The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-05-25

lOCOs
j RIVER IMPROVEMENTS.
Gen. Ferguson, OF the Mississippi Rive
Commission, Gives Some Inter.
Il ia ~ esting Facts.
1{ lSt. Louis Globc-D Demccrat.l
Gen. s. w. Ferguson, of Greenville
Mis-, q meOber Of the, Mississipp
River Commission, arrived In the cit,
yesterday to meet the other member,
of the commission, who met here Sat
urday norning ana leave at II 4. N
on the government steamer Mississippi
on a tour of inspection down the river
This will be the first geaeral inspection
for some time. Gen. Ferguson Is q
large planter near Greenville, an en-.
thusiast on the future of tho river, and
has been Q. member of the commission
Tor severel years, having succeeded
Capt. James b. Eads during the ad.
minIstration OF President Arthur.
l6peahiDg toa Globe Democrat reporter
|yesasrdey, Gen., Ferguson said the
work this year would be mainly In the
completion of the work already laid
last year was available at such q late
date that nOlhi1g could be done, aud
this year II will bs impossible to more
than complete the work In hand be-
lore operations are interfered with by
high water. There has also been D
great deaf of ,deIay aud a considerable
Expenditure because Of the lack of
money, which rendered Il necessary to
tie up the immense plant coptsolled by
the commission. II had suffered very
greatly from dry rot, and after having
boso to the expense ofikeeping men to
watch It and keep Il In repair while
tied up, catked It, ETC., they had found
IL nearly ready to fall to pieces. Speak
Ing OF the work of the commission
generally, Gen. Ferguson said It had
largely been experimental, and they
were now In poeition to 90 ahead, with
the past as guide. They were very
frank to admit that mistakes had been
made, but they were unavoidable, as
they had nothing by which to be
guided. The great mistake had been
In endeavoripg 10 do things too cheap
ly. Under this policy their Improve
ments had not been strong enough,
and they had been washed away. Since
they had changed their policy they
had not lost anything, but had made
steady progress. On the present tour
OF Inspection they expected 10 find
things In very satisfactory condition.
The commissioners meetings arc all
held on board their boat, the Missls-
slppi. This boat is Q regular tow boat !,
fitted up with cabin, and when not
used by the commission IL employed In
towing. There Is nothing at all iuxu>
rious about II, but the arrangements
are comfortable and that is all tho
members OF the commission desire, a.
their tastes do not run to palace equip
ments, etc.
Speaking Of river navigation for
ocean vessels, Gen. Ferguson said he
thought 1t entirely possible and proba-
BILE that the river would be so Inn
proved that such vessels could come
up to st. Louis during great portion
of the yesr, and that, too, without any
change In the models OF the vessels.
He also thought the work could be
done for much less money than any Of
the estimates made indicated. His
reasons for this were that 1t has been
found lhat improvements made at ono
point had marked Influence on other
points, both above and below the
points improved, and that when one
was made IL WAS found
that work was not necessary at other
| points which had been taken in the
estimates, and under any cIrcun-
stances not TO the extent calculated
upon. That these improvements could
be made, Gen. Ferguson thought was
amply demonstrated by what had been
done at Plum's Point aud Lake provi.
dence. These points had been selecteti
az tho very worst ones OH tho river,
and the work on them had been 80
successful that even now many ocean
vessels could pass over them during a
great portion Of the year. There was
also fewer bars and crossroads than
generally calculated upon. Gen. Fcr-
guson thought, and u great deal OF
deep water, which even now would be
sufficient for ocean vessels. The whole
problem, he said, was 10 be solved by
making tho banks permanent and pre-
venting caving. Tho caving, he said,
was what caused the bars, and with
the banks made permanent and the
river bed narrowed where IL had cut
out too great width thore would be
no more bars. This Improvement, he
said, would also settle the leyes ques
ton, as there would be no more break
ing, and that expense would be res
| moved. Gen. Ferguson hRy givan 4 his