Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-03-21

u
Through what channels do the mighty
floods of the Father of W aters pass into
the Gulf OF Mexico! From the follow
ing remarkable facts which we extract
from the Memphis, (Tenn.) Acalanche,
it will be seen that its subteranean out
lets far exceed those which are visible
The difference Of level between high
and low water mark at Cairo Is 90 ice''
The width and depth Of the rlver rom
Caro- and Memphis TO Ne" orleans y
not materially increased, yet immense
additions are made to the quantity oi
wafer ia the channel by large streams
from both the eastern and western sides
If tho Mississippi. The question natu-
rally ARISES, what becomes OF this vast
volume Of water: 1t certainly never
reaches New Orleans, and as certainly
does not cvaporate and, OF course II
rot contined TO the channel OF the
river for it would rise far above t C en-
tire region south Of US.
Ifawell is sunk anywhere in the Ar
kansas bottom, water Is found as soon
as the water level of the Mississippi is
reached. When the Mississippi goes
down the water sinks accordingly IN the
well. The owner of a sawmill some
.wcntv miles from the Mississippi IN Ar
kansas. dug well to supply the boilers
Of his engine during the late Hood
When the waters receded his we'll went
down until his hose would no longer
reach the water, and finally his well was
dry. He dug ditch to an adjacent
lake to let water into his well. The lake
was drained, and the well was dry again
having literally drank ten acres OF wa
ter in less than week. The inference
is. that the whole valley of the Misslss'p-
ri. from it's banks to the highlands on
ether either side, rests on porus sub
stratum, which absorbs the redundant
waters, and thus prevents that degree OF
accumulation which would have long
since swept New Orleans into the Gull
but for its provision of nature, to which,
alone, her safety is attributable. In tact
if the alluyial bottom Of the Mississippi
were ike the shores OF the ONO, the
vast plan from Cairo to New Orleans
would to-day be part and parcel OF the
Gulf Of Mexico, and the whole valley a
fresh-water arm Of the sea. Were the
ocolocica character of the valley differ
ept. the construction Of levees, continlng
the wastes of the Mississippi to its chan.
nel. would cause the Use in the river to
become so great in the South that sufii.
ciert lcyees could not be built. The
current would be stronger, and the accu-
mutation Of water greater, as the levees
we're extended north of us.
Such results were reasonably enough
anticipated; but the water, instead o.
breaking the lcvces. permeats the porou;
soil and the overflow is really beneath
the surface of the swamps. Such, II
seems to lis, arc the wise provisions o.
natural laws for the safety and ultimate
reclamation of the rich country south Of
us. We believe that the levee system
will be successful, and that the object Of
its adoption will be attained. The por-
ousness of the materials used has caused
most if not all the crevasses. Men may
deem it a superhuman task to wall in
the Mississippi from Cairo to New Or
leans, but our levees arc the works Of
pigmies when contrasted with the dykes
OF Holland. The flood tide of the Mis-
sissippi is but a ripple en- the surface Of
CLASSY pool, compared with the ocean
pillows that dash against the artificial
shores Of Holland. The country to be
reclaimed by our leyees-all of which
will not for fifty years, cost the people
as much as those of the Dutch when or
iginally built-would make a hundred
such kingdoms as that over which a
Bonaparte welded the scepter."