Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-03-10
OLD RIVER MAN Would COVER fE9frs :. .
CONCRETE MIXTURE.
Would Prevent Flood Menace
Locks Suggested Diverting OF the
Upper Mississippi Valley.
From The Times. Picayune. Monday March 9Th,

narrow places, slow current and rapid
current, could give the results obtained
by Captain Eads at the jetties, where
there was deep water at both end of his
contraction works, or at Plum Point and
Wilson'S Point, which were for the pur-
pose of connecting deep water above the
shoals to deep water below. This extern
sion of levees was opposed by many prac-
teal river men, among them Captain
Tom Lea theirs, well known in New Or
leans, and by others who pointed out
the danger and predicted the present con-
ditions, viz: that high levees meant high
water, and certain serious disaster at
some place or places at each recurring
season of floods and that the true meth
cd of control was to provide places for
excess water to go.
GAS matters stand now we'have the
high levees. In justice to the people who
live behind them they should not be
raised any higher, they should be made
stronger and made impregnable by COW
,ering both sides and top with reinforced
concrete having footings of suitable
depth. Such a levee could hold water
to its very top-could allow water to flow
over the top without danger; would be
immune from danger by erosion, wind,
waves, rain, muskrats and crawfish. In
the event that levee gave way on ac-
count OF faulty foundation the concrete
covering would limit the crevasse and
furnish a basis of operations to tie the
ends of the break. The cost of such con-
crete work would probably be $500 per
mile; the losses by floods in the past dec
ade below Cairo would, if saved, pay
the bill for the whole line of levees So
strengthened.
Looking to the future, it is reasonable
to expect that the plane of food height
will continue to rise; the drainage of
millions of acres Of swamp lands along all
OF the tributary streams; the building
OF levees to protect valuable bottom
lands along these streams; noticeable
change in electrical conditions that cause
frequent cloud bursts; the ever present
possibilities of concurrent floods in the
Missouri, upper Mississippi, Ohio, Wa
bash, Illinois, Cumberland and Tennessee
rivers that would pour an avalanche Of
water into the Mississippi at Cairo to
be augmented by the waters OF the Ar
kansas and Yazoo.
Would it not be wise TO investigate the
possibilities that exist in opening the
bayous that have been close by the
levees, and put in locks to control the
flow OF backwater to thier capacity?
In investigating the facts that the wa
tiers of the Missouri at Kansas City are
five hundred miles nearer the gulf than
by the present route; that the tennessee
river, in the Northeast corner Of the
State of Mississippi is but few miles
from the headwaters OF the Tombigbee
river leading to the gulf by short route;
that the Mississippi river, fifty miles
above Cairo, is within fifteen miles of
the headwaters OF the st. Francis river
and within easy reach of the same stream
at various points below Cairo; that it
might be practicable to connect the St.
Francis with the White, thence to the
Arkansas and the latter to Bayou Bar
tholomew, the flow thence would be by
the Ouachita to Red River-from the lat
ter to the gulf by existing streams if
practicable, if not, dig a canal for the
purpose. All of these connections to be
controlled by dams and locks to admit
or keep out any flow as circumstances
demanded, or turn the flow where it
could best be taken care OF.
Widening and deepening these streams
would be necessary to fit them for these
demands, but as their natural flow is
toward the gulf and water in them suffi-
cient to float dredges the work could be
done economically and speedily.
Now that there is happy prospect of
having special attention given to food
protection by Congress, it is to be hoped
that there will be complete divorce
in legislation from the Improvement
schemes. / have before me copy oil
speech delivered in Congress by a
prominent Missouri congressman favor
ing the appropriation tor improving the
Mississippi river and building of levees
thereon" in which he says: "Another
great advantage that would accrue to
the people of my city by carrying out this
project would be to give deep water from
st. Louis to New Orleans; we could then
load our manufactured products at st.
Louis in seagoing ships" etc.
Fantastic schemes OF the deep water
advocates have obscured the real needs
of the Mississippi in the past, let each
tub stand on its own bottom in future.
The drainage, in whole or in part of
twenty-fo States finds its way to the
gulf through the Mississippi; the State of
Illinois in addition to its own natural drain
age adds a special contribution drawn
from Lake Michigan for the special bene-
fit of the city of Chicago. All of these
twenty-four States are solvent and in
good credit, so is Chicago. 1t should
be no great financial feat to float an
issue of long time bonds and raise all
the money needed to make a thorough,