The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-08-14

stopping Orevasses In the Mississ-
ippi's Artificial Banks.
IL Is a Thrilling Moment When
a Leak is Discovered

When the foods rise and the winds
sweeping over the bosom Of tho swol-
len Mississippi, dash cutting waves
against the earth works, the men ON.
ployed TO watch the leyeos 10 stop
leaks, TO strengthen weak sections aud
to do all ia their power TO prevent
crevasso from forming, are on duty
night and day. Each gang is 10
charge Of 'high-wator foreman" q
veteran who hos earned his spurs in
many hard fight with the father Of
waters.
He is there TO hold that lovee
against all corners, food, hurricane,
waves, muskrats, and seepage. The
alarm is given that at certain place
the levee is in danger. The foreman
with his force OF men hurrics to the
place. His experienced eye locates
the point Of greatest danger at once,
and like a good general he lays out his
plan Of campaign. Small time is
given to him for this, for when tue
water once finds leak or makes a
break the leyee goes out in great
Jumps, and every minute counts.
Sometimes, when the waves have
made a cut in the front slope Of the
embankment, planks are driven down
into the levee, anchored at the bottom
with cieats and reinforced by other
planks nailed lap streak, and then
earth is filed in behind the wooden
wall.
Brush, cotton stalks, bagasse-the
refuse of the sugar mill-clay and
small trees are sometimes piled behind
the timber palisade, but the high-water
foreman's fayorite weapons in fighting
foods and storms are sacks filled with
earth or clay. These sacks are kept
on hand for just such emergencies.
They are generally new and of two
kinds, one larger than the other.
The foreman divides his men into
squads of three; one to hold the sack
and the other two to fill it. When the
sack is filed it is sewed up aud laid in
position before the caving, crumbiing
part Of the dyke. The men who
place the dIled sacks in position are
experts at that work and hardy enough
to stand the exposure, for they work
in cold water up to their waists
The york is SO severe that they are
relieved at short intervals. The SACKS
are placed according to the situation;
sometimes with the butts toward the
river and sometimes they are laid
parallel to the stream.
The break in the levee may be SO
wide and the current of the food
rushing through the gap may be so
swift that the crevasse cannot be
closed. Then the foreman bends all
his energies to prevent the creyasse
from becoming wider.
To do this he must protect the ends
OF the levee from the current, and he
strings loaded sacks on ropes or wires
and, beginning at the bottom of the
slope lays them evenly and solidly
over the face Of the break to the
waters edge.
When this method will not keep the
water from undermining the levee
and thus widening the gap, piles are
driven out from each end of the break
and sacks, brush and other material
are thrown in between the row of
piles and the embankmeut. This
makes a breakwater which turns the
current away from the embankment
and generally stops the underwriting.
Small crevasses can be closed by
throwing sacks into the gap until d
temporary levee Of earth-flled sacks
is made. Then the men hastily fill in
back Of the sacks with clay and earth,
brush and other material until the Gre
vase is closed.
Another method Of closing gaps is
to drive small piles Of scantling from
each end and throw sacks in front Of
the piles. This is done by driving
pile in close TO the embankment.
plank then is laid on this pile, will
one end on the levee and the otheI
end overhanging,