New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-09
CONGRESS AND THE LEVEES
SOME VIEWS OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.
LEyEES WILL NOT IMPROVE NN'l'NIloN-
GENERAL CoMsTOCK OF THE SANE oPlN.
1oy-CoyTRAEY VIEWS or OTHER
ENGINEERS - ENORMOUS COST
OF THE SYSTEM - WHAT
WILL CONGRESS Doi
tBr TELEGRAPH TO T-E 1"'BusE..

tBr TELEGRAPH TO E"E -"'BusEs
wa.hingon Aprll g. The food in the lower MIS-
sssippi which has broken the lcvecs In score OF
nlacc, inundated hundreds 81 square miles of the
rch alluvial regions south Of Memphis on both sides
~ the Mississippi River. destroyed an immense
amount OF property and caused dcstitution TO sn'i
an extent that Congress has promptly responded Win
4 generous appropriation 20 the call OF Tn" suherihs
inhabitants for relief has arrested the attention OF
Senators and Representatives alike. The opinion i
freely and strongly expressed that good deal OF tle
money diverted from the appropriations OF Congress
for the improvement Of the navigation OF the Lower
Mississippi and used to build and repair levec> "a'
been a dead loss far that object Is cohcerneo'
indeed the opinion has been frequently expressed Ill
years past b. practical and intelligent "rivefnne"'
a. we'll As by eminent engineers and other Observer
and investigators that system OF levccS, however
elaborate and expensive. would SensibN or per
mancntN improve the navigation OF III" Mi'>lsS'pP'
,hich Is generally conceded be the sole object Tor
which Congress leci.imat"ly appropriate tc p'"
lie money for the improvement OF tlat OF any o''''
stream
oa,.ral Ren,orin Harrison now President. was one
NJ the three civilian members Of the Mississippi River
Commission as originally constituted nhdcr t'' a''
of June os 1870 The fourth section OF inc az, Pro
vidn:
II shall be tho duty o. Commission to AXE into con-
doration and mature such plan or plans ana estimates 10
, ,,r,,.u,i, lora,e and deepen channel and pro-
Toe, The hank, of the Mississippi River Improve ana give
safety and the navigation thereof prevent
two Goods. p,omoir trade and postal S"rFie
and when prepared aud nntnrrd 10 summit - lhr 0
49,, ~ war full and detailed report Of their proceedings
and actions such pian~. with estimates oi h' US
,ero for the purroses aforesaid % BE- By HIN tan't"o
To- Congress prov idcd. that TIE Commission shall report Ia
t,ll upon pactcaby. feasibility and probable co
-, tn ,,ior. plans known the tty ys:em the le''e
syst M and the outlet systcT A. wei a. upon '''n o"'
q. thry deem necessary.
The Comm ssion WIS promptly appointed AZ u"
head was General @. A. Gnnorr. the other Army
/ r,oin.c,s heinz General e. y. ComS'ock ami Major
/ Charlie, Il suffer- the fourth member was Henry
Mitchell, of the Co,st and GcOdctic Survey. and the
} civilian member, James r. Eads benjamin hif-
! rl.on ana T. VI Harrod The first report II tHe com
mission was dat~ March 6. i7-O. All OF the menioe'S
evccp two General Comstocl AMI cna amin Harrison.
took strong grounds IN favor Of the levec system A.
an important and desirable II not necessary. adjunct
of improvements des gncd 70 gain the objects lad
| down In section 1 II the az. Among other things
/ the majority aid
There reason believe that durinr he period who"
c,..- wore ga their most perfect condition from 800 %
is,- IN. channel " The better generally fof
r,-r,-- Of navigation than been that time
while 10 f. not claimed that l'yc- in themselves ar"
nc..,,y q, mean. ~ securing ultimately deep channel
Tor n,.laton Is liie, that he repair and ma'atn-
,nce o . estn.l," line, ALREADY existing NH hasten
The nos - chann. improvement through he Increased
scour snd r'h - fi,,r.bcd which they would prodnco
during hieh stages They are regarded ~ u'
,.rale though nre''-ary. adjunct In ie genera
/ ,y~.cn o., Improve lrnt >rbmitt'd.
l. f. OBJ, lou. i's.> upon large p' ton oi h'
rl,cr essential prevent d'-;u' ton Co IN" and property
O., overflow The, give SAT- and "a" {" na'ii't'n ana
rforo. and f1cltit' commerce and trade hF 'tbi-hns
lark, 90 ,ndne place. above the reach - Hoof>, upon
which riodl,e ho placed while awaiting shipment and
where steamboats, other river craft land In Zines
- high water.
