The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1859-02-01
Isfs> From the Memphis Avalanche. '
woNDERS or THE MISSISSIPPI.

I woNDERs or THE MIssIssIPPI.
| In an article pablished few days ago, we re-
ferred to some singular facts connected with the
overfows Of the Mississippi River There is no
doubt that the rise of the water within the swamps
level above that Of the water in the channel of
the river can be prevented by the adoption of the
plan suggested in the memorial of MIR Wares pre-
sented to the Arkansas Legislature, But there are
other facts which would startle those unacquaiated
with the freaks Of this "greati inland sea- which
are as remarkable as the magnitude, depth, and
volume Of the great Father of Eioods
a 1Eefence Of level between high and low
water mark ct Cairo, is fifty feet; at New Orleans
the difference is but twelve feet. The width and
depth of the river from Carlo and Memphis to
New Orleans, is not materially increased, yet i'm
mcnsc additions are made to the quantity Of water
in the channel by large streams from both the East
ern and Western sides of the Mississippi The
question naturally arises, what becomes OF this vast
added volume of water? 1t certainly never reach
es New Orleans, and as certainly does not evapor
ate; and of course it is not confined to the channel
of the river, for it would rise far above tie entire
region south of us. #
If a well is sunk anywhere in the Arkansas bot
tom, water is found soon as the water-level
of the Mississippi is reached. When the Missis-
sipp goes down. the water sinks accordingly in the
we'll The owner of saw mill some twenty miles
from the Mississippi, in Arkansas, dag we'll to
supply the boilers of his engine during the late
food When the waters receded his we'll went
down, till his hose would longer reach the
water, and finally his well was dry. He dug a
ditch to adjacent lake to let water into his WE'LL
the lake was drained, and the well was dry again
having literally drank ten acres of water in less
than week. The inference is that the whole
valley of the Mississippi, from its banks to the
highlands ON either side, rests upon porus sub
stratum, which absorbs the redundant waters, and
thus prevents that degree of accumulation which
would long since have swept New Orleans into the
Gulf but for this provision of nature, to which
alone her safety is attributable
In fact, if the aluvial bottoms of the Mississippi
were like the shores of the Ohio, the vast plain
from Cairo to New Orleans would to-day be part
aud parcel of the Gulf of Mexico, and this whole
valley vast fresh water arm of the sea. Were
the geological character of the valley different, the
construction of levees confning the waters of the
Mississippi 10 its channel, would cause the rise in
the river to become SO great at the South, that
there, sufficient levee could be built. The cur
rent would be stronger and the accumulation of
water greater, the levees are extended North of
us.
Such results were reasonably enough anticipated,
but the water instead Of breaking the lcvees per-
meates the porous SOIL and the orer,aow is really
bcncoM the surface of the swamps Such, it seems
to us, the wise provisions of natural laws for
the safety and ultimate reclamation of the rich
country South of u.s.
We believe that the levee system will be sue
cessful, and that the object of its adoption will be
attained. The porosity Of the material used in
making them has caused most il all of the Gre
vases. Men may deem it a superhuman task to
wall 10 the Mississippi from Cairesto New Orleans,
but our levees are the work of pignies when con-
trastcc with the dykes of Holland. The food
tide Of the Mississippi is but ripple on the
face Of CLASSY pool, compared with the ocean bill
lows which dash against the artificial shores of
Holland. The country to be reclaimed by our
evees all of which will not for fifty years cost the
people much as those Of the Dutch when origin
ally built, would make one hundred such kingdoms
as Holland. The msfortunes which befel those
subjected to the disasters resulting from the over
flow of last year should not cause the abandonment
of the only means of securing life aud property
which. can be adopted; and, in after years, when
the system is perfected, men will not say that he
was dreamer who wrote the following paragraph,
clipped from the prophetic New Years Address
of the Bulletin. 1t will be remembered that this
address" is supposed to have been written in the
year of our Lord 1900:
'.The wilds of Arkansas, which half century
ago were uninhabited save by wild beasts, and as
wild a race of men, now teemed with crowded,
busy population, and hundred millions of peO-
pie lived and grew rich the shores of the Mis-
sissippi From it's banks, the dense forests which
crowned them from its shores to the Gulf, have
been renewed. The rich soil, highly cultivated
and exposed to the rays Of genial sun, absorbed
every raindrop, and the streams which came down
from the distant hills, passing through intermin-
able fields had half filled with alluvum the chan
mel of the Father Of Floods The fearful overfows
which devastated the country, have long since
been forgotten. God and Nature, which adapt all
things to human wants and industry, have relieved
the valley of the Mississippi of those occasional
desolations which swept over it fifty years ago"
Such is a truthful picture of Arkansas and the
lowlands of the Mississippi; and. in our opinion,
We have Prophet well as q Poet among us.
CROP EsTIMATEs-Wnght & Co.'S New York
cotton circular of the 10th inst says in regard to
the cotton crop: - F" ....-