The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-07-15
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The Levees OF the Mississippi.

In Louisiana the levee system is of
comparative antiquity, having had its
beginning in the EARLIER years of the
eighteenth century, and the embank-
ments long ago came under the jurisdic-
ton of local and State government and
assumed the dignity of public works.
In Mississippi and Arkansas, however,
the reclamation of the swamp was an
enterprise of much more modern date,
having its origin almost within memory
OF persons now living, and at first-and,
indeed, for long time-it was exploited
solely by individual effort.
The earlier settlements on the river
between Memphis and Vieksburgh-
generally wood-yards with small appuf-
tenant corn-fields were made upon
unusually high spots, which, although
really formed by anteoedent inundati0h,
obtained, absurdly enough, the repufa-
ton of being 'above overflow" because,
for number of years they had not been
actually submerged. They were priced
accordingly, and the corn-felds of the
woc d-choppers were gradually trans
formed into cotton plantations, at first,
of course, of very limited dimensions.
Similar elevated spots were sought out
and subjected to culture. and before any
leveeing operations had been attempted,
the river bank on both sides was dotted
with settlements of pioneer planters,
who sought to utilize the fertile soil by
cultivation. Avery few years, however,
sufficed to demonstrate the fallacy Of
the "above overflow pretension; the
planters mind relinquished the delqsion
that land should be high4it was sufficient
that it should be dry-and the proprie-
tor deemed it expedient to fortify against
the common enemy. The water-marks
left by the flood upon trees, stumps and
fences were as plain as paint; these indi-
Gated the level of the water and supplied
the want of engineering science. A
make-shift levee of primitive style was
constructed, very near the river bank,
because less land was thereby thrown
out, and because the ground is always
highest upon the margin of the river,
slOping thence inland. As the planta-
tons increased IN NUMBER andApproxi-
mated each other, the principle of CO.
operation appeared; levees were built
across unoocupied lands until t,sfe were
disconnected strings ten, tw6lve or fiE
teen miles long. The CONSTRUCTION Of
these waslfar from satisfactory. The
operatives were generally the plantation
negroes. At that time the Irish ditchers
and levee-builders had scarcely made
their appearance in the country. The
colored people are not usually distfn--,
guished for their skill in the use of the
spade, and can not at all compete with
the Hibernian.9 Some years there was
high water, carrying dismay to the
planters heart; some years there was
low water, inspiring confidence and Sc.
curity; occasionally there was no
b" water" at all-the river did not get
out of its banks, and was therefore held
in contsmpt. In 1874, fhowever, the
Mi ssissippi. having apparently lost al
patience with this persistent intrusion
upon its domains, ssspread itself, - to :
use q vulgarism singularly descriptive
of the operation, and treated,its unbid- :
den guests to a first-class. "big over
flow, !" thetlike of which had not been
seen since 1928. The river rose early
and went down late; it overlooked the
whole country, and filled up the entire
swamp; ruined all the leE0es, great and
small; re1nsfned at or near high-wafer
mark week after week and month after
month until late in July, and did not
finally retire within its banks until near
y the middle of August. William Il.
MsIrf free, ST., in Scri6ner.