Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-05-17
Preservation Of the water.
FrOaG Of vIoksbuPg.
REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES EN-.
GINEERs.

REPORT OF THE UNITED sTATEs EN-,
GINEERs.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, January q, 1873.
GENERAL: The Board OF Engineer
constituted by paragraph 6, Special Or
ders No. l4l, dated Washington, D. G.
June %, 1877, to examine and repor
upon the most advisable mesns of pre-,
serving the waterfront OF Vicksburg
and Of averting the danger which ap.
pears TO be apprehended from the cut,
of opposite that city, having been re,
convened by its President, met in ST.
Louis on January 13, 1878.
In the report OF the Board dated July
70, 1877, II was stated that the facts
then In their possession were not sufi.
GENTLY comprehensive 10 enable them
to submit either Q definite plan or esti,
mate for accomplishing The object pro.
posed for their consideration. In view
Of this fact, 8 committee Of citizens oil
the city of Vicksburg undertook to
have such surveys made as the Board
deemed necessary for q full understand.
ing Of the subject. These surveys we're
made during the course Of the past sea.
son, and the results obtained, with the
necessary maps and profles, have been
placed at the disposal Of the Board.
We are therefore enabled to submit &
final report upon the subject.
The preliminary report Of the Board
sets forth the condition OF alfairs
at Vicksburg at the date OF their
visit. Since that time the recession of
the Delta Point has been steadily pro.
crossing as well as the caving Of the
Mississippi bank below Vicksburg.
The erosion of the point has been al
the rate OF 800 feet a month during the
food stages, and will probably average
over 100 feet per month throughout
the year. The dry bar below the point
moves down with il, and has already
extended past the landing at Delta.
The filling up Of the harbor Of
Vicksburg has progressed rapidly, and
although the extreme stage of low
water vas not reached, the soundings
taken about the middl, Of August,
1877, showed that at low water the
bottom Of the river would be dry as
far up as Crawford street, between The
Elevator aud Wharfboat. This filling
In has been going on ever since, 90 that
the situation Of affairs Is really much
worse than lie shown by the maps. 1t
appears from the soundings and from
float observations that q considerable
quantity Of water thrown off from the
main body of the stream follows ap.
proxlmately the direction of the shore.
line above the Delta point, and striking
The Vicksburg shore obliquely, 10 de-.
Elected upstream as an eddy current,
having along the city front q velocity
Of about a mile an hour. The water
thus entering the lower end Of the
harbOr hows around DeSotO Island and
out at the upper end OF the lake. The
action Of this eddy current has been TO
cause an immense deposit Of mud In
the harbcr itself, and also on the line of
an ideal prolOngation of DeSOto Island
toward Ryan's saw.mill. The west end
of the old bed has not been appreciate.
ly silted up, all the deposits having ap.
parently taken place in the portion
nearest ViCksbnrg.
II appears from these facts that II, at
the time Of the cutoff the Delta Point
had been held, this mud.carrying cur.
rent would have passed up to the west
of DeSoto Island, aud that channel
would have been silted up and closed,
as Is usually the case with these cutoff
lakes.
The harbor in that case would prob.
ably have remained an open lake,
having q narrow passage to the river at
it's lower end but this passage could
probably have been enlarged and kept
open by q moderate amount of dredg.
ing annually, AS the case actually
stood, however, the Delta point was
unprotected and receded rapidly under
the action of the current, so that the
water thrown OF from the main body
In the direction Of the old channel, in.
stead of being DETECTED by the island
into the west arm of the lake, was al.
lowed to strike the Vlcksburg shore
aud to be by that means directed into
the east aim of the lake or harbOr
proper.
Even If the Delta point was held,
this depositing action would continue
until the bar reached the sHrface of the
water and formed = new shore.line.
After this was the case the upper or
west arm of the lake would receive the
deposit and would soon oil up. The
continued caving of the Della Point
carries the whole river down stream,
and further from the city landing, and
should be at once checked, no matter
wha. the subsequent plans OF improve.
ment may be, for a continuance of this
action will greatly increase the ulti.
mate cost OF any plan Of clearing the
entrance TO the harbor.
The Board are OF the opinion that
this protection should cover about 1000
feet of the shore above the Delta
Point. (Here follows the description
Of the plan proposed, viz: A double