The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1882-07-22
VOL IA.
The FazOO Delta.
a scHENE 10 PROTECT THE LryEEs.
Especial to the Inter-Ocean.I


looking to the Improvement of the
navigation of the Mississippi river
and the protection of a vast terri,
tory of alluyial lands from devas.
tating floods is now under consid.
Grafton by the House Committee
Pacific Railroads.
The Yazoo Delta, as this terri,
tory is called. comprises over l..
600, 900 acres, and in its present
unprotected condition presents a
formidable barrier to railroad com
munication between the States OF
Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennes-
see. Hence the proposed measure
is based upon the idea of promo
ting Interstate commerce by
means of a railroad, the bed OF
which shall be an unbroken levee
extending from the high lands OF
Tennessee, near Memphis, to the
mouth of the Yazoo river. short
distance above vicksburg. The
Memphis and New Orleans Rail.
roadand Levee Company, of which
Mr.. Chas. p. Huntington, of Green
vile, Miss, is President, has been
granted favorable charters by the
States named, and this company
proposes, with certain additional
encouragement from the General
Government, to construct and
maintain such a levee and road,
the work to be done in q manner
and under restrictions that will in.
sure its utility and permanency
and protect the government from
loss under any circumstances. The
Mississippi River Commission is to
locate the line Of the road and fix
the dimensions of the roadbed,
which is to be without bridge or
culvert or any opening on the
river front of the Delta and of suf.
fcient height to prevent the river
from overhowing it, thus securing
a permanent levec. The facilities
afforded by the railroad and tele-
graph line along the levee for con-
centrating men and material at
any point that may be threatened
will secure the most effective sys-
TEN for patrolling and maintaining
1t that can be devised, and besides
the road will earn the means for
its own maintenance, thus reliev-
ing the public of all future expense
for that purpose.
The magnitude of the work is
such as to preclude the possibility
of it's being undertaken and sue.
cessfully carried out without co.
operation and aid from the General
Government. Such cooperation
and aid are sought in consideration
of the national benefits to be de.
rived in promoting commerce be.
tween the States, in facilitating
the transportation of the mails, in
the saving of an enormous expen.
diture that will otherwise be nee
cssary for channel improvements,
and in protecting from overflow a
territory capable of adding mot less
than $2OO,OOO,OO0 annually to the
export products of the country.
1t is claimed, in view of the fact
that large subsidies Of land and
money have been granted by the
government to aid the building Of
roads across the Western prairies
and through mountain passes
where scarcely any road-bed was
required, that this company ought
also to receive aid. The dykes of
Holland, which cost that country
81, 100000, 900, protect only about
20 per cent more territory than
will be protected by this road-bed
and levee, and as the entire direc-
ton and supervision of the work
will be left to the Mississippi River
Commission, it is expected it will
make 1t like those dykes, perma-
nent and national in character, but
at comparatively triffling expense.
General Garfield, in bis letter of
acceptance July 10, 1880. said;
" The wisdom of Congress should
be invoked to devise some plan
by which that great river should
cease to be terror to those who
dwell upon its banks"
It is claimed that the plan pro-
posed of combining government
aid with private enterprise and
capital is calculated to accomplish
what President Garfield SO earn
estly desired, that the wisdom of
Congress should be invoked to de-
wise. President Arthur, in his ad-
and statesmanlike message
Of April II, 1882, on the subject of
.he Improvement of the navigation
)f the Mississippi and the security
,f the valley, says that the expen-