The Osceola times., 1880-02-14

MS ulsCONtI VI tHO hteoi"i Oui-
rent" and other feats equally Us
great MS the original Mrs. Parting
ton, of whom it is said dried mp the
swelling tides OF the ocean with a
mop, which she squeezed into a
bucket. ".1o8..a tl.. .,..s..
But to return to the Danube and
its overfowed tributaries, caused
by levees. Let us take a look at a
map Of that country.
Does not the Danube approach
within forty miles of the Black Sea
more than 500 miles above its
mouth?
At the foot of tho hills which
make down from the north across
this narrow strip Of land We find
the remains of the old Trojan walls,
in Dobrudscha, while the country
in front and to the south and in the
direction of the mouth Of the Dan
ube is represented as being low and
fat, across which there is now q
railroad reaching from the Danube
to the B ack Sea. Instead of build
ing a railroad to reach the Black
Sea by . shorter route than via the
river mouth and the building OF
levees, as they say' there as well as
here, to protect the country from
overflow, why could not these en-
ginccrs have opened y water way
across this neck Of land, and tbro'
which the water OF the Danube
could flow into the Black Sea with
all the fall in going forty miles that
it now has in going 500 miles 10 its
present MOUTH H.. -.-..t ..s d..
just as it rs evidenced by tho Bon
net Carre outlet, where one-twelfth
of the Mississippi river discharges
seeks the Gull level in going dis
tance Of six miles with the same
fall that it has in gong l60 miles
to the rivers mouth. M
Had this cut been made by man
(no matter it through mountains),
shortening the Danube by AGO miles,
the current ia tho lower river would
have been so increased that there
never could have been an overflow
above, hence the destruction Of that
city could not have occurred by
overflow. 3. .,a ... --
Just 80 IN this country. II we
make the Lake Borgne outlet the
entire flood tide Of the river will
seek the Gulf level in going SIN
miles instead of gong ITO miles to
the river mouth.
This will lower the high water
mark at New Orleans to nearly low
water mark, difference of near lf
feet, increasing the current in the
low river fully one.tourth ID, AZ
evidenced by Gen. Humphreys re
port on the edstts of the Bonnet
Carro outlet, which, he says
has Increased the current of the
whole river SIX per cent, whom, by
Major Beny,ard's report the high
water mark has been lowered tour
feet at New Orleans and nine fee,
at Vicksburg for the last fvc years,
This outlet wonld so increase the
current from say Momphi, down
that the high water mark would be
lowered at Memphls fully eight
feet, and, perhaps, more. II the
| lowering of the high wafer mark
tour feet at New Orleans gives an
increased current of six (6) per
cent. in the whole river, and lower
ed the high water mark nine feet
at Vicksburg, would not the lower
ing Of the high water mark at New
Orleans 16 feet give an increased
current in the lower river at least
twenty four per cent, and a com
paratively lowering OF the high wa.
ter marks at Memphis aud Cairo I
By calculation we will see that
an increase of twenty.four per cent.
in the current of the river al New
Orleans in $50 days would cause
the river to dischsrge 4,264 800,
100000 more cubic feet OF water
than it now discharges.
By Gen. Humphreys report we
not only learn that tho duration of
high water for 1850 was l72 days,
1851 was 125 days, 1859 was los
days, 1853 was 10 days, 1854 was
Ill days, 1858 was 1919 days, but
that during such high water as
1858, 1862 and 1867 the overflow W
on the average was in the lower
valley-41I miles wide to ~ feet
deep, 400 miles long-cqual to SIX
and quarter trillions cubic feet OF
water. '.'i't-
With the Lake Borgne outlet
drawing off two-thirds Of this vast
amount of water there never could
have been any general overflow.
Under the circumstances do ]
contend that 1T alone would be a
perfect remedy for such q fall OF
water az We had the above.named
years, but If We divert TO the Gull
of Mexico through tho Calcasieu
river, the floods of Red river, and
through the Atchafayala,th Ouach-
ita aud it's tributaries, embracing
the entire Red river water shed OF
over s,0G0,000,000,00O cubic feet,
how could there ever be any over
( 1owY
Here we draw off 10000, 600, ,0O0,-
900 cubic feet of water, then how
could the 5000, 100000 cubic
feet of surplus water remain 10
overf1avy the same area nj cnnrtrx.2