New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-26
ST. Lofts TO THE SEA.
The Legend of the Nlississippi-How the
Mythical May be Made Practical-The
Southern Canal Project.
ry5,o,,, fhe Sf- T,os,is Times
JACKsoNvILLE, Fla., AUGUST I6, I8I ].

=
From the st. Louis Times.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, August l6, 1871.
1t is well known that the great West, in
its producing capacity, has entirely out
stripped the carrying capacity of al the
overland rail and water routes to the At
lantic market by scores, if not hundreds OF
millions Of dollars annually.
The great Father of Waters, with its
handsome navigable tributaries, was evl-
IDENTIFY designed to supply this ever increas-
iup demand. running as it formerly did $50
the legend declares) from the>large lake
above New Orleans, through the Gulf states
into the Atlantic just above the Latitude Oh
thirty degrees north. ,.h,o ia
This appears natural, but incredible, ana
fine ola legend is challenged to the proof.
It answers by pointing to the ancient chan
mol he'd now visible and running over TWO
hundred miles nearly east from New-Or-
Iaana and then to that other peak OF nature,
ageg ago. when that great country, where
tho gulf OF Mexico now is, went down, anu
the State Of Florida and CUBA came up.
This entirely blockaded the channel OF Inc
M;ssissjupi through tile Gulf States, so that
;ts foods turned and swept everything be-
fore them into the gulf for hundreds of
miles and as the waters subsidized, the river
made its present channel and forked TEL
minus into the gulf, but the flood swept on
until Cuba was cut off, and the gulf stream
began its foreign tour.
Mhereupon a poor wise map whether
from the revelation OF the legend, or IRON
his own foresight and sagaelty, or more
likely from both, concluded that what ought
to have been had been. and immediately
went in search OF the old channel. and
found more than was promised, Ii what he
called inland lakes and lagoons quite oil
rect and almost continuous, more than two
hundred miles east from New Orleans via
Mobile and Pensacola. The balance OF the
route he found so level ana We'll adapted by
nature for d large canal with ample 1eeueIs,
the entire distance TO the Atlanle, lnat he
reported 10 our board Of trade, and we en-
eouraged and aided him TO visit your city
at once and report his discoveries and
proofs
Further investigation led to the confident
conclusion that by opening this route to the
Atlantic for steam navigation on large
scale, the only land heretofore supposed TO
bel insurmountable obstacle to Western
prosperity would be overcome, at a cost OF
less than one-fourth of what is annually
lost for want of cheaper rates OF transpor-
fation TO The Atlantic and foreign markets
We understand it has been successfully
tested that heavy freights on naylga5ie
rivers and inland waters, without locks, or
the delays of reshippiag. can be transported
ASA fair paying business at the rate OF one
dollar per ton for every thousand miles,
and that whatever Of the immense produc-
tions of the West is destined to foreign
ports, can be shipped at as low rates and
more safely al seasons Of the year from
Southern than from the more Northern
ports.
The plans and rough estimates, when sub
mitted to Congress, were promptly eonsld-
cred and approved and surveys ordered for
the entire route. Does not the world move!
C. B. w.