The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-11-24
A Brief Chat With Major Howell
On the Subject.
Capt. JOS Aiken'H Views on the Plans
of the. Improvement Proposed
bY the Bngineers-Hi
Proposition.

~
etl) Ia apt 10 oreate no small discussion during
tho coming sessloa OF Congress. and will prob
ably invite Tho attention OF tho rnost eminent
eng neerH Tho proposition Ia not n new one,
having had Its warm aavccates for years back.
but ID will soon probably, become a conarieu-
ous one.
Hpsnk ing to n hEMOGRAT reporter yesterday
Muipr &. w. Howell expressed opinions which
noinnlhad with the suggestions made hy Major
Banyaurd. He did not think shat any work Of
rarnanent utility could be constructed at the
mouth OF Red river, and despite all the efforts
made Of recent years 1t WAS found that dredg
Ing henalna 4 rad aally more difficult. Tho plane
OF Hnd river he ania, being 40 much lower than
that OF the Mississippi. tho wa'ere of tho latter
swept la upon the former sometimes ~ dts
tnnco Of al teen or eighteen miles. Un,sr auoh
n condition tho government should go ON
dredging, and IA tho difficulty yehily increases
tho work would become more atupenaous, or
course 10 ehnngn tho course of the river ana
run 1t through bayou Fannem,ne would he
aeid enlist tho sern opposition Of tho Rod river
shipping interest but la only question Of
time when Nature herself will close up the
mouth.
II has been eome time he said. since had
au opportunity OF examining the hydrography
vious knowelge though / have not seen Ma-
lor Benyaurd'a report nor do know what Il
uontnna ] do not think the work of dlvartlnE
The trade through Bayou PIauuemina would
afford d greater facility 10 the Teehe country
lock should be constructed at the bayou but 1t
need not be yery expensive to make 1t endur-
iugly efficient and aerviesnbla
Not having recently inveaiga the subject.
the Major declined to enter any further upon T.
stating that i would Pro,baly soan form sub
Tho reporter sndsnvored ~ unthlh the opln- :
lon Of Gen Boauregard. but the latter stnted he
had given tho subject no thought, and hhd no
time to DO So
The re porter. thereupon. anxious to obtain
the views Of u Representative steam6oatman.
directed hls steps toward tho office of the New
Orleans and Hed River TRANSPORTATION Opm-
pany. where no was favored with tho following
Interview with
GAIT. JOB. A. AIKEN:
Heportar- Gnpt AiHen. have called to talk
to you about the mouth Of Rod river Did you
read our article tho other day headed hed
Rivcr Navigatton2"
| hope you viii continue TO agiiate the subject
until something Ia done TO give us relief from
our annual trouble ut the mouth, or In Old
Q,-What do you think Of the plans proposed
| by the englnears2 ,
| ono proposing to build dams near the hend and
foot of Tnrnbuli's island and open now route
for tho Red 70 enter tho Mlssissippt is tho best,
| I object to II. because It is not necessary. 1t
would cost hundreds Of thousands OF dollhrH,
and worse than all would cauae total euapen-
Of sbe me TO the the dams ana We're Ss
built, This latter ronson. of course. kills, It.
| d But would the new mouth. Il made, m
Tint Ills surveys show that thn valley q ths
Rod il lower than that Of tho Mselssppi. and
that the waers Of hed gould u not be prol;nnea %
| insure an open mouth Mt all seasona. ana eH :
penslve dredging would be necessary every
Al don't know what to aay about the
water running from the lower valley OF tho tsed
into tho higher one Of the Miasiaslppl. Yon
cornlnly must misauote tho snRinear Bnt I
| viii say that before tho cut of" on tho Missis-
sippi which oneurrsdsome forty years ago, wtlht
we now oal old river Was bend o. q ths m MIS-
sippi in this bend. A few mi los below.nnh In this
snme bond. WIS tho AtcbnfaaYa drawing Its
supply of water from the Misslpalppi Buildine
would bring buck he previous cut on c2na,.ion
Of affairs. VIZ. Red and htchafalaya would agmln M
latter would agnln draw its supply .ot wnter
dlroc, from tha Mlasssipp instehd oi from Rod,
as now. The level OF Rcd would certainty 6a p
| would project itself into thnt river. ns OF Old,
inatend of into the Atchafalaya. IA now; Its
channel through tho mouth would always
equal It's channel above the mouth. md cons. y.
nuently no dredging would bs necessary. "
would be precisely such u MOUTH AZ iho 1hzo,n;
wot il Ms snns D1s ens will b s"v
nl,ahed but object. for rensons already stated.
| obJtct to tho Plnpuemne route; because q ?,
takes our bonts from tho wide. deep. safe Mis-.
| sissippi and sends them through narrow
crooked, alligator swamp and bayou, ti''ed
object to both plans, also, because OF the years
Of tlme IT would take to complete them
/ Q.--Weli. what do you proposp1 .
i Al propose. ns the doctors say. assist
nature" $40 is now tr, ing to form. through
the bed Of Old river II bayou. extending from
the to n9 wdb and dspt IN
all it's length Tho cross section of this bayou
will. or should be-, equal to the amount o, Q,
fron,lthe frt, NIL Mississippi in times Of dangerous
Goods Ia the latter. At the same. time ! would
assist and encourage the Atchafalaya 70 keet
on enlnrglng itself as II has been doing foi
some years past. The moro water 1t can carry
Off the less will be the danger from overflow In
q But won't the enarging Of tho Atchafa
laya draw off the water from Red river and In
jure its navigation2
A-No: not If a sufficient opening is kep
from the Mississippi to the Atchafalayn: 80 tina
the level Of the latter will be governed by ths
former.
INV viii yon overcome shoa!lng, or llling No Q
Ola river. which rs understand /. is the cause
Of all the to naylgatona me engahee
digging there for months ard YET navigation
was nhstructed.
do the work with; the gentleman In charg
worked night and day, extended every facilit
| to the boafs when in trouble. and did every
thing possible under the clrcnmstancss bnt th
: right Appliances were not used. You remam
ber two years ago we sent a small stern. whnt
. boat and two small tugs up to this same OF
river. Toere was then but twenty-four. +
thirty inches water on the bar, which was full
mile In length We sent Capt Woods up !
= charge OF the fleet In FIVE days he cut
g channpl eight feet deep. With other heavie
, ! tugs, which can always be had here. he coul
;; have In five more days. cut fifteen feet dee
II -.annel then cut is good yet. this sse
IsAuble having been at other lonaliti'
AA That is how to solve the diff1cu
en- ,.s,ao< There was a solution OF the Eho
-. iaooan3sa d by the way that Is thetrue D,an, I
Ter, ]. a. hseht ~ ffteen faet char,nel fro
Tir- u, sAhNs Va A