Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1850-10-12

1
| banks would havnf have l,een atfhsiah, tftil
sufficient number af etetassps had HttYrfed 4
thatpn HE fapidity If ll5te III point toe va
with the altasive tfstyef If the current and TIL
Resistance Of the liver banks.
II is eviant lefatote that The changes Whiel
have iaket, place IN the regimen of The Missis
sippi=-if ! MAY be permitted Ii Use The exptes
! sijfe=fptdef II ifip,ssbp ~ maintain The wioi,
| body If water beivest tba laveas fpt ,f thes,
enifsnkmeits could be kept at theit pfeseh
height without bringing tfe9asses ii Their tfaiti
| llte water t~oHla avpfflaw IL aeery direction,
| on fe other hand they are elevated sufficient
high 10 prevent this iishap. II tf6hd iatatt IN
gtpa 4 veltitiy ts the ttftant and The it4vitaIl,
testilt would lp ~, undermining Of tlis banks
r#,,sing aisti b ,tultitan II efavasses
Here tltaa Ia att situation ssel de6ded. abd j
can be surihed ~ as fHllJt#s,
The tisp Of ihp fitsf VIII III future he fat t6t
considerable fpf the tatatity Of its bed, aud II il
htthpftn1rs iftiliessbe to retain Tie water within
sueh restricted bounds ss ih,st rtsiiIt fFh,t
ali increased hevaiis, Of the lavees. The fa6es
siiy II ihaft f,ttpd p1i, s. eithsf To add to tbs
tai,atify If tie ritet's bed, ar H. eafrY eT by
some tthpf mode the sufplussage uf the element
The capacity Of The bed ,nttst be doubled 81 thert
mist be- tairiad off l,y ontiets at least sjf;nbt
tabie feet u wataf per second, during the pfeya
| lence ef high water,
| tins enlargement af The bed If HE Mississirtt
ran enly he accomplished by The natural attiot
Of The tivet and Dc this tatise operates in to'se
,le,ee Of IFS sinttahs tot,fse there in widening
| Than in deepening sehse, il would become in.
siitfileni 10 ten1te all The rtaas IT, 4 considers
| lie distance back. thus tentlsfHe necessary 1T
Immense sacrifice Of fertile lands, besides build
! ines and improvements bf etetf kind. Hpthni
than atlihtly submit IL, sth lossess the people b
ts,tsiana would doubtless prefer to run the tist
~ ihp late fuiut,,is ttas asses We ean n6t there
! FIRE step IN entertain his remedy; inexpedieh
ani inapplieabe as II is for The present,
tha oily ieans len 10 lie ,inaet these ettihats
| rassins circumstances is the opening Of lsteta
etHlsts on The aKpadieney ol which as well rs will
regard to HE ttioda or employing thati. Opinions
are very much divided Many persons tetoti
mend The discharge of The surplus waters by etie
yf I've vasf outlets whilst others are IN faYb.
ef diminishing ths volume af water by large
number IF small canals Let t,s examine bptl
measures,
The commission which has recently fnslted
lis examination 6f the Mississippi has only Dis
covered I'VE points where il would he at all prst'
tital,le to adopt he system Of vast and extensive
outlets The one would lead ~ tbe Altlafalaya
and the other ssenla penetrate nte Lake Punt
ebafifsn through the behd ri Bonnet Care.
IN bfipf 10 ie of ihte he AtehafaiHya 4 large
portion If the waters bf The Mississippi 1t would
lie necessary TO open al extensive outlet bettveen
The twa HiaHaiiis The fasitt would be a teliet
to The fivef Plantations, at sh expense hdsttvst
Of lhe overflow Of Ten parishes We tHhhot there
fire III itisifa HtIefah Ibis project before ophps
Ing ne preliminary safeguard The necessary coin
niititatipns between The Attakapas Lake and
the watsfs IT The gulf This Lake is bast
uniting within iis fblds the tsatHts bf Rcd Hiyet
and iis tributaries rs well ss ihese ffott The Mis-
10 al. 81. Il z..l
Ila1uei,,ine. This yeaf tlie etavpsses have kept
the Lake sis ieat above its uttlihnty level
Further pfopf is unnecessary to demonstrate That
The isstles from tliis Lake towards the sea are
Insufficient.
