The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-16
DEEPENING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVERS
CHANNEL.


In the spring or early summer OF 1876.
Capt. james B. Eads unfoIded to the Western
press favorite plan Of his for deepening the
channel and lowering the Hood line oil the
Mississippi river The practical results fore
shown by the eminent engineer. as certain TO
follow the execution of this theoretical plan,
were theestablshment Of n permanent navfga-
bic channel for large vessels from the mouths
of the Mississippi to st. Louis, and oonsld-
cradle lowering Of the high water level dur
ing the spring foods of the river. The cost
| Of the work to be done was roughly estima-
ted to be probably forty or fifty millions Of
dollars. and this money to be obtained mainly
through government appropriations
| The main features OF the plan designated
were the contraction OF the current OF the
river throughout ell Its expansions and across
its bars TO uniform width Of one thousand
yards, the average width Of the Mississippi
from Red river to the mouth), to close up all
such outlets as the Atchafalaya, Bayous
Plaquemines and Lafourehe and the Bonnet
Care and Pointe Coupee crevasses, TO throw
the whole mighty volume Of Its waters
| In one confined bed, and thus, increasing the
forces Of abrasion, to compel the current
to cut away the clay from Its bottom,
| while augmenting Its current velocity,
and consequently increasing Its capacity for
| bearing sediment, the river would be made to
bear this surplus of sediment to the sea- As
| part Of this plan the levees In Louisiana
were to be streng .hened, &c as to Withstand
the temporarily increased pressure from the
concentration Of the current above, until the
thn cnI
| current velocity should have 50 deepened the
| main channel, and 50 increased from beto,o
the area OF the cross section for discharge Of
| the waters, that the usual accommodation
| for thu spring rise obope the flood level might
eventually be dispensed WITH and the levees
lowered or even ultimately abandoned.
The whole scheme Of Capt. Eads involved
these two main points to cut away the bars
and shoals In the Mississippi, from st. Louis
to South Pass, by means of parallel ietties
placed wherever needed 1000 yards apart
and to lower the flood line of the river a GER
tain number Of feet by forcing 1t to deepen
the bottom an equivalent number OF feet.
This is certainly one Of the grandest
schemes ever evolved from the science Of
hydraulics and Is worthy Of the conception
| Of the master mind that has al. eady sue
| ceetied In welding the mighty forces OF the
great river to the bent Of his own will, that
has concentrated all the vast energies Of It's
resistless floods and forced them to remove
into the bottomless depths Of the sea the
bars and shoals which for ages blocked It's
progress.
| This plan appeared to be, rs 1t appears to-
day, undoubtedly practicable. granted that
the money could be obtained to effect its ac-
oomplishment No doubt If the govern
ment would consent to appropriate the nec-
essary forty or fifty million or q hundred
million dollars In proper installments, as the
work was completed, all the objects contem
plated In the above theoretical scheme could
be attained, q permanent deep water channel
from st. Louis to South Pass secured, and
the flood line OF the river perceptibly low
cred.
| There is, however, firm conviction IN the
minds Of our people that the government will
never grant the funds necessary for work
Of such magnitude, that II ID simply fatnnna
TO hope for within the next fifty years. an
appropriation which eelipses In prodigaIity
the widest dreams Of the railroad lobbyists
for whom the public purse was opened by the
extravagant legislation Of 1868 to 1872.
Any attention paid by Congress to this or
any such impossible scheme, tends to sink
into nsgniticance and remit to oblivion the
more unpretentious plans for the relief OF the
riparian proprietors along the Mississippi
river. The needed levee bills, which only ask
for government aid to the extent Of two or
three million dollars, must be utterly ignored
and buried beyond hope Of resurrection when
they are brought in simply as minor features
of a project involving the expenditure Of
twenty times that amount. 1t Is useless to
hope for government aid to such project
It will FAIL and falling involve the failure
Of all Its minor features, among them the
| leves bills.
There have been several efforts to get q
government survey, apparently appointed to
examine into the feasibility Of the same plan
or some such plan as Capt. Eads proposed.
These preliminary steps seem to be worse
than useless They serve only to distract
and remove the attention Of Congress from
the more immediate and feasible measures
which, involving the expenditure of compare
lively insignificant suma of money, are OF
vital Importance. and would be Of vast bene-
fit not only to the people of three States. but
to the whole country.
In the present bill before Congress we find
the following: 1T shall be the duty of said
commission tof army engineers and civiliansl
to take into consideration and mature such
plan or plans and estimates as will correct,
permanently locate and deepen The channel and
protect the banks Of the Mississippi river,
Improve dnd gire safety and ease to The
navigation thereof prevent destructive floods,
promote and facilitate its commerce. trade and
postal service zz.=.
"A This Is telegraphed from Washington as
levee bill, whereas 1t Is bill only providing
for preliminary survey by q commission
who are to recommend means for the "pro-
lection of the banks OF the Mississippi and
the prevention of destructive floods" which