The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1885-11-14

prOvement contemplated liberal
use of bank revetment, roughly
estimated TO cost more than four
times as much as the correspond.
ing work of channel contraction.
II may be stated that. ii is not
the intention, nor'hasit been. the
practice, of the commission TO
protect the bank By revetment
merely because of its eaying.
Other considerations-m must govern
this question, but where an immi-
nent danger threatens the imme-
diate destruction of interests of
great value, as, for example, where
a caving bend is about to attack
in flank and carry away costly
works Of improvement, or produce
disastrous cut off, or where a
city's river front is to be maintain
ed, as at Vicksburg, or a portion
of a city itself is to be protected
against undermining. as at Mem
phis, then it is believed to be i'm
perative that the local remedy of
holding the bank intact by a mat
.tress revetment, or other equiva.
lent device, should be adopted.
The commission says the money
percentage of damage and loss in
works constructed under the di.
rection of the commission, from
the time of its organization to
June 30, 1856, between Cairo and
New Orleans, is about "a per
cent.
tbs in view of serious misap-
prehensions touching the original
plan and recommendations of the
commissions, which have come to
its notice, that 1t is thought prop
er to make somewhat extended
reference to the place which the
work of bank protection had in
that plan, aud to the amount of
cost aud efficiency of the work of
that kind, which has been done.
The apprehension, the commits
sioners say. which has prevailed
to some extent, that the Mississip-
pi river may at any time, and
probably will at an early day, il
left to itself, suddenly break
through into the Atchafalaya, and
thereafter make that stream its
principal outlet to the gulf, has
never been shared by the commits
sion in the sense that the danger
is imminent and not subject to
easy control.
The commission has not failed
however, to recognize the fac'
that there is danger in the event
of a prolonged occurrence of higl
water in the Mississippi river, ant
low water in the bed, the existing
channel might be gradually en-
larged to a capacity sufficient t
discharge q large portion of tn,
main stream, thus adding to tn,
cost of any works or treatment
that might finally be adopted TO
that locality, whether designed t
close it as an outlet, or to conver
it into a tributary.
Here follows recommendation
concerning the Atchafalaya.
The commission renew the rec
concentrations that provision b
! made by law for appropriation b
United States, through proceed
ings in the Federal courts, of Ian
and material needed in the work
OF the s65O,O00 appropriated 70
the salaries and expense of tb
+, last fiscal year, there remained o
t hand at the end of the year 1927:
OF the $4,000 appropriated TO
/. surveys there remained Sl6l4 81
4, The expenditures for improve
ment from Oct. to the end Q
I the year were 81 1886, ,S32, anu ther
l remained on hand July l, 1885,
!. $3S9,97S to meet liabilities an
t carry on the work of improve
T ment.
b. The estimates for the fiscal yea
1886, which were transmitted t
, the Secretary of War in July Q
4, 1884, are repeated.
The estimates for fiscal yea
ending June, 1887, are as TO
lows: For continuing survey
of the Mississippi river, betwee
} the head of the Passes near 1t
mouth and its headwaters, 800
!. 900; for continuing the improve
: ments from DesMoines Rapids t
l the mouth of the Illinois rivel
100000; from the mouth of tn
4 Illinois river to Cairo, $4,000
: from Cairo to the head of tn
: Passes, S5O0,OO0; for the improve
: ment of the harbor at Columbus
a KY, $4,000 at Hickman, KY, 27O
7 900; at Memphis, $4,000; q
t Greenville, Miss. s1SO,G00; g
Vicksburg, 10000; at Matches
Y $4,000; at New Orleans, sG2.36'
f sUPPLEMENT-GEN. GILMORE.