New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-02
Shs Love- Question.
EDITOR REPUBLICAN,:

Inc NOW Of10800 xtUSS8 E0C00tly pun
lished quite an extended review by Mr..
James B. Eads, civil engineer, ON the
reclamation Of the alluvial lands within the |
delta of tho Mississippi. In my opinion
there il NO other subject of y scientific No.
ture fraught with moro importance to the
inhabitants Of the Mississippi delta than
this.
At present, when the vengeful monster 10
1t our doqF, the cry goes out from the low
lands with one accord, give us prosectaon'
guarantee 10 immunity from the terrible
encroaching destroyer! Look abroad over
our sugar and cotton districts-the seed 10
already in the ground, and yet the planter
trembles with fear at the thought that .
sprine rise may soon come, finding the
lower river filed to repletion. He knows
tho result; but alas, where is the remedy
Before the emancipation Of slaves in tho
South tho riparian planter, without 70
course to scientific authority. maintained
his levees simply by due exercise OF res
son, with plentiful supply Of cheap labor,
coupled with extreme vigilance. Was .
levee endangered, or did Orevasse occur,
Q thousand slaves were ON the ground to
prevent or arrest further damage. When
the water annually receded tho levees were
capped with ono or two feet OF earth to
make sure of high water grade without
reference to systematic and scientifically
established high water plane. Times have
changed, labor 10 higher, and in consider
ing the most economical plan for the rec
lsmation of the overfowed lands, the con-
clusion is, that where labor accomp lished
much anterior to the war, brains now can
accomplish more.
The State of Louisiana since the war has
passed many laws toward tho end that it
might have . perfect system of levees.
al of which have failed. We know not
Why unless the laws were bad, very
bad. Mississippi and Arkansas have ma de
similar attempts to systemise levee protec-
ton, and we were Inclined to believe that
their failure is due to the same cause - in
Louisiana, and to-day, a. every riparian
owner knows but too we'll, there il no sys-
tenn.
f. We will not 60 over the ground enumer-
stinp all that has been recommended by
Humphreys and Abbott, by the various
chief engineers OF the State of Louisiana,
by even the levee convention which met in
Vicksburg and New Orleans last year, and
lastly, by the distinguished board of army
engineers which met and reported last win
ter. We believe that, from all the authority
ACQUIRED from the pens of eminent engi-
neers, from all We have read of dyking or
leveeing European streams and lowlands
bordering the sea, from necessity, . perfect
system of levees, under charge of the gen.
eral government. 10 the only plan of perma
nent RECLAMATION. Mr.. Esds should give
the subject more attention than IL possible
to him while engaged in work Of such
magnitude on the 'jetties;" he should pom
der we'll before he comes before the public
with plan that hardly has the eem6lance
of relief, and promises to retard legislation
upon this great question. He very gra-
ciously tells the people in the overfowed
lands. ssGet relief for the present, but in fu-
ture have plan that 10 the only plan"
Mr.. G. w. r Bsyley, an eminent civil
| engineer, one whose practice has been with.
| in the alluvial basin of the Mississippi for
| twenty years or more, says in 9 paper pub
lished in the New Orleans Times, dated
mise between levees and outlets; no middle
course is possible. They are % opposite a.
| to their effect as anything can be. Outlets
result in inundation, levees in reclamation"
We will not here discuss the feasibility of
outlets, their effect upon the flood levels OF
the Mississippi, but will endeavor to show
the cutoff system as being at best only
chimerical. Again, in another paragraph
of the same paper, Mr.. Bsyley says: GOOD
o. they should be, under . we'll regulated
general government system, can be relied
npon, - Humphreys and Abbott say, for the
reclamation of the whole valley, and there
ia NO other remedy possible. All must be
reclaimed or all abandoned" Humphrey
and Abb0tt's report, . standard book II
river hydraulics. leaves us NO other plan o.
reclamation than that OF perfect system
of levees.
MI. Eads proposes by his cutoff project
TO lower the flood level of the Mississippi
on the theory that cutoff always reduces
the level, and l here quote paragraph
which comprises the whole wright Of hii
review. Heseems to be opposed to reclaim
ing the valley bv means of levees, but fall
to advance, at present, the estimated cos
of his cutoff project, even though it had :
II
correction of the high water channel By
reducing it to an approximate uniformity
of width would give uniformity to it's slop'
and current, almost entirely prevent TIT
caving of its banks, and through its presen
shoals, which now constitute the rest
ing places for its snsgs, there woult
be q navigable depth in low wate
equal to that which now exists in its oende
By such correction, coupled with fev
iudiciOuely located cut-offs, the Hood elop
can be safely and permanently lowered
above each cutoff, and in this way the On
tire alluvial basin from Vicksburg to Calr
can be lifted, as it were, above all overflow
and levees in that part of the river render
: ed useless There can be no question Of thi
, fact, and it is we'll for those most deepl
interested to ponder it carefully before n
: iectine it. fer the increased value given t
the territory thus reclaimed can scarcely b
estimated" Thus it seems Mr.. Eads is on
only salvation. A declaration such es tn
above, coming from man OF Mr.. Fad
ability, is apt to have very potent effet
: upon the minds of our lawmakers, who, as
, class, are not to be presumed professions
hydraulic engineers.
siders it possible for the general govern
f ment, at less cost than $46, OOO.OO
, regulate and maintain perfect system
? cut-offs throughout the 1000 miles betwee
l Cairo and New Orleans9 Even if syste'
;. of cut-offs does produce the desired lowe
j. ing of the flood level for short season, ca
the artificial change be maintained, excel
at q larger outlay than to maintain . sy
tenn of levees9 Does Mr.. Eads calcula'
the cost of indemnity to the riparian own
:. at all the cutoff sites7 Would it not co..
vert hundreds Of miles Of navigable wat
into shallow lakesl Does Mr.. Eads belle,
y that when he attempts the cutoff that he
J, in accord with that agency, nature, he pr