Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-03-23
ARKANSAS RIVERS.
Bills in Congress for their Hm-
prOYement--Letter from an
Arkansas Represen-
tatlVe.

OtdI OOlOutl lOuI tSletllcQ ldNOI
of the l9thls just received, and read
with interest. You could not have
presented to me a subject for eonsid-
Grafton in which | feel a greater inter
est than the Improvement of our
riyers-and especially the long neg
lected Cache.
Mr.. Maberry Of Cotton Plant, had
previously sent me a communication
containing much valuable Information
as to the population, wealth, prospects
and commerce of the section of coun-
try drained by the Cache, and OF
which it is the natural artery of com
municatiOn and commerce.
| have given the subject Of that
river, in common with the others OF
my district. a careful investigation
and have already introduced bills
providing for the appropriation Of
about $4,000 in the aggregate for
the improvement Of the navigation of
the White, Black, Cache, St. Francis
and L'Anguille rivers. For the Cache
| ask $4,000 and for a further survey
Of it. The first survey was very i'm
perfect in extent though good as far
as it went.
In the engineers report contained
in the letter of the secretary of war
to the fo~rty-frst congress, third ses-
sion, is found the.report of Desmond
Fitzgerald, the engineer who surveyed
Cache river.
Amongst other things he says: "This
part Of Cache river, as far as Free.
mans and Wilson's landing, one hun
dred and ten miles from the mouth,
is much INSTRUCTED by overhangine
trees and snags."
After giving an account Of the Cot
ton Plant settlement, its, wealth and
products, etc, he says: "With the ex-
ception of the Cotton Plant country.
which contains about five hundred
voters, the Cache river has nothing
to induce navigation to seek the
stream"
How inadequate and imperfect a
conception of the extent of country,
population, products and commerce
dependent upon and affected by the
navigation Of the Cache this officer
formed, all who are at all familiar
with that locality will readily sec.
He says of the needed improve
ment: The river could be improved
by the expenditure of four thousand
dollars, so as to allow a small boat to
navigate the river as far as Cotton
Plant three months out of the year.
which would be sufficient to supply
the wants ofthe people, and to take
off their cotton. 4
at extreme low water in the summer.
the snags could be taken out, and the
oyerhanglng trees cut, which with a
general clearing OF all the brush and
floating logs, would be all the inn.
provement it is necessary to make to
enable a boat to pass up with safety"
1t Is obvious from this that a thor
ough survey of the entire river is
needed; and with that view | have in
troduced a bill to authorize the secre-
tary OF war to cause such a survey to
be made, and also to appropriate
SlO,OO0 for the present Improvement
OF the navigation in accordance with
the %surveyand recommendations above
referred to. | thank you for the val
liable information contained in yonr
letter, which | will place before the
committee on commerce.
There is nc section of the country
within my knowledge so entirely emf
oft from all other lines of communica.
ton, and so entirely dependent mon
the navigation Of their river as the
country along and adjacent to the
cache. The Cotton Plant country.
for instance, twenty miles in length
and eight or ten miles in width an
unusually rich and fertile region Of
country, is absolutely surrounded with
water during portions of the year. and
the people cannot reach any markets
atall without crossing,at great trouble
ald expense, the Bayou Deyiew or
Cache bottoms. For the benefit Of
this section Of country alone. an ex-
penditure Of $4,000 would be iusti.
fed, if required, to give them safe and
easy navigation ofthe Cache. | assure
you that | shall not cease my effort.
until Cache is improved and steam.
boats plough its waters in safety.
Your friend truly,
~ w., w :, ?. DUNN.
Arkansas. VIVA