The St. Louis Republic., 1903-12-31

and Abbot at 2l5.0o),Oo0 yards, it represents
1S per cent of the whole; while the
annual deposit at Cubitts Gap Is per
cent, making about one-siXth OF the tla Iedia
crevasseS with consequent beneht 10 nav
igatiOI. reduction of flood height and in.
crease OF the public domain, all without
cost.
1T would therefore sem that these lat,
eral outlets have very much to commend
them to the consideration not only o.
engineers but of economists, business men,
farmers and real estate dealers, and tnal
SO far as the evidence. of nature goes
their operation is only beIIshcial and IN
| nowise injurious. If they were closed ana
| the river leveed, all OF the advantages
named would be destroyed and the sedi-
ment would be carried to the mouth, whefe
it would extend the bars more raIllly' i,aliS
raise the fiood-plain and require eleva-
ton of the entire system of ievees along
| the river banks.
But there is another class OF outieIs
| which may be considered in this connec-
| ton and that is the bars which obstruct
the mouths and thus prevent the free DIS
charge of the fiuvial waters Tnese may
be distinguished as longitudinal outlets,
| and their permanent removal is entirely
practicable by applying the energy OF the
river to the work to be done.
SEDIMENTARY STREAMS.
at Is a well known fact that 4 sedimen-
taTy stream, flowing through a straight
| reach, seldom maintains a single per-
nsnent channel. while in swinging around
| curves the concave bank acting as the
| the bed and deposits the silt upon the
| complementary, convex bank Whlch Is
the resultant of this action; In TINS way
| by the operation of natural laws, the Ge-
| posits are removed from the path of nav
igation and the crosS-sectlon IS autonlat-
| icaIly adjusted to the requirements OF tne
| river Instead, therefore, of building TWO
parallel ietties as substitutes for the nat
| into the Gulf at the expense OF ltS Slope
| and the reduction of its area OF discharge
along straight lines. whicn are uhhatural ,iI
| and unfayorable 1t will be found more
| rational TO build one curved training vail
so placed as to create head and reaction-
which will transport the silt to the oppo-
| site or convex bank. where II Will be Ge-
| posited without cost. leaving an ample
| nayieabIe channel and saving the expense
of one of the jetties, While II also scou! ;
| away the bar directly in front OF the
mouth and AFFORDS an open passage lor
| the effiuent water.
"By thus utilizing the tendency of water
| to flow in curved lines, Instead OF straight
ones half the cost of the jetty WORKS nay
| be saved and a better and more permanent
channel be obtained. with a lowcrJaS OF
| the food heights OF the river. Fhis re-
suit is due to the form OF the oTlilce thuS
created, ard Ii will be seen tnat when no
such modification is applied ths e1fiuent
stream Is abruptly checked by the inertia
Of the Gulf water and tne sediment thus
DETECT the energy into lateral coEIpo-
nents. which are again subdivided indefi-
niteiy. as shown in the typicai iorms OF
the deposits at Cubitt's Gap, whereas
| when supported and concentrated by the
continuous reaction of Qroperly-p.aced
resisting medium, the activity of tne cur
rents thus generated will prevent deposits
near the trace of the work and create a
neutral zone or counterseIarp carr ats at some s.Sso dis.
The site for the dump. These features may
be observed wherever there are 9@bstaeles obs
placed in the path OF a current. The best
artificial illustration of the efficiency OF
this principle as applied TO tidal inlet,
with a feeble tide, Is TO be found at Ar
ansas Pass, Tex.
.'The lowering of the food plain by the
removal Of the barriers to the longitudinal
discharge is also well illustrated by the
saerations on the River TYNE in England,
where the flood heights have been reduced
from to 5 feet along the stream. by the
opening of the mouth and removal OF the
bars from The bed
Regardless. therefore. of The interests
of navigation, II would be of great benefit
to the State and Nation TO open the
Mouths of all thS passes for drainage and