The San Francisco call., 1897-04-09

The water now stands, however, in all
three 10 greater height than ever known
before, and each must thus lend its aid as
a receiving reservoir and hold the excess
OF water unable to pass through the mar
row spaces at the points above mentioned
until the tax on the main channel is les
sened. This may be two months hence.
From the Cairo, or upper pool, the
f1oodwater can find its way around the
New Nj Madrid ridges to the headwaters of the
st. Francis River, or through Rulfool Lake
and River 10 the next pool below. This
includes the basin of the st. Francis some
10. 500 square miles in extent, all the coun-
try between it and the big river, except
two small pieces of high ground, and all
the low grounds along the Albion, Hatcher
and other rivers on the Tennessee side. 1t
can hold a vast amount of water and has
been known to food until its waters, rising
higher than those in the m ain river, broke
over the levees from the west until they
were washed away or submerged. The
lev es on the east side, between Memphis
and Helena, are very high and generally
suffice to hold the food in the st. Francis
reservoir until the water in the main
river goes down. Yet. on this occasion,
they have broken both above and below
Helena and flooded the Yazoo Delta coun.
district above.
From Vicksburg to Baton Rouge, La.,
the river hugs the bluffs on the east side
and the alIuviai plain narrows at Natchez
TO some eighteen miles, spreading below,
over to ana up the Red River. When this
stream is low the surplus food from the
Mississippi can go by chafalaya Teche
and other bayo over a short route to the
gulf, relieving the country below from
danger. The conditions now prevailing,
however, are such that this avails but little
and the danger of food threatens the
whole country on both sides down to New
Orleans and over to that city itself, which
is likely to have an experience worse than
when it was inundated some years ago.
The Mississippi, with its many bayous
and tributaries, is well leveed throughout
the alluvial regions. These vary in height
and distance from the natural bank OF the
stream in the different localities and ac-
| cording TO the width OF the stream. AS a
rule the section between them is more
than double that of the river at the ordi-
nary stage of water. The laws of Louisi-
ana, Mississippi and Arkansas provide for
constant inspection of these during and
after high water, and keeping them some
distance-one to three feet-above the
height of the highest food. ALI ths
levees below the mouth of the Arkansas
River have been strengthened and raised
since the flood of 1898, the highest ever
known: but it avais little against the
present food. The conditions are unprece-
dented.
The total area of the Mississippi basin is
1.256. 900 square miles. in which SO, 4OO, ,OO0,- :
600, 600 cubic feet of water fall annually.
25 per cent of this, or % 500 O00, 600, 600,
finds its way to the gulf, at an average
rate of 675, 600 cubic feet per second The
Missouri with a watershed of SIS, ZOO
square miles. has an annual rainfall OF
%. 200, 0O0, 000, 600 cubic feet and discharges
3. $50, ,00O, 900 900. The Upper Mississippi,
with basin of 10000 square miles, has