In restricted sense a, AUXILIARY 20 plan u channel
.sIr main at.
lcye, system d'mandcd. hut n lsrser SENSE a.
mhraclne not only isl effect the channel, but
a. pro,e lion agais, destructive nooi- le'ee system Is
essential and such y-tem also promotes and facilitates
commerce trade aud the po>.al service.
e,~e system AID, and facilitates the postal service 10y
projecting from injury Destruction by fr'shet- and
foods roads and railways upon which ha
scryic- is conducted the bank. and
rally within hat portion the alluyis region subject u
o,.rrow Moreover. the permanent maintenance b'lo"
cairo Of ted le,ee ,ytrIn system Of suicen
confidence In ~ efficiency or the Demon
.tr,on bv the achieved results Of improved river that
overflow need no longer De- seriously Apr h.ndi would
1T a. PROMPT and powerful -thnuiaHt In rapidly develop
M largely Increased TRADE and commerce n all the
products " agricultural industry indigenous u that region
and BOO those branehe, o. manufacturing cnt'rprs, rated
| thrr.to
In the "miuorty report which signed BY
Genera, Consiock and LEM amin Harrison the follow
| INK s. found
". do no, concur Win majority Of the Commission
tir c-tr Ate m value OF ttV7uF' 81 III ~
sting le,c,~ factor Ia Tho Improvement Of the low
w,r On mi, b,in1 derived In part from
The theoretical views air ads referred TO-
E,.t.ug e., i-rn." show that during low
tag, tae nlt- h.oa Gallo usually cut out by IA,
river ant Tat "hcn tic period o io" water go the fo.
ou ny season approaches these ow.Narr channels
found , up bd OF the river In those shot
i... nul.n- risen Do. out bl the low river
,e. Ailioi r~roi' 100 port ~ Chcf Engineers
| 1851 Ioies-lan bar. b'oN It Louis. tho bed
AZ Ia. r,.i Ia bern observed eight ten fet
| ,fo,r ow water IN the interval between Two lowrye
| ploc, IT, then IN" final eject ~ Hood which rise
from ta,y ms Zee, above low water l., 10 raise IN
lrc oi 'hr river at -hptl places. not b.
ro.-Ilc tA' 10 height ~ this food BE-,
,r,,,,d D, s,,c, tn bed rise still further instead
OBJ; l,ing ieps. -.i thus mlufin' instead Of mpro, In
na,ir,,lonl But even II rise o. m n foot or t"'
Ia hrd ~ river produce by l"Ne,- IL T.
| alncult how thi, would -cn-iby affect the low
water with u the river. Bad navigation arises ttcn
,Nc,-i,e lo~watr width At certain places and is 20 d.
cured los contracting that low~ater width To- about 3Oc
f',t This contraction i- 10 Poe effected by work, IN ~
bed O, ia" river and not by c''es top Of it, banks
| out Of contact with the loN-water river.
For these reasons opinion that l.yc"s
u llttlc ,alue Ia improving the 10" wat'r navigation
the river necessity In projecting slluNial land
against destructive floods Dee doubt. ard
obtain such first step would De- thr co,ur
~ ral. In existing lr,cr- The regulation " the low
water river Including the nNation Of the river bank
,.ouid be, OF the ere Att aid cyees woul
report anticlyatc, result ot the proposed works
lowe ring the food level TO such cNtnt a. viii u
ratrIy render maintenance Of the lcNccs al
TO NAVIGATION practically nc dies, above i.'d River.
As To the ars question. whether the proposed work
viii make LEVERS to prevent destructive Mood
on th. prt Of the rNrr there are. IN our opinion II
sufficient data fer ing reliable conelnsion- theoret
c,i, they should d"errc lower the bad
The majority Of the COmmi-si estimated the COS
Of closing to their former height The gaps In the ex
isting lcvees between Cairo and "-OrlcanS "A
~ O2O 900 and the cost OF initial works for chan
mel contraction aud bank protection" for The ncNt lis
cal year at r4il3OOO. The work Of channel contrac
ton aud bank protection was 10 be confined To sly
reaches" covering altogether lri miles of the rive
between New Madrid Mo-. and Lake Providence. La
The estimate for the improvement Of Plum Point reach
thirty eight miles. ~ i32 900. and for twenty hv
mile, II the Late Providence reach ~ .3s, 600. I,
November |. i-s3. the expenditures Plum Poin
reach including cost Of plant amounted to ~ 800 661
and the work Of improvement still far from com