Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-06-25

ouElY she dragged heavily, scarcely mold
ing her own, and seemed ooomed TO
a miserable one-horse existence; but
that act gave her life, strength and ener-
gy; and, strange to say, the day the bat
fure commenced washing away Memphis
commenced dropping and her property
depreciating. am not noted for tender
ness Of heart; yet l cannot look upon
the washing away of that batture or con-
template its destruction without an un-
hidden tear stealing to my eye. 1 have
watched IL from its earliest inception to
the present day, through all its varying
stages. have looked upon it at times
with loathing and sorrow, as a fostering
sore on the face of our town; and again
with pride and delight as the advent OF
our glory and importance; and had 1 the
means, as l believe ! have the necessary
knowledge, the work of her destruction
would have ceased several years since.
/ But has her history come to an end?
May she not, Sampson like, in her fall,
pull down The pillars on which the tenn
Piles of Memphis stand, and accomplish
more in her death than she did during her
life, leaving the spot on which our city
stands like that of her ancient namesake,
only to be pointed ont in future ages as
somewhere beneath the torrents of a
mighty riyer2
THREAD OF THE STORY.
But TO proceed with the history Of the
| Memphis landing. / shall not narrate
the dates at which the variOus roads were
cut through the bluff or other improve
ments made, with the exception of the
bridge which was run across the bar Op- /
posiSe Winchester street, in the winter of
ISIS. This promised well for a short
time; but a change in the current took
place and the bar commenced extending |
rapidly. The deposit at this time, n
like the former, was of pure white
sand; nor did il rise most rapidly |
at the outer line, but extended gradually |
from ~thesshore, but so shallow that at low |
water a steamboat could not get within
one hundred feet of dry land. This CEN
tinaed for about three years when an
other change in the current took place
and this late deposit was rapidly washed
away, carrying with it q portion of the
former and endangering the bridge. 1t
did carry away the apron and under
mined some of the outer trestle-work, |
leaving q moderately bluff bank at
which boats of all kinds could safely |
land at all seasons and all stages of water,
with a moderate grade, easy current, alC
a proper mixture of sand and mud, %
make it dry and durable. 1t remain d
remarkably permanent, with few or no
changes, for more than twenty years.
These two last changes were of the
greatest Importance to our subject, prov
ing as they did how readily the currents
are affected by some temporary Obstrue-
ton which must have given way or been
eOunteracted by something more pow
erful.
A THEORY.
The theory of the currents and sand
bars Of the Mississippi would make one
of the most interesting and profitable
studies that the student of science could
possibly turn his attention to, yet strange
TO say they seem to have entirely neg
lected it. They are ever ready for jobs
involving such q knowledge, and lest
some one might suppose that their ideas
were Influenced by mere river men, they
take particular pains to ignore any ideas
that would appear likely to manate from
such a source, and though 1 claim to
scientific men generally, 1 must confess
that l would give more for the opinion
of some old raftsman than for
all the theories of the scien-
tihc men'with whom I have ~conversed.
DROWNED INC DRAGGED UP BY THE
LOCKS.
If my old friend Captain A. Shreve
were here in his health and vigor,a and were
be employed to take this matter in hand,
his first efforts would be to find the orig
inal cause, much more easily done than
is generally supposed. The next would
be whether the removal of that cause
wOuNs change the effect, which, in this
case, owing to the lapse of time, / am
satisfied 1t would not. The next would
be how can that cause be most effec-
lively oounterscted. In pursuing these
Investigations he would 90 to their source
and ami all their surroundings, and
particularly the current, with a view of
producing the necessary effect. Five yeras
ago, 1 doubt not, he could have stepped
on a tug, removed the obstruction at an
expense contemplate in amount, and
IN time for dinner.
SOURCE OF ALL TROUBLE.
1 am thoroughly satisfied that the
of all the changes at this point
have their origin at the head Of the Ten
nessee chute, by Instructions alter
nately opening or closing it. River men
who understand all this, will not, I think
issue with me, nor will they in the fur
Their ideas l shall advance inthat direction,
for 1t is to them ] I'M indebted for what
l have of such matters. Be
tween every two bends ofthe river there is
midway of these reaches the bars which
most Obstruct navigation are found,
owing to the fact that they extend the en-
width of the river. Here the current
crosses from one bank to the ether, and !
for a short distance, uninluenced by :
either, naturally spreads alike to both. \
At these places there may be said to be no :
channel, or one which at low water J
with every boat that passes over
particularly those which chance to ]
1t is not for a pilot >
On a return trip to see the part of the bar !
where he had found the deepest water a !
before then dry, and the chan }
mel several hundred yards distant, :
which to a casual observer would '
appear as wholly without cause. \
If a stake were driven down on such a
bar two strongly marked ripple lines
would be seen diverging from it, which I
could be traced for a mile or more. Ii (
you would return a week later, you :
would hud that stake to nave become the =
nucleus of a bar. Its sides would con- :
form to those ripple lines. If the top of a
his bar is still under water and the stake \
be removed, the bar would readi- :
wash away, but if the bar should be
above water, in consequences of a fall or
otherwise, then the removal of the stake
would produce no effect, but a higher
stage would; or a counter current might,
were the stake to remain, and if the
should be OF sufficient strength to
all that should come against it
N all stages of water, which, of course,
be very unlikely, and no counter
currents occur, that simple act might
produce an island in time, as very small
Snags in some instances ave done. The
-eason L have been so particular in de-
this particular character of sand G
n gravel BAR IS because 1t happens to be I,
precisely the kind of bar at The head of :
he chute. The only difference between !
his and similar bars is that this is more L
susceptible of these sudden and almost b
sauSeless changes than any 1 know of on
he river. The idea of the stake could be
accomplished by the sinking of a boat. =
he principle of the ripple lines will have g
o be cOnformed to if you wish to change
he current. If the head of the chute
hOnld be the place selected to effect a
hange, and L hope it will, 1 would sug-
the placing Of a dredge boat there i'm
nediately, for the purpose of opening a
hannel, which of course must form an d
asy curve with the river above. l have 81
ideas which, If desirable, 1 viii COM is
nunicate at any time ii
OLD CITIZEN.
SEE the great sale of five city resi-
ences, on Poplar street, near Main, to be
Dld to-day, at IL o'clock, upon the prem
by Register, Trezevant & Co, suc- r
for NJ. J. Wicks, trustee, =