Washington telegraph., 1851-01-29
q VALUABLE DOCUMENT.
BAroN ROUGE. November. 1850.
Stote EnUineer's Office

BAroN ROUGE, November. 1850,
State Engineers Office.
TO VIM. R. Adams. Esq, Editor of the
Baton Rouge Gazette:
RED RIvER.-This river. navigable, or
,usce ptible of being made so. for 1900
niles from the Mississippi. through a
country unequalled in fertility aud rich
noes of soil, is destined one day to be the
Garden spot of the South.
Peculiar in its character. unrivalled in
;,s resources, it presents field for OBJ
.ervation and study, differing in many
,espects from the other tributaries of the
Mississippi. The changes which have
heen effected by former RATS. and those
now in progress in consequence OF the
crescent one, are peculiar features in the
history of Red River. These must be
examined attentively-tiine and efforts
,boroughy understood before correct
opinion can be for ned as to the best plan
for the permanent improvement OF this
river The valley of Red River is very
similar TO that of the Mississippi being
entirely alluvial and covered with dense
growth of heavy timber. The immediate
banks of the river are considerably elevat-
cd above the adjaceut lands, aud are
easily acted upon bv the force OF the
current; in consequence. large amount
.of seGimenrary matter is held in suspen
sion by the water.
The dec!Ination of the river is very
;rreguar, but it is said to average eight
inches per mile My own opinion is,
that it will not exceed six. At low
sage, the water upon the shoals is from
three to five feet deep.
The old raft of Red River at one time
commenced near Natchitoches. Above
This lower section, 1 conceive the river
must have been comparatively clear aud
oper as high up as the Cashatta Chute.
At the time the removal of the raft was
commenced by the United States. the
lower end was at Loggy bayou, some
FORTY miles above Cashatta. We are in
aorme9 that the Governor of Louisiana
ordered the troops stationed at Natchi-
toches. to bank up. aEd cause TO float of
all the lower part of the raft. This. and
the natural decay of the timber, will ac-
count for the disappearance OF the raft
below Loggy bayou, when We consider
likewise the force of the current, and the
amount of water passing out OF the
mouths of Bayou Pierre, Cashatta Chute
aud Loggy Bayou.
All .he water passing out of Red River
above. on the east and west, had of ue-
cessi,y to return TO the main stream
through the bayous above named, oD ac-
count of the proximity of the highlands
10 the river at their several mouths.
II is evident that the lower part of the
raft, a ready weakened by decay, would
tinaIly yield 10 the force OF the current
from these bayous and pass off Before
the commencement of the formation of
RATS, the river between Shreveport aud
Grand Ecore must have beel wide with
hioh banks, aud OF sufficient capacity 10
discharge all The water coming from above,
as is the case now below Grand Ecore.
and above the raft aud its influence. Ii Is
very possible hat the raft may al one
time have extended below Alexandria,
and have been occaSioned by :he back
waller from he Mississippi soon after Red
River forsook lis legitimate channel TO the
Gulf. (the Atchatalaya,) or it may have
oriyina-ed from the accidental collection
of family of snags which arrested the
drift Whether the one, or the other
was the original cause, or not is Compare
,ively uni,nportant The effects and
their removal are the subjects requiring
most attention.
AS before stated tie banks Of Red River
cave easily and rapidly; ii follows that an
immense number of trees fall lntO the rlv-
er ann~ally These trees are carried
along by the force of the currenr at high
water, and are firmly wedged into the raft
From one to two miles is added TO the
raft in this manner every year.
The raft acts as dam. the water is
raised many feet above its natural level
and makes its escape laterally over its
banks The back water extends many
miles, aud all the valley on ea"h side
and for long distance above is inundat-
ed-submerged The earthly matter held
an suspension 10y the water being deposit
ed in the raft, soon fills up the channel,
aud makes the dam almost perfect one
The loss of current above causes depos-
it TO be made III the bed of the river, aud
IN consequence the lateral overflow Is in-
creased From one TO two miles OF the
whole valley of Red River is thus ruined
every year. Bodcau Lake was once a
pralrie-Loier and Clear Lakes were dry
iand-and Caddo prairie which five years
ago was above the reach of overflow and
Ole of the most fertile bodies of land in
Louisiana is now at high water overhowed
from five to ten feet. Long Prairie IN
Arkansas as we'll as the whole valley will
soon share its fate.
Let us consider in what manner we
must apply our remedy. Simply remov-
ing the raft will not answer; the river
below has become too contracted. aud Is
too ,nunh .na,od L.1 s,,aar> and hu