The daily critic., 1890-05-26
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
PRESENTATIONS THE IMPROVE
MENT QUESTION
HON HIRAM R. STEELE OF LOUISIANA
On the Necessity Of a Complete System,
Appropriations for Relief After
0verfows; None to Prevent.

observers who are suggesting plans
Tor preventing floods in the valley of
the lower Mississippi by means Of out.
lets and other impraclicable schemes
says Hon. Hiram r. Steele. chairman
Executive Board Mississippi River I'm
rrovement Association, writing 10 the
New York Herald The public might
infer that the plan Of the Mississippi
River Commission on the efficacy of
levees as means of preventing over
flows, had been tried by the General
Government and proved to be q failure.
Such IS not the case, but, on the con-
trary, while the act of 1879 creating the
Mississippi River Commission declares
one Of the purposes to be the prepara-
ton Of "plans to prevent destructive
Hoods still every river and harbor bill
Tor the. past ten years appropriating
money for the improvement of the Mis-
sissippi River has contained this express
restriction: Provided that no portion
Of this appropriation shall be expended
10 repair or build levees for the purpose
Of reclaiming lands, of preventing in.
jury TO lands or private property by
overiiows; provided, however, that the
commission Is authorized 70 repair and
build levees If, In their judgment, Il
should be done as part of their plans
TO afford ease and safety to the naviga.
ton and commerce of the river and to
deepen the channel"
The only aid which the levee system
has received from the River Commission
has been confined to the interests of
NAv1eATIoN SOLELY,
while the partial and imperfect levee
system which has been tried was con.
stiucted chiefly by local taxation This
imperfect levee system, even under the
disconnected control Of local authorities,
has been steadily improving, and dur.
ing the present flow afforded protection
TO 40 per cent. Of the alluvial valley.
The Commission and all engineers
familiar with the subject agree that
there are no engineering difficulties in
the way. but that II Is perfectly practi
cable TO conduct the highest possible
floods of the Mississippi safely to the
Gulf by means of levees, and the esti.
mate is that S1O,000,000 TO be ex.
pended during a period Of three years.
will be sufficient TO 50 repair, enlarge
and extend the levecs as TO give abso
lutte protection to the valley from Cairo
10 the Gulf.
a MAJORITY OF THE COMMISSION
and all engineers who have had charge
Of the work Of improvement also agree
that a complete levce system is abso.
lutely essential 10 the permanent i'm.
pTovement OF the channel for purposes
Of navigation. In the recent eXamina.
tion before the Senate Commerce Com.
mittee three members Of the Commis
sion and five engineers stated that II re-
quired 20 improve the navigation of the
river they would build levees. even II
the valley OF the Mississippi was an un.
inhabited wilderness.
The Government has always been
ready to grant liberal appropriations
for relief after oveTflOws, but constitu.
tiOnal objections seem TO be urged
against the use Of public money 20 pre-.
vent such disasters. This seems II.
logical, but conceding for the sake Of
argument that the Interests Of com.
merce and the postal service as well az
the protection of this great alluVial
valley, extending through eight States,
does not make the control Of the flood
waters Of the river a national duty,
still II would seem the wiser policy 10
authorize the Commission to concen.
trate their efforts upon the leYees until
that part of the plan Of improvement Is
completed, having in view not only the
benefits TO navigation, but also the pre-
venion Of destructive floods.
This will be
THE MOST ECOSoAIICAL COURSE,
as levees not large or strong enough to
Withstand possible floods are liable 10
be destroyed, while the full benefits 20
navigation cannot be realized until the
system Is complete. When such a sys-
tenn, built In accordance with the plans
and specifications Of the engineers, has
been fairly tried and found to be in.
competent, 1t will be time for the "emi-
nent engineers" and practical OBJ
servers" to take the place of the River
Commission. But the plan will not fail.
The Mississippi River being a silt bear
ing stream, makes its own G annel. and,
where the force of its en- rent Is un-
broken, it makes goal aud deep
channel
Wherever the whole lume of the
river flows in one place we ind no OBJ
suuction 10 navigation, but when the
stream Is divided by a creVasse in the
leyee OF other cause the force Of the
current Is checked, the sediment falls
ond bar is created Immediately below
such CTeyasse.
AS 10 the practicability Of c0nhning
the highest possible floods Of the Mis-
sissippi TO one chaRnel by means of
levees, there has never been any ques-
ton among members of the Mississippi
River Commission.
The ratio Of increase IN the discharg-
ing capacity Of the river as the flood
line is raised by means Of leYees is best
illustrated by reference % the actual
measurements made by Humphreys aud
Abbott during the flood Of 1851 found
IN appendix ID Of their report aud ne
feIred 10 by Captain James b. Eads In
bis communication addressed 10 the
Mississippi River Commission Of date
April u. 1882.
Referring 10 the report Of Humphreys
and Abbott
CAPTAIN EADs STATES
that the third table shows that at Car
Tollt0n, near New Orleans. an increase
Of three feet IN The height of the river
added nearly 80 per cent 10 the amount
which was discharged while the cur
rent was accelerated al the same time
more than 20 per cent The fourth
table shows that al four feet greater
height OF the river ID discharged 40 per
cent. more wafer and that is current
vas increased 81 per cent
p he iflh table shows that with q diff
ference Of 6s feet the discharge Of the
river 40 Carr0lt0n was more than
doubled The river here al the lowest