The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-01-24
Improving the Mississippi.

Improving the Mississippi.
A great deal has been said about the
necessity of improving the Mississippi
river, with view to making it safely
navigable by large steamers throughout
the year, and the general government
has shown fair degree of hberality in
making appropriations to carry forward
the work of deepening the channels at
the mouth and removing Instructions at
other points in the river. Thankful for
past favors, the people of the MISSISSIPPI
pi valley will probably soon unite in an
urgent appeal to Congress for perfecting
the great work that has in reality but
just begun.
Two things should be accomplished if
possible, viz: the Improvement of the
channels and the reclamation of the
fertile lands in the delta for agricultur-
al purposes; and, if we rely upon the
judgment of scientific men who have
made the subject a special study for
many years, the improvements necessary
for the accomplishment of one of these
objects will secure the other. 1t has
been ascertained beyond question that
good embellishments, combining the vol
ume OF river to a narrower channel,
deepen the bed by the constant wearing
away of the bottom. and that the aver
age height of the water during the time
of floods is less within the embankments
than 1T is at the same place without
them. This is contrary to the general
ly received belief, and many ignorant
persons have opposed the building of
levees for the reason, alleged by them,
that they increase the height and de-
structiveness of the floods. Careful OBJ
servation has exploded this idea.
1t is one thing, however, to know how
to accomplish given result, and quite
another to provide the means to bring
it about. The individual enterprise of
the land-hOlders along the river can
never do what is necessary to the reali-
cation of so grand a scheme. Hun
dreds of miles of expensive embank-
ments have been constructed by individ-
uals, and swept away by the resistless
force of the mighty river, and the ext
gencies of war compelled our govern
ment to destroy many of the finest
plantations beyond the hope of reclama-
ton by their owners. It is clearly i'm
practicable for the States bordering on
the river to project and complete, I'M
aided, so great work, as it Will involve
an expenditure which, if added to their
present Indebtedness, would bankrupt
them. Scientific gentlemen, who have
made careful surveys, express the opin-
ion that the proper and only way to ac-
complish the desired result is by a sys-
tenn of levees extending along both
banks of the river from a point near
Cape Girardeau, in Missouri, to the
mouth of the river. A little patchwork
done here and there along the banks in
the different States, without any view
to comprehensive plan covering the
interests of the whole delta, amounts to
nothing. An unusual flood, OF the care
lessness of a few person who may neg
lect the first breaches in the banks, is
enough to destroy the work of years,
and place it out of the power of land
owners to restore or repair their works
State and individual effort will not
suffice for so great work, and the ma
ton must undertake it in the same spir-
it that has led it to improve the magnifi-
cent harbors on our seacOast. Every
inhabitant of the United States has a
personal interest in the security afford
ed to vessels coming to and going from
the port of New York, and they are no
less interested in the great work that is
necessary to make the greatest of our
rivers the safe and obedient servant of
our people.
It is urged as an additional reason
why the General Government should
undertake the work, the waves made
by the steamers passing from the Upper
Mississippi and its tributaries down the
river, are destructive to the artificial
banks; and Colonel Forshey, of New
Orleans, in an elaborate address deliver
ed before the American Scientific So
cietY, at Dubuque, in August last, sub
mitted the results of some elaborate
calculations, showing that the levees
were subjected to great servitude by
this means
We hope that Senators and Congress
men from all the States Immediately
concerned will give earnest attention to
this business, and that when they have
once agreed upon plan of action they
may act vigorously and tremendously
to put it in the shape of practical legis-
lation.-,St Louis Democrat.