The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1882-10-07

These will Immediately and sp0n-
taneOusly spring up, as is shown
by the new islands of the Missis-
sippi which become covered with
cottonwood and underground with
in a few years after they are form
ed. In case of overflow, between
the levee and the river, these trees
aud underground will diminish the
force of the current before it
strikes the levee, and by catching
the sediment raise the banks of
the river and lessen the pressure
against the levees.
The chief Typographical fact,
which must control and determine
the plan of alevee system between
Cairo and Red river, is that there
are three great valleys or basins
lying along the Mississippi, the
surfaces of which are below the
level of the river throughout their
course, except where they dis
charge their waters into the Mis-
sissippi. The most northern of
these is the BASIN of the st. Fran.
els, which extends from Commerce
No., on the north, to the mouth Of
the st. Francis on the south, dis
tance of about 200 miles, and is
bounded on the east by the Mis-
sissippi, and on the west by Crow
ley's Ridge, Chalk Bluffs and Bloom
field Ridge, with an average width
of about 40 miles. This was the
upper end of the long gulf or es-
tuary which the Mississippi filed
with its alluvium. The Mississippi
has built up its banks and bed
along the eastern rim of this basin
until the food line has been lifted
to an average of 80 feet above the
basin, except at the lower end
where the st. Francis empties into
the Mississippi. The next basin.
the Yazoo, commences opposite
the lower portion of the st. Fran
els, on the east side of the Missis-
sippi, just below Memphis, and ex-
tends south to the mouth of the
Yazoo, east to a range of hills at
the base of which the Yazoo river
flows, and west to the Mississippi.
1t is about $50 miles long by an
average of 60 miles in width, and
il lies about % feet below the flood
line of the Mississippi, except at
its lower end. Tho third basin,
that of the Tensas, lies opposite
the mouth of the Yazoo-extend-
ing, in fact, from the month of the
Arkansas to the mouth of Red
river. 1t lies generally about 10
feet below the Mississippi, and at
its lower end, where it joins the
Red river and the head of the At
chafalaya bayou, it is 6 feet below
the level of the Mississippi.
The character of these basins
and their relation to the river may
be appreciated by bearing in mind
that the narrow gulf or estuary
above described, which extended
from the Gulf of Mexico to Com
merce, was bordcred east and west
by high lands, which have since
became the barriers of the lower
Mississippi. The river lies sagainst
or very near these bluffs from
Commerce to Memphis, leaving
the low lands forming the St.Fran-
els basin on the west. 1t then
crosses the low lands, striking the
western bluffs at Helena, and fol-
lows along and near the western
bluffs for hundred miles or more,
when it again crosses the bottom
lands, striking the eastern bluffs
again at Vicksburg. Thus, cross
ing the narrow belt of lowlands
twice. and building its bed aud
banks above them, it forms these
great basins of which it is the rim
and boundary.
Now these three basins, lying
below the level of the Mississippi
and separated from each other
only by the river, have become the
track and the reservoirs of mum
dation. In times of high water,
the Ohio, pouring its floods into
the Mississippi at the head of the
st. Francis basin, breaks down or
overfows the opposinglev and
overspreading that basin, sweeps
into and gorges the Mississippi
below Memphis, and then plunges
into and down the Yazoo basin.
In like manner the White river
and the Arkansas, pouring into the
Mississippi at Napoleon, burst
over the opposite levees into the
Yazoo basin, and joining the floods
from the Ohio and st. Francis,
sweep across the Mississippi above
vicksburg, and thence flowing
down the Tensas basin, join the
floods of Red river and empty into
the Atchafalaya and the Gulf.