Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-11-23

4, from two 10 three hundred feet wide an
- from fifteen TO twenty feet deep, dow
y this bayou three and a half miles TO LAX
Borgne, there ten feet of water on tn
bar. at its mouth, and from there gradu
- ally deepening, across this lake som
- twenty-five miles, until il reaches tn
splendid harbor above referred to, Wit
O sixty feet OF water.
{ The bottom Of this lake through whlcl
I, the proposed canal viii have to pass, /
composed Of no other substance thar
black mud, and perhaps some sand, al
Of which would be easily dredged, bu
9 would not probably be necessary, for if ,
{ large, wide and deep canal was mad,
from the river to this bayou, and the
s waters Of the river turned through this
canal, when the river was at its highest
point having a fall of from fourteen to
{ sixteen feet in going this mile and a
half, the water would rush through with
such force as to not only wash out the
canal and bayou, but scour its own chan
mel through Lake Borgne, until, perhaps,
in one season this would become the
main channel, and only mouth Of the
Mississippi river, and ships would sail up
10 and from New Orleans, saving the
! towage, and at the same time having as
much water at the mouth Of the river as
| up at the city; then with large ships 10
assist our mammoth river steamers,
treightS would be reduced, and for the
first time for many years would the COM
merce of the West and South return un-
! fettered TO its natural channels 20 seek
/ the oceans Of the world.
This, without doubt, would be The
case until the Mississippi river extended
It's long, narrow neck beyond the protec-
ton Of this harbor, and again enter the
ocean at an exposed point, which would
not occur in less than one thousand
years, according to the best knowledge f.
we have of the extension Of the Missis- /
sippi river.
The reason that I have for asserting
that we would have no bar or dam
across the mouth Of the river so long as
protected, is this: Take any river in the
world which enters the ocean I'm pro-
tccted harbors or bays, and there viii in
every case be found as much water az its
mouth as higher mp. And, ON the other
hand, no river, great or small, which
enters the ocean at an exposed point,
bat there is a bar or dam across its
mouth. II
As regards the proof that we viii get ]
the fourteen to sixteen feet fall in going
the one mile and a half, we know that ,
the rise and fall of the Mississippi river is
that much in front Of the city Of New
Orleans. We know that from the city to !
the mouth Of the river the distance is !
one hundrrd and twenty-five miles. &
We know that at the mouth of the river
there is no rise and fall except as ef-
fected by the tides, which is only about s
two feet
Then, Of course, in going this one hun
dred and twenty-five miles we have
iall Of from fourteen TO sixteen feet we
also know that the waters Of Lakes
B5rgne, Ponchartrain, the old and new
canals and basins, Immediately in the
rear of the city, are funIess affected tenn 7
5cTarily by the Winds on a level with :
.he waters Of the Gulf of Mexico $
knowing these facts now, if we start l.
rom the Mississippi river, at or u
lear the city, and in going one mile .
md a half we find tide water on the y
anne level with that at the mouth Of the
liver, do we not get the same fall in u
.oing this distance that we would in q
,oing the one hundred and twenty-five J.
niles Then what will be the result as
egaris the rise and fall Of the waters Of d
he river in front of the city with the il
iulf of Mexico or mouth Of the Missis- ID
ippi river only ten miles of, OF rather o
in front of the city, instead u
{ one hundred and twenty-five miles u
istant, as now "
The result cannot be otherwise than %
hat which now exists at the Bglize, or Id
mouth Of the river; no rise or fall, except u
s effected by the tide, which, as before o'
yated, is only about two feet.
This would draw the rise down perpot-l
ally 20 low water mark, leaving fully ..
,urteen feet Of bank, making to great IL
xtent the city high and dry, and, I will I,
lad, healthy, for the entire length; and "
wo-thiris the breadth Of the whole city
rould have fine underground sewerage n,
lto the river, instead Of q filthy surface le
atherage down the streets Ia the D..
there 10 foment and create dis
lee. al
This great improvement must not stop d
ere, for when accomplished, il only al
pens to view the vast commerce Of the al
reai lakes OF the Northwest, showing the w
ecessIty Of connecting their waters with pt
hose of the Mississippi river, 80 that yes cl
els may sail from their waters to amy
art in the world and return without IN
reaking cargo; and this is already half "a
ccomplished, for nature has given rs the Il
Illinois river, by which, with three locks p
ach ten feet deep, We can have, with
mple water, the finest slack water navi- pI
alton in the world for three hundred c.
niles to Lasalle-there we intersect the b.
'hicaco and Michigan canal, one hun :
red miles long, which only has to be en- III
lrged to accomplish all that is required Il
lus we stretch the sinews of commerce cl
cross 81 continent which is more binding tc
han bayonets or bands Of steel.
But great and magnificent as these re- C.,
ults may appear, and when this may all el
e accomplished, we have but laid the \
for the only plan by which ol
his great and magnificent lower valley C,
an ever be reclaimed from the annual p
Ioods Of the Mississippi river, wherein is p
o be grown the tiny fiber that is destined
% unite and web the national heart. d
But, as before stated, there has been fl
much said and written to no purpose, as
0 the best mode by which this valley n
ould be efrectually protected against the W
nnual floods Of the river Some con Il
end for the total abandonment Of the 81
whole levee system, and opening what
hey term al the outlets. a
This in part appears 10 me 70 be a fatal
.rror, for two reasons: First. This would {,
nundate the entire country, which would G.
CATER and spread the water and thereby a
o slaeken the current IN the river, that a
yhen high, the bottoms would ill d
ID, giving less space and current in the a
liver when most needed, and only % be I
Washed ont after the water receded Il
within the banks, concentrating, washing u
nd forming new channels every year. Y
;ecoud What people suppose to be out o
ets. such as the Yazoo Pass aud similar a
laees. where the water leaves the river q
nd returns to it again az some point be- d
9w, are no outlets al ali, for the tempo C
arv relief afforded where they leave the q
iver, is more than lost again where the a
water returns 70 tho river, by backing it Y
Nd and slackening the current for miles Il
hove. as we often see above Nicksburg, a
8 effected by the Yazoo river. &
No place Gan be properly termed an
utlet, except those places which are 5
.ositive outlets. What ! mean by posi- \
i've outlets. are those which convey