New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-28
DIR ONLY WAY TO THE SEA.

. for more money. It promises 20 securit.
, for the compliance with this promise:
gives no guarantee 70 do more than d.
work enough to get million o: two. ant
some people call this 1.-The no cure NJ
pay" principle. ! stranger comes along
and proposes to put on your house G roo
perfectly fire proof and never to require
repair; he will not demand dollar unit
he has compiled with his contract. ID
| strips off the roof Of your house and de
parts; you pay some other charlatan :
thousand dollars TO put your roof in thu
same condition it was in before. Cap
lain Eads is extremely popular in New
York, Washington, and no doubt in Chic
| ago. The glorious company Of the rail
roads praise him. People who throw i'm
pediments in the way Of their friends are
usually welcomed by the common antago.
nists. 4 number Of persons favorable to
this theory have Endorsed j: in the name
OF the st. Louis Exchange, and even the
Missouri delegation in Congress fall into
the same idea. and leading citizens here
have. as We learn. been ;elegraphed to
! abandon the canal and fall into the sup
port Of the jetty.
Mr.. Eads appears before the st. Louis
! meeting and urges in behalf Of his scheme
some such reasons as follows:
I. This experiment is TO be made at
| '':hc sole risk Of myself lMr. Eads, and
my associates. =
2. BY extending the natural banks ou.
to the crest Of the sea the stream would
be confined TO its natural flow. the channel
would be narrowed. and the velocity Of
the current and its carrying capacity in
creased.
3. The proposed canal is utterly I'M
practicable.
Mr.. Eads is mistaken in the arrogant
assertion that the experiment is TO be
at the sole risk Of himself and associates.
The city of New Orleans and the whole
produc tive interior have very heavy risks
on the improved outlet. The failure of
Mr.. Eads may be to him loss of ex-
pected fortune and yenown: we presume
his salary will cover the personal risk Of
loss. If, however. his occupation Of the
river outlet shall prevent Congress from
resuming control until the termination OF
his enterprise, the growth Of antagonist
power in Congress will leave New Orleans
under increased difficulties. The interior
will have adopted other ways Of outlet
communication, among which vii! be uI.
doubtedly the bridge Of Mr.. Eads across
the Mississippi The risk Of the jetty en-
terprise will, therefore. not fall on Mr..
Eads or his associates, among whom may
be prominently included the city OF st.
Louis, since that city has other ways to
the sea. The risk falls exclusively on
New Orleans, which has no other way OF
reaching the sea except that which is
about to be subjected, in addition to the
bars and mud Jumps. to The Eads Oh.
struction.
2. Mr.. Eads assumes that the waters !
Of the Mississippi can be confined to a
space than that occupied by |
them at the passes. He testifes also that !
"a duck could not walk without sinking"
over the ground chosen tor the canal,
thirty miles above the present outlets.
The delta, near the mouth OF the river.
IS spread out into . marsh nearly fifty
niles in width. The surface Of this
marsh is nowhere moro than three feet
.bove the water There is not tree or
. shrub that bird can !igh: on. I: is
IN eI; anse Of marsh grass. Now, if this
marsh will not support tie weight Of q
luck thirty miles above the sea. what
must be the semi-huid condition Of the
marsh throughout its extent: The river
coming against this wal! Of sea water
inds i. impossible to discharge its cur
ens at one channel. The .eiUx has
'pened three main passes. and these are
rizzled out into innumerablc channels
nd bayous. Tho outlet Of the Missis-
ippi is thus formed Of many channels.
which. damned up By the wall
+ the sea. escape by cutting sepa-
ate ways each for Itself. With this OK
'anse Of marsh. with this tidal wall in
ront. any artificial works intended TO
oncentratc the current become additional
Obstacles with the tidal wall. and SO COM
el the river to open itself anew or enlarge
ther existing channels. We're there firm
hores. and suficien: fall. the problem Of
concentration would have been solved by
ONE of the engineers who have been FAM
lar with this difficulty since varser in
us proposed TO close all the passes with
rift wood. except one. We complain that
MS experiment is TO be reopered at the
OF New Orleans. That this is :.
, be done by g contractor who does 10: :
ven affirm tie positive success Of the mode :,
G proposes to employ, and asains; the
epoTts and opinions Of those who have :.
cen employed by the government 70 de- :,
'rmine upon the vrac,:cab!!i:y Q: the
NAL.
>. Nr. E.ds pronounces the canal i'm. :,
Upon what authority IS this :.
one: Upon tina. OF General Barnard. ,,
mixing officer Of engineers. because he is :,
l older man than others. his associates. .,
e repeat that each member of the boardto :,
hoa the pract;cability o: the canal was !.
;a.-ed was as good authority as General
arnari. otherwise they would TO: have t;
zen required to present the .epor: OF ;ha. a