Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-11-17
THE FATHER OF WATERS.
Gen. GillmOre's Report to the Congress
siOnal Committee.

MEMPHIS, November 16.-The Congress
sional committee investigating the Missis-
sippi river has received a long communica'
tion addressed to Hon. J. G. Burrows,
Chairman Of the committee, from Gen. @.
a. Gilmore, President of the Mississippi
River Commission, in answer to written
request for special information. The com
munication says the present plan of
the commission is to control
the flow Of the river by creating for 1t
within its present bed a narrower conduit
so arranged that the water shall be con-
strained to flow over the same path at all
stages, and by It's greater velocity and con-
centration OF effort recover at the botto N
an equivalent of the water way taken from
the sides. After describing in detail the
arguments in favor of its present plan
the communication goes on to describe the
work pending and to present a financial
exhibit. -Four millions one hundred and
twenty-three thousand dollars were appro-
priated last session for the continuance of
the work Of the commission. Work has
been continued ct two points on the river,
at Plum Point, sixty miles above Memphis,
and Lake Providence reach, seventy miles
above Vicksburg, where work was begun
last year.
The following are the apportionments:
New Madrid reach, 500, 900; Plum Point,
$7O0,000; Memphis reach and harbor, $500, :
600; Lake Providence reach, $3.50 900; re-
pairing the levees, $l30, 900; contingent re-
serve, $473 600.
Mainly preliminary work has as yet been
undertaken, such as the purchase of plans
and the making of surveys. The river be-
low Cairo is divided into four sections, each
In oh Of or4po
cial exhibit In this report will be made a
| special subject Of examination, as some OF
| the items or expenditure appear to demand
explanation.
At Plum Point reach last year Sc 2O2 was
expended for the equipment Of offices, and
at Lake Providence SIC, ,2S4 for a like pur-
| pose. Very large sums have been put into
what is termed "The Plant" The financial
| exhibits for the last, for which 81, 900 900
was appropriated, are the only ones in
| cluded IN this report. The grand total of
| that year is itemized as follows:
For offices, cOnstruc lions and equipment,
| $40 4S6 46; administration, 1854, ,567; labor,
| $l09 ass IL; subsistence, $42, ,256 49, mate
rials, $76,O35 ~ purchase Of plant, $l79,-
! 79S 43; towage, charter and expense of
steamers, $64, 14S 81; fuel, $l15, ,319 90; mis-
cellaneOus operating expenses, $23 500 79;
surveys, SIS l20 40. The last item covers
only two places.
| The committee cannot understand WHY
so much money should have been spent for
Office equipment, purchase of plant and for
fuel. This will be one of the subjects of
inquiry at Memphis where the engineer in
charge of that division will be summoned
as witnesses.
The committee reached here to- day. The
early part Of the day was spent in Plum
Point reach above this city. The committee
| examined the works al the head of Island
| No. 30, and at the head of Osceola bar and
| the plant collected at Plum Point. At the
! head of Island No. 80 was found a line of
| piling to close the chute behind the island,
| but there are no mattresses there yet to pro-
tect the work.
At the head Of Osceola bar the closure of
| the chute on the right bank was found to be
nearly completed. At the foot of Osceola
bar and at the head of Bullerton lowhead
were found levees Of piling completed,
except as to mattresses for about one-third
| of the distance, to which it is now thought
safe to carry the structure without obstruct-
| ing the navigation of the channel The
| head Of Fullerton Towhead WAS being pro-
| tected by piling and shore mats. At this
| place new plan Of forming mats with iron
wire netting was also examined with an In
| genious apparatus for netting.
At Plum Point the plant collected was
examined. 1t consists of three or four pile
| drivers in course Of construction. and two
| large huil-carrYing powerful steam
pumps and water Jets, termed graders,
| used for grs ing the bank
| by washing it down to the proper shape
after the bottom mats are placed to protect
| the caving banks. The work shop, carpen-
ter and machine, and store rooms for small
| supplies, we're found to occupy the lower
portion of large double hull barge. None
Of these works have yet received an attack
| of the food, so that their stability remains
to be d determined. Capt. Knight, of the en-
gineer corps in charge of the first division of
the work on the river, was examined this
evening. He testified at length, going into
| the minutest details OF construction
Everything thus far tried upon the MissIs-
sippi was experimental.