The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-03-30

commission. clashes unequivocally
with the opinions Of the captains aud
pilots on the river, and of the owners
of plantations along its shores. These
men may be lacking in scientific educa-
ton, but on the other hand they have
the advantages Of practical experience
and personal observation. They are
men whose judgments may he relied
upon with reasonable confidence, for
they have been obliged to learn the
lesson of that great artery of our con-
tinent. and to base its application upon
the plain demands of common sense.
Such a nan is j. T.. Montgomery, an
old river pilot. whose opinion recorded
worthy of respectful attention. He
says:
II is moi my desire Ia swell the list of writers
upon this subject, simply for the SAKE ~ enter
ing the arena and doing battle Tor The excite
ment thereof; for ! am a property owner on or
near that river, aud have all my life been inter
estcd in all thai concerned IL. II was upon the
bosom Of that mighty stream that ] spent nearly
all my youth, and over nhy years 81 my man
hood. ] know its phenomena almost perfectly,
for Il has been my duty Ia study them. ! have
owned and commanded tbirty-siN steamboats,
which have piled upon that river. and haNc been
pilot or commander, not owner, an about a.
many more. have nayigatci the Mississippi
river. In high water aud low, from lis mouth or
mouths. up 10 III. limit at steamboat naNig',-
ton. The majority II It's tributaries also ! have
many times assembled and descended ~ pilot or
commander Of steamboats,. In all these long
years, and amid all Of the yicissltules 81 river
business, | have never lost a single boat except
one the Oregon and that was hy the bursting
Of a tiue and the consequent fire. With all this
experience, I think I have a right To express my
opinion upon the matter ia question without in
curing The charge Of cgotism. ] know What !
am talking about, for ] have faithfully learned
and applied my lesson. I repeat that ! know
the phenomena of the Mississippi river, for IL Is
n chart thai I have studied for over fifty years. ]
know It's upper and lis undcrcurrcnts, for ! have
observed their effects and have never yet been
wrong In basing my calculations upon them. ]
know Why orriiows occur aud why the mighticst
engineering that IL not based upon a thorough
knowledge Of the under rs well rs The upper
currents must he well nigh useless or fail
altogether. I have seen hundreds uf acres ~
land swept away In An hour by that current rs IL
freitcd whiting the limits prescribed by man,
with his lc,ec and his masonry, for II il u volume
Of water that cannot he held In check.
Mr.. Montgomery offers the simplest
possible solution to the problem: Give
the river a fair chance to ilow into the
Gulf Of Mexico. "But," the commits.
sioners say, I'VE are trying tn do this.
Eads has spent vast treasures upon the
~jetties, and they have seemed To work
well" For a time, perhaps, they did
passably well, but what are they doing
now? They are checking, not encour
aging, the outflow. The vast amount
Of alluyial matter constantly sweeping
down is gradually but surely l~esseuing
the opening 10 the sea, and. before
many years have passed these deposits
will broadly accumulate and render the
stream sluggish. not active. at its
mouth. Then. wen a rise that is FAR
less than extraordinary, will be at
tended with more deplorablc conse-
quences than any yet experienced.
No man can control the Mississippi
river, except by letting il have its own
way, and encouraging ii to GO therein.
And what is that way? Give il "a free
course 10 the sea and il will surely find
IL with a powerful flow. Open the old
channels that have been injudiciously
closed; give il IN abundance of mouths
out of which To pour its vast volume
and then, and not till then. will the
good work of rapid and faithful drain.
age be accomplished. But fears may
arise that this will impede navigation.
Never while that vast current sweeps
outward will there come time when
the main channel will not be open for
navigation. We are not dealing with
Il small stream. but with a mighty
river that may almost be called n
heightened. flowing ocean. The main
outlet will always remain. always show
a good depth of water, while the sub
sidiary ones will carry of that which is
i'm excess of a fair flow.
The theories of the engineers are not
always incorrect, but the practical
working of them. as applied To this ca
PRECIOUS river, stand not only ut zero,
but below IL. No one doubts their hon
esty, but they have applied principles
which are useless. more than useless,
for they have almost invariably made a
bad matter worse. They have tried Ia
do for the Mississippi river those things
which would he advantageous TO many
other and lesser streams. They have
brought theories To bear in q work
where stern practical knowledge and
well directed effort should have been
applied. An abundance of good out;
let's is the only solution.
euesswoRK AND OTHER FAKES
The guessing act is the latest vagary
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