The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-04-21

viii be sufficient for the purpose Of
this article to let actual experience
overthrow the outlet theory. On April
18, 1874, the Bonnet Carre crevass oc.
CURED By the 10Th of the month the
Morganza, Point Monoir, Hickey, and
number Of smaller crevasses occurred
and all were below Red River landing
The food Of that year discharged past
Red River landing 595 600 cubic feet
Of water per second, and before reach
ing New Orleans lost by escape through
these crevasses 074,0 cubic feet per
second 50 that only 02t 600 cubic feet
per second passed New Orleans. Not
withstandiug the tremendous overflow
through these creyasses the river con
tinued to rise steadily until It reached
it's maximum at Natcbez only about
$50 miles north Of them, on April 20th,
and at Vicksburg, still further north,
on May end At New Orleans the
guage reached 15 or within about one
foot Of the highest then known record
In 1900 creyass 1000 feet wide and IS
feet deep, which carried of O,000
cubic feet Of water per second, occurred
at Nita, about 90 miles above New
Orleans on the east bank. It lowered the
food surface Immediately below one
footand half, and one foot at New Or
leans, go miles below, but at Plaque
mine, 50 miles above, no eject whatever
was observed. In both Of the incidents
cited not q drop Of water escaping
through the creYasses ever returned to
the channel, SO that they were true out
let's We are thus taught by expert
ence that the outlets give no appreei-
able relief above them and very little
below The outlet method Of treating
sedlmentary streams has been unani.
mously condemned, with possibly one
exception, by all the engineers VINO
have given thought to it. 1t was long
ago considered, experimental with and
rejected BIZ the most eminent hydraulic
engineers III Europe Outlets were
tried and abandoned as utterly pernic-
ious and mischieyous upon the Rhine,
the Panaro, the Poe, the Arno, the
Celone and the Adige We have The
right to protest against the resurrection
and application to this great river of
this ancient and exploded fallacy Il
is the Judgment Of the writer based !
upon the land oseryations and the opln-
ions Of the very able engineers who
have given the subject consideration,
that overaows can be prevented by
means Of the artificial banks which we
call leyees. and by that means only.
Leyee building began in the southern
portion Of the valley at least as early as
f7i7
In those days only the narrow strips /
Of high lind along the banks Of the |
river were occupied, and they were
protected BY small levees along the
river front, and cross Ievees extending |
back to the lower and uninhabited
lands. The population Of the valley is
50 great, that not only have all the
higher lands along the river from Cairo
down been occupied, but also large
sections Of the lower and interior lands
Consequently, protection commensurate
with changed condition demands the
Of levees along both banks
from the mouth Of the Ohio to the
head Of the Passes TO eoufne the
foods within them and compel them
70 pass harmlessly down to the sea,
these leYees must, Of course be made
much higher and stronger than was
necessary when but a limited portion
1f the all6vial lands was to be protect
a and The surplus waters were al-
owed to spread out over the remainder
While much work in this direction
lad been accomplished BY 1851 It was
all destroyed By neglect
ind the raYages of war TIE body
gnOwn as tic Mississippi River Come
mission was created BY act Of congress
p 1870 and directed to inquire into The
,est method of improving the river
.or commercial purposes and as incl ]
lsntal thereto for TIE prevention Of
iverdDws
in 1882 the destruction q the le9eea {
iad been so great that for the purpose
i closing the creyasse ia them this {
Commission allotted ont of the money s
fits disposal sI80a.000 Up 70 thia 9
.ate every dollar expended 10 leyae
,uilling has been procured by taxation 7
Z those U Pc Immediately benefited NJ
s it This contribution from the 3
felela treasury eaine lt Time wien
SEEMED that aI hope must oe aband 9