Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-01-26
THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.
A New Plan for the RecIama-
ton Of the Bottom Lands.

[AAh1'A e@L11%g ~ N"s
Editors Memphis Appeal:
In reply to my previous cOmmunica-
ton you remarked that you would give
the plan Of sn engineer, proposing to re-
claim our swamps by waste lOeirS. After
several weeks you published 3 commu-
nicatiOn from Gen. Roberts on the
subject, and which 1 now propose to an
swer to the best of my ability. But to
be candid, l think the proposition so alb
surd that l scarcely know how to answer
it.
The General is like many other engi-
neers who have written about the Mis-
sissippi river. He shows that he does
not know many things necessary TO be
known il order TO be able to give q REM
edy for the evil which we know sfnicts
Us. The frat point to which I would
call his attention IL, that be expects the
sediments from the river to ill up the
swamps and lakes all over the country.
1 would suggest to him that the heavy
deposit Of the water is seldom carried
four hundred yards from the bank, and
generally not more than Z hundred,
and he will seldom see any signs of de-
posit half a mile from the river. There
is but little signs OF deposit half a mile
from the river bsn& With al the water
v 15zluk CLl ntlLN1b . ACNCC INV "uG4
deposit could he expect with but . small
amount Of wafer passing Oyer his waste
weirs? The second mistake is in sup
posing that q greatly increased
amount of sediment is carried into
the Gulf on account OF the levees
now ga TIE TiTsr. Wish ] could
think such vas the elfebts OF the legees.
On the contrary, the rise in the river
shows that the deposit is made in the bed
Of the TiUeT, IS the experience Of every
one Vho has NOTICED the rise and fsli of
the water is, that it rises higher now
than il did ten or fifteen years ago, and
that lands iSC back from the river, which
had not been OVERLOOKED previously have
been Hadly oveIioWed since the Ieyees
were commenced. Also that an ordlns-
~ rise comes above the old high water
mark. That the deposit Is made in the
Bad OF the river is proved ErOm the fact
that the low water mark is several feet
above where it was fifteen years ag0. An
engineer reported to me that the rise and
fall here at Helena in 1850, was about
fOrty-seven feet, since which time the
high water mark has risen near four feet,
msking ftty-ops feet from the low water
OF 1856 to the high water Of 1852, The
greatest difference have seen was in
1850, when 1t was about forty-three feet,
a difference Of eight feet, and the water
hiss not been that low since,
The third mistake is the Il which hes
engaged the attention OF many engineers
before Ger. r, and that il, what be-
comes Of the water which passes Osiro 2
Gen, r. speaks of "evapor&tion,H
" drinking. up by the soil" aud filter
ing through the s0il.h An engineer R0es
80 Hafrn nnoaCnrrG tho nananftu AF fha
river, and calculates how much water
passes there in a given time at high wa
ter, then gees to New 9deaBs and makes
the same calculation, aud comes
to the conclusion that not ne
half the water passing Cairo eUeT
passes New Orleans, and wastes
much time accounting for the difference
and what becomes of The water that
passes Cairo. de ignores the vast res-
eryoirs on each side OF the river, which
takes the surplus water of, and feeds Il
back after the river commences falling
at Cairo. My Illustration is TO compare
the river at Cairo to the pouring of q
bucket of water into . barrel, to run OF.
through q small hole at the bottom. All
the water must run out that is poured in,
but the water is poured Ia instantly, but
takes several minutes to Iun out. l as
sert that more water passes New Orleans
from the first Of December to the first of
August than passes Cairo, and is dis
charged into the main channel by its va
rious tributaries. Ia this | mean the
water belonging b its tributaries proper.
The st. Francis, Yazoo, and part of the
waters Of White and Rsd rivers have
already been in the main channel, and
are returned as from reservoirs. A little
reflection will satisfy sny q that the
rains during our oveif)ws exceed the
evaporation. AS to what passes through
the soil to the Gulf, 1t would no. make
the one.thOussndtb part of an inch.
The third aud most important mistake
Gan. r. makes is when ne says 'sthe
water in the beginning commenced to
waste by tricklipg over the plank riyet-
ments, at the fret apron Of the river.n
l should like to have Gen. r, come from
Cairo to Memphis when the water Is if
teen or twenty feet below high water
mark at Cairo, aud see his establishment
to find the water within five feet
OF high water mark st Memphis, and see
where he would think the trucking"
would commence. / think he would
conclude that the water would " trickle y
several feet deep over mis- mark even st
Memphis bsfore it reached the one near
Cairo. Then let him leave Memphis
and come down to Helena and fiud the
water some fifteen feet below high water,
and IS he passes on down the river he
would find the water some three feet
higher at Lsconia than at Helena, and
so through the whole river find that the
river has greater capacity at the mouth
Of each river emptying into 1t thai st
any point either above or below. GEM
e. would find great opposition to his
plan from the old planters on the river,
as non Of them would be willing to have
q waste-weir within FIVE miles above, or
one below them. In fact, Mr.. Editor,
Gen. RS plan Is the old outlet theory in
It's most Objectionable and costly form.
Surprising it practicable, how much land
does be suppose he would reclaim? II
we must have wsste-wtirs,n why no
use those we already have? There are