississippi, or It m ,e he foo low, because there may be not a. same facility in dIsposing of roots oi ,w snags in the upper part of the Arkans' to that tbere was in thc deep water oi or ~ bends of tue Mississippi; experience aloi ale ,,s:er nar,ial trial, can lead 10 deiinile a ero 7 accurate results. The water not haVi en. beeo auite at its lowest stage, when e en seS e;naa the river, am not able to state 'ite l'''..s t1,s, ,he number of snags which are hat, the way, bat evul.sa ,.s.,,. ;ro.,;r;es of Arg visible, ana i,'aoe an isrns,'s and exoerier nks, sons upon whose Jo1 s,;th view to ,s G at certain the additional allowance 10 ps an'