American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-05-06
The Vicksburg Cut Of.

pfOphecies tnaC Tue mississippi river
would make a cutoff that would
leave Vicksburg upon a lake that
the change would make, some two
miles from the live river. Year by
year, recently, the change in the
course of the current has made the
dreaded cut off more and more i'm
minent, aud the effect of the pre-
sent overflow upon the frail, narrow
slip of land, already submerged, has
been watched with intense anxiety.
But at last it has given away, and
the process of forming for itself a
new and shorter channel is going
on. The Vickshurg Herald of the
9th ult., gives the following ac>
count:
During the past few days univer-
sal attraction has been drawn to
the threatened "cut-off" opposite
this city, by the steady caving of
the peninsula, and yesterday, about
10 o'clock, there appeared to be an
increase in the washing away of the
narrow neck of land separating the
How of our inland sea.n At 2
O'clock Herald reporter was sent
over on the ferrybOat
TO EXAMINE THE SITUATION,
and while opposite DeSoto, saw the
last barrier swept away, and an
immense volume Of water foaming
across. From Delta up, there was
slack water, with the current roll
ing across and striking the Missis-
sippi side some distance below the
lower saw-miIl. The line of the
new current could be plainly seen,
and, an hour after the cutoff was
made, drift wood was passing
through the new channel, with a
much reduced current in the river
elbow above the city. The tug
Bigley went over late in the after
noon to examine the situation, and
many of our citizens, in skiffs, went
across to see
THE NEW "RIvER DEPARTURE"
and all agreed that to-day the cut
off will be navigable. We heard a
good deal of speculation concerning
the effect of the cutoff on the bus:-
ness of the city, but the subject
having been worn threadbare al :
ready, there was silent expression
of pleasure that the end had finally
come. Last year, engineers of the
United States made surveys here !;
then came engineers of the Louisi-
ana Levee Board, and subsequently
civil engineers from this city. The
Government ordered maps of the
peninsula to be made, showing the
changes of various years, and last
fall Gen. NJ. JEFF Thompson, State
Engineer Of Louisiana, predicted
the cutoff would be made in Janu
airy past, and Vicksburg lett upon
THE MARGIN OF A LAKE,
two miles from the bank of the
Mississippi. General Thompson was
q failure as to the time, and the
present current indicates that he
will be so as to Vicksburg's river
isolation. At the present stage of
the river it is impossible to make
exact measurement of the PENN
sula where the torrent of water
came through, but yesterday morn
ing the levee, which stretched from
shore to shore and quietly sank in
the afternoon, measured 1913 feet.
The effect of the cutoff in front of
the elevator was very decided,
causing rise OF about six inches,
with an upward tendency as we
close our report. On the peninsula,
above the cutoff. the water fell
several inches.
The Herald of the Goth says:
The boats don't pretend to go
any other way now except through
the cutoff. 1t will soon he as great
a novelty to see q steamboat go
around the bend as it was a few
days ago to see one 60 across the
point. The cutoff is widening
gradually, and the current strikes
the Mississippi shore below the
Cotton Compress, much further
down than it was expected to do.
1t is believed by some that the
Fair Grounds and the lOwlands
thereabout will be washed aw ay by
the current, and others seem to
think that land will make near
there. 1t is impossible to say, as
yet, what the river will do.