The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-07-25
OLD LEVEES Us. NEW ONES.

Mr. Elitor-It seems the work of rebuilding
our broken levees has actually commenced.
Thank Heaven, if this be SO. No news could
be more gratifying and inspiriting to the
broken spirits of the almost respondent
planters than to have these welcome tidings
conveyed to their eager ears. This is not all,
though, they would have at the hands OF
those in charge of our levees for while it is
right and proper that existing crevasses
should be closed and made secure by the
time Of the advent of our next high water, 1t
is equally Important hold it is more SOTO
properly repair and strengthen other portions
of leyees that have not yet given way, but
which are likely to do so if any great pressure
is again brought against them. 1t is to call
public attention Ito the extent Of my feeble
ability) to our claims in this respect that l am
now troubling you for little space in your
valuable columns.
1t NAV be that the means at the command
of our levee custodians will not allow Of both
repairs and reconstruction if SO, then by all
means let the repairs be first attended to, and
as much new levee be built afterwards as can
be paid for. This way Of thinking will doubt
less be strongly condemned by many who
have lost this year by the flood, and who
are naturally anxious to have no similar calan a.
ity affiict them in the year to come. They
will likely say that the advocating of such a
measure, is but the selfish desire to swim at
the expense of others sinking, when really it
| is the simple wish to save the body at the
sacrifice OF a mangled limb.
| Our levee system is our wall of defense
against the vandal horde of northern waters
thai pour down annually upon us, pregnant
with desolation and destruction. The on
slaught this year was so overwhelming at any
rate our resistance was of SO little avail, that
Ahnra
of our fairest and most fertile provinces were,
perforce, given over to the raplne and plllage
of the relentless foe.
This was bad: my prayer is that it be not al
lowed to become worse. In the peace that
now prev ils-the lull that We all know but
too surely presages the coming OF another
storm-it behOoves us to use our utmost efforts,
to put our entire line in a proper condition to
withstand the forthcoming renewal OF the at
tack. We should try. TO save every inch OF our
territory-to beat back the enemy along our
entire front, TANKS, and rear, if we can, but
if we cannot, we should content ourselves with
doing that which reason and common sense
would dictate. If we have not sufficient force
both to protect that portion Of our land which
as vet remains useful to us and productive
from its superior natural advantages for de-
fense as well as to recover the more exposed
sections which have been wrenched from our
grasp by our too powerful adversary, what
would good general anda true patriot advise
us to do? Why, most assuredly, to sacrifice,
for time at least that which has been already
lost thai we may the better hold and defend
what is still left in our possession.
1t cannot be denied but that the regions ex-
cepted from this years food, owe their i'm
munity to the breaks which occurred else
where which carried off enormous volumes of
water, causing the river to lower its stage
several feet in very short time, thereby re-
| lievng at once the levees from the enormous
pressure that was bearing against them. Had
the NIorganza and Hickey levees but remained
intact for few days longer, other weak points
would in the nature Of things, have necessari-
ly given away, and the inundated area been
differently placed from where it nowis. These
weak places will not acquire renewed strength
from the mere lapse of time, and unless they
are raised and strengthened will be in a still
worse condition to bear the brunt OF action
next year, than they were this. Now if our
present crevasses are closed, as they should
be- that is to say, made perfectly proof against
any body of water that may come against
them, and these other vulnerable points to be
allowed to take care of themselves, 1t stands
to reason to suppose that it will be their lot to
succumb next and we will then have the
spectacle of one portion OF our community
emerging poor, weak and dripping from Its
enervating bath, and another section, stout
and healthy, be made to plunge i'll instead.
A see-saw arrangement, ''now up, up, up now
down, down. down" that will prevent any
substantial good being derived from any por-
ton of our lands, and keep our entire alluvial
region in 4 nude, semi-cultlVatel and helpless
condition.
| If these new levees are not substantially
built. and are again allowed TO be washed
awav then will whatever they will have cost
| be Just so much thrown away, for we will have
neither old levees repaired nor new ones built
as consideration for what we may have dis
bursed, and this at a time when every dollar
to be wrung from our hearts blood.
| If these old levees are not to be repaired,
then let the public be honestly told SO, and
that at once, 50 that the people themselves can
proceed to supply, in as far as they are able,
the protection they SO much need otherwise
they will fall asleep in the expectation OF hav-
ing that done for them, which the payment OF
their taxes entities them to, and in the end
viii awake to find themselves all but ruined BY
their trusting confidence being SO wofully mis-
placed. Il II better to be doubly tsxed-6rst
| % nav for the work, and then do it ourselves
than not 70 have il done ct all