The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-04-08

held,, orange groves aud truck farms.
Some OF the property is owned in NeH
Orleans, some in New York, but the
bulk remains in the hands of the Fed.
erol government.
The Lessler bill was introduced in
order to enable the New York colony
to buy these lands and increase their
holdings. The Jump is below the
frost line and is specially adapted to
growth Of tropical fruit such as or
anges, figs and bananas. 1t is also
one OF the finest hunting areas on the
coast:
Hero is a sample story of the So
called damage done by crevasscs along
the Mississippi. Unfortunately, it is
not possible to let the river overflow,
as the land is already under cultiva-
ton. Levces have accordingly been
built from Memphis down on the east
side OF the Mississippi and from Mis-
souri, down on the west bank. The
levee system has been gradually. ex-
tended and the levees raised and
strengthened.
This year, for the first time, the
banks of the Mississippi on both sides
were lined with levees throughout.
The high water Of 1897, the highest
ever known, was taken as the maxim
that could be reached, and the levees
were raised three feet above that level.
The only two breaks in the limo OF
leyees-one along the St. Francis river
basin and one at Bougere's near the
mouth Of Red river in Louisiana
were closed.
The St. Francis basin has always
heretofore been open to i~nundation.
The lands are low, having sunk in the
great Now Madrid earthquake OF 1903,
and served as q reservoir for billions
Of gallons Of water. They were clos
ed this year for the first time. It
vas realized that this closure, By
keeping the water out Of the St. Fran
cis reservoir, would force the river up
at Memphis higher than it ever was
beforehand in doing so, it has sur
prised no one.
It was feared, too, that these Ar
kansas %levees, being new and not up
to the grade Of the Louisiana and Mis-
sissippi levees would not be able to
stand the food should it be extraor-
dinarily high. The news Of the byeak
in the st. Francis line has, therefore
caused no surprise. It will, at the
worst, overflow only part Of the land,
all Of which has always been over
flowed before.
The other new levee system contin-
ued at Bougere, just above the mouth
OF the Red river, Louisiana, has also
yielded'to the food. The United States
and the State Of Louisiana did not
consider it necessary to build q levee
at that point, and the work was done
by the Texas aud Pacific railroad, to
protect a railroad which it is building
there. The break will delay the rail-
road work, but will cause no other
damage.
These are the only levees that have
broken from the Ohio down. The
overAowed lands around Natches,
Vicksburg, and other points, Of which
much mas bson said in the dispatches,
are mainly bottoms usually unprotect-
ed By @levees, or protected by made
quate private constructions. The far
mers cultivating these lands we'll know
the risk they take, but the lands are
so fcrtile that II they can raise one
crop in two it will pay. Along the
lower Mississippi and Bayou LafoLf-
che, while the lands are very low,
there is always some overflow in high
water years. but as the chief crop is
RICE, overAows do little If any harm,
if they do not actually benefit.
-- Fr
In the light Of these facts, the re-
ports sent out from the river country
are naturally misleading. All the
towns are perfectly protected and none
has ever been overlooked. Even in
case Of revasse the greatest damage
is from the delay caused IN planting
and cultivating the crops. In the
worst overfows loss Of life is practi-
cally unknown.
It is the opinion Of the best levee
engineers and experts that the levees
will hold this year, except in the St.
Francis basin. If they DO, there will
be nc high water for a dozen years to
come, as the river will wash out it's
channel, deepen itself and be able to