Telegram-herald., 1890-06-05
Az ENGINEERS VIEWS.
asw lie Waald neal With th- NsHsd
MississiPpI IleSd Question

4rop,-Ys ff.4fr Slsf "A HACHELLEh co
o. u..,f.....,, ~ New Ycrt
-, -
az
SoatLeFA pisn'et' "-oN i0t N0S'1a 10
prepare a statement OF A's views on
the great Mississippi hood problem,
wrote.
Qrt of The manifold and voluminous
ais,,,..ions ,shi.a th. treatment Of tbA
Nf,ssl.si,,,i bss fron..ht forth the util-
i.erior ~ resarvoirs leyres outlets
-. -, b.r3lv b- called "ulsas since
,bas. tbings a-s individual iusrrp-
-~arts Vvbieb NV he combined ths
velna. of which l-nerfs On their us@
1h.orlv sca-r,. which has ever been
otf .~.s - entitled 10 the aafus of
...,laur b. th,t of the T = Nlssissinni
E5 - rC,,,-.,i.sf., that ~ contract ir-.-
tb4 channel ANA swelling the wAters,
with tIa irts.tiou I'd make the i,
creased current s.arr away the bar.
ana -farovs and I-l. until a u.~rra-
rsot,y daa, l~,.-,.st4r channel shall b..
est.hIi.bai and the river made 10 sink
v.,tbio ft, ban. never ayaiu 10 invade
"a. vellav
Al tht month Of the Mississipoi
,,ber. +b. f~a.5 water frat rneetst,e
1 hA.ar lF g lear .ff E. ID = d
v-bi.i cbeclrs and councils II 10 dron
/ he silt II re-ries in sr.nensiop. the
rs hser bniIr rr, "a vast DELTA dan-or-
+ igineIly sir but changed bv the cbeu,i-
cal sr.ion of sea wat-r into clay This
/ dan, has a base of about 100 miles and "a
/ tonof obout ten miles wide Al The
foot of its inner sloDs near New or
/ leans the river channel has deptb Of
I
/ noint mn To the peighborhood Of
/ Natebez sav 400 miles. the bottom has
/ bean oradnallv raised bv deposit of
pravel-6rift Swallowing the cham Il
mill il comes mn TO the leyel of the
sea Hence from Natchez down the
low-lvino ned forms really the bottom
az n long lake which slopes gradually
TO the foot of the dam. In low water
the deptbs of this lake are not stirred
Inv the river's sln0oisb current as the
foll Through il from Ped River down
does not there exceed one-eighth Of an
inch 10 a mile. When in time Of flocd
the river rises al this point 50 feet the
torrent slides over the hard descending
bed AZ the same time raising il with
The new sunnli.s of gravel drift
brongbt down from above and the inn
mense weight Of water pushes with
snob force mn tbe ouick ascent of the
dam at New Orleans. flowing up
and over II that the scourin Z
/ force of the current there first BEGIN,
To tell IA the foods pour over th
dam they cut ont the passes. readily
AMI nacossarilv dseDeninp South mass.
which has been artffciallv narrowed "
the ietties. and carving the material
secured from il into the ocean. Tie
increased volume and velocity Of tie
water does here deepen the channt /
This takes pIaee nowhere else on the
river ,except at it's mouth Thus tn,
dam ORIGINALLY built by the river. i.
constantly cut away on the inside and
ton when at the passes and extended on
the outside into the vulf
Above the UpDer Delta. ascending the
river to the head of the valley. from
whence the water has fall OF 800 feet
by gravitetion. we find the third mod,
OF Iand-Luilding carried on. not will
silt. but bv this deposit Of sand anC
gravel mixed with silt. constituting ,
cement that builds up the b.d irreg
ulariv in bars and ridges. which fore.
the river. as il nils the channel. {,
either widen or shift TO oae side b,
eroding the banks
Here. then. we have three distiactl,
+ different processes IA different parts Of
the river. The present plan OF treat
ing the river i based unon the admir-
able results Of Captain Ead's jetty
tenn as applied az the river mouth
where tbe conditions favor the scou~
ing out OF the channel bv artifciall,
narrowing the current But the af
/ tanpt OF the Nfasfs.fnni River Comm q