New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-18
MISSISSIPPI IMPROVEMENTS
IMPROVING THE MISSISSIPPI
,,,>,re nv THE COMMISSION.

JUDGMENTS BY THE COMMlsoion r,,v
or WRITINGS IN THIS cITf-ho" NJ,
MONEY APPROPRIATED By OoN'
EXPENDED. -. which was APP
The Mississippi River Comms ss Of moneys appro-
rointed to direct the expenalu,o nnycnent of that
rIseu called together directly at .be Presidents
River and Iarbor Bill was pass has been in session
veto. The Commission s ATny Building i'll Hous-
SINCE laS' MUnnosed Of General q a. Tn1 =, otes
IS nresident General 9 Snter Tinted States Arnv
Army; MAJOR 1Ta%ior; Professor Henry Mitcneil W
JuuEJn,,cd States Coast Survey; MsJot d. Io,oes r
me oim;ted States Army, and Captain jams A. -
rod ,h Iii ~ Tie "reminiscences have been III ~
ondsnce except Judge Taylor, who Is Rept q" Yrbe
sckness and Captain Eads, VINO Is III opt Smith
crataTy OF the Commission is Lieutenant I 80
Icach United States Army. Inc nitetIue11 rn;ted
aIso been attended by Captain u b. oeaIs of the
STATES ARMY who rs the cNecU'H III cantaiu
Soulisso , otioned at St Louis, where he mas an
Office in which the COMMISSION I'"s orL nnon the
and from which he supcTVlSeS 'n0 WIN
Tlver -. Ton .be Mississippi River OF
,rbich he commissioners are 70 ulsPUs. I T tba
1898, 600 of which S2Oo.ooV Is nG's,ssin be-
seIms of fhe bill to that part OF the SilSsisspf ~
tween the Dcs Moines Rapids ana Tue mouth III IL
Illinois River; 5000, 900 10 the part lnciuucu "a
tween the Illinois RiveraDoVe ana Iano pV , -
a. res,duc amounting to "a, l23,OUO. 10 the fNel
between Caro- and the Guii OF Mexico. dneIo az
also various balances left over from lhe apPioiif
q
nv tic Commission. These are OF local hatuiO
Ihe principal sums OF tins klnd are p llu,oVo ~
work al Orleans, 9o9 100 IOr the @ no f
OF the Red River at It's mouth, anu %-,yJo0 sn,n
,vork ia be done at NIcksburg. Inc Wnolo sun
tha1 il at the disposal of the Commission Is cohSu
erably more than 10, lOO.ooU. H.. a.. roli,,i
= he ticst business transacted after the prclHhic
marc organizatlon was to receive the petillons oA
several DELEGATIONS which have been Sent 10 IePI0
sent different local interests before .l9 % th
fhe principal places named III the bill Tor the eA
peudlture OF money are Memphis, 'lcksouib' N9t
chez and New-OTleans and the cDlei uulS VI mo
commissioners was TO apportlon TO the various
,,arls of the river their several allowances. lhc
most importaut question of all was wnelner any
mart of the appropriation should go 70 INC Icp"i Va
Inc broken ana dIapldatcd Ie'ees. Inc ineI uOlo-
CATION that presented ITS views came III inc IeIcSe
OF The State of Mississippi, ana particularly VI
VcksDurg The claims OF TINS portion VI inc Iivoi
were plesented by Senator Lamar OF AilssIsslPPi'
who is one OF the delegates. lie urged inc hiPoi
lance OF repairing the damages done III his S'ate 70
The evers by the recent floods and the necessity Oh
attending 10 the facilities for navigation, lne
next speaker was Judge Steele, OF NatcucI, Mss,
wh, formerly lived III New-OrlcanS ~hu Wuo Ploo5-
"a uIon the notice Ot the Oohll'isSluh '"V tbo
III Louisiana. lie referred III particular ~ tii0
condition of the IeVecS III that STATE anu h'lii-
iaiped that the danger 10 winch they WoIc Son
stantly objected by Tue rslng h0ous OF INC Miss
issipp was que 10 the gathering OF waters ia 'nc 90
called YaZOO and Iensas bottoms winch nc ocV"con
The months of the Red River ana the ARKANSAS ho1
fan from NlcksbuIg. IL the HNeee upon Io o@ i
of the Mississippi put III good Ordcl aong inns
mari of the river he SAID that the DrIlclpaI uIMcu
tlcs of nav cation, which at that point arc great
vould be- virtually overcome, ana inc UcslIucttNC-
80 of me Hoods below would be 0DNlatej. Inc
same opinions were expressed ny COlohei Iercy duu
Major Naddeu, both Ot MISSISSIPPI, VINO were the
uert sneakers L. T. huntington, PRESIDENT OF the
%samnTis and NeW-OTieans Railroad ana LeVee
COMPANY next addressed the commission. Inns
company having proposed 10 IongIess W hJeP ~ i
nair aJ It's own expense Il iVN0V "h,Nii 0"VtiI "
huijt Inv the Government across the lazOO aIieS
ithe company being granted the privilege Oh puIu-
ing It's road upon the eVee', tie Onvi oi ~ 20 his
nt IL
Commission Ii was with reference 10 lhis mdtter
that President Huntington spoke.
The ONLY important decisions reached SO Tar were
odnnted yesterday afternoon. The Commission de-
1ermiped TO recommend the approximate allotment
nj the sum OF 81 l23,OUO which Is iOr the improve
,uent of the river below CAIRO. IN the lUlloWlhS
manner: For the continuation of WORK at Plum
POINT. sixty miles above Memphis, $o0OOOO Tor
the continuation OF work Ill progress sXty lnles
above WICK sburg at Lake Providence, 100000 Ior
work &C New-Madrld, seventy miles DeiOW IaIIo;
SSUU,O00; for work neal memphis anu
for the continuation of work Ill me harDoI
of Memphis, @300OO0 for varlOus haIDor ., Wo n
in addition TO balances now available 1IZ3'ooO
Tor the repair OF evees by the stoppase OF eAstns
gaps 81, 100000. The sum OF 91oO'OOO was loi'
unailotted for contingencies.
The Commission decided that the work should
begin on the east bank OF tue river some MI IS
above the mouth OF the 1azoo' ana snouiu continue
inward; on the west bank, short distance ABOVE
tie mouth of the Red klNeT, ana shOuiu continue
upward. The Commissioners recommend thdt inc
sum of $500 900, which has been raised by the
local authorities, be applied IN such way us TO
secure in connection with the work done by the
I;overnment continuity of the lines Of levees from
below upward. With this end III view, the Com
mission IN making the allotment took into consider
the amount of Work hkeIy 10 be done Dy local
authorities.
The work at Plum Point and Lake Providence
consists principally of narrowing the stream 70 as
10 the rapdIty OF the current ana prevent
the formation of sandbars which have a ten
dency TO shift the channel OF the stream. One or
the proposed projects Is TO prevent by elnDank-
ments the flow OF the waters of the Mississippi
through the Atchataaya River, small strca il
which flows out OF the Red River near It's mouth,
and descends by an independent channel TO the
Gulf, When the Mississippi rises, It's waters are
often diverted into this channel, anu increasing
tendency has appeared of late on the part of the
course of the smaller strcam-a result which would
prove disastrous to the cities upon the river below