The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-01-14
- observation-disclosures ob.ena.

The difficulties which engineering
science has to encounter in grappIing
uith the problem Of the best means t.
improve the navigation OF the Mi4sis
sippi aud the tributaries, from their
sources to the mouth, are commensa-
rate with the magnitude Of that mighty
volume Of water. The great rivers Of
Europe are but rivulets alongside this
stream, which crosses twenty degrees
of latitude and twenty -four degrees Of
longitude, falling two miles in length
of 5000 miles, draining 1850, 000
square miles of territory, disoharging
annually 4 volume of water equal to
145 cubic miles, and carrying in sus
pension one part Of solid matter in
every 1900 parts of its entire volume
The annual total of this suspended
matter emptied into the gulf would
make a prism one mile square at the
base and POS feet high. Tho delta of
| this great river extends nearly up to
its confluence with the Ohio at Cairo.
Ali below that is low land, and liable
to floods at high water. Long before
the country was settled by the white
man those great floods were dreaded,
and there is the most positive evidence
that the extinct race Of mound bnild-
ers sought to control them by means OF
/ levees. Since the United States have
had jurisdiction over both banks of the
| ereat-river great deal 49, engineering
skill has been brought to bear on the
river problem, and a vast amount OF
money has been spent 10 cutting bars,
removing "snags" and "sawyers," and
strengthening channels and building
levees. None of the levees were strong
enough, however, to escape occasional
"erevasses" and the wide spread de-
struction which ensued. The lefty
system, applied with so much skill by
Captain Eads to the South Pass has
secured to the river 4 deep aud safe
channel at its mouth, at a cost Of little
over So 100000 aud now the Mississ
ippi River Commission created by Con
gress 10 June, 1879, proposes a scheme
I
| Of the river aud the security of its
I banks along its entire length. Their
work has been pretty we'll mapped out
/ the entire distance from Cairo to the
mouth of the RIVER, a length Of HOO
miles. To clear out the shoal places
/ IN this length OF channel, the river
which created them must be made to
I D q
/ Commission have been seeking for
means to harness the legiarhau, and
compel the mighty current to clear
away channel for itsels To do this
/ il is proposed TO narrow the low water
channel 10 a maximum width OF 5000
/ feet, By a combined system of leTees
aud of brush barriers aud jetties. By
this means the space between the new
and old lOg water banks will be grad
ually raised and the contracted chan
nell quickened IN flow Of current. will
be secured out to a greater depth.
This would tend to give the current q
greater uniformity both of depth aud
velocity, and enable foods to pass of
( with greater speed ieyees are needed to
promote this work as we'll as to protect
the adjacent dissolying lands. "Cut
offs are to be eschewed; il is not
deemed advisable to straigbten the
channel to any great extent, aud it Is
recommended that caving shores should
be secured by mattresses of brush and
riprap works of stone The commits
>ion's work will necessarily be costly
Over $4,000, 600 is asked to start the
improvements which can not be COM
pleted at less cost than S23.00 per
mile, or S25 100000 for the part Of
the river between Cairo and the passes.
If the improvements can be substan-
TALLY and permanently made at any
such figures they will be procured very
cheaply. The area of rich bottom
lands to be reclaimed under a good
legee system, amounts to 81 900 square
miles, worth $4,000 600 at the low
price of SO an acre. The annual pro
duets of these reclaimable alluvial lands
at ante bellum rates, it is estimated
oould ha DOt la=s tb,n GQ0O mn nm