Gilpin observer., 1917-12-06
may CHANGE ROUTE
Engineer Has Plan to Stop Floods
on Mississippi River.
Would Provide Shorter Outlet to Ses
by Using AtehafaIaya to Carry
Silt Bearing Water.

The levee system on the Mississippi
river from Cairo to the Gulf Of Mexico
was intended to protect the cultivated
lands adjacent to the river. This sys-
tenn has resulted in building up the bed
of the river from year to year by rea-
son Of the fact that all of the tribu.
tary streams running into the Missis-
sippf river have greater velocity, and
consequently sediment brought into the
main river. whose current is slower, is
deposited in the river between Cairo
and the Gulf. This is the main
cause Of the flood line going higher
each year with given rainfall.
Now, the most practical and cheapest
remedy for this is to make shorter
outlet to the sea for this vast volume
of silt-bearing water, and this outlet
is via the Atchafalaya river, the
source Of which is near the mouth of
the Red river, where it empties into
the Mississippi, writes M. F. Jefferdo
in Popular Mechanics Magazine. The
Atchafalaya river runs straight to the
tidewater Of the Gulf, distance Of
about 100 miles, whereas, via the Mis-
sissippi river the distance from the
mouth of the Red river to the Gulf is
200 miles. The fall of the Mississippi
river from the mouth Of the Red river
to the Gulf is about one-tenth of a
foot per mile; of the Atchafalaya
about three-tenths of a foot to the
mile.
The increase In velocity from the
mouth of the Red river to the Gulf via
the Atchafalaya would probably lower
the grade line of high water to two
tenths of foot per mile, which would
reduce the high-water line for that
point (mouth of Red river), 20 feet or
more. This reduction in high-water
mark would probably extend as far
north as Memphis, or even Cairo; thus
1t can be seen that the levee as now
built from Memphis to the Gulf would
be Of ample height and strength to
give safety to the adjacent country for
probably 100 years or more.
Would this improvement leave New
Orleans an inland city? No. For the
slowing down of the velocity of the
water in the Mississippi from the
mouth of the Red river to the Gulf via
the old channels would result in all
the sediment being carried to sea via
the Atchafalaya, leaving the old chan
mel a clearwater channel, which could
be maintained at all times by a little
dredging such as is necessary now at
the jetties. The railroads entering
New Orleans could then bridge the
Mississippi river there and would profit
in the long run by oviating the food
ing of their tracks.
sissippi could be dredged to depth of
40 to so feet and remain so, for no sedi-
ment would be going out that way to
fill them up. The high-water line at
New Orleans would hardly exceed ten
feet above low water.
The low-water line at New Orleans
being only one foot above sea level,
with depth Of 80 to go feet of water,
is can be seen that not only would
New Orleans be secure from floods in
the future, but that the largest vessels
in the world could enter its harbor.
The Mississippi river. from the Jet
ties to the mouth of the Red river.
times, with little dredging. perhaps.
between Baton Rouge and the Red
river. and all that rich country on
either side Of the river from the mouth
Of the Red river to the Gulf would be
absolutely secure from floods.