Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1859-04-23
Levees and How to Keep them in Order.

The Mississippi, not satisfied with so
many crcvasses i'll the upper Louisiana,
is more and more threatening those Of
the levees which have tiFFnow preserved
thcir solidity; and every body along the
coast is engaged in safeguarding them.
But how their work is conducted, and
what may be the result of SO many iso-
lated efforts in which the practical skill
is far distant from the good will? This
| have just examined, in going up the
river and visiting several of its bayous.
Except in two or three cases, the way
\ saw that levecs are fortified is but lit
tie more than making them higher sor
wider, and giving them a broader slope
"a thing that to the theorician seems
sufficient, but really suitable for leyees
only when these have first been provi-
ded to the stability of their basis, and to
the cohesion of the materials with which
they are formed Both of these condi-
tions are of an absolute necessity. And
as among those who are the most inter-
ested in having leyees kept in good Or
der, never met till now with anybody
who would think seriously thereupon,
am, without affecting discoveries at all
but only to recall some elementary no.
tions, about to say few words on this
important subject.
The solidi:y Of any foundation depend
ing on the stability of the ground on
which it is built, people must, before al
try to find the proper quality OF sell, and
where it is wanting, must create 1T a!
any cost Otherwise they would have to
remove back the levee and exclude from
| it's basis any muddy OF even too much
Iwet soil, for it is not more prudent to
build on mud than on sand.
This is the first step, and to make it
safely, constructors should first observe
the nature of the underground.
The second condition of durability FOL
riparian cmbankments consists in select,
I ing on fhe spot the most concrete mate
rials and giving them their greatest Co
hcsion, so as to make them impermeable
Thus the dam may check soakage and
resist the action of the heaviest of water
The first zeal Of contractors should be
directed to secure such quality to then
work: but how: many Of them have beer
anxious for that? The unanimous voice
| of good engineers is that no lcvec OF
the bank OF the river should be done by
contract, or should be beyond the con
troll of the most severe vigilance. Moth
ing, indeed, is more inducing to people
in error than the cubage of earthly EN-
bankment, where the looseness of mate
rials may SO easily be concealed unde
the appearance Of a stipulated size.
4 PIE or bo-ihnge, set Oh a good foun
dation as central nucleus Of the lcyee
would not fail to reach its consolidation
and secure it's durability; but this worI
would be too costly for many planters
Then, what we must do, is to keep our
Z selves as close as possible to that kim
of work. by hardening the earthly mate
rial in order to preserve their inside from
wctness, soakage and tiltrations, tn
fmischevous leaders to crevasses.
i know very we'll that 70 other cause
such destruction of flevees is usually ln
nnted some contractors, and planters
Indeed render crawfish exclusively re
d sponsible for that injury, thus yakihi J;
them the scapegoats Of many rs ~ "hl1'
they never perpetratcd. ,'''a' those ae