Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-05-18
From New Orleans.
The Rushing Waters.
Character and Extent Of
the Flood. -.

Eplaces and gone on a bender
: over the copntry in many direc-
tions. The last big break it
made was over the leyee about
tweat y-ffve miles above the city
at Bonne Care. Here the wa
ter is rushing through space
of near a quarter of q mile. IN
width, and tearing up every
thing In its course to the lake,
which is only about six miles
from the river at this point
There is no hopes of stopping
land all that can be done is to 90
on excursion boats from the city
to see the little Niagara. Gen.
JEFF. Thompson tells me that the
water in the river is twenty-one
feet and eight inches above the
flevel of the lake only six miles
away, and that the descent for,
the first mile is over seUenteen
feet. Now, when it is recollec-
ted that the, descent Of the Mis-
sippi on its course is only about
ttco inches to'the mile, some idea
may be formed of the rapidity
with which the water flows ON
its course towards the lake.
Col. Walton, one of the en-
gineers associated with Gen.
Thompson, calculated yesterday
that one-sixth of the whole vol
ume of the river is turned
through the break at this
place. There is some danger,
that the spread of thisgreat voI-
ume of water, after passing
through the break, will reach
to the city unless the river falls
rapidly, and that very soon. 1t
would be very easy matter to-
turn aperpetual stream from the
main river through this place to.
lake POnchartrain. The fact is,
the whole river would go
through here if allowed to do.
so. 1t is a hundred and forty
miles nearer to the salt water
than by way of New Orleans to
the mouth down at the Balize.
1t is lucky for this country that
the rise comes principally from
the Southern streams, for if the
"Big Muddy" and upper Mis-
sippi had joined in a swell at
St. Louis and came down here
ON the top of the southern
freshet, the whole of the valley
lands would have been covered
with a flood such as was seen
by De Soto when the river was
first discovered. This thing
will happen some day, and there
will not be a speck of dry land
between Cairo and
the gulf, except on the high
bluff points. Every foot put
oD top of the levees Is Just SO
much added to the bed of the
river. The proper plan would
be to keep the river down in
stead of keeping it UP. Every
outlet that can possibly be
found ought to be encouraged
and as many streams rs. possi-
bic started to relieve the main
river and convey the water to
the gulf. A small per cent. Of
the expense of keeping up the
Mississippi levees would open Il
half hundred outlets, each of
which would become good nav
igable canals, suited the great
er part of the year for the pur-
poses of transportation The
bayous are here now that were
here two centuries ago, and
with a little improvement could
be rendered immensely valuable
to the country, besides helping
the old river down OH its way to-
the ocean. ..
Planters have not given as
much ground to cotton as they
did last season. The last crop
is far above the estimate made
in the fall, and will reach almost
to the figure of the biggest yield
ever made during the old slave
times. 1t is near four and q
half million bales, which is
much above the average crop of
former times. The sugar pros
poets are damaged some by the
overfows, for nearly all the le-
wee breaks are in the sugar dis.
tricts, but everything else looks
as favorable for an increase of
crop. Itis too early yet to de-
termine or even conjecture con-
cerning the crop of 1871. Ey-
depends on the sum-
mer season. The niggers are
doing a little better each year
as they begin to get used their
new condition. The southern
men, however, "can't see it. -
The spring season bids fair for
a good crop. Corn is looking
well and much more is nIanfed