Evening journal., 1912-01-11
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Prophecy Of a Famous
Waterways Engineer
By Holland

In the fall OF 1881. day or two be-
fore the meeting Of Congress in regu-
lar session, Colonel William r. Morri-
son, then a leading Democratic mem
ber of Congress, aud three years later
the auditor of the famous horizontal
tariff bill, and Captain James b. Eads
met in the lobby of the old Riggs
House in Washington.
Captain Eads was at that time at
the height of his very brilliant reputa-
tion as a great constructive engineer.
He had resigned and constructed the
steel arch bridge across the Missis-
sippi at ST. Louis, which ranks as one
of the finest bridges in the world. He
had completed the highly successful
system of protecting the channel at
the mouth Of the Mississippi river By
means of jetties. And he was advo-
eating the construction of ship
canal across the Isthmus of Tehuan-
| tepec, in Mexico, which, he declared,
would cause the canal that France was
then building across the Isthmus Of
Panama to be failure, if ever it were
finished.
But uopn that December morning Of
1881 Captain Eads had other matters
than the Tehuantepec ship canal to lay
/ before Congress. Seated beside Colonel
Morrison, he began to explain his
plan for the construction of sort Of
| jetty system by means of which, he
said, it would be possible to provide
permanent deep water navigation from
st. Louis, or even Cincinnati, TO the
Gulf of Mexico.
1 - he rrf,. r.F T,.tN 81
States army, / am informed" Colonel
Morrison interrupted, SAY that your
proposed system is entirely unfeasi-
BILE"
WELL" retorted Captain Eads,
every one of the engineers said that
my plan for preserving the channel of
the Mississippi river at its mouth by
means of ietties was absurd, and yet
| did it at my own risk, and nobody
now questions the success Of it,"
well exactly how do you propose to
secure a permanent deep channel for
the Mississippi from New Orleans as
far north as st. Louis, with a branch,
so to call it, extending up the Ohio to
Cincinnati7" Colonel Morrison asked.
Simply by an amplification of my
ietty system, adapted to the peculiar
conditions that prevail along the Mis-
sissippi Valley. BY my method, the
caying in of the banks of the Missis-
sippi will be absolutely prevented the
whole distance. It is this which de-
stroys the Mississippi shipping chan
nels. II this can be overcome, we shall
have one of the greatest waterways
of the world, and can do it with my
system"
!, Il should be only too glad to aid
you in any way in my power, either in
or out of Congress" Colonel Morrison
replied, "but / am afraid that the op'
position of the army engineers will
stand in the way of getting any favor.
able action from Congress"
Colonel Morrison" Captain Fad:
replied, you we're a soldier in one o.
the western armies You remember, o.
course, how universal was the oppo
sition Of all the military authorities
to Grants plan of swinging his arm,
away from it's base of supplies poru
of Vicksburg and taking it around t
the Arkansas swamp to a point on tn
Mississippi south Of Vicksburg, wher
he proposed effecting a landing, bring
ing up in the rear of Vicksburg, lay
ing siege to and forcing the capitula
tion of the city,"
YES" replied Colonel Morrison
Even Sherman was bitterly oppose
to that plan
We'll" continued Captain Eads
Grant. in the face of unanimous op
position, and in defiance Of all the in
structions of the great war tactician'
took his army around Vicksburg, &c
ing away from his base of supple
and intimately captured the city. Nov
1 tell you, Colonel Morrison, tina
though all the engineers in the worl
say that my plan for permanent in
proyement OF the Mississippi river
absurd, yet I know Il is not, and If
can have the chance / will make tina
river one Of the worlds great water
ways" Then, as Colonel MOrriso
arose saying that he had an appoint
ment, Captain Eads added: Il max
the prediction, Colonel Morrison, tina
the time is coming when the Missis
sippi river will be made what il ca
be made and through the adoption {
the main features Of my plan. I ma
not live to see it, but / dare to max
that prediction.
Captain Eads died in 1887 In tn
year that had just closed a gree
waterways congress. held at Ricl
mond and a great Mississippi rive
Z improvement association advocate
the improvement Of the Mississippi
a manner similar to the Eads plan
Copyright, 1912, by Z. J. Edward
All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell ,
"The Death of a Famous Bishop-GeI
eral.