The Greenville times., 1886-06-19
Letter From Gen. Gilmore.


Associated Press.
Washington, June l4.-Senatol Of
Gibson submitted IN the Senat,
to day, for reference to the Com
merce Committee, a letter from
/ Gen. Gilmore In relation 20 the
provision 10 the River and Harb0i
bill, as passed by the House, fol
Mississippi river improvements.
| Gen. Gilmore says the prOvi
sion appropriating s2,250,0OO fol
the work below Cairo Is left in a
most awkward and impraetieable
shape. The mOBey is to be ex.
pended under the direction of the
Secretary Of War without the in.
terventiOn OF the Mississippi Riv-
er Commission; provided that the
works on Lake Providence and
Plum Point reaches are 10 be com.
pleted-by whom it does not say
and provided that the Commits
sion may build and repair levees
as heretofore as part Of the sys.
TEN Of improvements.
Gen. Gilmore says there can
be no want of harmony between
the Secretary and the commission.
yet he urges that the duties Of the
commission should be more sharp.
~ defined in the bill, otherwise
the friends of Improvement may
be disappointed in the way the
money is allotted.
lie says 1t is neither desirable
nor expedient that the plan of the
commission should be further
"testedn as the House bill directs.
The plan has been tested already
with amply successful results.
There are fifty per cent. greater
low water depths, over stretches
covered By the works than the
commission originally proposed
and quite enough 10 secure trans.
purtation at the lowest water,
when the work shall have been
extended to the shoals above aud
below.
The through navigation has not
yet received any practical benefit,
for the simple reason that the i'm.
proyement Is restricted by bad
river above aud below.
Gen. Gilmore disclaims any do.
sire on the part of the commission
to retain control Of the improve.
ment.
lie expresses fear that the
outlet fallacy by which n is per
sisteptly claimed that destructive
Hood can be prevented by draw.
ing oil the food waters and con.
veyihg them by separate routes
to the Gulf is destined to have
costly and abortivc trial.
Gen. Gilmore dweIls on this
point ut considerable length, de.
claring 1t to be inevitable that the
effect ola new outlet will be to
reduce the velocity of the stream
below 1t, resulting in shoalipg aad
IN ultimate disastcr TO the regions
above.
He regards tho Lake Borgnc
outlet scheme as visionary, and
cannot believe that "a single hy.
drauli, engineer Of respectable
standing in his profession can be
found among its advocates.
Gen. t'ilmore's emphatic state.
ments of the effect Of the works Of
the River Commission, of which
he is President, are authoritative
beyond serious question, aud
would be accepted as conclusive ;
but for the unfortunate, the calam.
itous, committal Of the House, to
u distrustful and hostile course
toward that body. 1t will be not.
ed that he views the amendments
to the House Committee bill as
did the TIMES; which view Sena.
tor Gibson spoke of as absurd
and erroneous. His letter has,
we suppose, converted Senator
g.; as, we see by the Picayune,
he has had the appropriation for
the Mississippi river restored to
tho terms and phraseology orig.
inally desired by its friends.