The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-11-25
THE CLOSING OF THE ST. FRAN.
CTS BASIN

sIppi river leyees is that 1t Is not a
national policy, that the leyees are
-imriy bnilt foI the purpose of pro-
,ecting lands Immediately behind
them, and that no money should be
appropriated for such purpose. Any
one CHANGING at the map of the
United States will see at once that.
the Mississippi valley is the great
water shed for threee- fourths Of the
country. and that, if nature is al
lowed to he ilnpeded in her course
by the construction of leyees across
a space of country that was always
used as great reservoir; if, besides
rivers and lakes are diverted from
their natural courses, and brought
to add surplus contingent Of water
10 river that is already running
bank full every spring, the natural
consequences will be that much
higher levees will have to be built.
The Tipping found below tells that
the st. Francis bottom is soon TO
he levied across, and of course, the
water that usually remained for
months IN that reservoir, will run
down at once on US. In another
column we tell about canal to
carry off Chicago sewage to the
Mississippi river, which will throw
in, every minute, 600, 900 additional
cable feet OF water in the river, and
the natural consequence is that
every one living behind the levees
will ask himself: What will be
come of our, leyees? Will they
ever be able to stand the strain:
Is there no way of preventing thisl
And now that, to the waters thai
nature sends ont to the Mississippi
Wiley, is to he added great dea
of water from Lake Michigan. now
that the st. Francis basin is to bt
closed, is it not the duty of Con
eress to consider our levees a
| NATIONAL WORK,
protecting the lower part of TIL
country from waters that nature IN
tended to come down gradually onl,
against the banks of the Mississippi
river?
Is it not their duty to be NOR
and more liberal 10 their appropri
atoms for the levees?
II should be well for our Leye
Board, always wide-awake to on
interests, to calculate what will b
the approximate effect of the closin
7 of the st. Francis basin and til
Chicago canal combined, and tax
at once the necessary steps to aver
the danger that will surely threate
: us in the near future.
A word to the wise is sufficlenl
..Several gentlemen connecte
} with the St. Francis basin leve
/ system came to the city Monda
. evening from up the river and II
noted that they are not idling the
time away. Indeed more than
miles of levee is in course of col
strwtion north Of the MISSISSIPPI
line, and the people of that sectio
are doing their utmost to push I'll
4. work. While south of the Nj;
' souri, border some 10 mile are und.
n contract aud 700 scrapers with
q large force are kept busy THROWN
np the dirt to make embankment
Within few days some 800. 0(
7 worth of additional leyee will
t contracted for The people of u
e upper portion of the st. Frnac
Q basin are using their utmost exc
tons to vigo Fusly press the wol
on To successful completion and q
outlook is favorable for perm
i nent embankment along the S
:, Lrancis front al an earl, day, al
e the great alluvial basin, with /
1920 square miles of magnilieel
cotton and corn producing land
8 will be procted from inundation
! manner similar to the splendi
Yazoo Delta, where line of exec
lent Ievee nearly 500 miles Ion
= protects an area of 1000 sqaa
$ miles from the Mississippi overflow
a BY finishing the work already la
l. out at an early day, much good W
N accrue to the St. Francis counts
|, and an appropriation for fnrth
work in the near future is likely
: be secured from the public fun
g through congressional allotments f
le river improvements Memphis A
q peal. Avalanche.
rs
!. Hon. Chas. j. Boatner will plea
: accept our thanks for reports sent