The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-06-15
An ADVERSE OPINION ON rlsE
EADS JErClES.

Captain John Cowlon. of Memphis. in
the icoionchc of a late date. critici.cs the
Eads' jetty system adversely and predicts
the entire failure OF the plan. a writer
in the 81. Louis Democrat of the 18th ult..
instances the success of the ictty system
ut the mouth of the Danube a, an augury
OF success at the mouth of the Mis-s-
,ippi. Mature has the same laws every
where and system Of engineering sue
cessIul in Europe cannot, under like cir
cumstanccs. fail in America
Captain Cowdon admits the soundncss
of the proposition, but denies that the
circumstances are alike and cites facts and
dsr",o> 20 cion,onscidcc Beyond c,'niro-
versy,' hi. position.
He proceeds to show that the
Mississippi and the Daunbe are
unlike in many respects; first, the Missls-
sippi drains an area Of l,l23,lO0 square
miles, whilst the Danube only drains an
area of $4,000 square miles.
Second, The Mississippi annually dis
charges into the Gulf ll,SS3 1850. 523, $50
cubic feet of water, whilst the Danube in
the same time only discharges llG,63s,-
100000 cubic feet Of watcr--a difference
Of IA 100, 723. 1913 600.
Third, The sediment discharged
through the several mouths OF the Mis-
sissipp tor one year is A,lss, Gs3,s7G Gu
bic feet. whilst the Danube, through all
Of it, mouths for one year discharges
2l9 600 cubic feet, a difference of b.
900, 0s6 and some hundred, of which only
one twenty.sevcnth part--acccording to
the Democrat--passes out through the
Sulina Pass, or equal TO annual discharge
Of s,lll,lll cubic feet. or 1885, times less
than that of the Mississippi, or, IL
athcr words, whilst the Mississippi
discharges 1851 cubic feet of water
the Sulina Pass discharges one cubic
foot.
Fourth, BY computation, the South
Pass OF the Mississippi carries to the sea
ten times more sediment than does tn,
Sulina branch of the Danube and nearly
as much Us does the whole Danube itself
Fifth, For natural reasons, there j. ;
good foundation for icttie, at the Suln;
Pass, while, at the South Pass, in consc
qnencc of the greater deposit, togethe
with the chemical action of the salt waite
of the Gulf on that Of the fresh water %
the Mississippi, we not only have n,
solid foundation, but mud humps Otter
rising in ~ well as out of the channel.
sixth. High and unbrokcn banks from
the head of the Danubc's delta to the So
create head rise, without which jet,ic
cannot he malca success. The banks OF n,
Mississippi, from the delta TO the sea. ar
Oh level with tide water, nearly ilat an
With no house TO create head rise III
less the banks are raised by artilicls
means. II this were not an impossibilit,
II would create another difficulty, nanlcl,
the more rapid extension OF the bar int
the Gull, an extension which cannot be T.,
moved, but which ii would not be- wi,
r TO Increase faster than il now increase
Q by the natural action of the water
F, seventh. At the Sulina Pass there /.
, littordl current, which daily carries Il
sediment away, whereas at the mouth
the Mississippi there /, nom
These are few OF the many tact, .
: taken from the highest engineering a,
thority, and one Of which goes 10 shoy
: says Captain Cowdan, that in no sing
: instance il there any similarity rs TO Il
{ condition Of things at the mouth. OF Ill
4 two rivers, and these facts in the mai
: apply with equal force to all tho otht
A., rivers the mouth, OF which have bee
somewhat improved by jetties. Beside
II has yet to be demonstrated how the
G can secure by this system greater dept
I OF water at the mouth OF any sediment
= bearing river than we had during III