The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-04-24
There will be Outlets.

lncTt Will ne OutIGIS.
We firmly believe that this period
of high water, the flood of 1887,
will serve to open the eyes of the
nation to the need of a; broader
plan OF action IN dealing with the
Mississippi. AS a national high.
way of water, it should be u subject
OF national care. And it will 50
become, wAen il il seen that the
resources Of the Valley States are
insufficient to cope with the expense
Of restraining the mighty river.
And We firmly believe also that
when the U. s. government dos
take entire charge that the outlet
theory will receive some attention.
The mass of the people are in favor
OF outlets, and it Is only u question
OF time when their cause will he
heard. 10 this end the n. o,
States is doing valuable service,
From all editorial therein, We Gull
a few extracts, regretting that we
: cannot publish it entire.
''The Atclafalaya no far hal
been the means Of saving this
city and the rich riparian country
below Red river from overflow and
all the horrors that such u tate
means.
II one ontlet can do so much, why
not perfect and complete the system
80 as to relieve the country from
the month OF Red river to the Cult
OF Mexico, u section which contains
three.fourths OF the population and
the wealth OF Louisiana, where
stands the second commercial cjty
of the Western Verdi, and where
property worth hundreds OF mil.
lions OF dollars is possessed 4?
AS far back us forty years AGO,
1857, a master.mind among the
engineers of America, Gen. Ellet, OF
the U. s. Army, suggested in ~,
official report to Congress, that
Lower Louisiana could find relief
from the great verbal foods of the
Mississippi river by means of
an outlet located at Bonnet Care
bend and another just above Tsrre
An Boeuf, where the curves of the
river bank brought the stream with.
in eight miles Of Lakes Poutchar.
train and BOrgne.
But if at either point named by
General (then Lieutenant) Ellet, il
all outlet were made it would be
necessary to have it az wide as the
river, and have it enclosed between
parallel levees from the river banks
ito tile level Of the Gulf, tl!cu to
deeply .pIow up tho strip OF com
l'ar"tiveIy high land enclosed to
break up the soil crust, to tell the
intervening forest aud blow up the
stumps with dynamite. Then with
the river levee thrown down between
these parallel outlet entertainments
the confined current would soon cut
tor itself II channel, az it has done
liz the enlarged Atcl'afa|aya, where
1T had proper space to give play to
ITS powerfully erosive forces.
But engineering science dclares
that leveed outlets mean but the
building of more levees in addition
to what we already have. Yes, it
would mean sixteen or thirty.two
miles ofleveeS more, it both Bonnet
Carrie and Lake Borgne outlets
were undertaken. But it would also
mean the saving of millions of dol.
lars expenses involved in raising
the grade or doubling the dimen.
slons OF the existing ievee system of
more than 500 miles below Red river,
to withstand further increasing
floods. 1t woald mean IL cessation.
- OF the sySipllan labor and the onor.
nous cost Of building higher and
higher embankmentS tor $40 miles
and more 70 meet higher and higher
foods along the lower Mississippi,
tue Atchafa'aya, the For|ocle and
Crosse Trte and the Bayou LII.
iollrche. 1t would mean relief fox
q century to come to New Orleans
from the dreaded menace or the
apDa|liDr reality Of Ovprt|Ov II