The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-07-17

base width. The tops are usually
used for wagon roads, and the sides
are protected pretty generally by
Bermuda grass. which sends its roots
deep into thu loan and holds the
Light earth together.
The enemy of the levee is the
cltsvasse. An opening sufficient cor
the water to trickle through in drops
soon enlarges under the pressure of
the stream. The crawfish and the
moles are the greatest foes of the
levees. They burrow into the earth
en banks and let the water work its
way through, until suddenly a ere
vase appears. 1t may be only a mar
row slit in the levee, or tiny stream
trickling through underneath, but
the thousands Of tons of water which
press upon the hvees in flood time
soon make a wide opening, when
once they get this start.
'Levees are sometimes cut or
blown up to divert the waters from
some dangerous point to where the
damage of inundaton would be less,
and crevasses are sometimes started
out of mischief, but the punishment
of the levee cutter is so swift and
terrible that the crime of turning the
waters loose is seldom committed
now. In fact, in times of danger the
levees are patrolled by farmers with
loaded rifles, and the levee cutter
gets no trial by jury.
The levees have baen built partly
by the federal government, partly by
the states, but chiefly by the people
adjacent to the river. who form
levee districts, with boards empow-
cred to levy taxes for the work.
within the main, levees are often
private levees, constructed by planta-
ton owne 5 or by towns. and some
times one will find places which re-
semble a fortress, with series OF
earthiworks.
Zone of the main sources of relief
to the Mississippi is by cutting the
l9vees where the Atchafalaya comes
within several miles of the great
stream. 1t is rough on the uterine
diate plantations, but the Atchafa-
lava, 1900 feet wide and 80 feet
deep, flows directly to the gulf and
can carry volumes of water
The work of levee building has
BEEN done out of SO many different
funds that NO estimate of the cost
can be made, but some ten years ago
| it was estimated by government en-
gineers that the lowlands could be
proterted from the delta to Cairo Ut
a cost of s36 100000 for construction
and s2,OOO,OOO year for mainyt'a'
nance. Between these points there
are 1,775 miles of levees.
OF course. some kind of provis
ion is made against these floods, but
none sufficient. as we have seen, C
avert appalling calamities. Queer
balconies may be seem built on the
roofs of some of the houses along
the river banks while in other high
mounds suggestive Of Aztec remains
suggest preparations for rainy day
The suffering of stock is one Of the
worst features of these floods. Thk
cattle are usually pastured in the
lowlands adjacent to the river ane
are peculiarly stupid in the way OF
self preservation. allowing them
selves, as a rule. to be swept ava!
Inv THE stream or elise smothered II
the muddy bayous.
A trench started by hoe is sum
cient to start a crevasse. Years
ago it was dangerous to the health
cf a negro to be found in proximit.
to a new crevasse with a tool in nj:
possession. In fact, anyone suspected
of causing a leak was doomed to sum
mary vengeance. In spite OF this
FARMERS would steal across the rive
on dark nights to cut the levee OF
the other side. perslading themselve
that the plantations there' needed th'