The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-11-03
RIVER RIPPLES.
The Mississippi Improvement
Convention,

Convention.
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 27.-The River con-
Ventlon was called to order at 1O:3O
O'Clock; and prayer was offered by Rev.
Dr. w. u. Elliott, Chancellor of Wash
lngtOn University. On motion, the
committee appointed by the United States
River Commission to represent that
body In the convention, was invited to
take seats on the platform. The Com
mlttee on Order of Business made a re-
port which was adopted. The Commit
Tee ON Permanent Organization reported
the following as officers of the cOnYen-
tlon; President, Hon. Mark H. Dunnell
OF mlnneSOta; Vice observation-disclosures
sas, John r. Adams; Alabama, ThOs, T,
Allen; Iowa, Geo. W. Jones; Kentucky,
Geo. Underwood; Indiana, II. N. Hurley;
louisiana, Geo. G. Waddell; Tennessee,
ii. A. Elliott; Kansas, d. G. Stock
We'll; Minnesota, 0. G.. Merriman:
Nebraska; Clinton Briggs Dakota;
j. ~. Pettigrew; Wisconsin,; William
Wilson; New York, d. s. Osborn; Penn
sylyania, r. G. Gray; Texas, W. Ii. Flip
pen; Ohio, 5. f. COvingtOn; Illinois, IL.
Fullerton; Missouri, James Rollins;
West Virginia, Alexander Campbell.
Secretary, George L. Wright, of st.
Louis. Assistant Secretaries, Frank
fttA NiAhAO anu NUN Dull, VI d.
Alexander Campbell, West Virginia, and
Logan I'll. Root, Arkansas, were appoint
ed to conduct the President-elect to the
chair.
THE CHAIRMAN's REMARKS.
Upon taking the chair Mr.. Dunnel re-
turned thanks for the honor conferred
upon him and in very brief and general
remarks said that as delegates they
WpTn nprn from nfyy
rlCorleS extending from Minnesota to
the Gulf of Mexico, and from the eastern
seaD0ard to the Rocky mountains, to
dlScuss the question and devise means
OF improving the great rivers of the
mississippi valley, whose productions
had given the balance of trade to the
country. The question was not only of
great interest to the Mississippi valley
but to the whole nation, and should be
treated with deliberatiOn and with a
view to lmpressing its Importance upon
Congress and inducing that body to ex-
tend the aid so much desired.
Communications, plans for the i'm
proyement of rivers, etc, were then
handed in and filed for future reference.
Letters were then read from Captain
James b. Eads, .. S. SenatOr-electsGib
son, of Louisiana, Senator James b.
Beck, of Kentucky, Senator A. p. Cor
man, Congressman AbTam S. Hewitt, of
New York, Postmaster General James,
Congressman R. G. HOrr, of Michigan,
Senator Jonas, of Louisiana, Senator
Hawley, of Connecticut, and others.
Some of these letters have already been
published.
METHODS OF IMPROVEMENT.
There was also read paper prepared
NV DVrn1 e
River Commission, in regard to the
operations of that COmmissi n, which
goes over good deal of the ground COW
cred by his two reports already made to
Congress, but the following extract
viii show the condition of the river,
and explain to some extent at least
what the Commission intend to do: Two
well known conditions characterize the
river below Cairo. First, that bad shoals
bars and dangerous navigation are al
ways accompanied by low water width
exceeding three thousand feet; and,
second, that wherever the width does
not exceed three thousand feet there is
a good channel the year round. In other
words, bad navigation is produced by a
wide river, and good navigation by a
narrow one. The same principle applies
to the portion of the river between the
mouths of the Mississippi and the Ohio
rivers. The evident remedies for exist
ing evils are, first, to stop further en-
largement by protecting the caving
banks, and, second, narrow the stream
to suitable and approximately uni
form width at all places where the
widths are excessive and the navigation
bad. Wherever necessary, therefore,
the caving banks will be graded to
proper slope and protected by suitable
evetlnents against further erosion.
Where the widths are too great the
channel will be narrowed by forces de-
velOped in the stream itself, through the
agency Of high permeable dykes, placed
either longitudinally or transversely to
the channel, as circumstances shall re-
quire. By these light open works, con-
structed largely of poles, wire and brush,
the area to be raised will be converted
into a series of fitting basins, within
which the water, constantly flowing
the barriers with diminishing
will deposit its heavier ma
terials. In this way the bed of the
stream will be gradually raised during
the high water season, forming new
banks and developing new shore lines
for the amended channel. These methods
Of Improvement have been successfully
applied at various points on the Missouri
and Mississippi rivers, and are in no
sense experimental, except in the de-
tails of construction. -.si
"For beginning the work projected by
this Commission, and for which the sum
Of ten million dollars was appropriated
at the last session of Congress, an eff
cient equipment has been ordered and it
is expected that active operations will
be started within the coming month
upon the Plumb point reach above Mem
phis and the lake Providence reach above
Vicksburg. These two reaches constitute
an aggregate length of about seventy
miles of the worst navigation below
Cairo. The works are expected to secure
a low water depth of ten feet with pOssi
bilities considerably beyond that limit.
although the Commission have given
especial attention and study to the re-
of navigation on the main
river below Cairo, they have carefully
inspected the plans of imprOvementnO now
in process of execution by the Engineer
Bureau of the Department upon that
portion of the stream between Cairo and
St. Paul, and are of the opinion that
their completion will establish low
water navigation of not less than eight
e. - CoiY L nniu with