New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1862-05-07

THE RIVER.

The danger which stares us in the face, of being
overwhelmed by the mighty food of the Missis-
sippi bursting over the barriers which have been
erected by the industry of the inhabitants of its
banks, should ere now have claimed the attention
of our authorities.
Although not pretending an acquaintance with
that famed individual, " the Oldest iahabitant," yet
we have been told by more than who appeared
to be posted, that the river is higher now than
ever known before, and up to yesterday was still
on the rise. We also are aware that the levees
have given way in several places above and below,
that certain sections are now covered with water,
and that on Monday night the levee in front of the
city was submerged, and but for the springing up
of a north wind, we should have awoke yesterday
morning in the midst of a lake of muddy waters.
Yet in face of all these facts, nobody seemed to
be alarmed, or inclined to make the slightest
in the way of Strengthening the levees
When we consider the tremendous losses which
would be entailed upon our community by re-
petition of the overflow of '49, at loss to
| understand how our people can remain so unex-
cited on the subject. Perhaps the majority of
them do not realize the risk they run, and feel
secure from the fact that although every year
threatened by an inundation during the spring rise
of the river, they have escaped except in one
case that mentioned above.
| This may be very comfortable sort of philo-
sophy and we feel that it is correct for to break
into such dreams by our notes of alarm, but we
should be false to our duties did not do So and
erdeavor to the extent of ability to wake them
| up to a sense of their real danger.
| The city authorities would find no difficulty in
getting all the labor they may require in the work
and should begin at once to sire ngthen the levees
| on the whole city front. 1t would not be an ex
| pensive work now; but if they wait until the
streets overlooked, it might then be impossible
Or if not otimpossble, at least very expensive.
And in a sanitary point of view, the work is
necessary, for if such vast quantities of water are
allowed to fill the low swamps in the rear of the
city, we may surely expect to reap rich harvest
of diseases during the heat of midsummer wher
evaporation begins. We cannot afford to be visited
with pestilence any more than with inundations
and those whose business it is to guard agains
those things owe it to the community to do al
they can to prevent it,
,, There is also another unfortunate result whic
might flow from an inundation which would ad
to its horrors greatly-tte cutting off of the sup
plies of vegetables and fruits so necessary in
| warm climate, and which will be all the more ne
cessary this season account of the high price
: of other kinds of food. By crevasse occurrin
on either side of the river in the neighborhood G
the city, all the vegetable gardens thereabout
would, of course, be submerged and ruined, an
: just that much food lost at time when it canno
be we'll spared. We have found it pretty hard t
come down to corn bread, bacon and greens bu
would feel sad indeed if these scant supplies wer
to be again curtailed.
And we believe that few days. work on tn
, levees would render comparatively safe. Wi
:. it be done? That is the question.