The Cairo bulletin., 1912-05-27
Markham Of |. {. Declares Federal
Departments Might do Much
Good in Valley
BY S. II. Markham, President Hi
nois Central Railroad.

the east, is drained principally by
the Missouri. Arkansas and Red
Rivers in the west, the Mississippi
river In the north, the Ohio, Illinois
and Wabash rivers and their t~ibu-
| taries in the EAST through the lower
mississippi river. This vast tract is
more than 40 per cent of the area
Of the entire United States.
| Excepting periods when the pre-
| cipitation is abnormal. these nat
ural channels carry off the surplus
water with little or no damage to
the territory adjacent to their chan
nels east, north or west of the con-
fuence of the Mississippi and Ohio
rivers at Cairo, From that point
south, however, by reason of an in
sufficient system of leyees, it is an
annual occurrence that thousands of
acres and sometimes thousands OF
square miles of territory are mum
dated.
The current year has been an I'M
usual one in respect to the volume
of water passing through the lower
Mississippi river During the past
winter there was an abnormal snow
fall in the entire northern half of
the United States, and in the south
ern sections, rain has fallen almost
continuously since last November.
The ground, therefore, is thorough
ly saturated and consequently no
further absorption of surface water
can occur. The result of these con-
ditions is that the channel of the
lower Mississippi river is called
upon to carry off water of a vol
ume unequalled since the construc-
ton of the present levee system.
The efforts which have been made
to protect the lands and communi-
ties adjacent to the lower Missis-
sippi river have been confined to
the building OF levees along its
banks. This work has for many
years been under municipal or state
control, the entertainments being
made under the supervision of many
different levee boards, and as a re-
suit there is a lack of uniformity
and an absence of any fixed stand
ard of construction. OF recent
years the federal government has
lent some financial assistance and
supervision toward protecting the
communities in the valley Of the
lower Mississippi river.
At the present time it is estimat-
ed that between ten and twenty
thousand square miles of land are
overfowed, due entirely to breaks
in the leyees. Under the most fav-
orable conditions the land now over
flowed cannot be cultivated before
June /, and much of it not before
July |, thus making the crop six to
ten weeks late, by which time the
prevailing hot weather will prob
ably preclude proper termination
and sufficient plant growth cannot
occur before the rainy season of
winter.
Assuming but half of the over
flowed territory to be in cultivation
under normal conditions, latent
wealth production has been de-
stroyed this year alone in an amount
equivalent to many millions Of dol
lars, to say nothing of human lives
lost, homes destroyed and live stock
drowned.
The initial cost of any method of
combining the flood waters to the
natural channel except throwing up
earth works, seems prohibitive. The
situation during the last six weeks,
however, has proven conclusively
that when properly maintained,
Ievees of dirt built of width pro-
portionate to the height are eff
ticient. Constant .watchfulness, how
ever, Is necessary to prevent their
weakening. The levees are washed
by the waters on the river side only
during flood season but frequently
through lack of proper drainage on
the land side, the entertainments be-
come water soaked, leaving them in
no condition to withstand the strain
of severe flood. Moreover, the
levees are frequently attacked by
colonies of crawfish, which honey
comb them with their tunnels and
cells, and levee in this condition
covered by grass betrays to casual
inspection not the slightest intima-
ton of its interior character, and
food water attacking levee Of this
nature in a few hours causes a
break which no human power can
repair before untold injury has re
suited.
The aid which has been given by
the government has been gratefully
received, but it Is only a small part
of what should be rendered for the