New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-16
Chicago Tribune ON Crevasses.
The Chicago Tribune, in an editorial on
he Ronnet Carre crevasse saws:

The Chicago Tribune, in an editorial on
the Bonnet Care crevasse, says:
1t is thought by many that this break
will result in the formation of perpetual
stream from the river to Lake Pontchar-
train, which will very materially relieve the
pressure on the levees by reducing the
height of water in the river below Vicks-
burg. and particularly in the vicinity OF
New Orleans.
The Bonnet Care crevasse lowered the
Mississippi between two and three feet,
thereby greatly reducing the strain on the
levees for a long distance above and below
the break on both sides of the river, and
removing all further danger from other
leaks that might, at any moment, take
place. The close contiguitY of Lake Pont-
chartrain offers an admirable opportunity
for determining the effect of new outlets
from the river. The lake is some forty
miles long by twenty-five broad, and con
meets with Mississippi Sound by two out
lets-the Rigolets and Bayou Barque. By
this route the waters of the Mississippi
reach the gulf in one-third of the distance
required by the main channel to the delta.
AS the surface of the river at its lowest stage
is never less than two or three feet above
the surface of Lake Pontchartrain, and for
the greater portion of the year is eight to
twelve feet higher, the Importance of this
shortcut outlet into that lake may easily be
perceived.
The policy that has long prevailed on the
lower Mississippi has been to close up all
the auxiliary outlets of that river and build
the dikes higher and higher. The river,
thus hemmed in, continually deposits sedi-
ment on the bottom, which in turn has the
effect to raise the surface level of the stream,
and thus, year by year, the water is lifted
higher. and the planters pile more earth on
the levees to keep the mighty torrent within
its artificial banks, while it, in obedience to
the law of gravity, seeks lower level over
the adjacent plantations. Since the be
ginning of this century the deposit of sedi-
ment on the bottom of the river has raised
its surface level three to four feet between
the mouth of Red river and New Orleans.
This continual rise can not be guarded
against by any system of levees that it is
possible to rear At every flood there will
be danger of breaches, by the lateral
pressure of the water by shifting of the
channel and undermining the embank-
ments, and by such carelessness as that
which led to the Bonnet Care crevasse.
The only true remedy and safety is to be
found in opening new outlets, each OF
which NAV be converted into navigable
canals; and, by improving the old bayous
which lead from the main river into the
gulf, and opening of others that have been
absurdly closed. General jackson closed
one important bayou. in 1914, for military
reasons-that called Manchac, which led
into Amite river, and the latter emptied
into Lake POntchartran. This was an adj
mirable outlet, by reason of the short dis
lance from the Mississippi to the lake.
A committee was appointed at the last
session of Congress to investigate the sub
ect of the overtlows of the lower Missis-
sippi, and to report some remedy therefor.
The movers of the resolution under which
the committee was raised seemed to con-
template the appropriation of millions OF
dollars from the federal treasury, to be
expended among contractors, for strength
ening the levees, building them higher
and broader, and not for the opening OF
Manchac bayou and other outlets, or the
turning of a portion of the river into
Lake Pontchartrain, or other plan looking
to lowering the main stream by withdraw
ing any portion of the water from its chan
mel, which some of the best engineers de-
clare must be done before a remedy
against constantly recurring OverfOws can
even be hoped for. Enough money has
been wasted on futile entertainments, and
the time has come for the adoption OF
other methods for the preservation of the
plantations.