New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-02-24


rive repubsh the following able paper, as the sub.
ject is one at present attracting some attention:
NEW ORLEANs, Feb. as, 1857.
Messrs Editors paper has recently appeared
from the State Engineer Department. advocating
the opening OF outlets, and opposing the closing
of the Bayou Plaquemine.
The proposition Tor closing the Plaquemine meets
with favor from many Of our oldest, most Intelligent
and most experienced citizens and many OF our best
engineers have been and OF the opinion that no
injury whatever, TO the river below, would result.
The writer believes IT to be demonstrate that over
flow could not possibly result and IS conndeni thas
every known fact and all experience, Is opposed to
such conclusion. The writer proposes % review 50
much OF Mr. Hebers report as relates 70 the question
of outlets. The State Engineer refers TO Mr.. Ellets
paper on the Mississippi, in tones of high commenda
fioh Iwould therefore call attention to article Of
my own. In review Of Mr. Elet, published In DeBows
Review for August, 1862. Like Mr.. Hebert, II viii
not pretend to lay claim 70 originality in my views "
many Of our most talented engineers have arrived at
conclusions similar 70 my own. ! win only claim to
have studied and investigated the subject thoroughly
and to have been governed only by these investga-
fiods. Mr.. Hebert says ION page l5) that the rise
and tall Of the river increases gradually from the
Gull to the Ohio. AT New Orleans it is 10 feet;
at Baton Rouge some 81 feet " Helena about AS
feet and so on" This does not convey precisely the
true idea At the mouth Of Red river the rise Is about
45 feet and thence 70 the0hio the rise is everywhere
about the same. or, from AS to 80 feet Aboce Red
river shoals at intervals. Belosc Red river the
character OF the river Ii very different it is very
deep even at low water, and the total rise and fall
dinnishes regularly from the mouth Of Red river to
Mr. Fl. admits page 1867 that !" the first settlers
along the Mississippi found rich lands annually Tor
nearly soy overlooked by the river, also numerous
outlets n and elsewhere that all these outlets except
ing the Atchafalaya, Plaquemine and Lafourchc,
have been closed also, that leyees have been ex-
tended to and into Missouri but, he says ION page
Isl that now u places where there was sufficient
protection afforded by evees Of one and two feet in
height, require levees Of six, oreight fee
admit that places this has occurred. but only
in the bends where the river has cut away and en-
croAched upon the high or front lands This is not
the case Oh the points, or on stght reaches, where
this front high land has not caved IN and where the
original levee yet exists Here we find the leyee Of
the same height as at first Ample evidence can be
obtained to prove this, in the vicinity of Baton
Rouge lnasmuch as the land slopes back from the
river everywhere it follows Of that where the
river encroaches upon its banks each new evee has
TO Ae made higher and higher, they are built fur
theE and further back not because the river rises
higher but because the land becomes ioscer at the
site OF each new levee. There Is no remedy for this
exdept efficient leyee system and division of the
burden in maintaining levees
Outlet or no outlet the river will always cut away
its banks or it did so when there were no leveea at
all and unless we are prepared to surrender the
wbpe Of Louisiana (fhe aluyinn) lean no remedy
but good leves in place Of the imperfect ones gener
ally built
assert, and series OF cross sections at dlferenT
stages Of water, from high to low, (taken at the
point and from established zeroes at high water mark
In each case,) witest the truth talsy of my po-
stipn, that the channel OF the Mississippi or rather
the area 81 its crosseection, changes tcith ereyy
chdnge in the hGightb of the Tirer that it IS much
less at low than at high water that it diminshes by
deposit as the river falls; that it increases as the
river rises and that the equilibrium between the size
OF channel and quantity OF water passing Is always
maintained at each and every stage OF water. This
securing ont progresses as the river rises and If an
outlet has closed during low water this securing
goes lille further below said outlet than before.
II an outlet has been opened during low water this
securing ceases sooner SO that In every case, (and
seventy to one hundred years experience proves IT'D
change whatever results to the heighth or plane OF
descent consequent upon the opening or closing of
outlets. When outlets are made or closed, at high
waiter, temporary fall or rise y the effect, because
then the river requires some little time to accommo-
date itself 10 the sudden change 10 its requiem. II
has time while II i rising II the outlet has been
closed Or opened during ioip stage. For the thou
sanhth time we have the river Pc compared to the
Mississippi Levees were not the cause Of the rise in
the bed Of the Pc only the effect The cause was
and Is the extension of its delta into The The
head being constant the extension OF It's delta for rs
or 30 miles into the sea, during period OF 1000
years Of course changed its plane Of descent and ee
waited the river between the extremes, or head aud
discharge. In order to retain the land already re-
claimed the eyees had to keep pace with this rise
bat they were not the cause only the effect In the
course Of the next thousand gears this may to some
little extent be the with the Mississippi but
suFedy outlets win not prevent H. retard IT, unless
we give up all to humiliation and go back to the
primitive wilderness. In every instance where the
old original eyee exists. and there are hundreds
OF such localities IL (the ryer) is no higher than at
first, and the water rises higher against the levee
than did 80, Is or loo years ago. Any amount Of
evidence can be produced to prove this hundreds of
witnesses will testify TO It. Why Is it that those in
favor of outlets shut their eyes To all these well
known facts They give us no data, no measure
mfnts, no facts all, all is theory all their positions
are assumed.
On page n, It is said q We must give vent to the
surplus waters Not by tearing down all cur leVees
but say by tearing down some of them,p ETC. Ii is
taey admitted here that outlets could not be leyeed
I'M (and this is really an mpossihility without OBJ
sttuetsng the discharge of an outlet tsef) therefore
it Is proposed deliberately to make creuasses at inter
Uds along he fiUer. This must be gratifying to all
those who own or cultivate land off or back from
the river in Attakapas or everywhere, except on
thb immediate bank, or on the points OF the Mssis
sibpi river. Where would you begin2 Indicate one
locality and point ont who Is 10 suffer first And all
this too when the effect Of crevasse (accoFding &c
MI. Heberts approved authority, Chas Ellet, Jr) il
to diminish Immediately the channel below each ani
every outlet or erevasse.
Gov Hebert was right as to the effect OF the Rae
cdurci cutoff. Cut-ofs do raise the river below b,
changing the plane OF descent (; but an outlet doe
not change this plane Of descent neither will til
closing Of an outlet change it by raising the rive
b4ow; This neper has been the effect, and ventur
ID say teiH be. The two cases as difteren
a. north from south there Is ne parallel whateve
between them. Aside from the question OF outlets
there Is much 10 commend in Mr.. Heberts report
AID the writer frankly profers his humble testimony
with that Of Others already given, to this effect
desire to arrive at the truth has alone prompte
the above, and no disrespect whatever is intended
our able State Engineer.
CIV. X. BAyLEY.
q rf1fs