The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-02-24
A Tremendous Probability.

The correspondent Of the Missouri Re-
publican, with Gen. GRANTS army, gives
the following information as to one of
the proposed cut-offs by which the way
is to be opened to the Gulf:
But by far the most important opera
ton Of the three Is the propcsed canal
which IL is intended 10 cut from Lake
Providence into the Bayou lenses or
Bayou Macon. thence up the Tensas or
B@uf Rivers, into the 0uwachita and
Red River, leaving ck-burg to the
eastward fifty miles. That this is quite
feasible we have the testimony of old
river men. The Tensas and Bnuf are
at times navigabe for small boats as far
mp rs the Shreveport Railroad crossings
If q sulliciency Of the Mississippi could
be diverted into Lake Providence, the
channel would be navigabe for the
whole length Of the Tvnsas. The strip
of excavation Is less than three miles IN
width, and Gen. Macarthur is already at
work upon it, at that place with bril-
gade.
The difficulty in this case will not be
to get enough water into the channel, but
to prevent getting too much. II old
Father Mississippi but rises.an inch too
high, orit General McArlhur and Colon |
Blssell but dig out few shovels full to
much, he may not only escape YiCks-
burg, but ruin the whole of Louisiana.
The wel-kuown properties of the
Lower MississippI TO cut and spread, |
need not explain, further than to say that,
in high water, there are innumerable bay
GUS branches, ut-offl, and even rivers,
which run from and into the near, st
stream in curious alienation. The New
Orleans people noticed that, thirty years
ago, the Mississippi was eating into the
shores at the mouth Of Red River, so as
to be in danger of making over into the
Atchafalaya, a river which is fed from
this Red River and empties into the Cult
of NJ xico at the bay of that name. This
would have diverted the valuable river
aMay from tho city and LIFT it by the
side Of an insignihca bayou. 10 order
TO prevent this catastrophe, they cut
through a neck Of land, n few miles be-
low The mouth of Red River, and, the
channel, washing through, made what is
called the Racourci cutoff. This had
tho desired effect, and New Orleans has
grown somewhat in the interim.
What would be the effect of turning
any considerable portion of the Missis-
Nippi into the Tensas and Red river
There would be the most imminent dan
ger Of the torrent Of water rushing right
into the AtchafalayA with such force as
TO permanently change the bed of the
Mississippi 70 that channel.
This would be in effect to leave Vicks.
burge far inland, but il would also leave
New Orleans, too. We should have an
independent passage TO the ocean, but we
should have destroyed the prosperity OF
New Orleans and the coast. The city
would then become prey to the Coincide
rate army, and the great artery of COM
merce be transferred hundred miles
further west.
This danger has not probably been
foreseen by the engineers, but should
receive their earnest attention. SO slen-
der are the threads upon which mighty
destinies hang, that in the calculations
OF this engineer or that hang all the for
tunes and misfortunes of a people
Thousands Of millions OF dollars are q
stake.