, 1877-09-24
MISSISSIPPI LEVEES.
How a Hundred Millions May Be
Saved.
Cut Outlets Instead of Building
Emhankments.

.yste;a, ,lcnouncinR II a. not only extremely
rottiy, hut very inefficient. 1fo gives arguments
10 support his statements that, instead Of hank
inr up the river in the lower country. outlets
slord ba rnn.lo to let tho supcrabunJancc Of wa
ter I'll. Said he: Instead of calling on the t;ov-
trnt1cnt to hppronrintc tens nj millions fur tho
coetructton of levecs, lot there be an outlet in-
to Lake l}orgnc. ten miles below New Orleans.
for a snuare milo OF land between tho river ami
tbc swatl,r, AZ right Of way, aud make aide
lcvecs to protect the plantations from overflow.
Tic work would mol cost mota than s5oo. .0oo,
er e than Ronnct Casre Crcvs.sc, which
emptics into Lake PonchartraIn. These
Two outlets-one above and tho other below New
e olRc1a R59tsst III Ill., woe ch. nlats {, o
lcvce around Bonnct Carre outlet That would
r.st rcri,aps 100000. 80, for an expenditure
Of only sGW, W,oW, We would have the State
guarded dIG cs44 aisf; srsY SY h wa,s rs
rieht in bis outlet system, but tioesr''t seem 10
understand It fully. lie docs not begin al Tho
right end. Commence making you. outlets at
ths lower end, draw tle water OF, and there
ihc water by means Of 1eyees TINT does Tic infs.
cIict To show yul that am not alure in INV
opposition to tho lcyce System, here is letter
which NJ lilch'nond i'ccler, producer Of The
1 fnw miles above Vicksburg, wrote TO tnu III
"As you know, ! 1lavo resided hero ever since
1876. In lHs the river wns high, but did not
overflow Al tlc lAhi: We l'a! no more high
were being built, md the river rising higher
until! lsb2, when We had flood. All the tlsgl,
ridges we're under the water over three feet,
when lilo 'ano lands were not Hooded in 1875.
] call your attention to slilliken's Bead. as you
know that part Of tlc rivek Tic scttfcrs threw
up Bmail lovcea nnd na4te good crops. Now
the same lands arc protected BY leytes from SIX
10 eight icot nigh, and IN 1Btn tho water WIS
over tho land both IN and outside the lcyrcs,
high loveea which extended up and dowa
the river banks for many miles,, whereas
With ANAL levees only q few miles long,
inlSs, g1od crops wero made. In 1877 there
inches Of TINT ofi1e02,-and there Is no knowing
low high IT. would hare come la,iIt nut been fnf
tho breaks In thc cvccs at the llarzls place NM!
at Ashton, which drew tho water OIL and savcd
ny place fof seven years past. Smart men say
tutI diter with them, tor the river riscs fas.
Until The water conmcnect to run of through
tho breaks IL The levecs and other outlets; a,3d
asse. s sfEns 5 s 1tSp y asss taS an: YG m ay acr % 5
hsc oycr 1llctn unless the lcvccs break IN sons
stops @ rising: tiinE tic Only way 70 protect
she country from overflow u 70 open al tho out,
In 1873 Cnpt. 7. w, Wilcox, Of Napoleon,
vrptg 10 tno:. hThc river hank al thia place Is
1t least four feet higher than 1t was fifteen or
twenty ycars ago. and u now a. subject to oTcr-
found iully four feet ivsp under tho doposlts al
suil nude by repeated uycrtlows."
RsScs. wrote In ls73: ii wns born % ind ID raiscI I
hearJ NV fai,,cr Inv thot IL III. INF 49,. ~ ~
ioot higher he would not sell It for any = pree, leo
isn has nadc s1ec That timn nj Ico.t I'm e' lat
from eDosIts, and ia atil1 6l,bcct Ia nvertfnx NJ
with vn thrt ,hn ia.cc sv.tn,., vii as!Iu
sountry." @ Ss 'A'" 'Ao '''eo '''seo' MA run '''
Tho CsntsIn commanded for ttc .hcorv, ocnc,.
atlY apeakiDv TINT flIc mt,re nn"pin9 II nmtiet,
eni te icss }oronInn NV thn Gettsn ~ - oMI.ets
that money cxncntiol With III vow ~ III rosn
would meet ar ccOndmical and s,,,Tcssfu, In.
yestmopt ~~D''"' '''
UDon thts aul,,eet Int mn do n 1ttttc so,r,,r
At tho floo1.tjdG w havn In lin Vi5ov ~ X.
MjssiasiLpE BODY f water ftv r,i,cs wt,.. n,,i
ten fcet drcn. II thfs gcra ;"inn, f.t,,.a,, ".,,.
ieycts ono t;,iIe nncrt It Tn"l1 vvo ~. v,i',nn
OF water NA1 fecf kJnh nrovIdinr tln-., ,ns az
much current acrras thta lnttn,n ~ t1c,a is +"
tic rlycr. say i've ,niics an ,,",r y nut ~
ws know thofe il not 70 mitch ' ,r,rTcns Ins