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'8TH CONGRESS
2d Session

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DOCUMENT

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MISSISSIPPI RIVER BETWEEN CAIRO, ILL. AND BATON

ROUGE, LA.

LETTER

FROM

THE SECRETARY OF WAR

TRANSMITTING

LETTER FROM THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY, DATED FEBRUARY 14, 1944, SUBMITTING A REPORT, TOGETHER WITH ACCOMPANYING PAPERS AND ILLUSTRATIONS, ON A REVIEW OF THE NAVIGATION PROVISIONS OF THE PROJECT FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ADOPTED BY THE ACT OF MAY 15, 1928, AS AMENDED, WITH A VIEW TO DETERMINING THE ADVISABILITY IN THE INTEREST OF NAVIGATION AND FLOOD CONTROL OF INCREASING THE DEPTH OF THE NAVIGABLE CHANNEL FROM 9 FEET TO 12 FEET BETWEEN CAIRO, ILL., AND BATON ROUGE, LA. THIS REPORT WAS REQUESTED BY RESOLUTIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FLOOD CONTROL, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, ADOPTED ON MARCH 8, 1943, AND THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, UNITED STATES SENATE, ADOPTED ON MARCH 9, 1943

MARCH 22, 1944.-Referred to the Committee on Flood Control, and ordered to be printed with two illustrations

WAR DEPARTMENT,
Washington, March 20, 1944..

The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: I am transmitting herewith a report dated February 14, 1944, from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, together with accompanying papers and illustrations, on a review of the navigation provisions of the project for the improvement of the Mississippi River adopted by the act of May 15, 1928, as amended,

with a view to determining the advisability in the interest of nav iver C tion and flood control, of increasing the depth of the navigable chanf its ret from 9 feet to 12 feet between Cairo, Ill.. and Baton Rouge, La. T kisting report was requested by resolutions of the Committee on Flood Contre modif House of Representatives, adopted on March 8, 1943, and the Coet wide mittee on Commerce, United States Senate, adopted on March 9, 19nd the e

Ver

Inasmuch as the proposed modification of the existing project we channe involve large requirements for materials, equipment, and manpo ost, over and since it is not essential to the war effort, the Department is of opinion that if modification of the existing project is authorized, e, struction thereof should be deferred until after the war.

The Bureau of the Budget has been consulted and advises t, from a preliminary review of the report, it appears that an appra EVIEW I of the economic feasibility and justification of a 12-foot channel the lower Mississippi can only be made if similar surveys are made 12-foot channels on the upper Mississippi, the Illinois waterway, a' the Ohio River, which should fully consider also the effects of s navigation improvements on existing and proposed improvements i flood control, hydroelectric power, domestic and industrial waubject: R supply and drainage, on pollution control, and on recreation and wi River ad life resources. That Bureau states further that while there would: The Cl no objection to the submission to Congress of the proposed report This repo the Chief of Engineers, dated February 14, 1944, the authorization hief of E those parts of the improvements recommended that would be necesse Mississi Rouge, La., as recommended therein, would not bé in accord with Rested by to provide a 12-foot navigation channel between Cairo, III., and Baoted resol Further advice as to ief of Engi program of the President at this time. relationship to the program of the President of the authorization ravigation these improvements will be given by the Bureau of the Budget aft

ver

adopted

ning the adv

review and consideration of the proposed reports of the Chief depth of th

Engineers for 12-foot navigation channels on the Illinois and Minois, and
sippi Canal, the Illinois waterway, and the Ohio and upper Mississip
Rivers.

Respectfully,

sissippi Rive determining mcreasing the

ween Cairo,

LETTER OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES AR opted: Ma

HENRY L. STIMSON,

Secretary of War

WAR DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS,
Washington, February 14, 194

Respied by t

ief of Engin Fiew the nav

terials throu

The CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON FLOOD CONTROL,
House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.
MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: 1. The Committee on Flood Controld
the House of Representatives, by resolution adopted March 8, 19%,

resolution adopted March 9, 1943, requested the Chief of Engines the materials and the Committee on Commerce of the United States Senate, riations in th

stantly cha avate its cha ods within it ld spread all

to review the navigation provisions of the project for the improvemat of the Mississippi River adopted by the act of May 15, 1928. amended, with a view to determining the advisability in the interst of navigation and flood control of increasing the depth of the navigable channel from 9 to 12 feet between Cairo, Ill., and Baton Rouge,

2. In order to comply with these resolutions I asked the Mississipp

DEVELOPMEN

The run-off d its way t

ver. Record 000 cubic fe

did not gre

ver Commission to make a report to me and after full consideration its report I concur with the Commission and recommend that the isting project for flood control, Mississippi River and tributaries, modified to authorize a navigation channel 12 feet deep and 300 et wide at low water between Cairo, Ill., and Baton Rouge, La., d the execution, in the interest of navigation and flood control, of channel improvement and stabilization program at an estimated st, over that now authorized, of $200,000,000.

Very truly yours,

E. REYBOLD,

Major General, Chief of Engineers.

EVIEW REPORT ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER BETWEEN CAIRO, ILL.,
AND BATON ROUGE, LA.

