The Hickman courier., 1869-03-27
Speech of DR.. G. S. Miles.


by himself, to provide means to erect the
necessary piers, embankments, and other
structures to protect the towns of Hiek-
man and Columbus, from the encroach-
ment of the Mississippi river. '
The bill proposed appropriating slo,-
600 to each of said towns for the purpose
indicated, to be paid in five equal install
ments, under certain restrictions. The
bill was rejected, as the reader will re-
member-yeas AZ nays 20-not having
received the constitutional majority.
Mr.. MILES, said - Mr.. SPEAKER:
The bill before the House for the benefit
of the cities of Hickman and Columbus
is, in my judgment, of no minor import
ance to the State, as well as to the prop
erty holders in these towns, as | think /
will be able to demonstrate most conclu-
sively before | am done.
Both of these towns are situated on
the Mississippi river. That of Hickman
in the county of Fulton, and the lower
most county in the State, and that of
Columbus in the adjoining county of
Hickman, and are about fifteen miles
apart, and each one is the terminus of
important railroads and were, at the out
break OF the late civil war, in a prosper
Gus condition. In fact, no towns in the
State of the SAME size, were in a~more
| fourishing condition, or with better
prospects of brighter future, than the
! two towns under consideration. But
such, sir is by no means the case now.
On the contrary, they are both in immin-
ent danger of being submerged. The
encroachments of the river on them are
at a rapid rate, aud without material and
timely aid from the State, both will be
washed away.
So far as the town of Hickman is con
cerned, the water is already within less
than fifty feet of Front street, which is
the most valuable part of the town.
More than two hundred yards in front
of the town have been washed away in
the last six or seven years, and am sat
isfed in my judgments~hich is predict
| ed from my own knowledge of the freaks
of this great Father of Waters, that
without speedy aud efficient aid all that
portion of the town under the hill will
be swept away, and that too, in less than
FIVE years. And the ravages of this
river will not stop here. Ii is a well
known fact, that when this river over
flows its banks, which it does annually,
a strong current flows out by way of a
slough, Just below the town, into Reel
foot Lake. This current has already
opened a channel Of some two hundred
feet in width, and it is the prevailing
I opinion that the main channel of the
river will in a short space of time take
this direction. If it does, and none who
are acquainted with the facts doubt it
then, Sir, all that rich body of bottom
HAND will be an entire loss to the State
!, This is not all. If this river is ever per
mitted by the State to make its way intC
? Reelfoot Lake, its natural course would
then be into the Obion lake, then by the
way of 0bion river to its original chan
mel, some two hundred miles below the
the final result, without assistance from
the State, is beyond doubt. Then, sir
permit me TO ask what will become o
Madrid Band. the richest and most - -
; tsite. SssSl. ,s,.s he fAund IN the Stateg !.
Will be lett out IN the cold Every foo
of it will then be west of the Mississipp
river, and consequently out of the iuris
| dlctIon OF the Commonwealth of Ken
tucky. As an additional evidence of tn
! position l have taken in reference to tn,
E ultimate course of the river at this point
| would remark that this idea is so firnil,
, fixed in the minds of our people, tha
sand in this bottom below the town. tba
would have sold readily fifteen wear.
ago for from ten to thirty dollars peI
acre, can't be sold today at hardly an,
price. The Assessors book for this dis
trict will abundantly sustain me in thi.
assertion. | regret that have no data
at my command from which | can make
anything ike a correct estimate of ths
probable loss to the State, and to individ
uals, besides the immense loss that viii
| fall upon the citizens of these towns
/ Thousands of acres of these rich bottom
lands have fallen into the river..and |
am satisfied in my own mind, that unless
something is done to stay the eneroach,
nents of this destructive element, all
the bottom land lying below these towns,
consisting of many thousand acres OF
the best land in the State, will be. sub
merged. Assuming, then, that such will
inevitably be the rresNt, the question
arises, how is the calamity to be evaded?
low re medy the evil The answer is
simple enough-by erecting a break
water of sufficient strength to turn the
current of the river to the opposite shore
| am asked by gentlemen, Why the peo-
pie of these towns don't raise by taxa
/ ton, or otherwise, a sufficient amount of
money to do the. work, and not trouble
the Legislature With it2 I answer, sim
ply from the fact, that they are unable
to do it. They are now hard pressed.
owing, to the deprecated value of their
property, to raise money to pay the in
terest on bonds already issued to secure
the completion of their railroads.
.l.q Bgt, SIR, i am told by gentlemen on.
this hoor, that this is special legislation,
and that it is. detrimental to the best in
terest.of the State, aud wrong 10 princi-
pie, In answer to this, would inquire,
IT It would be the policy of wise states
men1to let not only two heretofore DR. pros
porous towns, but in addition to that
thousands of acres of land be washed
away and lost to. the State forever. when
the te. whole might be saved by an appro-
priatlon OF comparatively smaIl amount
OF money? And that, too, when they
nave every guarantee that it will in the
course OF a few years be returned ten
fold. eisuerzsrss ,samiT 3reY n4T sfr |
L desire now, sir, to call your satten-
tion, and the attention Of the House, to
another important pointin this connec-
tom Itiissthat of Wolf, Island. in the