Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-30
COST OFTHE LEVEES,
And the Condition OF Affairs Relative
Thereto On Both Sides OF
the River,
SO Far as Can be Cleaned from Sources
at Present Within Reach OF
the Appeal.
Some Facts and Figures OF Prime In
terest Just Now to Riparian
Readers.

As the water recedes the anxiety OF tax
payers, who have been drawn upon so
heavily to construct and keep in repair the
levees upon which they depended for pro-
lection, 10 know the extent of the damage
sustained By the system els naturally great,
and to furnish az nearly as possible facts and
figures connected Herewith is a duty the AP-
PEAL owes its many readers in the great
valley, and which it proceeds in part 10 to-
day discharge.
or THE ARKANSAS SIDE,
from the Missouri line TO that OF Louisiana
there is no levee system worthy the name.
Governor Elias n. Conway was the last Of
the executives of that State to do anything
in this direction, if We except the stupendous
steal perpetrated under the name of "levee
improvements by the Republican State
authorities while in power in lS6S-69-70.
Lsvee bonds were issued in reams, but only
work sufficient to give color to the scheme
was accomplished.
LOUISIANA BUILT,
many years ago, for her own protection,
what is known as the Doggy Bayou, Cypress
Creek and Postum Fork levee, in Desha
county, but i; was cut several times by per-
sons who were overlooked by rain waters, the
natural outlets of which were stopped by the
works named, and the levee has since been OF
no material benefit to any one, save, possibly
the Pine Bluff and New Orleans railroad,
which for time used it as a roadbed to
save the cost CT constructing a better. Pri-
vate efforts have of late been made to repair
it, but every freshet proved the inefiiciency
of the work to protect planters along its
western line, and it is hardly probable that
anything further will be done until the gen.
eral government takes hold, if that time
should ever arrive.
COMMENCING WITH MISSISSIPPI COUNTY,
glance along the river will show that Crit
tendep, Phillips, Desha and Chicot counties
have been almost entirely submerged, 10 say
nothing of the immense territory included in
Lee, Cross and ST. Francis and the Sunk Land,
which is also under water. At Helena con-
slant work and watchfulness saved some
property; otherwise there was nothing out Of
water except at a few isolated spots, too
small to be worth mentioning.
MISSISSIPPI HAS SYSTEM,
and good one, and that some of the less i'm
portant works fronting the river in Desoto,
Tuuica, Coahoma, Bolivar, Washington,
Issaquena and Shatkey counties gave way
under the tremendous pressure brought
against them ia the present instance is no
evideHee of fault in the general plan of The
works or the administration OF those in whose
control they are.
THE EXHIBIT OF LEVEE WORK"
issued by the Board of Levee Commissioners
October /, 1881, shows that from January
10, 1876, 10 date of issue, the cash receipts,
disbursements and operations were as fol-
lowe: J anuary 10, 1876, there Isl shown to have
been an Indebtedness of $44S, 265 OF. The
receipts during the interval between the
dates given were $445, 4S5 SIS. Disburse-
ments for the same period were S41S,-
294 67-showing a decrease of the debt in
two years OF SI57 ,S37 81, and cash balance
Of $27, 1S5 SO.