The Evening critic., 1882-05-22
RIVER PIRATES.
HOW THEY ExPLoiTTHE TREASURY.

the Grand River of the Union-
How 10 Has 900 Been Done. and
What It Has Cost the PeopIc-The
500. 900. 900 job OF the River Conn
mission Puucturcd - What the
Pilots say.
THE CRITIC ran across the genial Captain
Cowdon this morning and found him, us usual,
bubbling over with good hard common-sensc
views OF tho great Mississippi, and possessed
OF some pertinent facts as to the engineering
work going on there, and proceeded to take a
few points for our readers. THE CRITIC said:
"In your arguments before the Commerce
Committee you show, according to the state.
ments OF Government Engineers and the River
Commission that the work of retaining the
valley from overflow and improving the chan
mel Of the Mississippi will cost fully $780,
100000. We understand something Of the
folly Of tho levee system from experience, not
only in this country but In Europe and Asia.
But what we want TO know from you now Is,
can you tell us anything about the work
already dono on the plans of the Commission
on what they torn improving the navigation
of the Mlsslssippig"
The Captains eyes sparkled as he replied;
"Oh yes. They have been working at many
places from St. Louis TO New orleans, and IL
they have done any good 1t is more than any
river man can tell, unless they are Interested
In their jobbery.
"At HOrsetail Bar.
Just below St. Louis, they have been at work
for five years and spent over million dollars
and IL they have got more than n foot more
water than there was before they commencod
work at that point, 1t is more than the pilots
who pass there every few days, have found
out"
''But is that not the place where General Com.
STOCK, lew days ago,when before tho Commit
tee on River Improvements, said had been
deepened from x TO s to 10 feet?"
"Hes, that is the place; but there is no more
truth M IN that statement than the one he made
that the Jump and Cubit Gaps were shoalingu nm
rapidly; or, in another false statement he
makes in his last report, page 4, that there ia
put AZ Ieei depth OF water in the channel at
Lake Providence. The facts are: Mt Horsetaii
Bar there Is hardly less than 5 feet depth OF
channel ever found; some pilots admit that
there is now at the lowest stages 6 feet, and the
Government engineers there In charge do not
claim but z feet; so you see that General Com
stock i don't Z tell the truth by feet"
below St Louis, and II so what has been the
resultY'
"Yesi they have done great deal of work
ana spent a large amount of money at
kaskaslxia Bend,
and the river has gone Just where it pleased
caVlng into the kaskasliia River. and were the
river not so deep there the rocks they
have placed In 1t would be distractions to the
channel: The chances are that the Missis-
sippi VIII go down the Kaskaskia to its mouth
and improve Its own navigation In spite of
their science.
AT Aliens Landing,
still lower down, they have spent a large
amount OF money rlp-rapping the bank there
for short distance, the only result being To
temporarily protect private property for two
or thfee hundred yards and cause the river
channel to make two short and bad crossinps.
whereas the channel used to go straight down
the shore.
The next place they worked was at
Devils Island,
Just above Cape Girardeeu, where after snend.
lng SooOOO TO rectffy the channel, as they
claimed, the result was to throw n bar In front
of that place, and the last Congress appropria
ted $1O,0OO to take the bar away, and before
they could get the money spent the channel of
the river changed and went right over the dam
ihey had previously placed there, and at the
last rise in the river the channel came right
back to It's old place, removing the mud bar
whlch tho government work had caused to
form In front of that place.
''The next place they have done work and
spent several hundred thousand dollars to no
PURPOSE was Near C.,ro
to prevent the cavlng of the bank. For time
all the stone they put on and In front of the
bank caved Into the river, and Just down at
the lower end one of their piles of rocks Is now
right in the channel and would be an obstruc-
tion 10 navigation were the water not so very
deep. Tho river finally concluded to take a
Illinois side and went down the Missouri
shore, leaving the middle ground or new
formed island to the cast of the channel, then
as natural consequence the bank of its own
accord on the Illinois shore stopped cayIng
This In short is the sum and substance of i've
years, work with an expenditure of fully
S1,bOo,OOO from ST. Louis TO Cairo, the truth
OF which can be proven by nearly every
licensed river pilot, and II Congress could see
ana know these facts Just as they are, think
TINS dumping OF the United States Treasury
into the Mississippi River would be stopped,
ior IL never can, never Will, nor never was
intended 70 improve the navigation of that
"Can you give us any Information as to the
work done by the Government engineers at
Memphis, Vicksburg, Natchoz and the mouth
OF Red River Y'
CIVIL state that they have spent several
hundred thousand dollars
At Memphis
In sinking mattresses to prevent the caying of
lne pank, during which time the bank con.
t1nued TO cave, carrying away the Little Rock
Raflroad depot and many other valuable bu i'd.
ings, and never stopped caving until 1t reached
inc hard ana nrm blum clay on which the city
OF Memphis Is built. The greater portion OF
their mattresses that were sunk where there
was any considerable current rose up, fioated
down the river wero run over by Steamboats,,
and IN some instances were piled up along the
shore, making great drift wrecks, all of which
can DO proven by any number Of steamboat
piiois. II there are any OF the mattresses left
there now they are up at the mouth of Wolf
River, where the current does not impinge
against the bank. Tho truth ia, these mat
tresses Will lie Just where they are put, SO long
as there is no current, and In Just such places
they are OF no use, and whore they are needed
they won't stay.
"As regards the work
At Viclksburg.
since they have been tinkering at that place
and spending several hundred thousand dol.
lars, the river has gone OF from Vicksburg
1ully mile, II not two miles, and will SO con.
llnue TO 90 regardless of all they may or can
90, and every dollar already spent there and
All maj may be spent In the future, on Just
such plans as Is now proposed, will be Just so
much money thrown away, and the peonle of
Nlcksburg know 1t. But the moving Spirits
there VINO control things have much more I'm.
terest In the amount OF money the Government
may spend there than have they In ever bring.
ing the river back TO Ylclfsburg."
81 see that Captain Eads says 1t can be done
for Sl,2OO,OOO, and says 5000, 900 could be
Judlciously used there this year 2"
YES; no doubt he can find a way % sduau-
der that amount this year; II Ii was twice that
IL could be very easy disposed OF. But he and
all the men he could work and the Treasury
bling the Mississippi River back to Yicksburg
IN me way they propose to do It, and the Job
now proposed TO make a basin I'm front of
Nicksburg, at cost OF S25O,O0O, is as Dig
fraud In proportion as is their plan to restore
the river back TO Yicksburg"
"Nell, can that bo done In any other way ?"
"Yes, have no doubt that II can. The
nrst thing 10 be done is to bring the Yazoo
River back. This Will be no great trouble and
after that may be done / think IL possible 10
bring the Mississippi back 10 'yicksburg
through the new-made mouth OF tho Yazoo."
"But what viii that cost and how long Will
II take 10 do II p
81 don't know that can tell you precisely as
70 the amount, but would undertake 10 bring
the YeZOO back In twelve months time for
three hundred thousand dollars, at my own
expense, and not receive a dollar from the
Government until after / had accomplished
the work. In another year, In the same way
4 III