The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1890-04-05

of larger aud better leyess, and how to
get hem. After the river subsidies
within its banks and a sense of security
prevails. public interest in levees will
subside also, and any article on leyees
will be read with yawn, if read at all
If any good ideas can be advanced
worthy of acceptance by the people,
they win in times like these take root,
and sooner or later be tested by prac-
tical application.
The break at OfI'utts' argues nothing
against the levee system, but it Is
attributable to some defect in the leyee
at that particular spot. The fact that
only one break has occurred in all of
the three hundred miles of leyee,
though the water has been up for
nearly two months, refutes any argu-
ment or theory against the efficacy of
levees.
The reason breaks like the sOffntts
Break occurs, as every engineer and
experienced levee man knows, is be-
cause offermation of "cisterns' in the
levee. These so-called "cisternss are
cavities which are usually caused by
stumps and logs covered up in the
levee. When these levees were first
built levee building was new art.
Contractors were allowed to cover up
immense stumps and logs, which ought
to have been blasted and cleared out
Of hn hn1 In. Of
time these logs and stumps decay,
leaving hole in the interior of the
levee. Crayish congregate in this
hole in the winter, and when the water
rises in the spring they drill holes
from the cavity to the barrow pits in
the river side and the sipe bitches on
the land side.
These holes sometimes run under the
public road from six to twenty-seven
inches beneath the surface. As the
water rises and fills the cavity in the
levee the earth becomes saturated and
sloughs or caves in and is carried off
through the holes made by the craytish
into the sipe ditch, aud this continuing
for a number of years makes the
"cistern" in the levee, which sooler or
later, will collapse and break occur.
During the second rise in 'S2 one of
these cisterns developed on the Glen
wood front on Lake Deulah, and
b 'eak with the greatest difficulty was
prevented. A stream of water two
feet wide and foot deep poured
through tho levee, caving occurred on
both sides, two parallel cracks about
twenty feet apart ran across the levee,
aud the water run Into the cavity with
the sound of water flowing into a
cistern. After the water went down,
and when the levee was being cut
away with scrapers, a soraper team
broke through and fell in the cistern
and had to be dug out. In the spring
of '3S, similar place developed within
a hundred yards of this place, OH the
same levee. The cave occurring Just
as the water rose in the barrow pits,
was easily cut out and filed in and has
given no trouble since.
In "a while | was inspector on the
"Clark 'front.'" cave In the levee be-
tween the Clark front and the Vermil-
lion Lake levee was reported. Mr..
West, the engineer In charge, and my
self happened to be within short dis
tance of the place with large force of
hands and plenty of sacks. The water
was within twelve inches of the top of
the levee, aud when we got on the
ground sunSen place the size of a
nail keg had developed near the
waters edge, which enlarged so rapid
ly that IL cut clear across the crown of
the levee aud the water from the river
ran down the land side of the levee
before we could stop 1t. II took sew
eral hundred sacks of dirt to fill and
secure the place.
saw DeGaris stop break on the
Bell front in 1873. The water burst
through the sipe of the levec about
half way up, and il took rapid work
with good force of men right Oh the
ground, at that time, to prevent a
break. In every instance that have
mentioned, to casual observer the
levees were perfectly sound. but people
living along the front knew that for
years water had been running from
sipe holes from the levee into the
bitches. On cutting out these places
after the water went down, in every
instance decayed logs and stumps
were found to be the origin of the
trouble. Ii has been the theory Of
levee men that enlargement of the
river side of the levee would cut of
these cavities, and no debut has done
SO in many instances, but this Offuti
break convinces one that we will never
have absolute safely until all of these
logs, stumps and cavities arc cut out
Now the question is, how can this bt
done9 This is question, of course
for the Levee Board to deal with, and
they will doubtless devise some
efficient method by which tho work
can De done. ! think the best plar
would be to sink ditch extending
from the base six or eight feet up the
levee in width, and along the entire
length of the land side of the levee
This ditch would develop all the logs
stumps and holes. and they could b,
cut out, and the ditch and cuts fillec
in and tamped, aud the levee would bt
safe and sound for many years.
The present stage of the water anC
the Otfutt break demonstrates the fact
that our levees are neither sound moi
above the flood line, and we have go
to dig them out and build them higher
This will cost money--probably two
million of dollars. Two million dol
lars worth of per cent bonds viii
cost $4,000 per annum III interest
Our present revenue is more thai
100000 per annum. We can pay thi
interest and have an excess of NOR,
than 100000 for repair work and t,
pay off present Indebtedness. and thi
revenue will increase as the county
develops. WALTER SILLERs.