Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-04-07
PROVIDENCE REACH
The Government Work There Declared
by Experienced River Men to
Be a Great Success.
IDcOntestable Evidence, That Ought to
Be Satisfactory and Convincing
to the Next Congress.

VIcKsBuRo, April 6.-The Herald, from
conversations with leading masters and
| pilots, gathers the Information condensed
below, regarding the effectiveness of the gov
| ernment works at Providence Reach. The
proof given is 90 clesr and pronounced that
| the works at this point have been a .uccess
that it sets completely at naught sill the silly
stories that have been hoa,ed with respect 10
| the inefectiyeness OF the improvements in
! progress there.
The work at The Lake Providence reach
consists mainly of piling across the chutes to
| check up the currents and cause the sand 10
be thrown down behind the dikes. These
dikes have caused the chute between the two
| torheads at Skipwith TO fill up SO much,
| that what was the channel two years ago is
not deep enough 10 float skiff, and to cause
the chute behind them to fill up very con-
siderably-in rome places to the depth OF
| thirty or forty feet since July. For the
entire distance behind Bsleshed bar the
wafer has been slackened up and is failing in
| quite rapidly; but the greatest change in the
channel produced by.the works has been at
Stack leland.
During last low water the channel ran
from LongwooG over across the head of Stack
Island, and down behind that island, the
water being about 100 feet deep in the chute.
On the Louisiana side the Hopewell bar
filled up the whole river and covered about
one square mile. The work done at this
place consisted of long, piled dixie, put
| along the crossing from the foot OF B.le-h.d
bar TO the head of Stack Island with cross
dikes driven above it TO check the water
coming down Baleshed chute, and also of
twelve rows Of piling put down to fill up the
little chute goieg down BY Elton, on the
Louisiana side of the bar
Ii was the intention of the engineers to
| put the river out Of Stack Island chute and
| to throw the channel over to the Louisiana
side Of Stack Island and force it through the
Hopeweil bar, and the result has already
been attained there.
Where it was dry land last spring and
| summer is HOW the main channel OF the
river, and the Stsck Island chute is not a
| good high-water channel across its head.
Bars generally move down stream and can
| be found lower down, yet the HoPeHell bar
has not only rot moved down but has en-.
| tirely disappeared The channel NOW passes
| through what was formerly the highest part
OF it as marked by the governmen Mt light.
Two weeks ago pilot of the Storm No. 8
| claim cd that be had demolished the diSes al
the head of Stack I.land sin Just two min
utes, sending the piles hopping out like
grasshoppers" The piles are still all there
have hoped back again as it were-and
the channel is exactly where the United
| States engineers said they we're going 10 put
| it, ir spite OF the assertion of that verscious
| pilot. This gives wide and dir, ct channel
| for steamers and tows and is In itself sufh.
cient evidence of the soundness and prscti-
cability of the piaus Of tue Commission, and
proof that the Mississippi river can be con.
| trolled at reasonable cost.
In coming down last Monday the White
would not m axe an effort to come through
the chute, hut followed the new channel
down the Louisiana shore. She had aboard
5000 bales, and passengers for Reserve Land.
| log, but would not attempt 10 land there
and if she had made the effort would have
| certainly failed. Last season there was
thirty. Eve feet of water in front of Reserve
during the lowest stage, and now the river is
at food hight, and it is impossible for large
boat TO effect a landing. These facts are toe
significant to need further calculation. The
u,cess of the government works at Lake
Providence is so signal that it goes without
| saying.