The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-07-07
"LEVEES OR NO LEyEES. -
BY c. G. FOESHEY.

and cultivate the alluvial lands of the Missis-
sippi River. To inhabit and cultivate required
that the food waters be kept Oft the lands
The hesitation was only momentary, when the
naked question came, ''Shall man or the
waters possess the country?
1t sounds little strange to hear the ques-
ton grayely raised again, after century and
a half Of contest between successive genera
tons of hardy laborers, and the floods, result
ing in the rescue Of large portion Of this
best of all lands, and the occupation OF 1t by
half q million Of people. The question now
asked is substantially 'Shall the half million
of people abandon the country and migrate
elsewhere rather than complete the work
more than three quarters accomplished:
Such questions not gravely put, as sup
pose; but are the expressions OF half despera
ton, of q people who have an accumulation of
calamities ending in disastrous food that
has broken their feeble levees in many places.
and drowned thousand homes But to ra-
zee the whole thousand miles of levees or
abandon them, would be to recede by a CEN
fury and a half rather than 60 forward twenty
years further and complete the whole under
taking.
We do not abandon bridge building be-
cause one bridge breaks when overloaded, or
badly built. We will not give up the telegraph
when wire or cable breaks, but repair and
try them again
NILE FLOODS.
There is q wide mistake about the Nile and
its floods; in fact, the Nile has no food, in the
sense of the Mississippi's overfows. That
great river has been the subject of experiment
and engineering effort, for thousands of years,
even anterior to written history These labors
resulted in the complete reclamation of the
alluvial lands, and mastery Of the rivers
foods. The waters are now carried OFT through
the rivers channel, and the lateral canals,
that carry water to the sluices. The sluices
are managed to let so much water as may
be needed upon the fields, for the purposes Of
irrigation and the slight stimulus Of fertiliza-
ton due to these turbid waters.
All this is perfectly manageable, and ex-
cluded or admitted when and where needed.
The levees have completed their work, and
now they form part of the alluvion which
has been gradually elevated by local flooding
and river deposit, until the body Of the basin
is well up to the high water level few
hundred or thousand years hence, we may
have like spectacle along the Mississippis
alluvial basin. Meantime we must work in
the direction Of this result, with such means,
an at such rate as are available.
The subject is too long, and the process too
elaborate for popular articles in the papers,
but candid inquirer like your correspondent
F should be answered. Let me say ? few
words directly to him.
THE BOTTOM LANDS
of the Mississippi extend from above the
mouth Of the OHIO to the Gulf. some 600 miles
long and variOusly wide, from 30 to 80 miles
averaging GO miles. This forms basin
through which the rivers channel runs and
Winds with its banks and high water marks
higher than any portion of the lands The
average depth of the basin is II feet below
high water on the rivers bank. In some ex-
= fhn 1opI foo< ho1o
this mark, and in many places the lands are
very little below this level. But as the over
flows of the river have made all this land by
deposits, of course every foot of it is lower
than the great food levels.
Now, before the levees were built this great
area of land was yearly covered to some depth.
Such floods as this years filed up the basin
nearly to the river level. Nothing but the
levees have prevented this year a delta sea
over all the basin. Not human habitation
could be safely built on any spot OF the whole
49, 600 square miles without these levees.
Your suggestion to abandon or race the
levees proposes to abandon the whole allusion.
METHOD OF RECLAMATION.
What intelligent engineers that have Crap
Piled with these enterprises, propose to them
selves, is as follows:
They would first complete their lines of
levees along the front of the several partial
DaSlnS II THESE break, oT prove HoI HlSH
enough, they would build them higher and
stronger. They believe there is a limit, and
that belief is so well founded on measurements
and Investigations of quantities, and veloci
ties and channel capacities, that they are not
much disturbed by the guesses and cOnun-
drums of those who have never measured,
computed or investigated.
They propose by levees to control the river
within his banks, natural and artificial and
~>ov~o al H. l<><lA ~
lions Of human beings As these grow stronger
in wealth and numbers, the visionary CD en-
gineers propose for themselves and their de-
scendants to ipclose by other levees, special
areas of lands to be flooded and raised by de-
posts of alluviOn, and, cOnSecutively, still
other areas, until in the progress Of centuries,
the whole shall be reclaimed by elevation till
the burden Of levee protection, building and
repair, shall be small and easy. Egypt has
this result in the Nile, and, without rains, can
and does irrigate the fields from her local
canals and sluices. We should not require IT.
rigation, for our climate produces rain in
abundance.
As to the matter of
FERTILIZATION FROM ovERFLows,
a second thought must show it's fallacy The
floods bring the same material the whole allu-
Won is made OF. Nothing new, positively
nothing. After very many years Of cultiva-
uOn, TIE surface SOIL may tire, ana render
new stimulus valuable This is very remote. |
little observation will show, 1 fear, that
this late planting on overhowed ground, is a
sad necessity. Of course the temperature
of June and July, with humid ground,
the waters have just left, will give
rapid growth and great promise.
But past experience has shown that corn
thus planted, however fourishing was de-
stroyed after jointing, by the bud worm and
cotton is much more liable to the ravages of
the caterpillar than the seasonable plant
ings We hope for the best, and should plant
sweet potatoes and peas abundantly, as offer
ing the only certain results from the flooded
districts These will sustain life.
Let me add q word as to
@srHE MISSISSIPPI RUNNING UPON A RIDGE"
Such is not the fact The rivers channel
lies mainly below the level of the lowest !
swamps. True, the front banks are the high