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

mouth OF Une OnlO 10 tne
Gulf averaged about the same
depth when the banks were over
flowed at all, every portion of the
river bank becoming alternately
high (so-called)and low; then as now
when the banks were not cayng
for a number of years, the deposits
would naturally raise them, when
a cutoff would form for some time
Immediately above, the water would
be drawn offand the banks left free
from floods, while beloE the over
flow would be deepened until the
deposit would, by successive over
flows, raise the banks, restrict the
overflow and gradually equalize the
hight of the banks again until an
other cut off was formed by the
gradual Washing Of the bends.
When the bluffs on the east, as at
Columbus, Hickman, Fulton, Ran
dolph, Memphis and Vicksburg in
tervene, the overflow is entirely on
the west side of the river. AT Hell
ena, the only point on the west
where the ridge strikes the river,
the overflow is entirely on the east.
The water overlooking above Hell
ena on the west, returning through
the st. Francis to the Mississippi,
forced it to rise higher than at
Memphis, and the deposit gradually
raised the banks forming "the
ridge" and thus equalized the depth
of the overflow at Memphis and
Helena. The water thus confined
was and is compelled to rise eleven
feet more from low to high water
mark at the latter than at the for
mer point. At Vicksburg precisely
the same thing occurs by the Yazoo
returning the overfowed waters
that passed out from Memphis
down; and then we find another
ridge bringing the river up to fifty
two feet. And with the accumulated
waters ofSt. Francis, White, Arkan-
sas and the Yazoo,it would be much
higher but for its proximity to the
Gulf, causing a more free and d.
rect outflow. Now if the waters
were confined from Cairo to the
Gulf by leyees on each side of the
river, we contend hat the rise and
fall would be the same at all points
above Vicksburg, decreasing gradu-
ally from there to the Gulf, and
that in many places the water would
run over twenty feet land it may
reach forty feet) above the present
high water mark, and that the de-
post upon the river banks in front
of the leyee, and in the channel of
the river, would keep even pace,
rising rapidly, and the result be
that finally if you continue to raise
the leyees, as you will be compelled
to do, the riyer-bed will be
above the ground level back Of the
levee, and, as the water increases in
hight, the sipe-water will increase
in greater proportion, remain long
er, and finally be a permanent stag
nant lake, standing on what is now
the rich valley of the Mississippi.
To prevent this destruction Of the
finest portion of this continent, we
again urge Congress to refuse the
use of another dollar for a general
system of leyees. We had almost
overlooked the point claiming that,
there being comparatiyelyno levees
on the west side of the
river above Lake Providence,
the Mississippi river could not
be responsible for the floods Of Chi.
cot. We know Of their ~non-exist-
enee, and we lay the whole blame
on the levees in Mississippi. If the
levees on the west side of the river
had been as perfect as they were in
1858, there would not be one acre Of
dry land between the Yazoo and the
Mississippi where there is ten now.
In 1858 Arkansas had spent a mil
lion Of dollars from the swamp LAND
fund in building her l%evees, anc
they we're so perfect that the,
flooded Mississippi and the whole
lower country and raised the rive
then and in 1862 until they wer,
nearly all swept away, and the Stat
has been too wise or too poor t,
rebuild them. But Mississippi, b.
taxing her river lands Improved.
sixty cents an acre, has built a leyei