The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-29

should enter into an agreement to show that
the plan will fail to accomplish what Mr..
Eads proposes, when have already asserted
that am the original proposer Of the plan,
and that still advocate and defend it as the
only possible mode of permanently improving
the navigation of the Mississippi. The rea-
son Is that l have been showing the limita-
compels him to expect all his beneficial re-
suits to come. /, rejecting the saturated cur
rent theory, look for material held in lower
ing the flood line. from, first, the lessened
of the banks Of the Mississippi, and second,
from diminished contributions Of sediment
from the tributaries as the work of regu-
lating their courses gradually progresses.
AS look boldly forward, to a policy of i'm
OF the river. l do not expect 1t to be fully ac-
complished in one or half score generations.
Let me illustrate the bearing which sedi-
ment has upon the question OF floods, by q
hypothesis. Suppose that long continued
the bars from the Mississippi in this section
(St. Louis which it will undoubtedly do. Let
this be followed by sudden flood coming out
Of the Missouri, heavily laden with mud; is
water will be taken into the Central Missis-
sippi, between the Missouri and Ohio, and
carried Off between banks, because the old
bars acting. as dams have been swept away by
the i preceding Mississippi rise? Let a CON
ing q comparatively low stage in the Upper
mississippi; the united rivers, occupying a
wider bed, and having much flatter slope,
will have less velocity than the Missouri, and
a very considerable part OF the mud charge
OF the Missouri water must be deposited In
the bed OF the united rivers, according to any
theory that has been proposed; the bed Is
then occupied by deposit OF sand that this
is not theory but fact, every river man knows,
for 1t is not to be disputed that the channel
depth, in time of rise, is much less than the
rise on the bank added to low water depth
demands should exist.
Let us return to the silt-occupied bed of
the river, and suppose sudden flood comes
time for the augmented volume and velocity
to clear the silt out of the bed and the waters
must find room by overtowing the banks.
Does not this reasoning on hypothesis sug-
gest the ,s1, strong possibility that our floods,
such at hos as ~ 1851 and 1853 were not alto
water, but in part by the order of arrival Of
the Hoods from the upper streams? II such
may be the case at the junction of the Mis-
souri, and Mississippi, 1t may also occur from
like causes at the junction OF the Ohio St.
Francis, White. Arkansas and Red rivers.
Now rid the main stream and the tributaries
of considerable part of their silt, and it is
well nigh demonstrated that the flood line
Will be materially lOwered-and this is the
second branch of my plan.
Let the public eye be kept upon the one OBJ
ject improve the navigation of the river
and let the protection against overflow follow
in its true place as an incident, useful but
secondary, and dismiss all claptrap about
Setting Cairo on hlll," or "direct ocean
trade at st. Louis" with twenty foot chan
mel from hence to the sea all the year round"
and be content with reasonable things, will
ing to wait a reasonable time for the attain
ment OF these reasonable things; exercise pa
tience and forbearance even when mistakes
are made, but tolerate no incapacty in ad-
no political or other favoritism,
and you will be on the way to the attainment
of your wishes AS said in 1878: ITO carry
and money-how much it is Impossible to
estimate with certainty" So repeat to-day.
1t is easy to promise great things, but he who
would do them must expect slow progress.
Very respectfully,
RoBT. E. McMATH, G. E.
st. Louis, February II, 1873.