Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-11-13
Rapids Coayans on,
Friday, Oct. 9Th 1851.

Rapids Convent on.
Friday, Oct. 9Th 1851.
Henry w. STARR, Esq, Of Burlington re-
spande. TO a call made by the Convention:
He said that the Convention had great re- son
to congratulate itself the result of its debera-
tons. He had been highly pleased to hear the
resolutions reported BY the committee, adopted as
the senhmcn: Of the Convention. II had been a
matter of anazemeat 10 him. as ii must have been
to every thiaaing nan. that ,ae subject had been
SO long neglected. When the extent OF country
which this stream irrigated was considered, the
seven hundred miles of navigable waters above
the Lower Rapids-the two hundred and fifty
miles OF his Tributaries. the Iowa. s; Peters, aud
ST CroiN-tw was astounding that the Government
had so long SLEPT in regard 10 the importance of
improving the R,pids. Where was the blame t.
be attached in this matter? He held no man ac-
conntahle but he desired to advert to the cause
of the delay, which that the character Of the
Instructions had been misrepresented in the
Halls of Congress, in convention OF the people,
and in the public papers. Lieut.. LEE, Of the
Typographical Engineers, had years before made
an examination of the condition Of the Lower
Rapids, and hal after Sounding the depths TWEEN
ty-ive times da.oailly, located the channel, and
ascertained the striking fact, that there was no
bottom with ten foot pole in the greater part Of
! ii. What, then, was the trouble? 1t was only this
that the water had been, and was now contnu-
ing to cut its way through the rock which am5;-
tons man had been too i,zy TO do, and il had not
fully rem owed it. as ii proceeded, but had left n-
merous chains of rocks, th> sharp projections of
which placed the steamer passing up anu down
in imminent danger.
At point near Nashville, the channel turned
at RICH: angle, and IN low water the steamer was
compelled, BY a powerful carrent forcing them
directly down against the chain. to follow this
channel. II had been urged by Congress, that
the removal of these distractions would be at
tended with al enormous cost but there were
men then standing near him ready to take the con
tract TO clear out the distractions for dfty thou
sand dollars. They had been told os dams and
canals, but this was papable insllt to The maeS-
tic current of the Father of Waters. II would
be sheer nonsense to attempt to dam its waters,
and thas increase the tax on navigation, 10 Till the
purses of private company. -. that was NEG
essarv was for Congress 20 say the word and, the
object woald be accomplished; for it was moi the
work Of a year but of season. Ii we desired to
see hheralitv IN government towards one OF its
constituent paris, we had oalv to look al the APP
preparations made by Great Britain for the i'm
psoyenent OF the navigation of the s. lawrence
she construction OF canals at the expense Of
millions OF pounds ssertnr-yliist their i'm por-
lance compared with the Mississippi. was insig-
niScant Why could not the General Govern
men. extend the same h5erality towards the Great
Wes'-an important and productive valley, COM
p.sing over half of the Uaioa.
The enterprise Of the western p,ople made the
pl5.lc lands valuable, and thus increased the rev.
enae, Tor sooth to be distributed for the Improve.
ment OF eastern coasts, AMI We Were compelled TO
beg of them as favor, that which common JUS
tice would grant as a right. Tnare should be no
agitation of local interests in bringing this matter
before Congress. but they should unite, and by
the power or the matted opinions OF thos, States
directly interested, maze their representatives.
feel that thew must act for taeir astitaency, ana
not hv the dictates Of neh whose interests were
no; in favor OF our object. Hitherto, they had
been pat in every lo.-rony bill and this was
what had defeated their object, bit they now
wished TO 20 before Congress on their own mar
its, and it they did, their prospects of success
would be Far better, and they could then know
who were the enemies TO internal improvements.
Mr. Kenneth had very correctly advertei to the
fact OF the necess tv of IN Akin, Improvements at
the month of the Mississippi, for the distractions
at that point We're ser.ons Obstacles to their COM
merce, though thew were not SO palpable as those
on the Rapids. He seriously hoped. that the
commercial interests ,arest 10 that ocaitv would
express, they had, in louj and truthful Ian
gnage, their feelings in relation to the injustice
of allowing the commerce Of this valley to suffer,
and TO demand that their rights be given them
and b. the representatives of both o.ali,ies join
ing hands in defeace of thar interests, and work
Ing together, their requirements would not be
neglected, they had been for the last ten wears.
The previous efforts to clear the Rapids, though
the work b, I'd only been CART ID on for seventeen
DAYS, when the ice compelled them TO stop, had
so much improved the navigation that some OF the
Oldest and most experienced masters and pilots Of
steamers had voluntarily proiferei their testimo-
nv in endorsement of the fact.
The following letter. being the testimony adj
verted to. was then read, BY request, to the Con-
venton:]
Tae undersigned being now and having been
long engaged as practical navigators on the Mis-
o.,l hat, f,,~ In Oh IF
said river across the Des M,nes and Rock River
Rapids, and with the true character of the OBJ
sructions to the navigation at these points. unite
in expressing the opinion that the difficulties do
not arise from the scarcity OF water at low stages
SO mach as from the crooked and winding track
of the channel, AMI the projecting points of rock
on the sides Of the SAM, and IN the beds of the
river We further unite in the opinion, that the
navigation may be easily and cheaplv made safe
and available, at all stages of water, by removing
the projecting rocks in some places, and straight
ean, the channel at others.
[Sisaedl L. Morehonss master sse,mer D .hnlue
Jas McGnnes, Uriah Bfock, Pilots; S,mpe
r. Harrow. master steamer L,martne; Carl
Milford. Pilot James McKen. Master; n P.
Hubbard, steamer GlaucuS. Milford p. Hall,
Pilot; George King. Capt. Wyoming; Henry
Carson; Charles Barger m ,ster steamer Dam
ube; r NJ Henderson. clerk ditto, G. P. Cor
mack. Henry Elkeson. Pilots.
Burlington, October 1851.
Mr. Starr sid he thought that he was placed
l.. an unfortunate position, he being called on TO
respond to the resolutions intro lnced by the 81
Louis delegation. He did not know waat fare
they had 70 lnd-whether they had found the
latch string hanging out, and themselves welc N.
bat if it had not been so, il was oversight, for
they were glad to have an opportunity OF bestow.
ing N cir Inequalities upon the citizens of Ms
souri, on an occa s;oa such as the present. 1t hal
given them great pleasure to meet IN social rela-
tons. "a well "a in Convention. man OF their in