The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-18
THE MISSISSIPPI FLOODS.
OverfiOws the Natural Consequence
of the Great Territory Drained. /
From the Chicago Daily News.


From the Chicago Daily News.
When it is considered what an immense
amount of territory is drained by the Mis-
sissippi river and its tributaries it is not
strange that the region through which
that stream flows should be subject to in
undations. The area drained by the Mis-
sissippi and its feeders is calculated at
l,25O,OOO square miles of territory reach
ing from the states of New York and
pennsylvania on the east to the eastern
slope of the Rocky mountains on the
west, and within these boundaries is en-
braced about one-third of the entire area
OF the United States. For twenty years
or more the damage from the overlooking
OF its banks by the Mississippi has in
creased, but the present disasters have
never been equaled.
1T is estimated that there are now in
the states of Mississippi, Arkansas, Mis-
souri,, Tennessee and Louisiana about 49, =
600 square miles of territory under water,
embracing nearly 100000 acres of land
having a value of from $50, 600, 600 to So
OOOOO0. The amount of loss cannot be even
approximately estimated, but it would be
quadrupled if the river should continue TO
rise until 1t overlooked some of the lands
In Southern Mississippi and louisiana
the water was, last week, two and one
half feet above the highest point ever
attained, and Indications are that the
maximum has not yet been reached So
far the levees in Louisiana have stood the
pressure, but this is largely due to the
fact that the waters of the Red river have
found an outlet through the Atchafalya
which has been closed for some years
Whether the levees on the lower river
viii stand against the water that will be
made by the melting SHOWS ian the Da-
kotas, Minnesota, Iowa and Montana, that
viii be soon poured down by the Missouri
and upper Mississippi. is a question that
is seriously troubling the people in the
regions not yet inundated. 1t will de-
pend In a great measure upon the rains
and weather how fast this snow will be
transformed into water and upon cool
weather and absence of rain depends the
safety OF thousands of square miles OF
territory. The destruction of our for
ests at the headwaters of the tributaries
of the Mississippi river Is responsible for
these annual foundations. Ii will be a
slow process TO restore the forests, il It
could ever be done, but a commission or
competent engineers should be appointed
to devise some means Of controlling the
water that finds an outlet by the Missts.
sippi. Building levees Is a crude expedi-
ent and their uselessness In an emer.
gency has been fully demonstrated In
Egypt the overflow of the Nile Is a great
blessing 10 the country, but the breaking
Of its banks by the Mississippi is the
greatest calamity Of the whole valley.
Some better plan than raising mud banks
against the immense volume OF water
that comes down In the spring must be
found and for that purpose a commission
of thoroughly competent engineers ought
to be given the work Of making the dis
coVery. The idea insisted upon for many
years that furnishing the lower stream
with additional outlets was the only solu-
ton OF the difficulty seems to be worth
trial, inasmuch az the building OF leveos
does not furntHn the protection that The
people demand and require