Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-05-13

1OHhy anu bulo 10 VIZ AetoN blAoAbdiJ
above Chicot, which is about forty |
miles below. Beginning few
miles above the mouth of the Ar
kansas river, the leyees on the Mis-
sissippi side are broken, and from
Lake Bolivar to Ohicot a number Of
large ereyasses pour their floods
over the country on the east side of
the river. These are facts, and the
sin is charged upon the leyees. Let
us examine and see.
The leyees on the east or Missis-
sippi side begin few miles below
Memphis, and for 180 miles are un-
broken, save a slight breach which
has done no damage, some miles
below Helena, which is ninety miles
below Memphis From the Vicinity
of New Madrid, more than 200
miles above Helena, on the Arkan-
sas side, there are no leyees, and
from the west bank of the river to
the foot of the Arkansas hills, an
average width Of perhaps thirty
miles, the country is almost a sea
of water. This flood is forced back
into the river by Crowley's Ridge
at Helena, and is there confined for
miles to the channel between the
levee on the Mississippi side and a
levee that begins below the mouth
of the st. Francis river a few miles
above Helena, and extends some
ten or fifteen miles below the city.
Yet
THIS OCEAN OF WATER,
thus forced back into the channel
already full, is carried within this
narrow space of less than two miles
in width and fails to produce an
appreciable effect in eleyating the
food line to any greater relative
hight, as we find by reference to
the flood lines above and below, and
especially is this fact proven By
comparing the hight Of the flood
line above low water at HelenG
with that at White river.
THE HELENA NARRoWs.
At Helena the high water line il
46 feet 5 inches above low water,
while at the mouth of White rive
it is 46 feet 10 inches-fve incheI
greater margin in the rise and fall
yet the river for q hundred miles
and more above and below is opel
on the west side and only leye
on the east bank, while at Helen
the water is confined within tn
channel for miles, and in addition
to the water that flows down tn
: channel, is required to carry tn
flood that fills the swamp from Me-
Madrid to Helena. If your theor
g we're correct these leyees would nc
J interpose as much resistance to thi
I, food as a molehill to a mountai
torrent, but the waters Of thi
grand old river would sweep owe
the puny barrier and reassert il
t empire Of a thousand years in th
= swamps beyond. 1t was once al
/ gued that Crowley's Ridge, forcin
f this immense volume of water int
this narrow gorge that would b
/ made by the construction of thi
s levee on one side and the hills o
e the other, would render the builC
: ing of a levee at this point impoi
e sible. Yet it is done and obiectio
: silenced, for there stands the fac
f however contrary to reason, to con
a tradict theory.
d THE RIVER AT MEMPHIS
: has not reached the highest foo
u line, nor has it at Helena, or at an
J. point between, and the line of leye
is intact protecting this valley o
the east 40 miles wide. Passing He
Q ena the valley on the east StretchC
to sixty miles in width; yet fC
: eighty miles to the vicinity of A
It kansas river the leyees are intact 0
0 the east and the river has not yt
a reached the highest food line and
/ flooding the west bank Of the riyC
e TO the hills.
: FURTHER DOWN.
n At the mouth of the Arkansas, "
o find the Mississippi has not pasSe
n beyond previous floods. This fa'
o will not be disputed. Hence IL
is Arkansas does not furnish the w
e ter that raises the flood line
# inches higher than any preyiol
!, water forty miles below at Chico
"a There is no other tributary fro
n which the water can come. The
y are no levees on the Arkansas sho
,e below the Arkansas river until v
II approach Lake Providence, mar
b" miles below 0hicot. The water h
V, the same opportunity to flow out
W the west that it has above Heller
n no barrier on the west to con6l
)t it to the channel as at Helena, Il
d entire country on the west floode
l. From Memphis to Helena precise
r the same local condition in the re
lie pect of levees on one side and mol
Us on the other, save the ditfeFen
IN that in the vicinity Of Chicot Il
er leyees on the east side are brok,
and the water flooding the count
on both sides, while on the lii
as from Helena to Memphis there a
D. no crevasses to disturb the cure