New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-11-17
MISSISSIPPI LETEEs SUPERSEDED.

ENORMOUS EXPENSE OF THE LEYEE AND OUTLET
sYsrEM-THEoEY OF CAPTAIN EADs As TO TIE
BEST MODE OF MANAGING The RIVER.
WAsHrNGroN. Nov. 12.-As great and costly
experiment. the leyee system Of the Mississippi
River may be said to have been fairly tried ana
found wanting The last report Of the Commission
of United States Army Engineers, though faVorlhS
the principle possibly gave deaih-biow to the sys-
TEN. by proposing pew improvements whose est
mated cost is Si6O0O,O0O But the new works are
70 lac chiefly additions to the old; keeping open
existing outlets OF the river stopping the cre'asseS
adding to the height Of the levees. Up to 1870 the
apnropriations of Congress for improving the M'sls
si.,ippi had amounted to nearly Ts,0OoOOO. HE
results were by no means proportional to the out
lay: the expedients were temporary, and the WORK
had 10 be done over again at frequent intervals
As compared with those performances. the WORK
dome bv Canaan Eads at the mouth OF the MlasiS-
,ippi /, of permanent nature. and its efficiency Is
bevoud question. He has recently proposed TO apply
the principe whose correctness has there been
tested. 10 the improvement of the river a. whole
and cspccaly 10 tac part of it which now Is made
quately defended by levees.
Figures give a dim notion of the enormous quanii-
lies that must be dealt with IN improving the MIS-
.is,ppi. The area OF its basins Is more than NIL
L, souore niles being about third of the whole
limited States exclusive of Alaska One-fonTth Oh
rho rainfall on this vast watershed goes down to the
Gulf by the great river; an annual discharge oi
| 10 800 UOo. coo 900 cubic feet Of water WIN the
ater and suspended in H. there Is sediment enough
carried each year TO make deposit al leet lhicA
ON q square mile. Captain Eads says-ahu the point
ccins well taken-that in m average oil long P'Ilos
tine amount Of sediment carried out 10 sea
hv the river must be uniform FOR II Ii
were excessive, it would be taken from the
rivers bed or banks and the channel
would De enlarged if It were less thah lne meah'
Ella cbopre would bee reduced by deposits; but it Is
certain that the channel remains oil UNIFORM caPa-
c,tr The river. has what mechanics would call a
=. o.,,.,s,tipg device" The friction OF the river
t,d constantly tends to retard the current, The
-, ~ tbe current other things beng equal, &c
uauds upon the downward slope oil lt' 7uIIl'e' -
from any cause the power o. me current u
- t''i'n., ts 10 . -cour" that l.. tO deepen It's
I.,,raI since the more RAPID the stream me more
of earthly material II can carry IN susp ii'lol' bu'
i'm deepening its channel IL VIII IoMct ~ 81, ~
stone until. by that means me power VI '"0 'i0''
/ Il. reduces, To a. normal "ui"i'lt' - - .;,...
Admitting that the river is mus sell-Ie
What yy.ud be the consequence ot prov "s az ' !.
;I outlets on charging natural ones, To carry on
/ I.,Jsf The old aud accepted theory vas that 10y
.nch means the river Womb ne TehsNeuo % ~ SUI,
/ fuitv SD as not 10 overflow tue irler9' "P."'n
ad. thinks that exactly the oppu7ile ie''t Hl''at
LII. If th. power OF TIE stream I'D the cudhiiel
- diminished by tapping tine river WIN ontigt'' t,9
siarErned current will lie unable to carry It's iuI
sI'. ~ .r+t. material Deposits, Ia the channel
4Ieis W Tntll fhs,iream thereby lifted SO thlt its
Tln ~ vi ;,,crra.ed. rrglius It's normal speed But
Wien the river TINS ied the height oil cue
" I'M hove to be increased. In'ieai OF opening oui-
~ ~ 49, Ill tbe Atchaiaaya, make a short rut
70 The Gull. Captain Eads would prefer TO close
them The iqproyem,ents ne r.. With With IF ' t5e
stIu.t ,,,,f,rm Whore islands divide the chan
ni hi. works would coudne it t. single opening
Tie wider expau.cs OF the river wG l i' Nil,'Is,
Du, ~ f rs costly than the eyee and outlct ~ 10
en nv IT, the calculation Is that Che great foods
Of the Mississippi VIII bg much reduced t ana %,s
49,. NM, navigation OF the uNcr WIZ DE- I'M
Us,,Iy improved by deepening the channel. nat
ever NAV he the doubt with winch u Is soie''1.i5
- 80 receive new theories, 10 IS III least To- bt 'aii
vs. VS. 'rd IN those that Captain Eads adN dnceS,
ina 80 far a. he ha, applied them they nave
achieved unqualified success.