The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-08-12
THE LEYEEs or THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI

Next to the yellow fever, the crevasse is the most
dreaded enemy of the inhabitants who dwell on the
Lower Mississippi and the large streams which empty
into it, The region around the mouth of the Mississippi
even for several hundred miles above the Delta proper
is haformed piece of country discovered and settled
by man before it had been turned out complete from Ma
turcs workshop 1t Is aluvia region, degeneating
from rich low bottom in the vicinity OF the Red river
mouth into the mass of ooze, half water and half mud
which forms the tongue stretching out into the Gulf
The ground which the city of New Orleans stands
is SO thoroughly saturated with water that hole dug
few feet below the surface becomes filled by pecolation
in few hours 1t is impossible to dig graves, and oil
the cemeteries at New Orleans above ground. The
cons instead Of being deposited in the EARTH are sim
ply laid it, and protected by vaults Had the discov
cry of this continent been delayed few centuries, the
region around and above New Orleans would, by sue
cessivo annual dcpostes from the river have acquired
the elevation and consistency of completely formed land
As it is the magnificent sugar and cotton plantations
which, with front on tho river, extended back
ward for miles, several feet below the level of the
river at high water and require to be protected by ar
fetal levees running along both banks These evees
or systems of eyees built by the panters each Of
whom constructs and repairs the portion in front Of his
estate Their entire length about 200 miles, and their
cost has been about six million dollars. The levee Of
one planter in Mississippi built nt an expense of $780,
0O0 and other plantations have been protected from the
waves at even greater cost.
It il estimated that in the State of Louisiana alone
there square miles of fertile aluvia SOIL which
lie below hghwater mark and require to be protected
Iy made simply of earth though In places they
strengthened by rocks and piles Usually they eff
cent barriers against the progress of the waves but du
ring extreme floods they away in places by the
washing of the water, undermined and broken, and
then the cIcumscribed stream rushes through the gap
In an irresistible torrent spreading the adjacent
country, deluging splantatons, sweeping away negro
cabins and bearing down everything in its course, until
it finally finds its way through bayous and agoons to the
Gulf
Five times has the city of New Orleans been partially
submerged by the crevassesin 1885, 1884, 1893, 1876
and 1919 At the recent food the Mississippi attained
higher elevation than it has stood at since lS49 and the
consequence Is number of in Louisiana and
Mississippi the most formidable of which the Bell
and the IAbanche crevasses the first three and the lat
ter twenty miess above New Orleans Damage to the
amount of millions of dollars has been caused by these
breaks but the city of New Orleans has not been reach
ed by the waters on account of the unusual precautions
taken since lS49 to strengthen the embankments which
protect it.
We have before wood-cut picture of the Bell Gre
vasse issued by the New Orleans Picayune The gap is
two hundred and fifty feet wide, and twenty-five feet
Deep Through it branch from the Father Of Floods
is rushing with fearful rapidy, covering the adjoining
fields rising around the walls OF and
threatening the plantation mansion. On the sides
the tongues of the sundered evee few inches above the
level of the river and surrounded by waste of waters
Nevertheless they thronged with people who have
come from the city to behold the truly though ter
rible spectacle.