WAR DEPARTMENT MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION, Vicksburg, Miss., February 14, 1944. bject: Review of project for the improvement of the Mississippi River adopted by the act of May 15, 1928, as amended. : The Chief of Engineers, United States Army.

This report is submitted in compliance with instructions from the ief of Engineers dated September 24, 1943, to the President of e Mississippi River Commission and in response to the following Loted resolutions:

1

Resolved by the Committee on Flood Control, House of Representatives, That the ief of Engineers of the United States Army is hereby requested to review e navigation provisions of the project for the improvement of the Mississippi ver adopted by the Act of May 15, 1928, as amended, with a view to deterning the advisability in the interest of navigation and flood control of increasing e depth of the navigable channel from nine feet to twelve feet between Cairo, inois, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Adopted: March 8, 1943.

Resolved by the Committee on Commerce of the United States Senate, That the
hief of Engineers of the United States Army be, and is hereby, requested to
view the navigation provisions of the project for the improvement of the
ississippi River adopted by the Act of May 15, 1928, as amended, with a view
determining the advisability, in the interest of navigation and flood control,
increasing the depth of the navigable channel from nine feet to twelve feet
tween Cairo, Illinois, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Adopted: March 9, 1943.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE EXISTING PROJECT FOR NAVIGATION AND THE
CONTROL OF FLOODS

The run-off from 41 percent of the area of the United States must
d its way to the sea down the alluvial valley of the Mississippi
iver. Recorded river discharges at Arkansas City vary between
,000 cubic feet per second and 2,500,000 cubic feet per second. The
aterials through which the river runs are easily eroded. The wide
riations in the river's discharge and stage and the lack of cohesion
the materials of its banks and bed create a meandering stream of
nstantly changing alinement. The river has never been able to
cavate its channel deep enough and wide enough to carry the large
ods within its banks. As soon as it went overbank in flood it
ald spread all over the valley and the maximum flood stages there-
e did not greatly exceed the height of the banks. When the river

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went out of bank in flood it quickly dropped the coarser sedime
particularly on the concave side in bends. Thus the highest lar
or natural levees, are always found along an active or abando
course of the river.

way

prov

desig

barge

servic

When the white man came to the valley he found it a wilderness rates. forest and swamp through which ran the mighty ever-changing riber of The French explorers found a great navigation route connecting Gulf heart of the continent with the sea. Lake!

ri

The early settlers soon discovered that overbank stages came late in the growing season and lasted too long to permit the velopment of a dependable agriculture. They adopted the obvi plan of building earth embankments along the banks of the river wi the ground was highest to prevent overflow of their lands. Bu these low local levees were extended and connected together, the was deprived of valley storage. Overbank stages were raised and low levees were overtopped and crevassed. Thus began the long which our people have waged for the purpose of possessing and wo ing the rich bottom lands constituting the alluvial valley and of veloping a stable, prosperous, and high order of civilization there. For 200 years the levee system has been gradually extended, rais and strengthened. The local people have spent over $247,000/ of their own money on the levees.

tankers,

in this m

Althou

While the river was an implacable enemy in that it constar threatened to inundate the valley and often breached the defers raised against it, it made settlement and development possible furnishing transportation to and from the plantations and comm ties along the river and its tributaries. The river looms large in history as a great route of trade and travel by water leading to the

tre

teenth century, the steamboat made its appearance. The Louisi Purchase was dictated largely by the necessity of controlling on the river and of possessing an outlet to the sea for the territ west of the Alleghenies.. The Battle of New Orleans was fought keep a foreign power from taking and holding that outlet. Durg the War between the States both sides realized that possession of river was a prerequisite of success. When New Orleans and Vi burg were taken by Union forces the ultimate collapse of the Cafederacy was inevitable. After the War between the States the pact trade flourished for some 20 years, but gradually succumbed to road competition in its various forms. By the time of World Wa the packets were practically gone and a large downstream coal tre from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky fields wasn the way out due to the discovery and development of extensive oil d gas fields in Texas and Louisiana. With the establishment of

e

barge in the

in the p

by the about 1

upriver

reach

Fleet su

nextrica

Federai

on nver

quently n

on the the

for naviga

and autho

expenditur

authorized

and the markets of the world. The need for the development alluvial va
safeguarding of navigation on the river, open to all on equal terms
free of monopoly, has been one of the firm convictions of the Ameri
people since the early days of the Republic. Trade on the river be

with flatboats for downstream traffic. At the beginning of the Dhannel im

single gr

effectively Control wo

linement,

avigation.

The exist on the Miss s amended une 28, 193 floods of 1 The Head of avigation 3

The proje

auro,

Ill., an on the St. Fr he mouths

Federal Barge Line after World War I, a new era of river transpirer backw

tion was begun. The completion of the canalization of the Co
River, the canalization of the upper Mississippi and Illinois Riv
the completion of the Intracoastal Canal along the Gulf Coast,
improvements on the lower Mississippi produced a great inland wa

and

0

Rock Island, utlets; and

Bayous Rapid

The Intracoastal

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