Daily globe., 1879-07-01

journ without passing the bill, leaving the
marshals to look to providence and Mr.,
Hayes for their pay. The dependence will
be but slight, but if they dislike it they
must make the best of it.
THE MISSISSIPPI IMPROTEMEN1
CONFUSION.
Mr.. Hayes on Saturday appointed six en-
gineers and one politician as members of the
Mississippi river levee commission, created
under recent act of Congress, and it is
probable that they will commence their Ia
bors within the present month. The duty
of the commission is outlined in section of
the bill as follows: ..-.,
It shall be tho duty of said commission to
take into consideration and mature such plan
or plans and estimates as will correct, perma-
nently locate and deepen the channel and pro-
tect the banks of the Mississippi river; i'm
prove and give safety and ease to the naviga-
tion thereof; prevent destructive floods; pro-
mote and facilitate com merce, trade and the
postal service; and, when SO prepared and ma
tured to submit to the secretary of war full
and detailed report of their proceedings and
actions, and of such plans, with estimates of
the coat thereof, for the purposes aforesaid, to
be by him transmitted to Congress: Provlded,
That the commission shall report in full upon
the practicability, feasibility and probable cost
of the various plans known as the jetty system,
the levee system and the outlet system, as we'll
as upon such others as they may deem neces-
sary. u."
This inquiry is of great importance to the
people of Minnesota as we'll as to all other
States bordering on or having rivers trjbu-
tary to the Mississippi river, and We trust it
will be thorough and its recommendations
unbiased by local or personal considerations,
but dictated only by a sincere desire to fa-
cilitate the commerce of the river and it's
tributaries. .. .,...--.. s..
e While the people residing along the upper
Mississippi are not as seriously affected by
overaows during high water as those farther
south where the bottoms are broader. there
are yet wide tracts of rich land that several
times year are inundated and rendered m
pro luotive. These overaows could be pre-
vented by the judicious outlay of small
sum of money in the construction of
levees at a few points along the
natural channel of the river, and
thousands of acres of the most fertile land
in this and adjoining States reclaimed. Of
course the benefits farther down the river
where the bottom widens would be largely
increased, and still larger tracts of land
would be made available for agricultural
purposes. The construction of levees, too,
would improve the navigation of the river,
by confning its waters to the channel, thus
increasing the depth at all seasons of the
year.
In sanitary point of view the contem-
plated improvement is of the utmost i'm
portance. All physicians agree that the de-
caying vegetable matter in the river bottoms
during the dry season is fruitful source of
malarial disease, and there is little donbt but
the yellow fever epidemics that have swept
the lower Mississippi valley can be traced to
this cause. By the construction of proper
levees these pest-holes can be etfectually
dried up, and the health of the people
greatly improved.
The removal of distractions to the navi-
cation of the river is another matter COM
mitted to the care of this commission. Ex
perience has demonstrated that bars and
snags can be removed at comparatively
small outlay if the work is undertaken in the
proper time. A few snag and dredging
boats-six or eight at the most-would serve
to keep the river free from bars and snags
the year round, which would be of incalcu-
liable benefit to commerce and largely stim-
ulate trade.
The subject of reservoirs at the headwaters
of the Mississippi, by means of which the
volume of water in the river can be in
creased during the dry season, will
no doubt receive attention. It has been
held by competent engineers that such plan
is entirely practicable. Dams can be con-
structed on the outlets of the lakes that
empty into the river by which the water &C
Gu mulating in the spring can be retained
till necessity for it arrives in the sultry
days of July and August, when it can be re-
leased in such quantities as may be neces-
| sary. e E > szate s
The work of the commission is an inl-
portant one, which concerns the people of
ten or dozen States vitality. The inquiry,
therefore, ought to be as thorough as it can
be made. Under the law the commission
cannot execute any of the work that may be
deemed expedient, but it can recommend
such enterprises as will most conduce to the
general good of the Mississippi valley, and
its recommendations will no doubt have
great weight with Congress-. The SURVEYS
ought to be made and the plans agreed upon
in time for their submission at the Decem.
Der session of Congress, and we therefore
trust there will be as few delays as possible
in inaugurating the work.
Fort Smelling Bridge 3s
A nesting of the bridge commission was
held at o'clock yesterday afternoon, Mayo,
Dawson in the chair. Present, Messrs
Knaphide, Lindlke, Cochran and Engineer
Sewall. A letter was read from United
States Engineer. Mai. Allen. in which the