The Aberdeen examiner. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1866-current, 1883-03-01
The Philosophy Of the Overflow
Vcksburg Herald, 2lst.

Vicksburg Herald, 2lst.
Through the energy OF its local
reporter the HERALD is this morning
able to afford its readers the COM
| pletest account of the condition of
the levees, between this city and
Greenville, that has yet been pre-
sented to the public. The story is
well told, and contains all the in
formation that can possibly be gath,
cred from present data. Our readers
can take the facts and reason out the
possible results by comparison with
Eprevious history and their own ex-
|perience 1t is we'll to know that the
upper Mississippi and Missouri are
behaving very we'll under the circum
stances. They are both ice and
now-clad, closely frozen in, and will
not pour out their waters until next
June or July. The water now threat
ening the lower valley is coming
from the Allegheny water shed, which
reaches around the whole eastern
portion of the United States, from
Central Georgia to Canada. The
Ohio, created by the confluence of
the Monongahela and Allegheny, the
Tennessee and the Cumberland, con,
stitute the great viaducts for all the
rains and SHOWS falling west Of the
entire Appalachian chain of mountains
which form the eastern and northern
rim of the vast bowl known as the
Mississippi Valley. The short space
of fifty miles of the Ohio river be-
tween Paducah, Ky, and Cairo, not
infrequently becomes the conduit of
the gathered water "from the center
all around to the rea," and holds
them firm between tho rock ribbed
hills of Illinois and Kentucky. The
compressed, condensed and pent up
waters of five great rivers and their
tributaries and feeders are thus fore.
cd down with irresistible power
against the west bank of the Mssis-
sippi river at Kings Point opposite
Cairo. The fierce and uncontrolla
BILE stream rushes across tho Mis-.
sissippi's unresisting current and
pours with tumultous wave into the
basis of the ST. Francis. If the St.
Francis should unhappily be full
as it was last year--the increased
power of two floods combined would
rush along together aud with united
strength cross the Mississippi again
about fifty miles below Memphis in
DeSoto county, or at least in Tunica,
where it would find the Coldwater
and Tallahatchie valley ready to re-
ceive it. If these receptables should
also be full, from local rains, as they
we're last year, then the Ynzoo Delta
would fill up and an ovel flow would
very naturally be the consequence.
The Ohio will probably break across
opposite Cairo, but luckily the st.
Francis is prepared by low water to
absorb n large portion of the surplus
water If the St. Francis basin can
not hold it all, part may pass over
the banks in Tunica county, where
the leveos have not been rebuilt. But
the Yazoo and tributaries are also
luckily in comparatively low con-
dition, and are, therefore, prepared
to drink up the raging Ohio to an
extent sufficient to stop it in its
rampage.The breaks on the Louisiana
side are to be deplored, and will no
doubt cause considerable damage,
but no serious disaster is likely to
occur in Mississippi. If the levees
in Tunica had been rebuilt there
would be no cause of danger in the
Ynzoo Delta. Even as it is, there
can be no possible chance of any very
serious trouble.