Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-06
Four Parties of Engineesr Surveying
the River.

From Engineers Stewart ard Johns OF, WHO
are at present making a tour OF inspection
of the levees from Cairo to New Orleans, we
learn that the Missi. sippi River Commission,
recognizing the present overflow as a flood
of unprecedented magnitude, has determined
to study its effect in as thorough manner
as the time allotted to the task will allow.
Among other facts the following have been
considered desirable to ascertain: ~.
The amount of wafer leaving the main
channel of the river; (2) its action after
leaving, in traversing the swamps and in
again returning to the river, as indicated in
the river fronts of the ST. Francis aud Yazoo I;
and ~, the amount of water that does not
return after leaving the river. All of which
are to bear upon the width Of the channel
or area of cross sections (ofis), either natural
or artificial, which would be capable of car
rying off ..auy subsequent foods of equal
or greater magnitude. To ascertain
these facts the commission has four
engineering parties on the Mississippi
river measuring the discharge in cubic feet
per second. One at Columbus one at Helena,
one at Lake Providence, and one at the
mouth of Red river. Three additional par
ties have been in the field, during the flood,
obtaining as full data possible ON the
character and amount Of overflow into the
swamps. One of these parties crossed the St.
Francis river swamp5 back OF Osceola, Ark,
and obtained lhe uepln anu VelOclty Oh the
water on that section, thus obtaining the
amount of water flowing through the swamps.
Another section through the swamps was
taken on the railroad from Memphis To Lit
tie Rock, and another from Ark ausas City 10
high land on the west side of Bayou Macone.
One party carefully inspected the entire St.
Francis river front IRON point forty miles
above Cairo TO Helena, and another the
Yazoo front from Memphis to Vicksburg.
n IL -
bottoms comes btck TO the river again at
Helena and all that entering the Yazoo
river swamps comes to the river again above
Vicksburg The st. Francis river water
commences coming back to the Mississippi
river opposite Commerce, Miss, and it is
there that the water commences to break
over the levees on the left bank into the
Yazoo country. There is nearly as much
water entering the Yazoo swamps from
Commerce to Arkansas City is left in the
channel OF the river at Lake Providence.
This water returns to the river at the mouth
OF the, Yazoo and pCurs over the banks for
some thirty or forty miles above. This
raised the flood hight of The river in that
vicinity that the levees on the Louisiana
side could not contain it, and about two and
a half miles of levee were washed away,
and in Tomkins and Milliken's bends just
above the mouth of the Yszoo. A large
proportion Of the HaZOo river water crosses
directly over to the right bank and
passes out through these breaks and
floods the Tensas swsmps, Red river
and Atchafalaya. 1t is therefore seen that
a very large proportion of this flood has
never properly BEEN in the channel of the
Mississippi river. The overflow commences
forty miles above Cairo, passes through the
st. Francis river bottoms, then across into
the Eazoo bottoms, and then back again over
the right bank into Red snd Atchsfalaya
rivers, entering the Gulf of Mexico leo miles
west of the mouth of the Mississippi. The
course of .bis current is phenomenal and
affords a cfiisSds beet of study. But what
will be done with il is for the commission
and Congress TO determine.