Evening star., 1922-04-12
DECLARES MISSISSIPPI
UaHAS BEEN CONQUERED
c. E. Collins Notes Marvellous Re
suits in "Waliing In" Great
Stream.
ile Editor Of The Star:

n BE Editor Of The Star:
sur good paper. and many others
tbs6ughout the country recently has
carried news stories of the tre-
mendous fiood-waters which have just
passed down the Mississippi river 10
the Gulf of MeXico-the off-run from
tbirty-one states-and the inference
has been left. if some Of tine stories
did not bluntly say so. that much
destruction was done in the lower
Mississippi valley. The contrary is
true. The Mississippi was held to
her floodway this year. We OF the
lower valley believe at last that the
great stream has been conquered
This springs food ranks third in all
the history of the Mississippi river
high waters. Undee the old condt-
tians that obtained before the levees.
or earthen embankments, were thrown
up to hold the river to its fioodway
we would have had overflow OF. land
for many. many square miles The
great floods of 1913. before the re-
present standard. spread west from
Memphis for forty miles and did thou
sands upon thousands. of dollars In
damage. But the lesson taught by
that flood has endured. The levees
have been strengthened in height and
width. Water backed up against
them this spring until in some places
a wall of water thirty feet high or
more was held: There were. one or
two weak places where the strange
pranks of the river current threat
sned TO eat through. but emergency
measures were. timely. Although the
Mississippi went eight feet higher
than the flood. or bank -fnlE stage it
overflowed- no land outside its chan
mel.
Congress who voted an appropriation
of $50 06o,O00 in 1917 for protection
ana development along the lower
Mississippi today have feeling OF
grsat comfort. The aid that was
given after long years of effort to Sc
cuGe .goyerpmant help prevented an
other tremendous disaster in this por-
tinn of the nation this spring. 1t
has enabled local interests and the
engineers employed by the govern
neht to safeguard the rich valley
lands which are being so rapidly re-
Claimed and put under the plow in
southeast Missouri. eastern Arkan-
SaS eastern Louisiana. western. MIS-
sissippi. and in Tennessee, Kentucky
and Illinois, an area in excess Of ten
million acres of as fertile soil as can
be found on the face of the globe.
And what contrast this years high
waAr presents as against that OF
former floods. Farmers have gone
afruad with their plowing and with
their planting and communities nave
scarcely any heed that the Mississippi
was ON another rampage. Save Tor
the newspaper stories of the huge
volume Of water. they knew little
about it.
Ten years ago they would have
packed their belongings and put their
homes in order. prepared to take 10
the uplands when the water came:
This year they went calmly aheao
with their tasks. feeling confident
that the Mississippi at last Is under
control in her lower reaches.
Surely the building of the Missis-
sippi river levees must rank high
among the achievements of American
ingenuity. Fifteen hundred miles OF
continuous embankments to safe
guard property is an accomplishment
Of magnitude. gone through with IN
the face of colossal obstacles. Yet few
people ir-the United States. outside
the bounds of the protected territory,
know that the Mississippi has been
walled in. c. Z. COLLINS.