, 1879-08-15

OF tile hydraulic errors they llavc committed IN
the past, while We III this country must walt for
our crrors {Imttasionl to drgcop themselves In
fuller proportions, which e matter Of Tine
only. Eurnpe having committed her hydraulic
cfTusa jnpG before us.
:, The majority, II nos a1l, Of tits Commission
k1w ny slsws vol; but as they src antag.
they Will mss them tn e!lrnco; and for this rcn.
eon l lnn<t depend OH free liac of printers
tnk tn torec not nnv recognition, hut n ron.
alteration, ot tllrn'. J challcngo any leading
hydraulic engineer or hoartf OF engineers in tho
country IN, raply to Or assall the radical md
nUreI so!ullon hive given tlle snbtort OF river
md nm 1' barber hsl,aales; IND w!ll meet then,
fee es ,eu,s e opeo nS.' y ye%sp Sepsts1 e sy
ncls md the reclamation nt lowlantls wcrn
given by me in nn exhaustive lecture on tho
9Th Of Inst April, befnre tho polrteellnic
Branch Of the American Institute, here #, New,
original, they Were commented Dti bY rnrt OF
the Western press, nNd layorably criticised.
Tint tllls Commission MID t.,e .ctttro country
may understand my position, will repeat here
nv, most important deductions On river
hydraulics, Viz:
That the contractment at the channel Mt The
mouth of river raises lts susfacc.levcl through
out IT. entire lcnrsll tlp 10 cascades or faflsl,
md itkuwIse that Of ail its tributaries or con.
ilncn,s; t!,at such raise Is in proportion to the
cortraetmcnt, nnll nlso according to the number
oi 'incnl foct Of contrartInent he It intcrruptca
Or continuous; lint rivers build IN thctr bed.
bottoms. In psnpnrt!on M tilc snrfncc-levcl of
the wnter Is rnfscd hy confinement Of chnnnel-
capacity: tint. 10 prevent oycrtlows, there can he
M end to tic necessity of building higher anu
higher levces or hanks, 80 long the channel Ia
hclng. cteroachca upon bs dikcs and leYcca
built to elect deepening ut the channel or n
reclamation of nart If it, natural bed: that tho
ra!sca level Of its helbotom, as tl.at Of
It's Bi1rfncr, extends throughout the river. md oil
Its continents entering nboyc the contrhctmcnt;
that every river hnd, and Inns. velocity ot chr.
ren. recording to its Incline, md IN iucrcasud
current can only be got by increasing tts incline:
TINT to Increase Tho current OF the Mi.atsstppi
by contractmcnt Of It's cauartty onc.hnlf milu
per iour, as is pronosed to efluct acour Of its
bnttom or channel, from, Cairo down to the
tfnlr, would rcsIuirc head OF watcr at Cairo OF
nintv.fnir feet anoyn its present feyrl twhat
cnts OF the MississtpptD; that, for. every nero
taken Or reclaimed from, the NATURAL capacity Of
Of the Lowcr Mississippi. 10 600 acres (in rn,ln
nnmbcrsl will become swa1npcd on the Upper
Mississippi and its tributaries; ntgo, tho upper
nuvlsahla cl,anncIs will bc largely liscfFecsol.
Thcsc nre the Ta!n points O[ ms deductions; !;
md will 20 before the Commission md stlb-
nit to n1ly examination they please on thenl,.
provided they will submit to nv examination Ut
material to me bow they answer, provided tIer
do answer all questions; but II Is very material
that the cntrG examination be printed fur pub
lie usc: tt,at point ! exact. want tile Northern
thc hca1s Of tho Allegheny md MIsstsstpni, to
| understand that I nm lahorlnC In their behnif
| OIL question that they hnvc not the time, ns1tl
generally not the immediate capacity, to look
| after nnll guard themselves against its
wrong treatment or cxart tho benefits Of Its
correct trra, want the pcoplc Of the
| Lower Mississippi to understand that l am
equally la5nrn: o TT telr good, ana tG ttat
from tlle nroncr treatment Of the Lower Mlssts.
| stppi, whtle frun Its Grruneons treatment they