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

within 10 feet of high tide. The
river poured through before it was
within five feet of high water, and
50 powerful became the lateral
current flowing through the Gre
vase that it swept away a beautiful
residence that stood in its path
like it had been a shell, and, so eff
fectually destroyed the forward cur
rent Of the channel as to produce
heavy current running up stream
to the creyasse, and this is at a
point in the blight Of a bend where
the current Of the channel is
strongest. This was the first Gre
vase in this region; others speedily
followed in the vicinity below, vet
Notwithstanding the river was all
open on the west and these num-
erous creyasses on the east, the river
continued to rise untilit was nearly
two feet higher than at the mouth
of the Arkansas, above Chicot, or
at Vicksburg below. Here is a
plain statement Of the facts which
cannot be COTTON rid of, either by
denial or ridicule, nor is this an
isolated or individual instance.
DIFFERENT BREAKS.
In 1853 the levees from Memphis
to Napoleon were broken in many
places, and the whole country on
both sides flooded. But the Ar
kansas river was reported higher
than for thirty years, and we at
tributed our disaster to that cause.
The country on the lower coast suf-
fered comparatively little. In 1853
the levees from Lake Providence
down gave way, flooding the coun-
try disastrously, and the river stood
at Vicksburg twenty-six inches
higher than the year preceding,
while at Napoleon the river wanted
about nine inches Of the tide of the
previous year, as it did in the
neighborhood of Helena. Here we
have each of these years the water
highest in that region where Gre
vases existed to the greatest ex-
tent.
In 1859 occurred the "Bell Gre
vase, "near New Orleans, and with
in a week the river at that poin
varied about IL inches, first falling
6 inches, then rising II inches
while at Baton Rouge, so miles
above, the river had not varied al
inch. But the engineers, upoi
sounding the river, discovered tn,
bed had filled 18 feet with sand
as the result Of the lateral curren
produced by the creyasse, destroy
, ing the active current in the chan
, mel.
A SOLUTION.
When we consider the slack
water produced in the channel b
the powerful lateral current Q
the creyasse-powerful always il
proportion to its volume an
{ velocity causing the sand to b
) deposited in the channel, becaus
the current that should have cal
ried it forward is destroyed by tn
: action of that lateral current, W
have a reasonable solution of tina
, thing which is contrary to reason
5 The same year, at oreVasSe tina
occurred above Baton Rouge, Cap
tain Preston, the engineer il
charge, estimated the outfoV
through the crevasse and the dis
, charging rate of the channel be
low, and demonstrated that bot
together only equaled the undi'
turbed discharging capacity Of tn
channel itself without the creyasse
This is simply a matter Of mathC
matics, and as a mathematical fac
is conceded by all informed upo
the subject.
The same phenomena presente
!, itself when the leyee at the YazO
Pass gave way in 1857, as appear
from the notebook of Colonel job
! G, Miller, for many years levee il
spector for Coahoma county, Mis-
? EARLY INUNDATIoNs.
The gentlemen who are maxim
war upon the system Of leYeC
surely forget that this valley Wa
! annually inundated before we ha
: !, leyees. In 1874, in my own da,
! the water on the first Of Angus
was within less than six inches {
! the highest water we have ha
: since, and at some points on Il
> river was higher than it has eve
= been since; and it is well know
] ] fact that the floods Of 1909 an
: 1916 were higher still, that Of 1S(
. two feet higher, as the records
the high waters at the old settle
y points on the Mississippi disclQs
J . The floods Of 1916 and 1928 we
= = higher on the lower Mississip,
q than any since, and flooded Il
J whole valley from Cairo to Il
I Gulf. Then the foods were IN
y y yersal-no extensive bodies Of Ian
; protected. Now inefficient as a
> our leyees, the amount of countl
y oyerAown is relatively small.
G LEYEEs AS THEY WERE AND AR
II | was not aware until | learnt