Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-02-16
'EzSgs GREAT BsSyEa s'DNTES-
fpete-
lIspIlL llorEL

Mississippi River got fairly TO work to day
re various delegations had 81 arrived the
ey1aing previeas, and upon the presentation
o. tle repess oi the committee on credsu-
tials, which was not made until this morn
NJ, il was ascer.ainel iba; there were five
hun ireland ten delegates present represent
iag the several State enumerated in pre-
) -, c5s- ssordrnce.
The morning haur was spent in hearing
ln shove naa4, report, reading letters
irom distinguished PERSONS invied. bat who
yeTa uaa5.e - rasrspl AID thereafter j.
Ag.att, os Gen. Wilson'S s.aA OF engineers,
uuder hose saperutcndancc the hydro.
graphic survey of the Upper Rapids had
been made, was called upon to address the
c3uventicn
SPEECH OF J. Z. ABBOTT.
Kr. Er,s.a.hi ahi Gsa.iertea of tie Conuta!.on
have letter here from Cen. Wilson, which.
l.ith ,oar consent | wil ask the Secretary ~
r-ad. liae .e.tcr WAS read as tolows
DlvevroRr, Iowa. Feb. :, lss7
af ne,e ATTAIN This note will be handed
I Z. j. Ia u,
of tie Civil Engineers on the Rapids improve
ment iiels delegate to vonr Convention and
VII eiva yea ali tie data called for IN your letter
cf Jan. -. Just received. am sorry have not
iiase to ,i>.t -. Louis myself, bu. nrn exceed
iueiy busy now ia getting up INV Illinois river
report. ! hope st. Louis wall not oppose the
proposed Improvement of that stream and its
connection with The lake. but Will give II "A
hearty ua1 generous support. ! see hy the
morn.ns papers taai my report ON The improve
iucnt 81 the rgpids has been sent to Con.ress-
wish ou curii - q copy o! II, and THINK
vour Convention mi ght do II by making the ra-
quest OF the C0,nmlttee on Commerce.
II can do anything more han hsve done
in forwarding the interests OF navigation on
| tue Mssissippi hope you Will advise iac AZ
once and will gladly respond.
Very respectfully yours. &C.
Capt Jas. 4. Griffith. j. II. WILSON.
ALLOW ne TO repeat the last clause of thi. let
"rf ca, do ANYTHING more than have dere
in forwarding the interests of navigation on the
Mississippi, | hope YOU viii advise me at once
aud will gladly respond
Gentlenen, tina, IS the sentiments of the en-
gineer corps tina: have had charge OF the lily Gro-
g.aphic Department Of tn, survsy o. the upper
fnpids of tire Mississippi riser, and if the yeo-
pie of the States along that river were halt as
earnest ia tae woiS The engineer corps, 1t
would be donc JUS. as soon as ttIne would let 1t
~ ioae. Applause iou have asked iar in
iorma,l on | have 10 pick i: up by piecem- al
will ray eut very little about the lower rap ida
as | am not so familiar with them. but | will
briefly c1l your atteuticn TO one phenomenon.
At tis lowef rapids ne have river i've thou
n. feet VIDE al the upper rapids We have =
river iess than lwo Thousand feet vide. AT .he
lover rspids we have n river the area OF whose
crass section IS bat very little than The are q
q. the Gloss section al the river at the uppe-
rapids.
.lence YOU have more water spread over
tiyo Ia ,usani feet at he lower rapids 'haa you
have spread over less t4an two thousand feei at
tas upper rapids. SO You see at once tho Pie
nnncaa oi the rapids is entirely different The
!nwsr rapids is one eon,.nnon- chain of rocks
The water is spread oyer thcta al an average
If three tour and five feet per haps. in pools not
exceeding n dep:h ei tive or six ieet nj the most
the upper rapids being a Succession Of deep
pools very deep. In soue oi them was una
BILE 10 hni bottom with . sounding line thirty
feet long. and ohstru@.ej by lew chains which
| will name ,,Aeu | come to exAtnine III. upper
rapids
Now, in the engnceri.g d.tli,s OF the survey
of these rapids. it was determined early de
ter-ninct 10 p. ifauract.cab.c t. improve the
| natural channel oi the lower rapids. When |
say ippractcablr. do not mean that money
went nat accomplish it Aur that l. cost 50 lnuea
utorc aud he - much isas elective than any
other class of improsem MIA. that the examina
tiou IN that respect was modified aud made more
thorough IN view of the cons .uciion of n canal
around the lower falls.
