Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1850-10-12
Protection against 0veraows VI tho
Mississippi.
Br ssstamtG hrissoH

The destruction tatspd by lie evefAeiEs Of The
Mississippi ip Louisiana. and The means Of pro-
tptti,a ourselves atatsl tltsh thttinaH tavegps
are Subjects Of is highest in,pcttanee and which
tust engage the anxious aiteniHf pf tis people
II this stslh. Fsafs are entertained That the la
laniit1is visilaiiafs witch have eeenffed ef two
years in succession, are 10 longer attidenta aha
that they ntbfepd tetfi 6lef ta,ises thaii f1ft,s
ious esintidente Of fise In the principal lfibps
taties yf lhs Mississippi There is, itdea1, sonie
,essi,f, H. believe tlat the etetiuws IN Louisiana
atr the result VI pat,ses permanent IN het hatbfe;
If sjtb is The ease the Mississippi threatens ts
Annually with the saHe aai,enfs, ihasti,tieli as
The capacity Of its bed Wead ne longer he pros
teftiened 10 lie volume Of water which wesld
peaf down at s,he period Of general rise III the
rivers abaYe.
The immense extension If The lesee system
fsf satt,s tinis past and The disturbances OF the
natural eettrse uf the river by The Haetbutti Gut
ttltiHiptiientY aada 1--we years ago, Ht,ill saai'i
N lte tbs real cause II the late htnaafitt,s "
this conjecture is well founded, and ain disposed
IL admit II. we must ts prepared to expect ar'ns
II oyetlews. either by The tivef overlapping its
banks OF By eteyasses. .... J=.
During hong petiotl the leVees did mol esfHnd
higher 10 than Polite totipee; but within late
years they have been pushed UP 10 the very
t,iu'Hh ef HE Arkansas On the sppesits side Of
The river they form likewise an almost tinbfehen
lsvps extending still farther up u tes'lts fftf,i
ths that al lha surplus portion IT HE high waters
oE the Mississippi hieh fetihstly wets distrhs
ated over immense swstnps and innot''etalle
lakes aaaens and bayeus where they In paff
disappeared either BY absorption er evaporation
r,o longer inl q vent In that directions but arn
n,its tenRn.1 ip the bed pf the river SheHfs They
are ptetiritated over Lower bo,tisista dntihE
the time or high water,
10 what means sf protection ftit'st we have
recourse IN this state of things WHiila the
leype system. IL properly improved, siifIiea to
fbH attainment Of The desired bltett or is II int
dislpnsable IL make thp surplus waters of the
rive, Hu,s off by lateral outlets These 4ths
tistis are Of paramount Interest; and require te be
p,u,npty solved, IT,.
before hatafdine The adoption Of any psftitb'
LAT plan, II II necessary to have tettalti basis;
ft,n,leI ah facts which eshilit The magnitude ol
HE evil ST as to proportion the remedy On scale
ut ea,ial extension
In is49 nine large tfey asses Situated between
the mouth Of He'd tivet aud New Orleans; SERVED
sbfYel 10 divert The surplus watefs ot the Wis
sissippi, notwithstanding whith HE fitpf attained
greater height that year tl,an IT had ever done
previously In 1850. only eight ttevassas naenr-
rel owes The satire extent Of country, but several
vf them wefe much larger than those Of the yest
preceding
The prpvassps pf his year have rnfpnly beat,
,npast,tpd BY committee Of surveyors, 10 which
| was slst, attached. The following table inHi=
Gates the width If eath, the perioa Al which they
took place. and the average depths Of water which
sweI through
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