The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-08-25
THE RESERVOIR SYSTEM.
lion. Jefferson Davis Suggested 1t Forty
Years Ago.
He Writes on the Subject in Answer 10
the Letter of tho President Of the
Chamber of Commerce.
IN. O. States.]

TN. 0. States.]
Many years ago when Hon. jefferson
Davis was member of the United
States Senate he introduced a memorial
providing for the building of immense
eservoirs on the head waters OF the
Mississippi aud its tributaries IN order
to irrigate the barren tracts of land in
which these rivers run and also to pre-
vent devastation by floods.
In view of the fact that credit il now
given to Major J. w. Powell, United
States Chief Eoginoer, for tho plan
which Mr.. Davis suggested nearly forty
wears ago, Mr.. II. Dudley Coleman,
president of the Chamber OF Commerce,
| wrct. 10 Mr.. Davis in regard tn the
matter aud received the following let
ter in reply:
| BEAUvoIR, Miss, Aug. l, lSSS.
Mr., II. Dudley Coleman: ,
Dear Sir-Yours of Yesterday has been
| received. The reluctance have to appear
| ing in tho press was not merely because OF
tho MISREPRESENTATION and abuse to which
| have been subjected; but still more pc
cause of the belief that among those VINO
have tho power to control, my name would
| add nothing and probably would subtract
som ething from any disposition to aid our
section. Tho subject on which wo conversed
| is considered SoctlOnal; IL ~ uoI sos l''i 40
my interest less because it includes other
portions of our country.
| Now to the question:.
What arc the evils to be considered, anu
i what are tho posi- bio remedies applicable
to the valley OF tho Mississippi? Devastat-
ing floods, caving banks, formation OF
sand bars and low water impeding navign-
ton. TO reduce tho floods, let reservoirs
be formed at tho hendwaters OF the Mis-
sissippi and Missouri also, by dam near
, the Rock river, make Lake iNosnekonouse
lab Ill
one another, q set Of reservoirs 80 as 10 pro-
wont such flood as devastated the neigh
borhood of Quincy, Ill.,, and in the time OF
mood, supply water to maintain the naviEa-
ton of tho upper Mississippi. The Mis-
souri, river, by its rapid and tortuous eur.
rent, caves its banks, not by the aero, but
by tho section, ana oEofHoWs VIC pes' '"n"
, along its borders.
REsERVoIRS Al IT'S HEAD
S would sorvc 10 reduce the volume of water,
and consequently tho rapidity or inc cur
0 rcnt and cnving as tho result or IL. IN az
I dition to this, somewhere, say i'll tho nclgh-
= borhood of bismarck, lot the canal he cur
y connecting, the Missouri with Rod River OF
l. tho North, SO that III time of high water
II largo volume would pass from tho Mis-
v souri, into the Red river, which would IN
IL VIGOROUSLY flow into Hudson's bay. This
$, outlet could be easily made, for there are
Il times when those rivers arc continent
h Long ago, l think il was about 1S4O,
N presented a memorial in the United State:
g Senate asking that tho government woult
undertake InuL "OIh. ~ i'hA 40 Aho" -
II has received 10 attention.
Us The valley of the Ohio, has, 1 believe
1t tho largest percentage fcultivated land o
10 any portion of the United States. There
N fore. probably, it has followed that TIN
floods in the Ohio have of late years beel
so excessive. Reservoirs could be tormo'
70 in tho valley OF the Cheat river an m th
any and kentucky rivers, which woui
." hold the waters IN tho spring and whic
W could DO drawn on IN Inc summer ana Ia
| LA nilrnDSP
-, devastating floods and to maintain perel
~ | NAL navigation.
u, By controlling in tho manner propose
,it THE TRIBUTARIES OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
he the velocity of ITS current would DO reduce
1t, aud pugi poSSu the erosion of its banks.
X is tho caving of the banks, resulting froi
or tho current being too strong tor the ALT
It's vial character OF the banks, which cause
in the river, especially at flood time to be file
ch with sediment. Now, as tho MISSISSIPPI
,st flows on bod of diminishing activity an
p in II channel of unequal width, IT nece'
cd sarily follows that the sediment Will graz
uall;, bo dropped until only tho fine part
on cles will be borne to the Gulf. Every oil
nix server of the Mississippi river knows tn;
wo the sand bars in its channel arc forme
ne. | when the river is highest, because then,
tearing it's banks, it has the largest amour
OF sediment. Such observer also know
w that when the river is low the water b
eM comes comparatively clenr, and though ii
W current is slower, channels are dredgt
ne through the bars which were formed whe
'as clusiyely to prove that we cannot hope
dredge the bottom of the river by increa
ne ing the velocity OF its current, unless
ng could find some mode of preventing Il
up banks from cavirg, and, consequently,
ny sediment proportionately increasing vii
ny the velocity OF the current and attritit
he with the upper strata of its bank.
ler If the surface of the river could DO Ike
III down TO the plane of low water the BAN
90 there would DO sufficiently firm to resist
'n- swift current, and if the water was compa
atiyely froe of sediment then it Won
ck dredgo all which had been deposited
hg the blue clay which rests at tho bottom.
v, To acquire
in THIS ADDITIONAL VELOCITY
on without increasing the head water won
for be practicable by restoring the ontle
,rv which mado and which constituted Il
he Mississippi river of many mouths.
l have thus far presented you mo
sketch which will enable you, familiar
49,, YOU are with the whole subject, to unde
,n, | stand my views without an elaborate oNrl
not nation.
,, o The "gigantic scheme" to which you cS
' my attention is. think, quite risionor
49,. The moisture laden current of air flown
20 from the Pacific ocean eastward is check
~. by the frozen submits of the Rocky mou
III tains, so that tho eastern slope receives |
Ieu tic more than SHOWS, and this not in sui
40 cient quantity to serve the purpose OF I
i" plains below: hence the arid region viii
, =, lies south of the forty-third parallel, hen