Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-03-14
EuP0RTAgr MILITARY Plans an
HaaDR

NAN UNI H#H HNHNN
at HtebsbnFg-Ahsmpted Change Of tie Chan
mel OF the Miss5sslppi-Ths AtchafaIauq 10 be
tic Great Rs0er If AmoTica-We15 Orleans 10
Be Left on a Bayou.
The following letter from the Msm,bi, CORE
s%pondent CT the New York World. possesses in
formation Of the greatest importance to the
people Of the whole Mississippi Valley. The
World directs attention to it. e-orresDondept,s
letter, and adds: " It VIII be sesa that q p~rsises
is on foot in connection with the siege of yicks
burg, which may change the bed Of The lower
Mississippi river, make New Orleans and Bston
Rouge inland cities, and pour the waters Of the
great " inland sea" into the Atchafalava rivsr
The consequences of this s-tupandOus engineer
ing feat may be Of moro Importance to TIE gen.
e%rations yet to come than even the issues of this
fearful war -
IMPORTANT FROM THE MISSISSIPPI.
From a conversation with an old ha5tals Of
the Mississippi river of more than thirty yesrs'
experience, am permitted to ses how. while
but little is stirring az present, the future may
be quite e~Ventf1l. And, indeed, by the time
this reaches you, a change nay have taken
place OF the utmost consequence to tbs whole
West.
Some of the leading peeuIariHes of the Lower
Mississippi are we'll known. It's low banks. its
periodical OVerhows, and the bikes By which
these overl0ws are resisted, are familiar knowl
edge. II Is not so well known, however, that the
waters Of the valley, instead of being, ike most
rivers, confined to one channel, flowing in one
bed, form, from Memphis down to the Gulf Of
Mexico, 8 series of Irregular channels, passes,
eut-offs and bayous, al Tending in the sama di
rection but frequently leaving the nam chsu-
mel, to join it again 81 intervals OF from fvs 10
five huRarsd miles. In fact the whole of The
lower bottom lands are inteTsseied with little
s~treamlets, many Of which have q direcs rise in
the parent stream and empty into It ct some
lower point Especially is this so of the Missis
sippi IN the high stages of water during the
spring. Il has, we believe, been determined by
mathematical measurement that more water
passes Columbus, Ky, in the year than passes
New Orleans, notwithstanding the great confa.
ents, the White, Arkansas, Yaz5o and Red ri7-
ers below. TIE difference Is partially to be sc-
counted Tor bythese collateral hayoos whieh take
a parallel course with the river, and in some in-
stances find their way TO the gulf By other out
lets.
So great is this tendency Of the Mississippi to
spread and wander ia his course through The
great slluvial bed, that the iaF abilsnt on fsg
banks cannot be sure that the plantation which
he bequestbs 70 his sonwill not bel fltr years
a days ride from the river New channels ard
cut-off5 are being continually formed By Che i'm
petu0us current of the stream during hi-h watsr.
and, at times, the water takes a sudden snd
unlocked for direction. In one or two instances
in the history Of the river, artificial means have
been employed with success either TO retain bhs
river to its old bed. or provide new and more
suitable one. Such ali one was made some
thirty years ago just below the mouth Of Red
river, at Racourci c~ut-of, where the Mississippi
was shortened by twenty-five miles b. cutting 2
canal from one extremity Of tire bend to tbs otbsr.
This was done in fear that he tendency Of TIE
Mississippi in cutting into the shore, st Red
river isnding, would soon cut its way so as 60
thTaw the channel inlo the AlchafsIsya river.
Now the Atchafslaya river is in lis commence
ment purely red, from the Red river, and during
the greater portion Of the year supplied from The
Mississippi, which Is higher than the Red The
project in this case succeeded, as the shortening
of the distance increased the rapidly and drain
Sge by so much that the new cut eff still retained
the channel. The consequences to the city Of
New Orleans and the river below RaconFei VIII
be seen to be enormous, AS the whole Of the Ms
sissippi might have been turned through what
IS nov the Atehafaisya, and emptied into the
gulf OF Mexico by the bsy ef thst name, q hul-
cred ard fifty mlles west Of its present mouth
This would, Of course, bavo left New Orleans
high and dry, or, at best. by The side of an insig-
nitieaut bayou. The result would be a differ
enes of thousands of millions.
Since the success of Gen. Pope and Col. Bis
sell in constructing such . channel around
Island 10, by making use Of these parallel bay
Gus, the principle has been in great favor, and
may prove to be of iRestimable service in cur
operations below.
The first attempt, as is commonly known,
was an attempt last summer to cut across the
neck of land opposite Yieksburg, 50 as to pass
the batteries of that plaza a. 4 safe distance.
That project failed at the time, for three reasons,
msinly: 1t was too late in its commencement,
the water falling faster than il could tic dug;
its mouth was not carried up shore far enough,
but TO 9 recess where, instead of receiving the
current, It merely welcomed sn eddy;
a stratum Of blue clay, about a foot thick and
of the consistency OF fresh cheese, at the bot
tom of the canal, would have prevented Che
noznel action Of the water if IL had run througa
IN sufficient q~Uantli s.
The mouth Of this canal the rebels filed up
after our Abandonment last sUnmeT. Ols Of
the first steps Of Gen. McClernaud, on hisreturn
the front OF Yicksburg, was 70 reopen the
canal, and to order the c0ustructi3u-o OF q new
Inc 70 enter further up the stream, so as to
take advantage OF the current. The iaborars are
at work upon this new section at this time. aud
a few days more will demonstrate he feasibility
Of that plan.
Shoald the water, however. eventually rush
and force 3 navig7ble passage for steam
our success viii be bus partial Last sum
the Notifications wore confined TO the imms-
vicinity Of the town. Since that time
however, f~orseeing the danger, they havs con.
5tTucsed = line of batteries dowa shs let bank
Of bluffs as far as Warrentou. Just opposite
he lower end Of TIE canal, aud fer q mile below.
he bluffs Teeede so as TO leave tho euslst iusa
Of the range Of the nesrost batteriss. both
above and below; 50 that, although tla cana it.
elf is not commanded by tbeg1as Of tho rebels,
he river below is, which is. So FAR as transports
ire concerned, tho same The number Of runs
It present mounted below Fieksbafg is probablr
act more than forty The river is st-aight. and
he chances ct being hit are for goaboats aud (
vessels by 50 much reduced. So thetI
+ the channel should be diverted to. morrow, we
Ihould simply be able to take our Transports be-
ow The city, but not below the lowest batteries
the chain. The operation Of landing a fores
Midway or the cham, and cutting of the
end would De, 80 far as heavy gaus
re concerned, quite FEASIBLE. butwouId no doubt
g resisted with the whols f3rty.hvs thousand
Foops sad to be garrisoned in and about Vicks
,urg. The method Of taking Vieksburg would. I
however, be much simplifsd by this canal, if
uceessful.
Our engineers have bean looking out for larger
perations, however, than this, and e4aalng is /
{ this moment a perfect rage. Steamboesmen
ave long been accustomed to 90 down what IS
allied Che Ysz90 pass, which has ono mouth six
below Helena, and another at Ffisr's Point
miles below, on the east bsnr. This pass
3 a stream which emptiss into the Mississippi al
ow water, and ct high water iba Mississippi /
empties into it, whence it runs inio one
f the upper branches Of the SBna3weT, thence
nto the Yazoo, and again into tie Mississippi
ieYeral very large steamers were run up from
Orleans ct its capture, and taken into the
Iunh0TeE-s total Of I've or six millions of
ropsrty. Colonel Ellst, in his pioneer descent
f the Mississippi after its closure, discovered