The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1882-10-28
Another Interesting Letter from
NIr. Charles P. Huntington.
Greenville, Miss. Oet. 2d. Iss2


Greenville, Miss, Oct. I'd, Iss2.
General @. A. Gilmore, U. S. A.
President Of the Mississippi River Commission.
Sir-Permit me to call your at
tention to the necessity-in impro-
wing the navigation Of that part
of the Mississippi river which bOr-
ders the Yazoo Delta-of such a
levee or outer jetty, with a rail-
road constructed and operated
thereon, as is proposed by the
Memphis and New Orleans Rail-
road and Leyee Company.
In proposing this measure to
Congress the Railroad and Levee
Company asked its favorable con-
sideration chiefly on the ground
that it is necessary to prevent the
river overhowing into the Yazoo
Delta, which must be arrested be-
fore the channel of the Mississippi
river along the front of this Delta
can be either adequately or per-
manently improved.
The two things which control the
navigability of the Mississippi by
rsason of their Swallowing or deep
ening its channel, are the disper-
sion or concentration of its waters.
The river bed is raised by disper-
sion of its waters, which slackens
the current in the channel, causing
the water to drop the sediment
heretofore held in suspension.
The means of causing this disper-
sion are provided by nature in the
four great basins, the Atchafalaya,
Tensas and ST. Francis basin on
the west, and the Yazoo basin on
the east side of the river, which
lie below its level. Any continu.
ous outflow from the channel, such
as is produced by the river falling
into these basins, causes the gra.
vel, sand. and coarse sentiment to
settle, which form bars just below
the point of outflow. These bars
check the current even after the
overflow has ceased, and cause a
continuous deposition OF sediment
across the channel ON the upper
line of the bar. The bar thus
grows up the river, gathering sed.
iment on its surface as well as
along its upper edge, resulting in
the constant effort OF the river to
flank ii.
The dams in the Mississippi are
built of earth, compelling the river
to go round them, by seeking a
new channel for all its waters
This is the work of years, as the
river seldom TANKS a dam In front
but usually in the rear, by making
cutoff. This is brought about
by the dam slowing the current
resulting In deposit of sediment
raising the river bed for miles
above the original dam. The dan
thus grows up stream, letting of
just enough water to prevent its
being flanked, thus pushing the
river into the form of bend, il
the upper end of which the waters
are piled until they seek a new
channel across the narrow loop o
the bend, tianking the river bed sc
raised by making a cutoff and go
ing round it.
While this is the effect Of q sin
gle dam, the effect of an accumu
lation of them has been to pusl
the river in this alluvial valley int,
four great bends, which constitut,
the rim and boundary of the foul
great basins, at the upper end o
: which the waters are piled unit
the surplus water in time of floot
seeks a new channel, by making
, cutoff through the st. Francis
Yazoo, Tensas and Atchafalay,
basins, which thus become the res
ervoirs and track of inundation
As the principal outflow from tn,
river is thus made at the upper EN-,
of these basins, SO the creates
bars and shoals in the river are a
the head of the Atchafalay, Tensas
, Yazoo and st. Francis basins.
In this manner the channel o
the Mississippi, especially at tn
head of these basins, where tn,
outflow is the greatest, has beel
9 filed with mud dams often hun
dred feet high or more, and man.
= miles long, causing the river t
spread, producing caving banks
cut-offs, and in some places divi
ding the river into several chan
/. nels. AS these shoals rise and eS
tend, the current is slackene,
above them, and the deposit 0
sediment steadily goes on raisin
the river bed; hence the liabilit
to overflow is increased with eacl
recurring flood. As the entir
. river bed is thus being raised an,
its slope steepened, the river shal
lowe and sprnade eo that fha char