The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1888-03-31
Captain Leaeh's Transfer.

ney, the well-knOwn civil engineer. and
inquired the news:
The news you published this morn
ing replied Maj. Dabney. in regard
to the removal of Capt. Smith 5. Leach
of United States engineers is enough
to strike one with dismay who has the
interests of Memphis and the river at
heart, am disposed to make war on
the methods of the War department in
removing men of science from posi-
ton without regard to the identitiea-
tion of the party with the work ON
which he is employed.
DO understand you to mean that
Capt. Leach is indispensable to the sys-
tenn of river improvements with which
he has been so long Identifiedgs
e / mean just that,' replied the Ma
jor. Capt, Leach is the best informed
man on the necessities of Mississippi
river Improvement in the country, MOI
excepting the river commission. The
gentleman who may succeed him may
be man of more brilliant parts, if
possible, but it will be a long time be-
fore he can master the problems of
the great river, as Capt. Leach has done
in his years of experience and study of
the subject.
" But the War Department seems to
regard engineers like pawns on chess
board, of equal and fixed value in
what ever position they may be placed
"What has been Capt Leach's ex-
perience as an engineer?n
He is an old army engineer and
has long been distinguished. He has
been ten years with the Mississippi
River Commission and knows more
Than any other man ofthe needs of the
river, He has given very close md in
telligent study TO the problem of river
improvement, and is better informed
on the subject than any officer outside
of the river commission. II he is re-
moved now the fruits of his expert
ence will be thrown away, and new
man introduced who must of necessi-
ty be at great disadvantage without
that experience. Capt Leach has been
more successful in obtaining results in
the prosecution of river work than any
other officer who has operated on the
lower Mississippi
"What will be the result of Capt.
Leach's removal?'
"His loss will be keenly felt by the
river commission, and l consider that it
will probably eventuate in taking the
works of internal improvements out
of the War Department, and placing
them in the Interior Departments to
be administered by civil engineers.
Capt. Leach's district embraces the
entire river from Cairo to the mouth Of
White river. II will, as | have stated,
take man long while to master the
details of the vast amount OF work to
be done in this quarter and operations
will be necessarily retarded, If not ell
tirely stopped for some time to come
and in this way valuable results may
be possibly lost, to say nothing of pos
sible disasters to improvements with
which the new engineer may not be
familiar.
"This removal concluded Major
Dabney, SHOULD be averted if possible,
1t behooves the people interested in
river Improvement in this district, to
take every possible step, if any steps
are possible, to keep Capt. Leach in
charge of these great improvements"
While we regard the effect stated as
probable from Capt. Leach's transfer
as overdrawn, we decidedly share
Major Dabney's sentiments in regret
ting the change and upon the GUS
tom of the War Department from
which the change results. The rule Of
shifting the officers of the engineer
corps from ono work to another. and
thus familiarizing them with the varied
duties of their profession and station,
is good one. But it should admit of
exceptions to a greater extent than is
allowed. And labor of the enduring
magnitude and unending limit of i'm
provement and control of the lower
Mississippi, which bears within its
bosom mysteries of movement which
only unfold to science through close
observation and the test and study
which confcrs experience; should be
exempt from the operations of the
rule in question. In recognition
of this, of the vast scope and impor-
tanee, the diverse requirements and
demands of this lower river improve
ment, a permanent and unusual com
mission was created and placed in
charge thereof. 1t seems that the
motives out of which the River Com
mission originated should, extend to
the executive officers assigned to duty
under its direction. But the futile re-
suit of an effort in which we shared to
have the order assigning away Capt.
Sears revoked; leaves us no hope of
any withdrawal Of the order taking
Capt. Leach from Memphis.
Why Ingalls, Is so Mad.