The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-07-24
The Mississippi.

The Mississippi.
Great rivers are great blessings, un-
doubtedly; but when they get too high
they become, like other great swells, mot
of the cold water order.) great nuisances.
The damage to property and crops, this
season, from floods in all parts of the
United States, may amount to one hum
dred millions of dollars, and may far
exceed that sum; for it is, from the nature
of the case, wholly incalculable. Many
towns have been inundated; hundreds of
houses and mills have been destroyed;
hundreds of bridges have been carried
away; hundreds of miles of corn, cotton.
and sugar lands have been laid waste.
The lives lost must amount to or ex-
ceed one hundred, but this cannot be
included in the pecuniary damages.
As the grand channel for the whole
interior of our continent, between the
thirtieth and fortieth parallels of latitude,
and the Allegheny and Rocky Mountains,
the Mississippi river necessarily becomes
the most unruly of the whole fluvial
family. Every one of the thousand over
flowing streams continue to swell its enor-
nous volume, and the unprecedented
floods of the Western States and Terri
tories have this year made the Mississip-
pi not only full, but overflow its banks, and
spread devastation hitherto unknown.
The artificial levees have not saved Cairo,
at the mouth of the Ohio; sUill less have
they saved the plantations of Arkansas,
Mississippi and Louisiana. Every new
flood, by means of the new deposit, raises
the bed of the great river, and makes it
necessary to raise the banks. The sur
face of the country along the lower Mis-
sissippi is much further below the tops of
the levees than it was thirty years ago.
The river IS really now, during seasons of
high water, carried along a gigantic cause
way, built up above the farms and houses
of the people, threatening them all with
destruction, if the vast aqueduct should
spring leak.
1t is popular belief that in ancient
times the water of Red, Arkansas and
Wachita rivers, with their tributa-
ries, did not unite with the Mississippi,
but entered the Gulf of Mexico at Atcha-
falaya Bay, by channels which have been
gorged by "rafts," or other deposits, being
thus obliged to make for themselves new
channels, through the light, alluvial soil,
which united them at last with the Father
of Waters. Any one acquainted with the
geography and topography of the region
will see that this theory is very plausible
one. 1t has not unfrequently been sug-
gested that it would be wise to relieve
.he Mississippi of some of its excesses of
water, by re-opening or orre-constructing the
channels that have thus been closed up.
But doubts of its practicability and fears
of its cost, together with apprehensions
that the revolution that might be caused
in commerce from diverting part of it
from New Orleans to other places, would
be ruinous to the present generation of
planters and merchants, have united to
prevent any active steps being taken to
accomplish such result.
NJ. c. Kimball, of Oak Grove, Louisia-
ma, revives this plan, however, at the
present time, and in well written letter
to New Orleans journal, urges that it be
undertaken, declaring that it would be
cheap if were to cost one hundred mil
lions. He adds to this another project of
| relief, which has the merit of novelty.
Tt is well known that the summit ridge
dividing the head waters of the Missis-
sippi and the Missouri from the waters
that flow into Hudson's Bay and the great
northern lakes, is not very elevated. In
| fact we have heard from persons who
have travelled in that far North Western
region, that streams running severally into
| the st. Lawrence and the Mississippi, are
within sight of one another at certain
point. Mr.. Kimball declares that the
Missouri, near the British boundary, might
easily be diverted into the Mouse and
Assiniboine rivers, which empty into Lake
" innipeg and thence into Hudson's Bay.
AS the Missouri, at this point, bears the
drainage of vast region, its diversion
would undoubtedly very much relieve the
Mississippi.
A good deal depends, in considering
this plan, upon its practicability, in regard
to which we have only the testimony of
| Mr.. Kimball, and no evidence from prac-
tical surveyors and engineers. Much will
depend, also, on the assent of the people
living on the Missouri, who will not be
likely to consent to have theirr river, below
the British boundary, converted into q
dry ditch, totally worthless for purposes
of navigation. But the time will come
when it will be necessary to do something
to bring the Mississippi into subsection,
and when people viii be willing to dis
pense with it as a navigable stream, in
consideration of the advantages that will
arise from dspriving it of all power to
overflow its banks. Railroads have, in a
great measure, superseded rivers, as means
of transportation and travel in the East.
They are fast obviating the necessity OF
steamboats, on the Ohio, the Illinois, the
Wabash and other rivers. They will
effect like revolution on the Mississippi
and Missouri, and hundred years hence
those rivers, reduced to moderate dimen-
sions by the opening of new outlets, may
be of little or DO account in the commerce
of the country. Commerce will 90 ovel
/ railroads, which, if rivers could be con-
troIled, would never be exposed to danger