Having disposed Of this, The only outlet which
remains IL thai of bonnet Care. f6t which MARY
persons entertain q strong ptediledieh rs being
The most available place fof m immense ehtlet 10
the flyer The pattisans If His ptajaf propose
ts give This oreHing The width ef nj ieasi nile,
and 10 treate II on the ihdenttal stpt Of the
sfevasse They imagine tbat fis extensive clan@
mel will sufficiently moderate the impetuesiiy ef
the tivet lei us sec whether ii is moi ~ he feared
that this festte may lie even loo much tempered,
Were indeed The project to lie carried out OF
substituting lot The Bonnet Care rtevasse, u canal
onn tttie in width enclosed by two parallel levaesi
aud stfetthingly hy the shortest direction fbfti the
river to lake Pohtiartfaih. The water wduld rush
through the opening IN larger volume and With
sreatat velocity than il did through the etHvasss,
as indeed The calculation will show. This ebet=
nous diversion Of water would necessarily pros
duce marked effect on the bod Of the flyer
Now, the so,fidhgs taken above and bel6W ths
bend df Bonnet Care, prove that baf has been
formed across The river nj the lower extremity Of
the erssasse. The greatest depth dii this BAT 1T
the present Stage ef water is 80 feet where bsiers
ihsfe was about 100 feet If fthefefefe permanent
outlet were 70 be nihdh In the former site of the
treyasse throitgh which the water should esehps
with gfeater velocity Than 1t did through The
rfavasse, the fspidity Of the current below ths
opening woila diminish still further, and tho bar
formed by the action Of the ereyssse would con.
tnue 10 rise, The surface ofbe transyersa section
Of the liver would be enrtniled then below the
proposed outlet, and f greater quantity of water
would flow into the latter Ths velocity ot the
current there would consequently increase. whilst
II would decrease IN fha bed II The river below
The opening referred tn. In the meanwhile The
bar constantly attstnenting would in ths course Of
time close up The bed Of the river, and The Missis
sipp would then take It's course towards Lake
Fonchartrsn As soon as the river commenced
turning off from its present course, The various
mouths would become blocked up with sand, and
there would be no longer any water IN the Passes
except for the purpose Of carrying olfa dminutig6
streamlet, that might perhaps find its way oppo.
Hite New Orleans during the periodical returns Of
high water Thus the proposed channel ut Bonnet
Care would ruin tho navigation and commerce
oi Louisiana. And this revolution moreover,
would not operate impresepibly, hut on the con.
trary IN n most speedy manner; indeed three
years after the opening Of this outlet, the evil
would have beon irreyoeably accomplished This
Ia the impression that forces itself irresstiby
the mind, after one has been seen the facility with
which the Mississippi can make out for itself
new bed and fiji up the old one, az was the ease at
The Raeeourci bend. in 15fs this celebrated pas
sage was opened INTO ditch 25 feet in width, and
from 12 TO IS feet in depth. This ditch has at
present width Of 1883 feet, and depth Of 10
lathoms. The next rise Of the water win enlarge
Lhe river at this point GOO to 100 feet.
The partisans OF the proposed tapping Of the
in the bend Of Bonnet Care fortify
themselves against these sinister productions that
lhe river will throw itself entirely into Lake
by urging that since centuries the
has had branches in WHICH the declivity
was greater than in the main stream, and yet no
tendency has evinced itself towards any departure
from its natural bed.
to change its course either into the
or into the Bayous paquemine and
Lafourche, and why again it would branch off
into the large channel Of Bonnet
Care.
The velocity Of the current on the surface at
he time Of high water--in the lateral branches of
he Mississippi is as follows, per second
In the Atchafalaya, O, 60 feet;
Bayou Plaqueminc, 7 aI
Lafourche, 4, 10
Now the average velocity Of water in contracted
and sinuous currents which like these have great
lepth in proportion TO their width is, according TO
he multiplied experience Of Dnbuat, Prony, Eptef-
rein, &c, 25ths of the velocity on the surface.
The average velocity therefore of these branches
IF the Mississippi, Is as follows:
In the Atcbafalaya, 264 feet per second.
+" Bayou Piaquemine, $50 !"