Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-07-28
MAJOR STARRING on LEYEES.

1t il we'll known that the foods
of the White aud Arkansas Rivers
often exercise n most important in-
fluence oil the Mississippi. Oae of
the most remarkable Textures OF the
flood OF 1890 was The extraordinary
stage of White River, which was
maintained at point averaging
sonly few feet below high water
for four months, duIing which time
il poured out IA volume probably
Unc-:eulh in quantity OF he whole
discharge oi The river. The Atkar
sas WAS also high lIUm January to
May. Iu lS92, Tie dow OF the Al,
kansas alone, at its height, WAS
Our,fih thar OF the mississippi -Oi
White River, oDe-uinth, La the
latter year great part of this
puoi nous volume never reached
the mississippi, bat ESCAPED through
the breaks la the leyees OF the
Arkansas River aud arOund the
b-au ot the ARKANSAS Ievees, which
rests on the highlands vi Amos
Bayon.
During the past season, consid
cradle work has been done with
the view of preventing tue escape
Of the tloOd-water OF the Arkansas
The breaks in the leyees have been
iepaired. and the existing levres
have Leen enlarged AMI extended.
The Amos Bayou levee is III the
pLocess of extension. 1t Is iihrly,
therefore, that the waters OF Tue
Arkansas will he more clOsrly cons
fined than ever before, aud that the
volume of discharge of the. Mi>Sis-
sippf will be CONSIDERABLE, Increased
it0tu tuio SOu'NN'
The lowering of the st. Francis
Basin is not at present imminent.
but it is likely that substantial
proyress will be made In ibat dl-
iecti0u from tine to tue. Ah ala
Io,ment of S.6l 900 Was made bl
the Mississippi River ComDissIOn
in 1892, for THIS purpose, and c0H'
tracts fave been let Ia the extent.
If this appropriation, Two Le'ee
Districts have been orgauiZrd, on"
j,r Missouri, Tie other la Aikahsds.
with suitable provisions tor rr'e'
nue.. for condemnation oi rl2ht>"i-
i: way, sc. TIE law organizing the
Arkansas Board has been contested
in the ceuits and has been SdS~
,alnrd. In Missouri, it Is believed.
there has been no oppOsiIinn.
Heretofore the closure Oi the 81.
.Flancis Basin has been generally
regarded by ievee engineers Oh the
lover liver with lndfIerence, IA
ii.t threatening 60 exercise any
serious effect upon our interests.
Indeed some englneerS have adv"-
Gated it, as tending to shorten the
time of floods. The question ls Il
complicated ore, aud Is Ibe more
difiicult that there are very fr"
accurate data from which to reason.
Usually it has been argued on rath-
or abstract grounds. Lately, how
ever, the ptollrm has been attacked
from another point by Captain
Townsend. This engineer has m,
ves,igated ,thc relations ~hi,h pre-
/. vail between the gauges at Cairo
and Helena, aud tiGds that at all
stages from low water 10 hdnkNiull
there Is a striking paralle.ism he
tween them, Helena being IL lIttie
tile higher. After the Iirer gets
ont of it's banks the relation here
tofore existing is at once dlstnrhed
Helena is no longer the higher, but
is lower 10y a somewhat vafiahie
interval, depending on the masn'-
tlaa aud duration OF the Hood, TIE
behavior Of tributaries and olhrl
circumstances. In 1892 it was -
feet lower. In 1898 1t was IA lower.
Now Capt. Townsend argues Will
much force that the abru"t change