The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-06-27
The Mississippi Commission.

7
sion, held in New York on Thursday
last:
The Mississippi River Commission
gave public hearing in New York
on Thursday last to those interested
in the forthcoming distribution of the
S., 100000 appropriated by congress in
the rivers and harbors bill. Owing
to general want OF knowledge of the
date of the public hearing not as many
engineers or representatives of levee
districts were present as it is felt
should have been the case. Not over
dozen men from the south and west
were present. The only Louisianians
on hand were The state engineer,
Major II. b. Richardson, and F. L.
Maxwell, president of the Fifth Levee
District.
General Catchings, of Mississippi,
and Congressman p. d. Mccullough,
of Arkansas, were present. General
Catohings was the first speaker. He
explained to the commission the con-
siiera,ions that governed the making
of the rivers and harbors appropria-
ton by the committee of the house,
and said that had it not been for the
attempt to destroy the commission by
what was known as the ST. Louis
movement there waa no doubt that the
appropriation would not have been as
liberal as it had been, but that attack
had aroused every man in tbeMississip-
pi Valley TO spring to the defense of
the commission.
alt rang out" said the general, "like
g fire bell In the night. Congress be-
came convinced that the ST. Louis
scheme was nothing more than radi-
cal raid on the treasury, and il failed"
General Calchings urged the COM
mission 10 expend this appropriation
in tho construction of levees and In
dredging work 10 keep open the low
water channel. lie said that expert
testimony had shown that the revet-
pent work for the protection of the
banks from Cairo TO the gulf would
involve too great an outlay of money.
The fascine system, costing as high as
$50 a running foot, would mean seven
ty or eighty or one hundred million
dollars.
Congressman Mccullough said TO
the commission that the dredge work
done between Cairo and Memphis bad
astonished everyone by its efficacy.
lie thought that the commission would
find that it could afford to spend liber-
ally on levees. lie urged that the
commission devote at least $500, 900
to levee work. lie wanted 10 see the
river work closed up and channel of
at least nine feet secured from the
gulf to St. Louis.
Colonel Pat Henry, of Arkansas,
made strong plea for the commits
sion to let out the work i'm long time
contracts, to DO paid for as the work
was done, aud begin without delay TO
get the dirt up.
State Engineer Richardson, of Louis
lana, said be had come up to tell the
commission anything they might want
to know about the conditions of
affairs in his state. He hoped and ex-
pected that all the existing projects of
the commission would be carried out,
especially as 10 the completion OF all
levee work, and he hoped the commits
sion would make an allotment at least
IS large in proportion for the leyees as
the last.
Major Richardson said that there
was great deal of work engaging the
attention of tho Louisiana levee dis
triets, beside the inside lcvccs. such as
the Lafourche and Atchafalaya, not on
the river. There was ON the river
proper such places as Bougere Gre
vase, where twenty-six miles has
awaited leveeing for thirty years.
These works showed the need of
liberal aid to the people by the gov
eminent.
III reply to q question by Colonel
Stickney, Major Richardson said that
be could not say that additional ability
to raise taxes had been created by rea-
Bon of the improvements to the river.
President f. L. Maxwell, of the
Fifth Louisiana district, said: 81 am
hero representing district composed
of the four river parishes of East Car
roll, Madison, Tensas and Concordia,
representing frontage of 245 miles.
About one-ha.f Of this stretch, or
from the Arkansas line TO Bedfords,
is now up to grade 8 feet above the
highest waters. From Bedfords to
Red river We have some sixty miles
that are not up the standard grade,
aud will require 100000 cubic yards
to put it up TO this grade and about
5000, 900 to put it to a 4-foot grade,
with proper slopes and banqueetes,
besides we have crevasse that has
not yet been closed, at the lower end
of the district, which will require at
least 100000 cubic yards to close.
We also hope that you will increase
the grade of the middle Tensas district
to 5 feet, this being necessary to pre-
vent their being overtopped by the adj
ditioual waters from the closing of the
ST. Francis basin. 1 desire TO call
your attention to the fact that we
have to maintain 70 per cent of the
Tensas front with The worst caving
banks along the Mississippi river.
which necessitates our building new
leyees, which have to be placed well
back on low lands, and requires large
levees and makes it more costly than
to build on the river bank.
awe are collecting, for purely leyee
purposes, ST bale on cotton, 5 cents
an acre on all lands and an az valorem
n