The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1851-02-20
pnnn.nl.n FurunF DEsrauCrIoN oF

lumber Ol copies ot ilie repDft,ut ehgl
ieers ON the inundatinns of the Lowel
A debate ensued. in the
,oursc Of which Senator Ewing Of Ohio.
poke ss follows;
/ think. Mr, President. i'll HERE is any
lncum-u, that ought To be printed for
the purpose OF Information, Ills this -
The winIe valeyof the Mississippi is
interested in tha, improvemeni--the .Ip |
rer p,rllon Of The valley perhaps nearly
as much as The lower portion, Il is
matter of greatimportauce uhal the Ouile'
If The mississippi river should he in rnme
way protected from inuudatlons which
incrc asing yearly. aud increasing from
nbvinns and very natural causes Sumo
improvements which have been attempt
I'D 10 l,r made in The navigation, by cut.
hing OF bends III the river. have lende.
.ln incrrasn the Aundlpg nf the LnwrrI
Mississippi very much, Ms, Ivy making ihr
curreui more rapid. larger aud heavirr
qnau,ity Of aluvium has been carried
dawn and 'Iepo,ited very deeply IN the
bn,inm rf The stream al its mouth, of
rnurse elevailng lhe surface nf the river,
and causing il Ia overflow its banks
The improvement Of the month of'h"
Mississippi, aud the protrclion Of that
stream. is. venture to say. the eIratesl
work that WINS ever undertaken by man.
| am ssti,fi IT. that there is nnlhng that
Iapproaches il in magnitude aud imporI
ance. We all know that in every cpun'
TRY changes are continually going on near
1.-The mouths Of rivers passing through an
alluviaI country The banks continue
Ito nverlnw as the surface uf the river
rises from tho accumulation nt the aIlu
vial deposits at it's month. aud where the
county becomes inhabited, and building
are erected and towns built. so thai the
spot becomes fixed and stationary IN eIe
Ivnrion, The river, constantly teudmg te
rise above that level. threatens todesiroy
Them. Nav, sir, unless sutne means ar"
taken 10 remove The difficulty at the
mouth Of the Mississippi The spot on
which New Otlcaus now stnndS mus; in
lrviIubly, ia the course uf one ar twn hun
Idred Years, brcume utterly Unuhabl'ahie
aud "A pacc where nn city conrXls at all
The river is constantly pushiugils mnIth
into the Gulf 10y pressing inward thl>
alIuvimm That mikes the inclined plane
continually lrsa d constantly elrva'rS
III" body nf the whole stream above -
This process is cnnIinually going on, and
Ihas been the case with other rivers. even
siuce the earliest records OF history u
Homer and'lh Greeks can be imphcillS
relied upon IN regard 10 the geography
IF their county, the Island oi. PhaI"s
bich is now Connected with the Egyp
,ian coast, nnd lies Gfyor sixty mlIr'
from nne of the mouths Of the Nile, once
ironIed the principal mouth "t that river
aud was a fun days sail from il. Now
that river has pressed "ut. At that par'l
cnlar place. fifty or sixty mites II ila'
made its channel and its banks there
, leaving a guIfupnn each side. That old
channel has ceased To exist aud the rive
7 has changed tn totally different place
. and there Is nothng bat small csIiai IN
!. stead Of the chanue Of The Nile. at tha
place where the Nile originally l"wed
Well. these things mus, 90 on rapid
# here in the Mississippi river. aud III
. gres, question. the mighty problem. 1t
to determined how this thing is {" be re-
: me,Iitd II is n mutter not for L"nisiah
Il atone, nor for any particular srcri"n alone
~ hut i, is n subject fpr the rellpcli'n ui III
"a whole nation, aud | very much desire Iho
a The attention of the nnlion should b
" brought tn the mhjrct. Az m inhabitm
of the Mississippi valley, | nm obliged !
=, the Srnainr from L"ui@iaua Mr Dawn
y tor having brought before ns this prppus
" ion to print and circulate this dncnmen
which will give snme inflammation upu
i. The euLjrcr, aud enable men To reile'
,r upon II.
, Nav. I dn moi know what can he dor
" t.. temedy this difficulty in the valley
the Mississippi, believe the appu
uiallnn We make here 10 Louisiana IS II
tnDly inefficient. | have no idea il wi
N approach within one tenth nf the amour
n ni the actual cost which will he necrssal
nj ~ prndure the result. think The chal
s mel viii have necessarily Ia he rpenr
a from some paint near the mouth at III
Is Red liver. extending Ia the Vermillio
r nr Alchafalaya bay that there Will hay
II ln be wide uue cffrcrcd hy emhnnt
;. nrnrs. 80 M to carry off he surplus wale
T. hnr vet not made deep enough Ia dive
IL, ,,.nt,, c,.,n tha channel ,f thp rive