The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-13
NEW IDEA.
Capt. Gowden's plan to stop
overhOWs.
He also favors the Great
Hennepin Canal.

provement of the river and its outlets. On
a recent visit to Chicago the captain was
subjected to an interview, during which he
gave vent to the following statements:
What is your opinion of the Hennepin
canal?' was the first interrogatory.
81 favor it because it is thoroughly
practicable. At present the Mississippi
valley has but two ways of communicating
with the seaboard," observed Mr. Cowden,
| the railways and the river routes. when
they should have three, including the
canal"
The canal from the Mississippi river to
Chicago would be of great benefit not
alone to the section tributary to Rock
Island, but it would also result in great
good to Chicago and intermediate points
RIVER IMPROVEMENT.
You also favor the Improvement of the
river?
Certainly; the river is the natural high
way and as such it should be improved
wherever it can be shown to do any good.
The present great drawback to the lower
river is the inundation which occurs and
proves very destructive"
How would you remedy it?
THE present mouth of the river is 100
miles below New Orleans. The river
has gone seventeen miles out to sea since
1880, and is still moving BY my system
propose to place New Orleans within
twelve miles of the gulf by cutting a chan
mel across from the river to Lake Borgnc?S
How long would this channel be7"
LESS than five miles,
How long would it take to excavate it?"
1T can be done in sixty days at cost
not exceeding $250,000."
RESULTS OF THE WORK
What will be the result?"
The channel of the river would be low
cred an average of ten feet from Cairo TO
the mouth, thus preventing overflow in
high water, keeping the water in its proper
channel and forever preventing the danger
of New Orleans being left a lone city far
away from the river. Besides this by low
ering the bed, thousands of square miles
would be drained ready for use and the
sanitary condition Of the wholec ountry ben
Gifted"
What reliability can you place on Lake
Borgne?"
Lake Borgne has an area of fully $50
superficial square miles and with an aver
age depth of only six feet, would contain
nearly seventy billion cubic feet. and with
a discharge from the river equal to Bonnet
Care would require 175 years to fill up,
and, grant that this would be the result of
that outlet, a clear and well defined chan
mel would form through from the river to
gulf, forty miles long, which would be
seventy miles shorter than by the main
river to its present mouth, which is every
day extending out into the gulf, and at the
rate of one mile every ten years, as has
been the case since 1870, when the South
west Pass first commenced to form, and at
the same rate with the same mud flow in
100 years the river viii be ten miles longer.
But suppose the discharge from the river
should be 10000 cubic feet per second, or
double that at Bonnet Care, or one-sixth
the volume of the entire river, the result
would only discharge during flood periods
averaging not more than one-fourth the
year or 100 days"
Have you any results of any other out
let system?'
NATURES OUTLETS.
Mature in 1873 made some outlets for
the Mississippi known as Bonnet Care, |
and Atchafalaya outlets. Since |
those exists formed floods have never been |
able to raise the river to high-wa mark |
The average has been four feet at Carroll |
ton, four at the mouth of the Red River, |
seven at NatcheZ nine at Vicksburg, two |
at the mouth of the White River, and |
three feet at Memphis lower than high |
water mark My system, as | have said, |
will average ten feet below high water
mark below Cairo"
IF that scheme fails, what other means
to the end have your"
ATCHAFALAYA.
''After the Lake Borgne outlet, the next
great safety-valve is that of the Atchafa-
laya, which, if properly controlled, will be
an important factor in the accomplishment
of this great system, and it's importance
deserves more than mere casual notice.
In 1889 it was but mere bayou.
This whole work can be done in one
low water period, and not cost one-third
of the money that has been wasted at the
mouth of Red River by red tape and edu-
Gated ignorance, within the last five years.
In one or two years this system of outlets
direct to the gulf, by shorter lines than via
the river mouth, will have lowered the I
food line ~ or Il feet at New Orleans and
from Is to Is feet at the mouth of Red
river. establishing perfect and perpetual
navigation between the Mississippi the At
chafelaya, Red and Ouachita rivers and
tributaries, and at the same time reclaim
from overflow not only nearly all the At
and other valuable lands IN that
section, but place New Orleans on high
ground, demonstrating that levees on the
bank of the Mississippi river will be as
useless to protect the country from over
flow as they will be inefficient to deepen
the channels of the Mississippi river from
New Orlean to Cairo
How will the projection of this system
Or systems affect commercial interests?'
1T win reclaim lands worth millions of
dollars to the country for the cultivation of
rice, sugar cts. Chicago will have wa
ter way to the Mississippi with Lake Mich
igan to back it and improved sewerage.
The country will have to pay for no more
Ievees. The advantage to commerce will
be incommensurable.
rs it true that committees viii go down
to investigate this soon r
mot at present, but in time to get
through with their investigation before
fall. tell you the people will rise in their
might and demand the abolition of Missis
sippi River Commissioners, which squander
millions, and try little horse sense for
awhile. This has already become an issue
Of people against monopoly, and will sue
ceed.
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