The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-02-20

OF course knew Bailey.
And then the Captain told several ancc-
dotes about Cairo of the oldcn time and
the old Cairoites, and wound up by
laughingly commenting our friend NJ.
B.. Of the Gasette, for the good sense dis
played by him in seconding the nominal
ton of one Capt. James B. Eads, for the
presidency.
Well, there may be a much less worthy
man than the common-sensed, gray-beard-
ed,bald-headed and genial Eads elected to
the presidency in November next; but, II
am not mistaken in this man, there will
be few men In our history who will die
with more enviable reputation. lie is
now iifty-ive years Old, and is just
blooming Into marked usefulness. The
great bridge-builder, the successful jetty
man, he Is, venture to predict. the man
who, by suggestion If not by actual Ia.
Dor, will make the Mississippi river our
most obedient servant by prohibiting It's
Hoods from carrying destruction to agri-
culture in their bank-overllowing and
now apparently irresistible currents.
THE EADs JETTIEs.
"loar jetties. then, are all that you
expected they would bcg'
something more. But was sure of
success when we undertook the work.
Before year has elapsed after the time
OF driving the first pile, we will have
double tie amount Of depth over the jet
tied Pass and more water than there is on
either Of the other Passes.
OF COURSE.
a very confident gentleman, this bald
headed engineer, but not boastfui.
What he says to you lie says in modest,
matter-of-iact way, and you Immediately
assent to all he asserts. So, when he
made this assertion, it did not occur to
me that the gentleman speaking was
telling me he was about TO prove himself
the greatest Of living civil engineers, and
| l replied 10 him, with not shade OF
doubt in the tone of my voice: "Oi
| course"
| CONVERTED.
Then lie proceeded to talk .'river'' IN
| such plain way that | became learned
| on the subject without my consent, and
before we arrived at Washington was a
convert to the belief that Cairo, and in
deed all the country below on the Missis-
sipp,, might be in effect lifted above high
water-mark-that,w without the construc-
ton Of levee. the whole of the Mlssis-
sippi valley might be redeemed from
overflow and the channel supplied with
an average depth of twenty feet of water
from the Passes 10 Cairo. and fifteen feet
iron, Cairo to st. Louis.
''An astonishing assertion you ex-
claim.
True; but Capt. Eads has made it.
and has said he will stake his repatation
upon II.
...''I am said lie. absolutely confident
l could produce this result at
about half the cost to the government Of
the estimated cost Of the proposed
levecs.'
Shall endeayor to tell you BY what
arguments he convinced Inc that lie can
do what he said. To do so, lie is not
too short, but this letter eau not be
made long enough.
BRIEFLY, HOWEVER,:
II understood the Captain, he claims
that there are two theories of Mississippi
river improyement-onc based upon the
philosophy of Humphrey and Abbot's
great work; "The Physics and Hydraul-
lies Of the Mississippi river and the
other Oh common sense in science.
THE HUMPHREY THEORY T.
that thc real bed Of the Mississippi river,
upon which rest the shifting sand-bars
and mud-banks made by local causes, is
a structure Of hard blue clay. quite un-
like the present deposits Of the river, and
which resists the action Of the strong
current almost like marble that. there
fore the bed Of the river cannot yield,
and II the velocity OF the river-current be
increased sufficiently to compel All en-
iargemcnt Of the channel 1t must be en-
iargcd by an increased caying Of the
banks; that, consequently, the closing
up OF outlets by lcvees or otherwise has
tendency 10 raise the ilood-line. and
that the making OF outlets has n tendency
TO lower tho ilood-linc. But, from the
outlet system, according to the Hum
phreyites, "no assistance in retaining
lie ailuyial region from overflow can ju-
diclously be anticipated" Though cor
rect In theory, no advantageous sites for
ARTIFICIAL outlets exist.
mus We find the Humpireyiies claim
"s uiatt current cannot scour out the
harbie'hard blue clay of the riyer.bed.
anu mat the surplus water cannot be
carried on by outlets. Their conclusion
Is, therefore, that TO redeem the Mis.ls.
is'pp' from overflow high leyve. must be
punt from The mouth Of the Ohio 10 the
RAISES. The estimated cost of mi. wo,l
Will he SiG,0Oo'Ooo; and after ii is done
the expense OF keeping it in repair will
amount annually to very considerable
sum.
| THE EAps THEORY Is
Mat the river flows In u bed composed of
ns deposits, with dimensions regulated
according to its own needs: that thi, bed