Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-12
MISSISSIPPI RIVER PROBLEMS.
Hearing Before the Senate Committee
on Commerce.

series of hearings upon plans FOR the inn
provement of the Mississippi river was begun
| by the Senate committee on commerce TODAY.
The members the Mississippi river commission,
| Oapt. Cowden of Lake Borgne outlet fame and
IA number OF other persons interested in the
| subject were present. Senator Frye, chair
| man of the committee, asked Gen. Comstock,
chairman of the Mississippi river commission,
to make a statement of the work done and the
| results.
PLANS AND WORK OF THE COMMISSION.
Gen. Comstock said the commission had
entered upon general plan of contracting the
river to an average width of $500 feet; in some
places its natural width is from one to two
miles. The purpose of this plan is to deepen
the low-water channel. The results of this plan
have been satisfactory and navigation improved.
AS to the Lake Borgne outlet scheme, Gen.
ComstOck said it should not be constructed
II would, in the opinion of the commission, re-
suit in the shOaIng of the river below New
Orleans and ultimately result in greater food
heights at New Orleans and Lake Borgne than
at present Referring to the general state
ment that the beds of leveed rivers gradually
rise. Gen. Comstock said the records of rivers
abroad did not show it. In the case of the
Mississippi the records, in his opinion, do not
indicate any rise whatever in the bed of the
river, the slight variations being due in all
probability, to local causes. In his opinion the
Eads jetties had not raised the bed of the river
one inch.
THE BUILDING OF LEvEEs.
Senator Frye asked to what extent the COM
mission had gone INTO the building of levees
Gen. Comstock-To the amount of about
20, 000. 600. 1t has been done by the commits
sion in pursuance of the requirements of the
law under which 1T operates as an aid to navi-
CATION. L am III minority of the
commission; the majority believe that
the system OF leyees is an aid to navigation
For that purpose l would not build levees. 1t
is necessary to have them for the protection
of the country along the lower end of the river,
and the general government should bear its
proportion of the expense. This it has done
About Sl0,0O0.000 have been expended in
levees, of which the general government has
spent about third. The country overlooked
this year by the Mississippi river flood was
very much less than in 1882, owing to the
better condition i'll which the leyees were to
resist the flood.
sEyESTY-FIvE MILLION MORE NEEDED.
To finish the plan of improvement for the
navigation of the river alone would require in
Gen. Comstock's opinion, S75,OO0,OOO. If the
levces were built up the whole length of the
river at the same time it might reduce this
estimate SlG,000000
Senator Gibson Intercepted Gen Comstock
at some length, bringing out the facts. i'll his
belief. that the opening of the Lake Borgne
outlet would necessitate higher levces at New
Orleans and result, i'll few years. in the accu-
mutation of deposit i'll the lake which
would be absolute bar. to the further
flow of water from the outlet
CAPT. CowDEN's VIEWS
Capt. Cowden, the promoter of the Lake
BOrgne outlet, produced map of the coast
| survey of 1887 to prove that the statement of
the Mississippi river commission in its report
of 1880 as to the shoalng caused by the Jump
outlet was not borne out by the facts as shown
by the official survey.
Maj. Charles Il. Suter. a member of the Mis-
sissippi river commission detailed at length
the various features OF the plan followed by
the commission in the improvement of the
channel of the river and the theories upon
which the commission had adopted them. The
outlet system had been condemned i'll toto.
The witness said he differed from Gen Com
| stock in that he would use the levee system in
conf junction with the other works constructed
by the commission for the purpose of improv-
ing the navigation of the river. At the points
| where the commission has constructed works
of any extent the low water depth OF the river
has been more than doubled.
There is no evidence, Maj. Suter said that
the bed of the river had been raised by the
| levees.