The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1916-04-15
SP|LLVAY SYSTEM,
IF FAD0PTED, WILL RUIN
OYSTER INDUSTRY.


L. Hopkins In Interview
Tells of the Fallacy of th'
Proposed System to Reliev'
Mississippi River Flood al
Expense of Fishing Indus
try Should Be Opposed
Without Quarter.
/ Mr.. Charles L. Hopkins, capitals
and well-known retired business mar
of New Orleans, who owns summe
home here on the Wayeland beach, ant
who has at all times proven friend o
the Mississippi seacoast country, was
visitor to Bay ST. Louis Wednesday
spending the day mingling with friends,
and was guest of his son-in-law and
daughter, Mr.. and Mrs. P. V. Saucier
Mr., Hopkins is a student of public af-
fairs and ever abreast with current top
les. Just now he L isjustly apprehen-
sive, and every resident on the Missis-
sippi Gulf, should rise with him and
in one voice register their protestation
and opposition to the proposed spillway
theory and it's adoption regarding the
control of the Mississippi river at New
] Orleans and vicinity during the flood
period,
Walter Parker, representing the New
Orleans Chamber OF Commerce, and
other parties representing combined IN
terests, have gone to Washington and
appeared before legislative committees
and other bodies vested with authority
in the interest of adopting the proposed
spillway system of controlling the high
water-a system that is faulty, accord
ing to given opinion that we must re-
gard, and which, while not relieving
New Orleans, would work incalculable
injury to the Mississippi seacoast and
its chief industry, the oyster.
Mr.. Hopkins has been attentive to the
subjecs. and. amoC other things dis
cussed while naaes 90 tne subject ex-
pressed himself a. follows
81 wrote to esaaar Varlansan at
va ton ss: sAsfre aaat-
tag. sas
may have hfess sgss fese esssItsg my
letter. lie IS IN the Senate and is a
busy man; he may not know what is
going on in committee in the lower
house.
"Yet the newspapers don't say a
word about any Senator or Congress
man from Mississippi opposing the
spillways.
"The Mississippi river water from
these spillways would fill the Mississip-
pi Sound to Biloxi. For nine years the
Bonne Carre crevasse flowed. Tt was
not much OF a crevasse, but it killed the
the oysters in the Louisiana marsh and
did up the fishing in the Mississippi
Sound. In those those days the river
did not come up anywhere near as high
as it does now.
s'They want to put the Ponchartrain
spillway just where the Bonne Carre
creyasse was. If they do, they will put
one below New Orleans into Lake
Borgne. These two spillways will kill
all oysters in Louisiana marsh and Mis-
sissippi Sound to Biloxi. That is all
there is to it.
"There is no demand from New Or
leans for these spillways, as they would
not reduce the river level at Now Or
leans to amount to anything.
"The Davis in 1891, the Ames in 1891,
the Hymelia in 1912, all on the west
side did not reduce the river level. The
big Nita erevasse on the east side did
not either,
ssThe records of the height of the
Mississippi at New Orleans during the
crevasse years can be had from the u.
S. weather bureau at New orleans. They
| will speak for themselves. These spill
ways will hurt many people and their
best interests in Louisiana; they will
hurt New Orleans because at least half
of the oysters in New Orleans come
from the Louisiana marsh and the fish
from Lake Borgne is big item also.
aAn editorial in the New Orleans
Times -Picayune few mornings since
condemns bitterly the action of those
who ask for spillways. It says they
would do no good; are not wanted, etc.
It says the action Of such amateurs may
upset the work of the Mississippi Riy-
er Commission, the u. s. engineers and
the United states Government. The edi-
tor overlooked the effect on the fishing
industry or would have mentioned it.
/ .If the people on the Mississippi sea-
coast do not get busy and choke off this
thing, it will be their own funeral. Bay
St. Louis in a moment can get Biloxi
stirred up, also Pass Christian ane
lOcean Springs. Why not do 1t? These
spillways viii not do New Orleans O
the territory above or below it parti
lcle of goodwill in fact do harm.
ssThere is now no demand for thes,
spillways, but there soon will be. TIL,