Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-08-15
The Levses.
lFron The New Orleans 'Fimes.l

great embankDents as they stood
in 1861, was the work Of many
years preceding that period To
reinstnte them 1T once ID view OF
the etate of affairs that exist, may
be considered impossible, Yet some
thing must be done, or we must
abandon cultivation upon the allu-
vial lands. What can be done !? -
| would suggest that the levees
may DO partially reconstructed so
az TO protect the crops against The
ordinary floods 81 the river. Let 1t
be noticed that such Accommodations
Of water as those of go and '65 are
not OF frequent occurrence and
two overtlows Of such magnitude
having taken place within The last
few years, the chaucss ore we may
not be IN danger Of 80 formidable q
risa of water for several years 10
come. The experience Of the past
might encourage us to indulge some
hope in this respect. From 1875
up to the present time, If my stats
tics are not erroneous, not more
than two great inundations have
happened within any period Of eight
years, with one exception only
Ihe exception occurred within tho
period between 1922 and 1880. -
There were heavy overflows in 1928,
"a, '2G and '28. From 1895, III
which there was general overflow,
there was, 81 far AS | have been
able to learn, no rise Of magnitude
until 1913 That year and 1915
arc noted as years in which floods
very nearly equal to that Of 1928
took place. From 1915, to 1928
there was no considerable rise Of tho
Mississippi
This Tact il distinctly within the
remembrance of the writer Of this
article. ain we'll satisfied that
during that period, levees Of half
the size, or containing half the mass
Of earth that those of 1861 did,
would have protected the river
lands fuIly--and the same remark,
| think, would hold good in refer
ence to similar periods within the
last seventy years. with the excep-
ton above stated. II cannot be
doubted that there il, in the occur
renee Of great overaows of the Mis-
sissippi, kind Of periodicity, quite
observable, although not well defn-
81
! am aware that specnIations
about the state 81 the waters or the
weather are unsatisfactory and not
to be implicitly relied upon. II is
probable that, To very considera-
bic extent, Napoleon owed the loss
Of his Empire, 10 the riskIng too
much upon statistics Of the seasons
and weather nf Prussia.
The preceding remarks, however,
are made To show that we might in
dulge some hope of exemption from
so disastrous a flood as that OF this
season for several years TO come;
and that we might commence hope
fully the great work Of rebuilding
by doing as much Of it as we can
before the next annual rise Of the
river. Along the low fronts and
upon the worst Crevasses the prin.
cipal labor should be bestowed
Upon the higher fronts, less work
would be required. A judicious
plan of this kind carried ont prompt
ly, would, | am confident, secure
the crop Of next year. Afterward,
let the work DO continued as means
may justify. For the present let us
cut the garment according to the
size of the cloth. We have neither
the time nor the money TO replace
our immense, levees for the next
year Let the State put its shout.
ders to the wheel and push all II
can, and then call upon the General
Government for aid. There is no
question that the embankment of
the Mississippi is national work.
The Webster doctrine is settled
that Congress has the right TO ap.
propriate money from the National
Treasury for National purposes
being itself the Judge Of what are
National objects. The Father Of
Waters, with Ills numerous tribu.
taires, rolls his mighty tloods
through many States several Of
which, in wealth and Importance,
have attained the dignity Of nations
No fears need be entertained of the
work in question being considered
National in It's character, nor that
National, aid would not be extend
ed. Let Us commence at once. Let
I