, 1874-06-25
LEVEE}Na THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI.

e. i. Cnhlll, Esq, civil engineer, Of Louisi-
ana, No., who has chhrgo Of tho sny Loyeo. COP
tributoH an interesting paper to tho Engineer,
Of this city, tile means Of protecting the lands
along the Lower MissIssippi from overflow.
Aftor discussing and showing tho inadoquacy
of several schemes proposed, lie says:
s sssS 's s. IL w s % ~ M
Not only Tho banks Of the mutn r.vor hare beon 1c.
By tic sans nethod Thoro are It, hs State of Louis
linn alone over fifteen hundred miles Of levees.
sipp arc remarkably .iapaa 10 1ocauation BY iovss
eonatruction "a account Of tho e1eellens interior
erS9s srsy 9p.9ss ID x I ssns1a sssa s n
downward from To river ai!d from tho h1ghlands;
faco water and Immediate rainfall aud le drainage Of
four feat below tho 1svs Of the Missits1pp in tde
middle Of the district: 1t consequently has tts own
That thera would be soms objections and difficulties
connected with any plan that prceuda 10 hold back
the mighty floods Of opo Of the greatest ri.ors Of Tho
The great fosca Of the river leads often to
destruction Of the leyees by . caving Of ths river
banks.
The aood ievsl in localities will DO raised by
the layeca In tho opinion Of That 1t haa not yet
aons 40 ea,l Do ensy demonstrasaa Gauge Fesling',
the aouda wers lower during tho latter desndes than
during this former and that In localities tho sur
higbor shsn sny kuown Hood. Tho laws Of Hydraulics
toll us that concentration Of tls foods tends 10 deep
q sSe wasess roducss tho velocity. daposits aeiprn @
and raiscs the river bod and consequently tho food
Notwithstanding the statements that have been
madc that tho river ia raising is bed aud flood cyeI,
principles and facts, deducted from careful study and
observation, prove concuslvcly that there statements
THO statement often made that sho inerease Of sedi-
ment carried to tho xulf since the construction Of tho
the gulf aud thus raised tho water At Nov Orleans by
corrections which Tue slope undergoss, Is true but
when We conales that 1t will require five centuries to
taiss tue aood Lowell foot from this cause tho prac-
tfeal nature Of tl,s objection is removed
by eyeos None It remains to consider ths progress
that has beon Inade up to the prcacnt ima In le.ea
coussraeion aud the national character Of the work
III tbs future.
Tia expenditure during tho last century and balf
covering tbs history Of uvees in this country IN about
fso,0oo,oo, With 2,S9o mies Of loyees built sueh
Some Of the expense was incurred In tho repairing
ans rebuilding Of eHees Wasled und destroyed by tho
rHS ament required to perfect tho levae system il
The Eee!anstton, thorough, permanent and general,
Of the 49, 900 Square miles Hf tho delta will olabls
which Ia p4u for Imports benilos tie nclp given
to homs manufactured a1l lnaotiniss by large pur-
chuses ct M sool1 and mechanism for our augar-na.
The l00 900 acres Of rcclalncd cotton landa will
yte1d " 0o ut tho present prco Of cotton.
ln ohsF w9rs wt ths syses perfected We M
Of o'sr aojl-aaying annual import Of $aG 900 Q0u
and giving addittonul export Of Ut least $s5O
From tnis viii cens spoalily what tue he1e Whoo coun
try Sc much nees, revival of the cotton-nanufac-
ta lntsress Of Msw Enand m easy return 10
psymont Of ele National dobt, anl tho dHc1eaas Of
tsxation. . Ihat M constant sieady 4ratn from as to
years yreA aud Ans resulted tn tho undermining OF