The Greenville times., 1881-11-12

iA sh ftNniallu4 its thHtiifl tnAt ~
shall bear apfupor proportion To-
the volume of watef. and the
water 90 be confined toa regular
cbannel, and that e shall bo madc
90 do the work of clearing oHt It's
own channel Cheers Follow
ing that general proposition comes
another, which i the difficult one.
and that "a 10 find q way to do that
because all these things are Ike
puttiuga bell on q eat it is easy
enough to say what ought to bc
done, the trouble is 10 find q way
TO do il.
The problem presented OF the
Improvement of the Mississippi
river is a little different from any
other one that ever taxed the in.
genuity of man. There is not ON
the face of the earth any other
river, having n channel so long
carrying q volume OF water SO
great through banks composed of
such soft and friable Material. To
regulate the banks of the Mississ.
ippi river by means of any solid
wall, by means of any stone revet-
ment. by means OF any structures
of plank or timbers which could
by their strength and solidity re.
sist the force of the current is inn.
possible; and so that which can
not be done by force and by
strength must be done by strate-
gem. And that is the problem
which presents itself to the en-.
gineers in charge of this great
work. And that thing which they
have undertaken TO do, the direc-
tion in which there is hope, the
only direction IN which there is
possibility, consists in making the
river not only dig its own channel
but build its own walls. Cheers.
For this purpose the material
which the river carries with ii is
to be used.
The Mississippi carries in its eur.
rent all all the time earth enough
to make banks along its highway,
1t carries hither and thither, at
every flood, sand and earth enough
to make miles and miles of solid
embankment; and the problem is
so TO deal with the river that is
shall be compelled to put its sedi
iments where you want II. Now
the devices that have been employ
cd for that purpose are teehnieaI--
matters of engineering. II will
suffice for my purpose to say they
are cheap; they cost but little
They consist of slight structures
of piles, Of wire, Of brush; struc
lures so slight you would hardly
believe it if a man would tell you
that by means of them the river
may be sedueed into letting 20 this
great load of earth and sandin the
formation of banks.
Gentlemen, If the river we're no
as high as it is now-l understand
ySu take an excursion down th,
river to-mOTTow-if ii were not 50
high, you could see Mt Horse tai
bar below this city, where Capt
Ernst, United States engineer, has
within the last two years tielileC
the hanks of the Mississippi rive
so as to let down sediment enougl
to cover several square miles o
bar from fifteen to twenty fee
deep with solid earth.
/ will go further into details
gentlemen. As the question pre-
sents itself to me it is reduced t,
these small and narrow limits. TIL,
plans now proposed for the correc
ton of the Mississippi river are tho
best that the skill and knowledg,
and experience of the present ag'
can suggest. If they cannot be
made successful no man knows
now where to turn for success
There are other questions, coming
before this commission to which
will not allude at length. It il
required by law to consider al
matters of reservoirs, of outlets
of leyees and ietties. These have
received the attention of the com
mission. They have been reported
upon clearly and distinctly in theil
various reports. There remains
yet of them one very important
question, which cannot be said tC
be finally disposed of, and that il
the question of leyees, by law sub
mitted to the commission. II hai
been considered. Their reports
speak their sentiments upon the
subject, and it is still subject ii
the hands of the commission to be
dealt with as experience or the
emergencies of the time and ap
preparations by congress shal
make possible. Cheers.
Gentlemen, if you will allow me
/ I Ill all xrn r4I,o, flnv.,bf fhat