The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-03-18
THE SUBJUGATION OF THE MIS-.
SISSIPPI.
BY ROBERT 8. TAYLOR.
CHAPTER I.

The Mississippi River Commission wal
created by Act of Congress, approved June
2Sth, 1879. It consists of seven members
appointed by the President, of whom three
are required to be from the Engineer Corps
Of the army, one from the coast of Geodetic
Survey, and three from civil life, of whom
two shall be civil engineers. 1t is provd-
ed in the act that the commission shall
Take into consideration and mature such
plan or plans and estimates as will correct,
permanently locate, and deepen the channel
and protect the banks of the Mississippi
River; improve and give safety and ease to
the navigation thereof prevent destructive
floods, and promote and facilitate com.
merce, trade, and the postal service.
The commission was duly organized,
and, after consideration Of the subject, re
ported plan of improvement, which has
been adopted by Congress, and for the exc
cution of which an appropriation of 81 ,O0O,-
900 was made by Act of March 8, 1884, and
another of 81, 10000 by Act of August 2,
1882, all to be expended below Cairo. In
der these appropriations the work IS now in
progress, its execution being in the hands
Of officers of the Engineer Corps detailed
for that purpose by the Chief of engineers.
Its completion, according to the plans pro.
posed, will require number of years, and
further large appropriations. There lie,
therefore, added TO the interest which be-
leugs to the subject asa great engineering
problem, that which attaches to every OBJ
ject of public expenditure.
It's the purpose of this article to set
forth briefly the general plan proposed by
the commission, and the reason upon which
it rests. In order to have clear apprehension
of the questions involved, short descrip-
ton of the river in Its unimproved condi-
ton will be useful.
At the city of Cairo, upon the southern
extremely Of the State of Illinois, are gath
cred together the waters of FIVE great
rivers, viz. the Missouri, the Upper Mis-
sssippi, the Ohio, the Cumberland, and
the Tennessee. Between that point and
the Gulf of Mexico lies the Mississippi
rver proper, ,097 miles in length as it
flows. Its course is through an aluvial
plain, six hundred miles long and from
twenty-five to eighty miles wide, In this
basin is embraced an area of Al 900 square
miles, of which $4,000 square miles are
liable to overflow. Behring'S made at eighty.
three places between Cairo aud Vicksburg
show one hundred and thlrty.one feet
mean depth Of alluvisl soil. From Cairo
10 the mouth of the Red, the width OF the
river between banks varies from 1900 to
1880 feet, the mean being A 400 feet. Be-
low the Red the width rarely exceeds $500
feet, the mean being $3.50. Between Cairo
and Memphis its least depth at low water
is five feet; between Memphis and Red
river and New Orleans, fifteen feet. The
variation in its discharge is enormous,
passing from 100000 cubic feet per second |
At low water TO 100000 at the highest
food. The range between high and low
water mark at Cairo is tfty-two feet; at
Memphis, thirty.fve feet; at Vicksburg,
itty-two feet and at New Orleans, fourteen |
'eet. In its greatest floods its water sur.
ACE stretches from hill to hill, across the
entire valley; at extreme low water, it
lows between banks from thirty to forty
-eet high. The depth, Of its inundaton
bears no comparison with its area, being,
% an average, less than three feet over the
lrable lands. In the swamps it is much
more, It's food elevation at Cairo is three
hundred and twenty-five feet above the sea.
.ts fall from Cairo to Memphis is about
Tx inches to the mile. Thence to the
gulf its fall steadily diminisbes, being
lbout one and half inches per mile at
New Orleans. 1t is one of the muddlest
vers in the world. The greater portion
If the sediment received by it at Cairo
,omes from the Missouri, but this supply
s constantly reinforced by the cavlng Of its
,wn banks, which are washed into the
liver at an estimated rate of 5000 acres
)er annum.