The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1890-04-19
CAPT. LEACH On LEvEEs.

There is no higher or more intell-
gent authority upon leyees aud river
engineering science than Capt. Smith
S. Leach, so long secretary and execu-
tive officer of the Mississippi River
Commission. In the following, terse
as true, he divests the subject of GER
tain error, points to defects of strue-
ture and makes it as clear as day that
levees are indispensable.
Capt. Leach is more than an engi-
neer. His mind comprehends the
philosophical and political phases Of
the question az thoroughly as though
he had lived in the Delta-been a
member of "the ring.n His assertion
that disaster is the handmade OF levee
building, that only by the periodical
application of overnows can "human
nature develope its energy and vital
ity" sounds like the echo of familiar
inner-eonseiousness. That such infiic-
tions, especially this one, has, like other
adversely, its uses, will not be denied.
The newspapers are teeming with tes-
timony to the true faith, and the voice
of the cotton tax repeater Is no longer
like athe song of the grasshopper
heard in the land:"
memphis COMMERCIAL
With a view to ascertaining the
most effectual way of preventing
floods, a reporter for the Commercial
called upon Capt. Smith S. Leach
United States Engineer in charge o.
river improvements for this district
In answer to the question, what h'
thought of levees in the light Of pres
ent food conditions, he said:
"Without levees great part
probably more than two-thirds of the
food plain of the Mississippi-neyel
would be anything more than a jungle
A narrow strip along the margin
of the Mississippi, and some OF its tri
butaries, can be inhabited, but not de
veloped, despite the periodic overflows
and to this fact is due the popular ide'
that leyees can be dispensed with an'
the bottoms still be inhabitable AM
productive.
lit can scarcely be hoped to construc
and MAINTAIN line of levee hundred
of miles in length without an occa
sional break In the greatest floods
, Human nature seems to require
disaster now and then to develope II
: energy and vigilance. The last fe,
years have brought no really threaten
ing floods, and many levee official
D have had to face decided apath
+ among their people. 1t is safe to pre-
. dict that for the next year or two n
0 such complaint will be made.
0 "The news which reaches the peopl
r now is manly Of breaks, overflow an
Q suffering. Account should also b
J. taken of the people who are secur
and happy behind the levees, many
q them engaged in planting their crop
. when the output of the Yazoo an
Tensas basins of 1890 is known an
. compared with that of 1882, the valu
q of the levees will be better appreciate,
"One most encouraging fact den
a onstrated by this flood is the possibili
n of retaining the maximum floods b
:, tween levecs of reasonable hight.
!, Opponents of levee-building an
a some of its advocates have predicts
y the most extravagant elevations
flood surface as certain to result fro
the confinement between levees Of
really great flood. Much Of the lev
10 is seen TO be too low, but 1t Is also Sc,
9, that no such nights as have been pr
le dicted need be feared, and that it
IS, perfectly feasible to raise the enti
n line to safe grade above the prese
to enormous flood.
3 several of this years breaks a
IL known to have occsrred from defe,
le, in or under the base of the levee o.
l; others from being built. Of pc
n material. A remedy for the form
,e, exists in the more thorough examil
in tion and preparation Of the groul
er and for the latter in a higher gra
IL and stronger profile. The best mt
ern construction is tending strong
n in both these directions. 1t is safe
M say that the brilliant future now hor
X. for the Mississippi Valley Is cert,
IN to be realized If levees are maintain
70 Without them it has no future at all