The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1854-03-18

~. are under Obligations to Mr. Rsss>
,.E one Of the contractors for the improves
. .. Of tho navigation Of the Red River At
Al.,sndris, for an accosnt Of the progress
Of the works.
IdA. design Of the works is to open a
.Hskm4 throsgh the different lodges Of
.ock. forwAng what are now called the
LAYER Fails, tho Upper Falls, and the
R,o,ds-lhc channel to he sixty feet wide,
9th AT actual depth Of FIVE feet Of water
=, ali times. In the year 1852. the State
Legislature made an appropriation OF e2O.>
nO0 and placed it under the control OF 4
hoard Of commissioners thereby created
Thr first chairman Of the board WAS lho,
Y Hickman, Esq, Of the parish Of Rap
,ds, who died OF yellow fever last sums
me, lie was succeeded by his brother,
the present chairman, Peter L. Hickman.
Of the same parish. The engineer who
act, in conjunction with the board ia Col
Lewis G. Deisussey.
Operations were commenced on the 18th
If December last by Mess's Mailleiert and
Rnsslof, submarine engineers, and have
heep continued since without interruption
and with constant succeas. There 10 now
, channel cut through the Lower Falls,
with "A width OF siAty feet, Tor = length OF
Tires hundred and fifty feet, and Of depth
carving from three to six feet This chan
mel !. to be deepened, aud 10 expected to
become available during the next low wa
ter season. The appropriation already
n IN. Lot. tt..
provement OF the Lower Falls.
The commissioners have addressed II
memorial to the Legislature, asking for An
additional appropriation OF fifteen thousand
dollars. for the improvement, OF the Upper
Falls and Rapids.
Mr. KaasloT informs ~ that IL the com
missioners succeed in obtaining this add
tooa appropriation. operations will bs
commenced on the Upper Falls and Rapids
during the next high water season. and the
whole Improvement may be accomplished
next year. II the appropriation is not
granted, the improvement Tor the present
time will have to he confined to the open
ing of channel through the Lower Falls,
The benefit to be derived from this partial
Improvement will, however. be very CON.
siderable, inasmuch as the hauling distance
will be reduced from over one and bali
niles, to less than one half OF mile. The
Inconvenience aud loss of time to travellers
will Likewise be reduced in the same pro
portion.
The interruption Of navigation over the
Falls has no.. lasted over six months, and
the actual loss inflicted upon the upper Red
River country, cannot be estimated at less
than one hundred aud fifty thousand dol
lars. aud n,as become quite serious II the
cotton market should experience any con.
siderable decline, consequent upon the dis.
.urbances in Europe.
The hedges forming the Fails were found
to consist OF LAYERS Of "a soft sandstone,
mpregnated with mari. alternating with
LAYERS OF hard bule clay. The lower strata
OF the work were found to be agood deal
harder than the upper The escsvst'o" To
be made in the Upper Falls is very cons'd
cradle, the length OF these Fall. and Rapids
being nearly twelve hundred feet
II the State designs to carry out this
policy, there is every ipducement Of econ
omy to make the appropriation forthwith,
and have the works completed AZ soon AS
unasibln