The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1903-11-07
THE RESOLUTIONS.

F1rSt-After years OF actual ODSerVa-
ton and experience, and supported by
the opinions of all engineers, whether
from the engineer corps of the army,
or from civil life, who have been di-
rectly connected with the work of
levee construction, we desire to affirm
that we have the most absolute conf
dence in the suff1ciency of levees, when
built according to correct standards,
to protect the Mississippi valley from
overflow.
In support of this declaration, we
beg leave to submit the following
facts which have been fully establish
ed An elaborate and careful investi-
CATION, made under the direction of
the Mississippi River Commission,
wholly disproves the notion, which
still prevails to considerable extent,
that the immediate effect of 1evee
construction is to cause the bed OF
the Mississippi river to rise. If this
were true, it would necessarily follow
that the levees would need to be con-
tinuously strengthened and elevated,
and thus all hope of protection would
have to be abndoned.
In the years 1881, 1882 and 1883 an
GlduOIdIC NOJ was Alo0O VI tAAO AAtOA
bed from Cairo to the Passes, dis
lance of 1,063 miles. Four cross-sec-
lions to the mile were made, and sew
enty-five soundings were made to each
line The result of this survey was
carefully plotted, recorded and pre-
served.
In the years 1894, 1895 and 1895,
after the lapse of a period of thirteen
years, a still more elaborate survey
was made of that part of the river bed
between the Arkansas river and Dom
aldsonville, La, distance of 472
miles.
While local changes in the river bed
are necessarily constantly happening
by reason of the gradual movement
down stream of the bends, and accom-
panying bars and pools, they of them
selves signify nothing. Yet COM
parison such as that which has been
drawn from the result of the two ex-
tensive surveys mentioned would
necessarily furnish proof that the bed
of the river was rising if such were
the truth So far from the compari
son indicating such result from levee
construction, it was discovered that
there is a general tendency to the es-
tablishment of more uniform chan
mel in the depth and width and with
greater capacity.
The comparison also brought to
light the fact that the crests of the
low-water bars, as well as those of the
high-water bars, have been lowered.
If we turn to the
Evidence Afforded by the Records
of the numerous gauges established
along the river, which have also been
carefully recorded and preserved, we
find that the low waters now are sew
eral feet lower than they were in the
years preceding active levee construc-
ton, accompanied by an equal volume
of water and an equal depth of chan
mel. This unquestionably shows that
the effect of levee construction has
been to bring about gradual depres-
sion of the river bed. This effect has
been produced within the past few
years, for prior to that time there
was no restraint of the food waters
eas could leave any impress whatever,
one way or the other, upon the river
bed.
The notion that the bed of the river
is rising has been somewhat revived
since the flood of 1908, because of the
fact that, at certain points, the gauge
reading showed not only unusually
great elevation of the food height,
but irregular elevation. From this it
has been deduced by some that at
those places where the gauge read
ingE were the highest, there had been,
as the result of levee construction, an
s4s,arx,a1 HoT,arfx af elf fhsla raising