The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1883-07-28
THE RIVER FRONT.
Editor Of the GreenviIle Times


Editor Of the GreenyiIle Times:
The river has been gradually ri.
sing at this point until it has reach.
ed within about two feet of the
highest water this Season. There
has been a good deal of caving.
tthe water has not fallen enough
TO show what it would do at low
stage. In the high water of last
year from one-third to one-half of
Sutton's Island was absorbed
While the water was still high. In
the winter previous it had been
been largely denuded of timber.
In the early times of the present
town of Greenyille, as the bank
cayed the town receded. At that
time the town was principally com,
posed of a few stores and board.
ing houses. 1t was easy to appro.
priate new sites as those in front
by degrees gave way, from the va
cant land behind. But now all
this has changed. BY the gradual
savings of all increasing business,
new lots have been purchased for
residences, and large circuit of
neat and tasteful buildings has
sprung up, adorned with trees and
shrubbery. In the event of a IA.
pid future absorption of the bank,
where will the business portion of
the town retreat to The present
costly business tenements will
lose their sites and will have to be
removed. These sites can be re.
placed only at great expense by
buying the residence lots with tho
houses Oh them. This, added to
the damage caused by loss of pre-.
sent sites with buildings, would
amount to sum we dare not men.
tion; but some idea may be had
by supposing that some two hund.
red business sites are menaced
within a comparatively short pc.
riod, and every real estate owner
may then put his own estimate
upon his single or several hold.
ings. The sum of all these will be
the aggregate of the threatened
damage.
But if there could be repla.
cling, a general remodeling of the
city on new basis, would that So
cure the future quiet and safety of
the citizensi 1t could not con.
tinue beyond a few years. A Gu.
rious phase of the subject is seen
in the conveyances of real estate.
II is usual in such instruments to
convey all the right and title of
the holder to the purchaser and
his heirs or assigns forever. When
in the course of q brief term or
years all of said property goes
into the river, why could not the
purchaser sue the seller for dam.
agesg 1t is clear that such prop
erty is not competent to be con
yeyed in this way in any legal
sense. 1t is certain that it can
never appreciate like manner OF
property whose future continu'
ance is placed beyond a perad.
venture.
In view of the new system OF
piling intended to restrain the cur.
rent and coerce it within its pro
per limits, some contend that the
effect will be to cause violent
recoil and DETECTION of the river
to the opposite bank, and a fina
change of it's course. To this VIZ
reply, that a similar work at some
town or important point on the
opposite bank, though 1t might bC
a long way below, might tend tt
counteract this and restore the
equipoise.
1t should be remembered, in es
> timating the strength of the shore
that the gradual absorption of tn,
bank represents precisely the diff
ference between the strength o.
the current and the power of re
sistance of the bank. Were thu
former-much greater, then the alb
sorption would be in the same de
gree more rapid. AS the process
is comparatively slow, it is an in
teresting question in regard to th'
strength of defense required t.
equalize the resistance to th'
pressure.
, A great deal has been said abou
, increasing the velocity and powe,
of the current by cut-offs. II
this it is to be replied, that tn
bends furnish a reservoir capable
of containing the volume of waite
required to be carried off, and ar
safety valves against disturbance
5 of the current, and against over
: flow. Supposing, however, tina