Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-02-09
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
Answer TO Mr.. ToWHsehd's Report TO the
Chamber of Commerce.

Editors appeal: I read in the AP-
PEAL a few days ago a report from Col.
Townsend in regard 10 the MiSsis-
sippi, about which 1 should like to say
a word.
think I could satisfy the Colonel,
or any one entertaining his notions in
regard TO removing distractions
from the mouth of the river
or, rather, the best way TO
get around them-that they do not
know much about the mouth of the
river or the Gulf of Mexico, near it.
In my opinion, the channel at the
mouth can be deepened but one of
two ways: one by dredging, and the
other by closing up a part OF the pass
q, or all Of them except one, and fore
ing the water out at that one, and con-
lining the water to a narrow channel
at that one by piling, after the plan
adopted by Me5srs. Cragg and BightOn
many years ago.. This would require
an immense amount of labor and
money, and would require to to be
kept up at a great expense, as the
piling would be liable to be washed
up whenever there was a heavy storm
such as often occurs in the Gulf. This
/ regard as much more expensive
than dredging. The great objection
TO dredging is, that it has to be per-
petual. What if it is, if the annual
expense is not equal to the in
terest on the cost of the other
plan? Say the dredging cost $3.50, 900
per year-the other would cost a sum
as great as this would pay the inter
MT on Fl nDn nln fhnraEnrn ~ -.
favor Of the dredgebOats.
As to Colonel T~Ownsend's canal, /
should like TO have him inquire how
far from the shore at Barrataria bay
he would have to 90 before he would
find his thirty feet of water? / think
ne would find thai he would have to
dredge some distance out into the
sand or mudOf the Gulf. He would
find that it would be much more diff
cult to maintain even fifteen feet at
the mouth of his canal than twenty
at the mouth of the river. If the
Gulf should remain perfectly quiet
until he got his thirty feet channel
dredged out, the first storm would
make the bottom of the Gulf about
level across his canal. That is, the
canal would entirely disappear al the
edge Of the Gulf shore, and would
have to be dredged again. If the
soil was inclined 10 wash, the entire
might be turned through his ca
nal, but still, ne would gain but little;
because anyone acquainted with such
knows that all streams form
bars around their mouths, where they
terminate in dead or slack water.
Let anyone vino doubts this take a
run that empties into a pond,
and only runs after q rain, |
and he viii ind a bar around
The mouth, in a circle, and but
little more depth at one place than
another. The same thing applies to
Mississippi river. A little dredg-
ing would deepen any point where
applied, for the time being; but as
as the dredging ceased, the
channel would fill up. For these rea-
l think his canal an impossible
", and the present mode (dredging)
only plan by which the channel
AN be deepened, and kept 50.
After dispOsing Of the mouth OF the
liver, the Colonel goes to work to re-
the overlooked lands on the
liver, and while adopting my plan Of
itraightening the river, be runs a lit
lie wild on this matter.
I am glad to find that people are
gradually getting in the notion that
evees viii do no good by themselves.
md are willing 10 admit that cut-Ofs
will help them. But Il man can pet
$ wild on this plan Is any other. He
proposes first TO shorten the river 400
from Cairo TO NeW Orleans.
his, / think, he would find a difficult
ask. l claim that the distance from
to the GUJ may be shortened
W miles, but this requires that the
liver must be turned out either at
Plaquimine or into Lake
He also proposes 10 turn the tribu-
tries out ali sorts of ways. This can
OF be done, and if it could, would 4.
the whole country and make J
le banks overflow more than now in
few years. A little knowledge of
le river should satisfy any person
lat the less water passing down the
lannel Of the river, the more incli-
ltion or fall il requires to keep its
lannel clear. The inclination or fall y
the river decreases at each tribu-
and of course, if such tributaries
& diverted, the fall below would be- f.
me the same as above, and this :
nd only be accomplished by the
ling up of the bed Of the river Just |
that amount. To illustrate, engi- 5,
ers report the fall of the Mississippi q
eight inches to the mile, from the II
Duth OF the Missouri to Cairo, and q
ma Cairo TO Helena, at about five "a
hes. Now suppose the Ohio should