The Osceola times., 1882-05-13
Mississippi Floods.
Chicago Times.

CnicSSc fifnts
The Times has shown why floods in
the Mississippi come oftener and IN
greater volume now than in earlier years;
has shown that the same causes which
have gradually increased the extremity
of low water have correspondiDgly in
creased the extremity ofhigh water; that,
while the average quantity of water dis
charged into the gulf by that stream is
not lees, year by year, now than formerly,
the changed conditions OF drainage OF
the great Mississippi basin, affected by
settlement and cultivation of the land,
have caused more rapid delivery of the
water, falling upon an area Of not much
less than two million square miles, into
the channel of the Mississippi, so that
the same quantity. the delivery of which
was formerly distributed throughout
whole year is now delivered in the
much shorter period of a few months or
weeks. In other words. the same chan
mel which formerly had year in which
TO convey to the gnlf given quantity Of
water now has to convex the same quan.
tity of water the same distance in much
shorter time. Everyone knows that
ditch having the capacity to convey
cubic foot of water Elk miles an hour will
empty the largest reservoir without over
flowing, if the supply be graduated in
time to the capacity of the ditch to con-
vey il. If the time be reduced, the
capacity of the ditch must be correspond
ingly enlarged, or it will overflow. This
Is a complete explanation Of low water
in the Mississippi. The capacity of that
main eewer of the continent has not
been enlarged. II is to-day capable of
delivering to the gulf no greater volume
of water in month than il was hum
dred years ago. Yet 1t now receives for
delivery in a month the same quantity
of water which it then delivered in six
months or year.
The protection Of Louisiana against
floods involves the removal or counter
action of these causes CT increasing
floods. The causes can not be removed.
1t is certain that they will continue to
operate, and that greater floods in the
future than any that have been wit
messed in the past will be the conse-
quence of their operation. 1t is not
more certain that the present flood is
greater than any preceding flood has
been than 1t is that there will come a
greater flood than the present one. The
only way to save Louisiana and New Or
leans from destruction by it is one that
will counteract the causes of which II
will come as the inevitable consequence
There are just two ways TO avert the
coming catastrophe. One is to retard
the movement of the flood through a
channel much too email for its convey
ance; the other. TO enlarge that channel
to capacity sufficient for its conveyance
The first means the construction of a
reservoir or lake, of thousand square
miles area, or sufficient at least to receive
and hold the surplus water, and deliver
it to the river gradually, thus giving 1t
sufficient time to convey the food to the
gulf without overflow. The Nile is pro-
vided with this soit of arrangement III
the Lake Albert Nyauza. Had the
earthquake Of 1871 constructed similar
reservoir, by sinking a sufficient tract OF
country around New Madrid to depth
Of two or three hundred feet it would
have furnished the means of saving
Louisiana from destruction. But in
sinking a small district only few feet,
the earthquake did no good. Louisiana
is powerless to do what the earthquake
failed to DO, because the jurisdiction of
lnAL nTONlnCt uDtS ltt CAtcuu W
portion of the river above its own boun.
dary, and tor some other reasons.
For the same reasons, Louisiana is
powerless TO enlarge the channel of the
Mississippi sufficiently to save that pro.
vince from destruction. The policy OF
the provinces and planters above New
Orleans has been to confine the floods
in narrower channel by means of dikes.
The breaking of the dikes in Mississippi
and Arkansas saved New Orleans from
destruction. Had the dikes been strong
enough and high enough to confine the
flood between them until it reached
Louisiana, New Orleans and the sugar
parishes would now be at the bottom
of the sea. II needs only that the bro
ken dikes shall be rebuilt and made
strong enough 10 hold future floods be-
tween them until they reach Louisiana
insure to that province the fate of
Plato and Ignatius ponncllys continent
of Atalautis
Louisiana is not only powerless to en-
large the channel of the Mississippi, but
is powerlcss to prevent Mississippi and
Arkansas from restricting ii by artificial
dikes, and so assuring, at an early day,
the catastrophe which Governor Nc.
Emery says nothing but congress or a
| miracle can avert