The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-04-30
TIVE MISSISSIPPI At yICksBuRG.
The Waters Of the Great River Have
Opened New Channel

Inc Cut-pH opposite NitkShui X, t~
our readers IRE apprizcd. is now an es-
tahlshcd fact. and steamboats, have al
ready run through the opening. thus
saving about thirty miles of travel
around the bend About the oonse-
quenccs to follow. which may affect the
city of vickshurg. the Viokshurg Herald
gives the following data.
Last fall Cen. NJ. JEFF. Thompson,
State Engineer Of Louisiana. predicted
the cutoff would he made in January
past and Niclshurg left upon
THr MARGIN OF \ LAKE.
two miles from the bank of the Misss
sippi. Gen Thompson was failure as
70 the time. aud tl.e present current in
,licates that he Will be SO as to Vicks-
hurr's river isolation In order that the
readers of the Herald may better under
stand the moving of the waters here.
and the point where the cutoff is made.
we reproduce this morning map made
last August. with lines marking the cut
off. lust below De Soto. In August this
point of the peninsula was nine hun
dred and iifty-one feet across. but
the encroachments of the river have
been steady since. and yesterday the
narrow strip of land surrendered to
shows the fractional part of section
.. which belonged to Chas. Collins
in ls2s. and contained ato acres and is
nearly all In the river, section 10 be-
sangpd to JAS Downs. and contained 500
acres. section II TO Henry Baton. h2t
acres section II. TO David Hoffman. A59
acres section -. to Anthony Glass. i57
acres section II. no claimant in 1898:
section II, where Delta now stands. to
n ..1-
no claimant. The figures ZOO" indi-
cate the feet across in August last. but
it Is some distanca north from this line
to the point where the river has rushed
madly through. At the present stage
,of the river il is impossible to make
ENACT 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 l5S feet. The effect
Of the cutoff in front OF the Elevator
was very decided. causing rise of
about six inches. with an upward ten
dency as we close our report. On the
peninsula. above the cutoff. the water
fell several inches. From the reports of
engineers TOUCHING this subject. we re-
produce the following. which will be
found full Of interest,
rHr DISTANCES.
In the wear is9s. the shortest distance
across the point opposite. was 6I0o feet.
in 1855. 1000 feet; 1866, 5000 feet. 1869.
800 feet 1870, $500 feet: January. 1874.
100 feet. juno. 1874. 1900: September.
1875. $50 feet. From 1928 to 1859, 925
acres of land were washed away. From
iS6, 10 1866. Ill acres 1866 to 1869. ~
acres; 1850 to 1870. 3i6 acres 1870 to 1874.
5a5 acres Total from 1923 to 1874, 1862
acres. Assuming the depth cut away at
81 feet deep. there would be between
1898 to 1874. about 161 million cubic yards
Of sand and earth carried away
The distance across Grants Canal. be-
low Delta Depot, is Il mile. The dis
tance across at the Delta Depot OF q
mile. From the Delta Depot r. the
middle of the river, near the National
Delta Depot to the rrentiss House q
miles. From tho shortest distance
across the cutoff to the middle of the
river. near the National Cemetery 2.
miles The fall across the cutoff. from
water to water. is u inches. From the
water in front of Delta Depot to the
water on the upper side feet inches.
pErTs AND PREDICTIONS.
On the upper side OF the cutoff in low
water there is depth of 45 feet: at high
water o6 feet On the lower side. at low
water. there is a depth of % feet at high
water ~ feet.
From the data given. there can be lit
tie doubt but the cutoff will be made.
and in order to judge what the river
will do in the future, we must examine
what il has done before. During the
last twenty years five "eut-offs"
have been made. Each of those was
over eighteen miles around the bend.
and having fall across the neck from
five to six feet The Nicksburg cutoff
will be five miles round the bend. and
n fail of twenty-one inches across the
neck. Look at the lakes that have once
been the bed Of the river. They are
from fifteen 10 twenty miles long and
we have no record for the last fifty
years where lake has been formed SO
small as the one to be made at Vicks-
burg.
i And the distinguished engineer goes
on to say.
Tharp IL pyary reason tn hplinyp that