[Ted Davisson]

Greetings From New Orleans ,
Whenever I am on a job either going to or coming from the port of Baton Rouge I cannot help but be reminded of the way the river meanders , twists and turns between Baton Rouge and Plaquemine , La., and the time and cost per mile this trip encounters . Futhermore , I recall that the ol time steamboat Pilots that tripped on the steamboats told me that after the close of World War II , the Corps of Engineers embarked on a mission to literally shorten the Mississippi River so as to assist the commercial traffic that made these river trips . If you have an opportunity to view any old river chart , you will find dozzens of " Cut - Offs " that the corps created by simply and literally cutting through the upper and lower portions of mostly Ox-Bow Bends . One remaining Ox - Bow Bend remaining today is the one that New Madrid , Missouri still resides on . It is also my understanding that through the Corps efforts that approximately one hundred and thirty river miles were cut off and thus shortening the river . Unfortunately , the one thing that the Corps did not take into consideration was that by shortening the river , they also increased the velocity of the current and consequently creating another issue for the river traffic was forced to contend with . To compound the problem , the river boats of that day and age just did not have the technology and power and the ability to safely navigate through these newly created milraces and unfortunately more harm than good was created . Now fast forward thirty plus years and now the modern day river boats do have the technology and power to sagfely navigate these swift current areas of the river , so why not re-examine this practice of shortening the river . I would just have to image that after the initial expense of cutting and opening new cut-off's , it would both once again assist river traffic with fuel expenses and less expense for the corps in the department of dredging and bank stablization . Also , we have all both heard and learned that time is money and I would therefore have to imagine that the local marine industry would also throw trheir considerable weight behind this project as well . Just food for thought !
Smoothe Sailing !
Ted Davisson