The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-04-22
THE MISSISSIPPI FLOODS
And the Je,iies aud outlet PIans-A. J..
NV eeNey,B Views.

An 1srELLIoEScrh reporter dropped into
the office OF A. J. sHeeusy & Bon yesterday
afternoon, and finding the ex.Mayor at
talked with him awhile concerning
his late trip to the South. Mr.. Sweeney
speaks warmly OF the kind treatment he re.
Hc met many old friends aud made
many new ones. In response 10 soms In.
qulrisa Of the reporter he tald:
"a great interest Ia taken In the Elis
jetty. system aud the Outlet plan OF Captain
Cowden. II could scarcely be otherwise,
when the river has more water than Il can
rid Itself Of. The ~jstties work we'll, cndbaye
accomplished their purpose. but there "a too
much water, and here the outlet plan come
In. @ II-a llGUT :
"Whsn Capt. E,ds undertook 10 ono, a
thirty foot channel he was put 10 work on an
outlet Of the river, whoae depth was perhaps
only live loet. The branch itself was wide,
ray a mile. The Captain narrowed the chan.
mel by planting a raft OF willows. then plling
stone, then another raft OF willows, moro
stone, etc. The consequence was the river
thur narrowed hnd more velocity and wash.
cd the bottom, Before the thirty feet were
attained though 1t was necessary 10 close the
other outlets above: this done the whole vol.
ume Of the river shot through this pass, and
. thirty loot channel war an accomplished
TACT. OF oourse these jettiea have TO be ken,
up and are constantly being built further
and further into the Gulf.n,
"Has the influence on New O,leans besp
sreal2' asked the reporter.
VERY" said the Colonel. II saw as large
ships at !ta port q, anywhere else. II has is.
suited In one benefit; rs an instance, The
building up OF a large grain trade"
: "Bn,, Mi. Sweeney, up here, we read that
the Eads' ~jetties arua failure and the outlet
plan Ia the only salvation OF tho Missis.ippi
Valley. How Ia itY' "0" -
We'll, The fact 10, both should 70 together,
There, think, Is the great mistake OF the
outlet plans synipath!z,rS, insisting on The
jettea being q failure, There IL loo much
water in the river, there Ia no doubt, but til:
features OF the outlet system Gun be bette,
shown by an extract from an interview with
u friend OF mine, Capt. leathers. fIo says
'Ihe outlet system means simply the mos
fessible and practicable acheals 10 relieyt
the valley Of the surplus water, which Ia nov
covering almost the whole western portion
OF Louisiana and a great part OF Mississippi
I an satisfied that with the fall OF llteel
feet Of Lake Borgne, which 10 a distance o
five miles through, and which would rive
three foot fall to tho mile, a fall OF ten fee
would certainly be secured ut New Or
lRars. This would put us nearly II no
quite In tide water again, An,
then, should Lake Boreue prov,
inadequate 10 the tssk imposed upon 1t. Bon
net Care, with Ito tvcnty,two foot fall, an,
which 10 nine miles through TO Pontchartraip
would render such assistance as was neces
ssry 10 the accomplishment OF the work
which would bs most satisfactory and com
p!ete. AS it Ia now, with a river In man,
places from forty to sirhty miles wide, II i
y notable fact that In front OF the CITY OF New
Orleans there is more water than the chan
mel of the Mississippi river proper can &C
commodate, or Ia capable ofauccessfully pass
ing OF into the Gull. lu the Mississippi
from Fed river 10 Vicksburg. 1t Ia noticed
that the o!d:tiMe securing process has cease(
altogether, 80 far az the bed Of tho river i
concerned; and q low water channel jspeye,
obtained until lis surfaces has declined Il
within nine or ten feet Of the sand at tht
bottom.'n - sc ~
Capt. Lssthers further says that obs.ruc
ton Of the fres flow Of water in any rlye,
causes h1ods, and figures thus on tie ohio
al Cincinnati: The Rbutments OF the New
port structure, Its piers and towers do no,
stop the flow Of water for less than f,om15, 600,
0o0 to $1,000 900 cubic feet And this refer,
only to the impeachment OF the current above
low water mark. WHAT then must bs Ii,
etfeot at tho ioundsiion2 This Is only ont
bridge out Of tire. ct Cincinnati, and O.
course the balance will not be- found wanting
In their ability to check the free flow q
water in the Ohio. Hence the H,ods. The
more bridges and c!ap:rsp applied to tht
stream the more numerous will the overflow,
be an9 the more complete the destruction
resulting.
u think the Captain right, but still tn,
istties do their work, and do it well.n
ia your trip to Vicksburg you eaw th,
aood at its height, did you noi?"
Yves. ln the lnyitat!on OF Cant, William
Campbe!l, of the steamer John ". Cannon
Ms|or Alderaon and myself took the rount
trip. By the way, on tho way MI We stopped
and took on Col. Alex. Campbell, His horsI
wa entirely surrounded by water and hi
plantation covered. The water had broke,
through way up tue DIVER snl hsd co.ue /,
back 'of the levee. The arst creyasse wa
twenty-five miles from New Orlesns, and al
arc op the west side Of the river nom havin,
APPEARED yet Gu tho sast aida, Tho larsss
crevarse, though, is at the Morgansa leyee
and is at lest ono mile end a half wide. Til,
leak hore started underneath the leyes ant
and dpspits all etfort1 seemed 10 uruui5it
1t away. 1t was just built Last year by til,
State at quite an outlay.
Pouring through such Grey 7ses Is thes,
tho water foods .plsntal!ons for miles ent
miles, aud our boat stopped often 10 taxi
people from the top Of the leyes, the only
place OF astety for them. III come places thu
land was Hooded for 100 miles back, and til;
sight osr ouly be appreciated when seen.
The United States atosmer Patrol made on
urdreamed Of trip. Coming down the rive
1t got too near the Davis Crevasss, the fila
one ! msptioped, III a minute it wa1 drawn
through, over d fall Of eight isst, and landed
agn;Dst q growth CT trees about a mile back,
Everyone thought the steamer doomed, bu,
they found n coWntrJ road through The
swamp growth, and by roundabout trip oil
hundreds of miles, through bsyous and
rivera, steamed into New Orleans tho dsy i
left. II was greeted With whi1tles from tiics
and boats, and is considered a great fsat.n
1.-THE effect will be DISASTROUS, will It nol?r
ITO the sugar plantations, yes. They OK.
tend about ons hundred miles uh tie river
But l am told the cotton plantations will
suffer bu. little; they are now following
the water as it recedes aud nlspt;p1
in tbs wet silt, WhiSl, they claim will nc;
as a fertilizer. The sugar planters, though,
grow rice md this overflow is q good thing
ior that. So thoy may get out Of 1t hsttar
than they anticipate"
The ladies should call and see the silks
Geo. Il. Taylor is retailing at so cents. They