The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-06
rrn. r,oo ri nj Untted States Engineers,

t.ufr
lily they state truly. It will raise the river
rsa feat higher than II has ever been known.
NM Davis spoke so low that ne couih pot ~
,.nri on the stage and the convention invited
IN" Honorable gentleman TO speak from the
NV Nh friends. thank You, for the compliment
sor wishing to have me take n place where you
oould hear all said In return VIII not de-
tain you long. IT y not my gurpose,, TO make :, =
Womb be impossible for mo to do 30 on account
OF my oh ysical condition.
was lust on the point or speaking Of the Of
feet the proposed system Of Levers would have
m Tho inhabitants living on the borders OF the
MlsaIseippi river by the plan submitted ny ne
able body Of engineers and presented ny inc "hiei
angInoer of the United States. who. 70 me. Tor
iniegrity. manhood and ability. believe to Do
tho peer q any g. h h,aser 1r aof fpa
speak knowingly. j having beon reared
mon tho shores U, the. river, and iiyed
there tho greater portion =, my Ire thans
which be IL not entirely familiar. First. then.
they say this levee y to be- built 81 such magni-
and they say It would raise the river five feet
Higher than it was ever known. That y. 1t
means II will deluge oil the farms, plantations
and villages on tho river, That is. TO destroy
ali The plantations which have been cleared and
cultivated within the last century and 70 benefit
the persons remote from the river. Then let
atated That would speak but few minutes to
tho disease to speak as aphysician, ana LET us
diagnose the disease ana sec what remedy IL
WHAT IL the great evil OF which we arc suffer
ing? From overflow and caving banks. Then:
TO correct the overflow. diminish the amount 81
Mai. frat The velocity OF the current and sec
ondly, prevent the water which flows through
All the elds from returning to IT feeaq ,se IL IS
b. em nj mi i the river. Il must be done by
DC vdc I'm THAR 1ay. were wiser tnan tDGlr
sn"cesaors and adopted that pan-of cutting
away the levees from the lower , oH" Hnaa 70 70
B n%Ss az cara al that 0 Will secure those
Who plant on the banks Of tho MIssissippi river.
II you have outlets when WI, d rIvnr sgtb ,ne
iia banks, How are you to reduce the velocity
OF the currept2 II you take the water out OF
the river high W yp. on NE H. viii be-
reduced below 1t to the Gulf Of Mexico, and the
waters kept within It's natural banks. u VIII DO
OF wafer But / know great many say give
ns great rapldity OF stream and 1t VIII SCOOP
out the bottom. Go 70 any practical pho,
night and ask him when bars arc formed In the
river. Ho will tell you ls when the current
ne T g ie n s ypn yo Is so he
viii say IL il not because the river runs strong,
est but II Is because 1t wears away ils banks and
gives greater amount OF seolment Wbicn u
cannot bear on and drop, from point TO point
and forms These bars. When the river sub
sides and this caviDg ceases by the returning
waters from the back LANDS, then inc RIVER pe-
comes perfectly clear, and rs soon MS that oc-
ours It's velocity diminshes and Y commences
10 tear out The bottom, and, rs the pilots VIII
tell you. find ts channels; or new 2nes. Dnt
taEa the water ont OF the river by reducing It's
vosume. diminishing It's current. checking tho
i@ts which should be added to the channel Of
through tho deposits on each side
OF the river to some point from which 1t would
MANY years ago, when occupied a position
in the councils Of the natl on. q memotial was
presented by one who claimed 10 nave made
thorough examiu ation OF tho matter. lie pro
posed 10 tap the Missouri and carry the waters
to the Red River Of the North and thence 70 the
waters OF British America. don't know thaI
that IL n practical plan. but 1t Ia ono that has
been suggested with many others. Now
nv friends the Missouri has similar levees
to Louisiana, and lot me say WORD n f .,at tne
banks and there Ia no river that makes more
havoc with Its banks. and II you could put
chains that liver ana hap 3aa wod bnve
given those people the greatest DRESSINGS on
earth. ,,c,, n,
creases with every step. Hero the water has
already received such checks In its current that
II bears the final sediments 81 the banks above
here and diminishes the caving. As you ascend
the river the cRvng Ia more rapid. ana 80 u
goes on until II reaches tho mouth OF the ONO
Btop the caying, and II the government can
take care OF the levees. Every man can build
ieyee and II It need DO his son will. The great
EVIL resus n the IN Fl be ene evee 4 ana
be continually moving his building back whore
the land liz higher
Now. I didn't state this as being impossible.
n the government would stop the caving. ]
think II could be done In u variety Of ways. |
believe II can be done as | have already sug-
0ested. / believe IL can be done by building
niers nj points In the bends OF the river 30 rs to
nreyent abrasion OF the banks, 80 as TO prevent
the water from returning. Ii piers were built at
the heads of bends the current would pc uenec,-
al ut the other side, and 1t would not wash
away the head Of the bend and form sand bars
Repeat your piers rs often AZ needs pc, ana fol-
low up the work 10 that manner. ana | believe
stated will give US the deepest channel Tor the
transportation Of goods and greatest security
20 the riparian pr3Prietor ana 90 ., snS 1fast
magnitude to justify tho expenditure Of the
money Of the country. Though II would not be
done at once Y would be ,n,a fe
the benefit Of the richest valley on the lace OF
the globe
Railroads have endeavored to compete with
the mighty river for rapid transit. Dut leI a ane
roads may 90 but flow on forever. Applause
As long ma this mighty river drains this empire
of the Mississippi valley and continues 10 bear
its sedi nents to tho son. and 80 long as this en-
Lyepot il to be tho point OF commercial enter
prise this city IL destined to be one 81 the great
NV friends the kind interest you have taken
in hearing what | should say VIII Lead me
to 20 on In the train Of thought Tint
began with And so In the future, when this
city. overlooking the Gulf. shall attain is great
proportion; when peace and fraternity OF the
Elssissippi valley has been secured when you
vessels floating on the ocean to your port. and
grand fleets I'm your harbor. then. say; will be
fulfilled tho hope Mr.. Jefferson anticipated
when he advocated "a q great thing the United
States was to accomplish in preventing the
flrst attempt at disruption. raised in the contro-
yersy about the mouth Of the Mississippi river;
breach with France was raised upon that
question. 1t is as important now as 1t was tnen
fmportant, and az It IL In the future and vastly
more important in the present than any others hers
Then in this connection you must have deep
water connecting the Mississippi river with the
Gulf. l hope it will be ACCOMPLISHED with the
plan now pursued but AZ | said In relation to
an outlet for the sirplus waters. II the ietties
will not give you deep water you must cut away
the bottom with such neutrality-suspicious. as
they use on the Clyde aha Rhine: put
It will not keep it open II they stop
work. they will have to work 800
days in the year Just the number OF days re,
onIra5 N work upon the CLYDE. That was