Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-02-24
The GAZING IN OF THE LEVEE--H0W
IT SHOULD BE PREVENTED.

lion. John Johnson, JfdBOr: You posi-
ton as Mayor, you will readily grant, i'm
poses upon you the duty to look after the
interests OF the city over which you have
been called to preside. Now, nothing
certainly demands your attention more
than the condition OF our landing. There
has been 50 much said and written on the
subject that, like an Oft repeated tale,
nothing seems to elicit the public atten-
tentiOn.
II is either accepted that the river viii
do as il pleases-do what we may TO con
troll it-or that we are too much In debt
% attempt it, were such 4 thing possible.
The affairs of Individuals, as wen as
those of corporations, are often only res
cued from ruin by a timely and jud1clOus
expenditure of money.
4 part OF the debt we owe is for the
construction OF a wharf. without which
no city can hope to conduct commercial
affairs upon any extended scale. Much
of ibis IMPROVEMENT has already caved
into the river, and within less than two
wears. unless something is done TO pre-
vent it, the whole will have disappeared
and the river viii, as heretofore, roll by
us al the base Of a bluff higher than the
chimDeys OF the r. f.. Lee.
Wilt be contended that we shall not
incur further liability to save the large
sum already expended Ii we expect to
see Memphis what we claim IL must and
will be, we must provide the facilities for
the transactions Of its growing trade. The
expenditure OF 4 few hundred thousand
dollars is a mere bagatelle, when the i'm
p~ortance Of the great interests OF a grow
ing city like our is considered.
If we have no money wherewith to pro-
test. extend and improve Our landing,
why not devote the wharfage for a term
Of years to the object, and invite capital
and enterprise, either at home or abroad,
and have it done without delay.
II the waters of the Mississippi river
were destitute of sediment, and rolling, as
they do, between alluvial banks, it would
be impossible to control or change its
course, except by DOrks TO divert their
How. But a large proportion OF the bulk
Of its waters is clay, ia suspension, and
gravel, washed along by the force of the
current, and herein are to be found the
means whereby the Ire Of this great
river can be changed at will. All that is
required is TO afford a HWcleRs at the
proper point above, around which the de-
posits viii form and divert the current
from the threatened point bet0lc. All.
sand bars are formed in this way.
They al had a wreck Of some boat or.
tree for a starting point. The point at
which to plant such nucleus IS important.
but easily determined. In our case it
sLiUN3u De dDONt lub DcHu WHICH tuINto 50
enormously on the Arkansas shore, and
terminates at FOy's Point, so as to lead
the current on the one side or the other Of
the Islands in sight above the city, and
direct il in a straight line with the course
of the river in front of the city.
The current now sweeps by FOy's Point
and strikes the Tennessee shore above the
mouth Of Wolf river, from which, in di-
minished force, it rolls toward the Arkan-
sas shore, over the sand bar in front of the
city, which drives it back on Us again at
the steamboat landing.
The writer does not claim that he ad-
vances anything new OF this subject. He
would simply call attention nee more to
the matter of such vital importance TO the
city, of which he was a resident before the
ground now crumbling into the river was
formed by deposits, il may have been,
around the wreck of the Helen McGreg-
or, which blew up at u landing nearly
forty years ago. Respectfully,
NAVY YARD.
NOVELTIES in fancy goods just TO hand.
T. W. JOHNSTON & 60.
UNTIL we open our new spring goods,
next week, we viii sell stock on hand at
prices never heard Of since 1860. Call at
once at Herzog & Bro 8, 29F Main street.
Buy homemade shirts Of Hezskiah,
No. 81 Jefferson street.
THREE PLY Ingram Straw Mattings,
oil Cloths, Shades, etc. Z. FEGAN,
2f0 Second street