The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-06-06
MISSI ,SIPPI RIVER LEyEES.
To the Editors of the Bulletin:

To the Editors of the Bulletin:
The immense damage and vast amount
of suffering caused along the Mississippi
River ane tributaries the past spring, which
will be felt for lolg time to come, natu-
rally suggests the inquiry of the best man.
ner of building leyees that will effectually
protect the country from overflow.
River men and steamboat pilots, especially,
tell us that rise in the river at any given
point of, say twenty, thirty or forty feet,
will not increase the depth of the river to
the extent of the apparent rise. At the pass
es of the mouths Of the Mississippi River, it
is well known that the depth of water is
greater when the river is low than when it
is high. In the shoal places of the upper
river, it is a noticeable fact that fall of
one foot in low water does not decrease the
depth of the channel to that extent.
| In high water the bottom of the river
fills up by the sediment settling on it, while
in low water the channel cuts out by the
force of the current being confined to mar
rover space. United States engineer re-
marked before the war; on taking the de-
posits of the surface, and undercurrent of
the Mississippi River at Columbus, KY,
| that the amount of sediment passing that
| point in twenty hours, was enough if
it all lodged, to build dam as high as the
comparatively low aid clear.
Levees that once protected the lower
coast have been found of late years to be
entirely inadequate. 1t is common re-
mark, and true one. that the Mississippi
River runs on ridge, the surface of the
water even in low stage, being higher
than the country a short distance from the
banks indicating that the bottom of the
river has gradually been filling up, while
overtiows leave the greater deposit immedi-
ately on the banks, thus increasing their
heights when the river recedes within them.
If this theory be true, and it is believed
by very large class of our most intelli-
gent river men, does it not follow that no
levee, however high, would protect the
river from OverflOws, as every high rise
would fill up the bottom by the sediment
depOsi ted on it, during the flood tide, and
but partly washed out again as the river
recedes within its banks and approaches a
low stage.
Can these periodical overflows be obvi-
ated' And if SO, howl By building flood
gates in the levees with small canals lead
ing from the river into the chain of lakes
and outlets, that all river men know skirt
the river from Cairo to the mouth, and by
openin again the natural passes that have
been filled up in building levees.
High lands approach the river only at one
point (Heleaa, Ark on the west side, from
Commerce IS miles above Cairo to the Balize. |
Outlets through the levees and canals would !
lead the water into the lakes skirting the I
river, aud when they filled, they would
empty themselves into smaller streams run
ming parallel with the Mississippi for many
miles, and then emptying again into the
not seriously to affect the rise During this
time great leal of the water would be ia
ken up by absorption and evaporation, thus
decreasing the volume of water which would
return into the Mississippi
Near Commerce, a passage could be opened
through what is known in that country as
the big swamp. This water would again
come into the Mississippi through Bayou st.
John at New Madrid, but before it did so,
another opening could be made ten miles
above on the opposite side, to take greater
which is from two to seven miles wide and
forty miles loug, in Tennessee, and empty
ing into the Mississippi River through the
Obion at Hale's Point. Before this latter
water returned to the Mississippi River,
another opening could be made on the west
SIDE leading the water into Little River and
through that into the St. Francis, which
comes back into the Mississippi River again
about ten miles above Helena, Ark. These
hree openings alone would protect the
evees from Commerce, Mo-, to fifty or sixty
niles below Memphis.
Six or eight miles below Helena there is
natural pass now leveed leading from the
River through the Cold Water,
,unhower, Deer Creek, ETC.. into the Yazoo,
md so on all the way down. Besides these,
numerous food-gates and small canals
ou!d be made leading into the lakes and
mall streams, relieving the main river of
Is surplus of water, and always keeping 1T :
early as low as its natural banks. \
The small lakes alluded to seem once to Y
ave been the bed of the Mississippi River 9
ave the same shape, same banks, the same :
vidth, and are generally from three to ten
lilies long. They can be found on one side :
r the other nearly all along the river, and
enerally empty into small streams still p
lrther from the river.
Below Red River, all the water leaving
he Mississippi on the west side would 60
irecLly into streams emptying into the
nlf and at New River, below Baton =
ouge, a pass, if opened would empty
trough Lakes Mauripas and Pontchartrain
ito tho Gulf at the Rigolets. :,
We gain more generally by assisting than
y opposing nature SO it would be we'll -
n our leyee builders and engineers to give o
lese facts the consideration they deserve. 4
OBSERVER. m
THE GEAR IN THE STREETS OF LONDON. pr
L