Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-05-29
nLn RnATmEn.

80
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Editors ApDeaI-"o Old Boatman " says
that my statement as regards the Bara-
taria canal route lies through an i'm.
psssable swamp, without foundation
other than a light, black substance
through which q pole can be run down
fny fest; recommends buckets instead of
spades, shovels and dredgesi and the
tanning Of alligstOrs, TO be used In some
way with q bright idea he has; and keeps
ali to himself as to how the bar 1t the
mouth OF the Mississippi may be removed.
But he, in common with al other enemies
Of Southern and Western commercial
prosperity, are unfOrbuuage in their selec-
ton of objections, for they either do not
exist, OF have already been OVercOme&uOt
only in building the city OF New Orleans,
with its many massive structures but ali
the railroads and canals at or near that
city. The Jackson road, which for
q distance Of twenty miles crosses
one of these impsnetrable marshes,
and cypress swamps may be run down
fifty feet, ana 1t other places we mud q nn6
sOlid o bed several feet high, made
with spades and shOYels, made out Of
this black substance.
The old and new canals, extending
from the lake to the city, are made in
another one of these soft impossible
9HHAAAE@T AZ We A1HG HAG 40
nous shell road, sufficiently solid to hold
up most any locomotive, which was built
with this soft, black substance taken out
of the canal.
The PonchRrtrain railroad at another
place not only crosses this impsnetrable
swamp but extends out into the lake fully
half a mile on piling driven down in this
soft, black substance, on which lOcomo-
motives and trains Of cars pass daily.
The Nnw Orlnnna and Mohf1a RoaI o7eo
crosses this swamp and sea-marsh, TWEEN
ty miles wide at the rigOletts, where we
find Fort Pike, q beautiful and massive
structure, raised several feet above the
marsh level with spades, shoYels and
dredging machines.
The Mexican Gulf canal, now nearly
completed, about six miles long, connect
ing the Mississippi ten miles below New
Orleans with Lake Borgne, Is located In
another one OF these soft, black, impena-
trsble sWsmps.
Fort Livingston, at the mouth Of Bar
atarta Bay, Is well located on a solid
foundation. and from there up to New
Orleans, all along the entire proposed
route for this canal, we will ind no greater
difficulties than has already been over
come in the construction Of the above
named roads and canals,
The Mississippi river, at the same time
and in the same way made the land on
which all are built, and had the people
who founded and built New Orleans and
all these great improvements been gov
ernsd by such men as this "Old Boat
man, " ~alligators,
SNAKES AND sEAPPING-TURTLEs
would to day be basking in the sunshine
where the st, Charles now stands.
AS regards the depth Of water in the
bay and roadstead, it can make no pos
sible difference whether there is I've feet
or twenty feet; for we know it will re-
quire dredging to admit the Great
Eastern. The lakes and bsyous have a
general depth, as I stated; but should it
not be so, anyone with a particle ofintelIi-
genCe knows il can make no difference
about the amount of dredging, That may
be necessary to open a canal of such vast
Importance, either in depth, width, or
length; and, as for the latter, he will find,
by examining any good map, the distance
is but little greater than twenty miles.
But, were it four times that distance, it
would be nothing as compared with the
Suez canal, in which the cutting was
ninety feet deep, in q sandy desert, and
other places, through sandy lakes which
have net filed up-in all, ninety miles
long.
with two jettys extending out into deep
water, two thousand feet long, forming
harbOr or basin, completely protecting
shipping from storms and the bottom from
filling up by the sediment from the Nile.
They are made Of what appears to be i'm
blocks of artificial stone, made of
sand dredged up from the bottom Of the
canal and mixed with hydraulic cement,
and when dried il the hot sun, forms arti-
fetal stone which viii last for ages; for it
is with this stone
TIE PYRAMIDS
Of Egypt-sO an editor of the APPEAL told
me long agO-Rre built. Their massive
walls were formed in the same way, as
each bucket of sand was carried up and
placed, one on top Of the other. These
jsttys, or piers, are se~venty-eight feet wide
the bottom, eighteen feet wide at the
top and t~birty-siX feet high, and can be
built for the same purpose at Barstaria
Bay.
The Gulf stream comes with the sedi-
ment from the river to the eastward, and
there is no place on the Gulf coast
so tree from sediment or fresh water as
this bay. This is proven by the fact that
ths best oysters hat are brought to New
Orleans cOms from this bay; for anyone
who knows anything of the oyster knows
they are always best where the sea water
Is most clear and salty. The rOadstead
and harbor can be made end protected
with cypress pilinR driven in parallel
rows and filed with the sand drsdgsd
out, which viii cost but little, and will
last for ages
other objections to this canal are
Matched up by parties who have a great
interest in directing the commerce of the
Mississippi Valley away from the Missis-
sippi river its natural highway to the seas.
Colonel GOwsn while in this city. stated
to Colonel Duprse that ne saw but one
difficulty. That was, the sand or mud-as
the whole route, he had been informed
whilst in New Orleans-woUld be through
g sand bed, which would fill up as fast as
dredged out. So We have two reports OF
the same thing, by parties, who. perhaps,
have a common interest; and l cave that
for them TO settle, as it can make no diff.
ference which way they have it, as the
Suez canal is an accomplished fact"
which was msde through sand beds,
the improvements about New Or
have overcome every pos
si5le difficulty that can srisein the build
ing of the Bsratsris canal, and
OLD B0ATMAN,
so convenient a name for tow boat
owners; Eastern railroad and canal
owner to ssum had as well turn his at
to Harvesting up and tanning ali
gators, which he no doubt intends to use
in developing his grand idea of keeping
the mouth Of the Mississippi open.
Port charges az New Orleans, including
to the mouth Of the Mississippi,
on q cargo OF grain is estimated at six cents
q bushel, whereas by the Lake BOrEne
canal they propose to tow bargss to Ship
and there with elevators put the
in ships at an expense of n cent
and a half per bushel. With the Bsratsria
It can be done for half a CEN a
bushel, for through it the Great Eastern
may pass to the wharf in g few hours, and
there discharge and receive csrgOes at the
least possible expense.
These are facts that the people of this
should look at before they listen to
many fabrications that will be Matched
up by men whose business it is to rob and
plumber them Of their commerce.
JNO. COWAN.
AcT UnUK m