New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-29

cemetery, two and Q quarter miles. The
fall across the cutoff, from water to water,
is twenty.one inches. From the water in
front of Delta Depot to the water ON the
In 1870 Major Suter made several borinas
on the point opposite. showing the follow.
ing results: From nothing to 25 feet deep,
alluvial soil yellow sand and loam); 25 feet
to q feet, quiekeand; q feet to % feet, blue
clay; q feet to 80 feet, mixture of blue clav
and quicksand; 80 feet to 40 feet coarse
yellow sand; at 80 feet 8 inches, level of
water at the time of taking boringe; ct Al
feet met water; from 49 feet to SO feet, hard
feet to 80 feet, white clay;. 80 feet to ITO feet
qulckssnd; At llS feet struck rock.
On the upper side of the cutoff, in low
water, there is q depth Of As feet: at hiph
water, 96 feet On the lower side, at low
water, there is q depth of % feet; at high
From the data given, there can be little
doubt but the cutoff will be made, and in
order to judge what the river will do in the
future, we must examine what it has done
before. During the last twenty-five wears
five cut-otfs have been made. Each of these
was over eighteen milea around the bend,
and having fall across the neck from five
to six feet. The Vicksburg cutoff will be
five miles round the bend, and q fall of
twentyone inches across the neck. Look
ct the lakes that have once been the bed of
the river. They are from fifteen to twenty
miles long, and we have NO record for the
last nifty years where . lake has been
formed 20 small ss the one to be made at
Vicksburg.
And the distinguished engineer goes on to
say:
There is every reason to believe that the
cut will break through nearly opposite the
elevator, and the river can not leave us
that distance without it wears away the
point toward Delta, and the river runs
over the ground where Delta now stands,
Assuming that the river breaks throagh q
distance of three-quarters of mile wide.
it would then have two miles to wear away
from the point. From the data given above
we see that it was fifty years in wearing
away one mile. so that at the same rate 1t
would be 100 years before the river would
be two miles Oft, but the probability is,
that in short time it would cease wearing
away the point and form sand bar, the
same as We see at the extreme point of the
peninsula. From a short distance to
the cutoff, and only twenty-one inches
fall to be distributed, the changes will
be extremely slow, and sufficient current
will pass around the bend for the next
twenty years to keep it open for naviga.
tion, but it will gradually ill up with sand
bars. The current through the cutoff will
strike the low land near the railroad depot,
and give US deep and permanent haS bor
The river will endeavor to regain it's own
length and wash away the low land until
it strikes the bluffs and washes out the
main channel on the east side of the island
below and throws up sand bar in front of
Delta.
Now that the cutoff is made We recall
these predictions based upon close study
and scientific examination, and they are
with the reader for reflection. Tomorrow
We will probably be able to speak definitely
the new course of the river.