Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-10-16
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
The ImpOIicy of the Leyee System
Considered.

Editors Appeal: I see in a recent num-
Der of the APPEAL an extract from a
pamphlet on the " Mississippi River" by
Capt. Ericsson, Of New York, which,
like many other essays on that subject
from men who never saw the great river,
is no doubt very scientific; but, like the
report he refers TO, is of very little prac-
teal use to the people in the valley who
are overlooked every year. IL matters
but little to them how many cubic feet OF
mud or gallons Of water flows by them or
where il may 60 to, 50 long as they are
annually inundated. " hat they want to
know is how TO prevent il, and as all these
scientific calculations avail nothing, nor
never will be of any benefit, they want
something thai is practical, something
thai will relieve them from these annual
floods. In other words, all who know
ANYTHING about the Mississippi river,
know il is a practical and not a scientific
problem, and in that Light ] propose to
deal with it.
In the first place, it may he proper to
notice "A Few of the most palpabie and
dangerous -fabricatiOns these writers are
attempting to fasten on the country, not
from practical facts, but from the name
of official authority they keep before
the country to bolster up their lallacies;
and / mean no other nan the report of
Capt. HUMPHREYS, so often quoted II
pulled up as authority by men an nven
lions. vino are ignorant of the facts per-
tanning TO the Mississippi river. As an eV-
idence OF this, we have only 10 refer to the
reports, page 1913, of the proceedings of
the Commercial Convention held in this
CITY last Nav. In recommending that
miserable levee system as being . safe and
reliable" when at the same time every
person who has any practical knowledge
of the Mississippi river not only knows
NtarA 800 ma an rlNHanIn IN tho
levees as a permanent barrier against the
water, but that it has filled up half the
island chutes, filled up the bottom OF the
river and raised the water several feet
higher in the river-in fact, made low
lands where they were once high, ruined
the country, bankrupted first the individ-
ual people and secondly h river cOun-
ties TO keep them above the water, then
taxed the States until beyond their on
troll. And, with all these facts, they are
now asking the Federal Government 10
shoulder their pet scheme. Not satisfied
with that, the report adopts Capt. Hum
phTies' Own language, which says: IL
mas been demonstrated that no adYan-
tages can be Obtained either by diverting
tributaries or constructing reservoirs, ana
that the plan Of oGt-Ofis, and of new and
enlarged outlets to the Gull, are too cost
" and too dangerous 70 be Attempted"
Now there is not one word OF truth in
all this, aud l defy Mir. Hunphries or any
one else TO show where there has ever
been ven an attempt TO do anything of
the kind. Tie very reverse has been the
practice in building leyees, stopping up
natural and many powerful outlets, rails
the water in the river, then breaking
and not only washing away the levees,
but valuable plantations-yes, in one
sweeping away the h9nest toll of
wears. There was the danger. Any otheRI
danger and demonstrations never existed,
except in the minds Of these brainless,
scientihcs,
The report closes with one truth, which
IS indeed refreshing. Ii says: The leyee
system will be expensive, and will require
more unity of action than has yet been
)btained.'
Yes, ia the first place, to get unity of
people must first see sSme good to
be accomplished, which they never will
see in the levee system ana III Il second
place, did they see ever SO much, there
was nor never Will be enough pros
9erity IN theC Mississippi Valley TO pay
.Or lovecs sufficiently nigh to hold the
water of the river within its banks, |
or were they built one hundred feet high
with sufficient base TO withstand the
purpose, they would prove as Inadequate |
Is heretofore II increasing the danger
llready referred 10, for during high water
he river is fry miles wide, with an
average depth of ten feet; 1 mean the
,gerrtowed or bottom lands, between the
on both sides of the river. This
of water, nifty miles wide and ten
eet deep, pent up between leVees or arti-
iciaI banks one mile wide, viii only give
hese scieutiiics d river 500 feet high, pro-
ided the current in the sWamps was IS
apid as in the main river. BuJ il is not
yer One-fifth, or say one mile an hour;
when fenced in would all flow at the
ate of say five miles an hour, which
-ould reduce The volume from i've hun
red 10 one hundred feet-mOre water
han we nov have. Then. Memphis,
'icksburg and &atcheg viii become low
Then, what viii become of the
lands, one hundred fsat under
'ateT? These are the practical results Of
system these scienti1lcs are urging
Ongress to adopt, as no one else has the
pose change te pare Tor so small an un-
ertakiHg as building a couple of potatal
feet high, all fer the benefit of a
w contractors, and to feed and keep from
Ouest work a few lazy fellows styling
lemselVes Engineers.
But, Villainous as this may be, il is no
'oTs6 Than another part OF the game this
lme set are ROW and have been practis-
~ on Congress for years in the appropri-
ion OF money for the pretending 10
the mouth of the Mississippi river,
)%nveying the idea to, and getting the +,
ana Congress to believe that the
or dam across the mouth WAS formed
Y the mud or sediment that descended
ith the current of water, when they I
new that this bar or dam was formed
lere by the head swells of the Gulf, mud
ir0wn or raised from the bottom of the
ulf, and that every time a wind pre- /
liled from the South or Southeast the :
am always formed, no matter how much :
they might do; and it will 50 CON J
nue. a. long as time lasts or the wind :
ows, and it j. time the country aud !
ongress understand them, In nay next !
will argue this point more at length. /
J. G.. :