Now, st- thu det ills Of that canal The ca
nsi around the lover rapids will be seven miles
nui IS = tenths long. The wld'h on the water
Ii nc three hundred feet. the maximum depth
six and the minimum i've feet Thc slopes will
be one and halt feet IN one foo. The length
al tie lrcks VII be thrcc hundred and fifty feet
between II. rI,re =, lis. aud the width oi the
| iocks .i-itv feet. The hit OF the upper lock,
situated about Nashville. vii be eish. lest The
! lift ot the low r 'uek. located about eight hua
drca leet above wla, i called Pilots Indicator.
~ kcokus viii 10 tan Zee. and three tcn'hs-
| The etra rF the cross section IL the canal will
! equal $50 feet maximum The suriuc- veloci-
| ~ thai will b. adri'uei IN the canal viii be
rugai tp enc iaile per hour TIE volume OF dis
cAp~gc Will le c'inai - los, ls3 cubic ieet per
| iai"rtr. ihc waser power Oh theOi iei,crl rower,
| will lc cqGai 10 ,9s5 u fse power. The effect
MI power vii equal -, hor-r. Ao.s, mas
! u s a. 81 5~sti'wstc oI water pow ef - pTediea-
| ted upon iIc idea that there is no navigation
| ras dirt. through the canal-ro exhaustion o.
water bv bckascs, 1T ia no taore than jus, TO es-
tims.s al what extent the lockage viii naturally
fr.troJ chat water power. Eno IL il cstinat ed
| thaf lpskrre OF twenty two boats per hour
Will create the maximum cure nj allowed within
| the canal.
In constructing or improsin the lower rapids
From Nashville north isom n CERTAIN distance II
IS necessary tor an t,noaat OF excavation
At the head OF The lJck To get five feet IN depth.
ila lock lils down ight feet into the can al
below. That IN constructed by building the ma
rinc wall outside OF the bank Of the river, and
being seven and six tenth> miles in length i, is
long enough below all the obstructions o: the
RAPIDS. and locste i. in the water tn. necessary
Septh. All the surveys of the lower rapids. as
| vel ns the upper rapids. reduced I, the
plane OF rcfcnec called low water stage, equal TO
s5t
| Asto the examination of thu upper rapi,ls. il
4 cd | -
| You ore iully. as bad charge Of the hydro.
| graphite department Of that survey. made a
| ereAt number OF sonndings not less than g. coo.
last fall. made thorough recogaixancc oi
those rapds, and We early determined that il
would be best to improve the natural channel
there no. that there are no arguments against
canals Al AL other than the single exception OF
the principle of economy. 1t is well known that
W. will haye grea, trouble 10 get money for i'm
pJoycmcnis We see by the morning papers
that they haze given two hundred thousand
dollars for the Improvement OF The upper rapids,
and one million Tor the lower. yet the engineer
ing skill shows tla; the upper rspids can be i'm
proved Ia twelve months. and they give us two
hundred thousand dcl.ars 10 improve them in
twelve months, when we ask for three quartz crs
OF n million.
At the upper rapids. commencing ut . point
below the railroad bridge, the average depth OF
the water the channel i : from nine to eighteen
feet, with no distractions 10 the chain, except
10 potut VI ToCh lbtiiuS out III tuc CUaunct,
known as the lower cham. Pilo.s do igate
successfully, but at the same time. when these
improvements completed there will be op-
portunity for increased tonnage on the river.
tor large boats with large fleets of barges.
At Moline chain there is . peculiar phcnome-
na. There we have fall of one foot and four
ienths in twelve hundred feet. equal TO about
sly feet TO The mile hence there il very rapid
currcn. there. tor about five miles at low stage
OF water. 1t becomes necessary 10 make an
dred feet in length, and there 10 this popularity
about it at the lower end or foot Of the inclin-
ed plane the water is deepened. AT the upper end
| It is too SHALLOW. there being no more Than two
feet of water at low stage. Hence there must
depth from the head Of the chain TO its foot,
without disturbing the foot of the chain. Hence
4 We excayate 1t viii be similar TO a wedge with
the base up sucnm. II is now l. 200 teet long
aud even with 6 feet there would be no more,
found the water plane, instead of bavirg to break
feet, will break it in 800 icet. Here is where
the telocity OF the current will be less than
now.
La RAISING from Moline Chain TO Duck Greek
Cham. we get another fall VARYING from twelve
10 fifteen ieet in depth. There il about 500
feet at Duck Greek Chain TO be improved. Alter
that the balance consists of individual be older
.ad TO be taken off At tuck Creek Chain
| there is a very sensiblc variation in the level.
nent cf the surface. hence the improvement
there will not affect the currents at all, nor the
volume OF water nor the depth Of the channel
abovp he Chain