Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-04-18

Captain J. Harvey Mathcs, of the LEDG
Err; Colonel j.. T. Trezsvant, and a
number Of merchants aud other business
men.
President Eiseman introduced Captain
Esds, who proceeded to give his views
upon the theory Of the improvement of
the Mississippi river and the %jetties.
Captain Eads exhibited maps and dia-
grams of the river and the j%etties, which
assisted the audience to understand the
subject and appreciate the address all
the more.
CAPTAIN EADs' ADDRESS
was succinct, clear and intelligent, evil
deacing a thorough comprehension of
the subject, which is Of vital interest to
the people of Memphis. Among other
things Captain Esds said:
The river scours its bed out in narrow
parts and drops the sediment in the
wider parts, aud SO on to the mouth Of
the river. This is the natural law. The
excessively wide places in the river is the
cause Of the mischiefs, and these wide
places, when inclosed by ~levess, cause
the levees to ave in and cut offs are
made. You cannot revett the banks OF
the Mississippi; it is too big a thing for
that. It will do 10 smaller rivers. The
remedy for all the trouble is to bring
these wide places to an approximate un-
iformity. Cover the sand-bars in them
with brush aud stone dams; these OBJ.
structions would cause q deposit OF gand
between them and cause the waters to
deepen the channel Tie work should
90 on annually, building them up higher
each year. 1t is simply 9 high water
treatment. When the river is brought to
a uniformity Of width, you will fod
very little csying. Below Red river
there is very little caVing going on. A
uniformity 10 width means a uniformity
in depth, q uniformity in current aod
uniformity in carrying sediment. To-day
a channel of tWenty-six feet in depth is
through the j%etties, except for about 1856
feet at its mouth out the uniformity Of
current now through the %jetties will scour
that obstruction out. 1t is wisdom TO
treat the river in such q way as to avoid
the necessity Of levees altogether. The
first effect of an outlet is to lower the
food slope, but the result is bad and dan
gerous. he described Cubitt's c~reVasse,
below New Orleans, and another break
called the Jump" which was formed
thirty-Gve years ago. The river flows more
slugg;shly below %crevasses, or outlets,
and a deposit below them is the result.
The crevasses should be closed, and the
slope would at once be lowered. Closing
Southwest Pass and Pass a Loutre would
result in lowering the food line OF the
Mississippi river some two feet all the
way up to Cairo. The South Pass car.
ries out only one.tenth of the waters Of
the river, which is sufficient for it. 1t
was not intended that it should carry out
oil the waters Of tie river. II you d.
miuish the size Of the Mississippi, you
raise the slope ultimately. This is a
natural law. As long as you leave the
wide places. you cannot hope for any
uniformity 10 depth or improvement in
the river. The friction is the chief Gle,
ment that re:ards the flow Of the water,
and this is. greater in proportion to the
width of bed in contact with the water,
hence q deeper slope is created by
the ~depositing action of the river al
all the wide places. When these
are reduced to the normal width the
bed will be deepened and the slope lower
ed, and levees rendered less necessary to
the Gulf. The old leyee building plan
must ultimately be abandoned, because
it requires the wide and shallow spaces
in the river, which are the fruitful snd
only cause Of csving banks and %cut-offs.
To be inclosed within the %levees; and
hence the csving and cut-otis must con
tinue and the destruction OF the leveei
mast follow. Once bring the high-watel
channel to an approximate uniformity o.
width ard the eaving of the banks viii
be reduced to insignificant proportions
Narrowing the wide places is a thiuG
easier accomplished than the rip.rappin,
or malttessing Of the banks, because i
requires no work to be done except il
shallow water. Where the river is deer
it is already narrow. The great obiec
ton TO the leyee system, he argued, is no
the preaeDt amonnt needed for absolut,
protection from the near floods, for fou,
or FIVE millions would insure this; but i
is the levees which must cave in iron
the causes above named. Remove tina
cause and the levess ecu be oheapl,
maintained, but when the cause Of thl
caving is removed the food slope Of th,
river would be found to be lowered, 40,
therefore the levees would ba useless
The cost Of such a system Of improve
ment is a mere nothing 10 the value q
the benefits which would flow from it
1t Is bringing deep water up into the yer
heart of the Mississippi valley. The COS
would not be one half what the govern
ment has spent on the Union Pacif
railroad. The system that is propose
is exactly the opposite to that recon
mended by the United States engineer
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED.
, After the address by Captain Fad
Mr.. J. T. Trezevant presented the 70
lowing resolutions, which we're receive
with applause and unanimously adopia
by the meeting.
Resolved, That the citizens Of Men
[ phis tender to Captain James b Fac
their hearty thanks for his very able, j
teresting and instructive address upo
the Importance Of improving the navig
ton Of the Mississippi river.
Resolved, That the necessity and ia
. parianco Of such improvements al
F., annually becoming more manifest 40