The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1895-08-03
RIVER IMPROVEMENT.
A finely Letter From . Distinguished
Engineer.

Editor Commercial Herald:
Amid the general excitement about
Tree silver, and the present political
canvass, there are many matters Of
material Interest to the country which
are being neglected. Among them IL
one subject to which | desire 10 call
public attention through your col
amns, with view to practical action.
The subject Of Mississippi river i'm
provement, and more particularly that
feature which involves the protection
OF our Delta lands, by the perfection
OF our leyee systems, is one OF. Der.
hsps, more vital interest to 4 larger
number OF people in the Mississippi
valley, than any other which engages
popular attention.
Tne impetus impaired 10 the work
OF leyee building BY the Infusion Of
large government appropriations with
In the past few years, coupled with .
larger display Of energy BY local levee
interests, has resulted In a degree Of
progress towards reelsimlng all the
vast areas Of overtlowed lands In the
three great Delta States which has
never before been approached in the
annals OF this county, both as to the
extension, aud the greatly improved
efficiency Of the levees. But the goal
has not Yet been reached by a great
deal.
In" progressive work of restraining
the floods by excluding the water
more and more with each recurring
Hood season, from extensive areas
which had long been given over to
the ravages of oveiiow, has resulted
on the other hand In progressive in.
crease In food heights aud consequent
strain on existing levees, and there Is
. heavy tax on local resources to meet
this increasing strain.
BY The direct efforts Of the Mis,is-
sippi River Commission and the
United States engineers, the great
Tensas basin has been virtually closed
by continuous line of leyee. The
closure OF the White river basin also,
Is rapidly approaching completion.
The st. Francis is the last remaining
OF the great Delta bagns to be closed,
and great progress has already been
made In that field. With tbs consum-
nation we will have completed food
regimen Of the M'ssissippi river, With
al Of It's water conf'ned to the chan
mel, from Cairo to the gut. The, at
last will lsvee engineers possess de6-
mite data upon which TO determine the
ultimate height aud strength OF .,e
levees, requisite to resist the final mr..
imum pressure of the greatest floods.
II is certain that the immediate
effect OF such constraining flood ener-
gy will be to greatly increase the
strain on the levees, and large sdti-
tionsl expenditures will be needed to
mske them secure. And now | come
to the purpose Of this article. In 1890
was held here IN Vlcksburg a great
river Improvement convention, attend
cd by representatives Of widely ex.
tended river interests, from the upper
waters 10 the gulf.
That convention had o most potent
Influence upon the minds of Congress
men, and the following Congi .ss made
appropriations for river improvement
and levee building of extraordinary J
llberslity-provlding, iu fact for con-
tinuous expenditures for four years.
Since that time there has been no
need for further popular demonstra-
tion in the interest Of river improve
ment until the present time. Now,
however, the last installment Of the
appropriations made four years lgo,
is being expended this season, which
will exhaust oil the government pl D.
vision for carrying on this work.
Unless the next Congress shf'l make
another appropriation for the purpose,
the whole government machinery for
river Improvement aud levee building,
which has been so actively employed
for several years past must come to a
stand, and all work cease next year.
II is necessary then for all the inter-
ests in river Improvement 10 combine
in another united effort to induce
favorable action by the next Congress
for the promotion aud continue ice OF
this work, which has developed such
q growing impo-tsn within few
years past.
My suggestion is that a convention
be called 10 meet, say in Vicksburg.
| would say early in November, for
the promotion Of this object. ard every
effort be made to make ii as widely
representative as possible.
shell indulge the hope that the
matter will DO taken up by the press,
and pushed to q successful conclusion.
7. G. DABNEY.