New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-29
The Cut.OR at Vicksbufg,

We copy the following account Of the
recent cutoff from the Vicksburg Herald Of
the twenty seventh instant:
During the past few days universal at.
traction has been drawn to the threatened
cutoff opposite this city, by the steady
caving OF the penineular, and yesterday
about ten O'Clock there appeared to be an
increase in the washing away of the narrow
neck Of land separating the flow of our
great ''inland sea-"
At tive o'clock Herald reporter was
sent over on ferry boat to examine the
situation, and " bile opposite De Soto saw
the last barrier swept away, and an I'M
mense volume of water loaming across.
From Delta up there was elack water, with
the current rolling across and striking the
Mississippi side some distance below the
lower saw mill. The line of the new cur
rent could be plainly seen, and an hour
after the cut-otf was made driftwoOd was
passing through the new channel, with
much reduced current in the river elbow
above the city. The tug Bigley went over
late in the afternoon to examine the situa-
ton, and many of our citizens in skiffs went
across to Gee the new ''river departure"
and all agreed that to-day the cutoff would
be navgsble. We heard q good deal of
speculation concerning the effect of the cut
off on the business of this city, but the sub.
ject having been worn threadbare already,
there was q 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 Louisiana levee board, and subse-
quently civil engineers from this city. The
government ordered maps of the peninsula
to be made, showing the changes of various
years, and last fall General NJ. JEFF Thomp.
son, State engineer Of Louisiana, predicted
the cut off would be made In January past
and Vicksburg left upon the margin of
lake, two miles from the bank of the Mis-
siseippi. General Thompson was failure
as to the time, and the present current in
dicates thst he will be SO as to Vicksburg's
river is. lation.
At the present. 6tage of the river it is i'm
possible to make exact measurement of the
peninsula where the torrent Of water came
through, but yesterday morning the levee,
which stretched from shore to shore and
quietly sank in the afternoon, measured 153
feet. The effect of the cutoff in front of
the elevator was very decided, causing a
rise OF about six inches, with IN upward
tendency as we close our report. On the
peninsula, above the cutoff, the water fell
several inches. From the report OF en-
gineers touching this subject we reproduce
the following, which will be found full of
interest:
In the year 1923, the shortest distance
across the point opposite, was 6l0O feet: ia
1865, 1000 feet; 1866, 5000 feet; 1869, 34O0
feet; 1870, $500 feet; January, 1874, 100
feet; June, 1874, 1900 feet; September, 1875,
$50 feet. From 1928 to 1865, 925 acres Of
land was washed away. From 1865 to 1866,
Ill acres; 1866 to 1869. seventy-tive acres;
1860 to 1870, 3l6 acres; 1870 to 1874, 525
acres. Total from 1928 to 1874, 1852 acres.
Assuming the depth cut away at fifty-one
feet deep, there would be between 1928 and
1874, about 16l ,000, 900 cubic yards Of sand
and earth carried away.
The distance across Grants canal below
Delta Depot is one and one.sixth miles.
The distance across at the Delta Depot
three .fourths of mile. From the Delta
Depot to tke middle of the river, near the
National Cemetery, four miles 220 yards
From Delta Depot to the Prentiss House
two and three-fourths miles. From tho
shortest distance acroes the cutoff to the
middle Of the river, near tho National