The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-02-06

Loss of Life.
Tens of thousands of square miles
of some of the richest arabic land on
EARTH located in the central part of
the United States, are always threat
ened with incalculable disaster soon
after this time Of the year, when the
flood period on the Mississippi river
begins This ever-present danger is as
strong today as it was back in 1918,
when Francois Xavier Martin report
ed the first rise Of the Mississippi
For distance of LOO miles down
the river, from Cairo. H.. to the del
ia, or outlet into the Gulf of Mexico,
the mighty Father of Waters" is be-
| ing held in leash, more or less sue
cessfully, by mud banks, or levees.
These banks are subject to constant
deterioration and must be constantly
kept in repair The subduing of the
Mississippi has come to be regarded
as the great engineering feat in Amer
lea today.
Increasing Height of Levees.
The high water mark of the great
| flood of 1882, which then surpassed all
records, has long since then over
| topped, and each year higher mark
is to be expected. In the flood of 1882
| the water flowed over the top OF the
levee at Cairo, submerging the streets
Of the city by several feet, but it is
only few years now since the city
of New Orleans escaped the same dis
aster by a margin OF less than SIX
inches. The only course open is to
increase the height of the levees, and
this is being done year by year.
The situation became so serious that
in 1879 President Hayes appointed an
official commission to supervise and
execute the stupendous job OF regu-
lating the flow of the Mississippi riv-
or. Virtually all the efforts at improve
ment that have been attempted by the
engineers of the commission since the
work began AZ years ago have been
made in accordance with the idea that
the levee system was the most prac-
ticable plan to follow. Thus Tar more
than $125,000,000 have been spent in
an effort to curb the mighty river and
keep it from overlooking the levees
to the fertile farms lying from 10 to
40 feet below the level OF the river.
II Inlay DC SldlCu lldl AAA q SSANANN
way the improvement is providing
safe and adequate channel for nav;ga
ton. and is now in condition to pre-
vent the destructive effects of floods
in all except the most extreme high
water" says the most recent report
of the Mississippi river commission
No one, however, can predict accu-
rately how high the water is gong
to be in the next food, and already
the the melting SHOWS are pouring in
to the streams which empty into the
Mississippi and its tributaries.
Thousands Lose Lives.
No one knows how many lives have
been lost in Mississippi river floods.
No one ever will know. The figures,
however, run up into the thousands,
while millions of dollars in property
losses have resulted from the many
foundations.
It is difficult for any one who has
never seen high-water fight along
the lower Mississippi to realize what
it means. When the stage OF the river
at Cairo has reached 81 feet on the
guage it is a signal for all OF those
who live along the 1000 miles OF the
river below to prepare for desper-
dIC IlgHI BdIllSl liIC llOOAoa
The approaching enemy, as the
crest Of the wave may be called, takes
about six days to reach Memphis,
about q DAYS to reach the mouth of
Red river and about so days to reach
New Orleans, so that some time is
given for preparation. Millions of
sacks for use as sand bags are order
ed by the levee boards along the river
and placed at convenient points so
that they may be used for an emer-
gency. Forces are organized, boats
are chartered and guards are stationed
so that the levee may be patrolled
night and day.
AS the food reaches its highest
stage in the river and begins to exert
its pressure against the levees, the
surface standing from 10 to II feet
higher than the land on either side OF
the high river banks, weak places are
discovered and men and material are
rushed to the scene with the utmost
dispatch, so that whatever leak may
have developed may be checked in
its incipiency.
Many Made Homeless.
Should the levee break, and the
water from the river pour into the
DdSh Vi II, StSPo oAN
spread the news as rapidly as posi-
bic to all parts that are likely to be
flooded The cabins of the poor and
the mansions of the rich alike are
flooded, and many families formerly
rich have been impoverished by the
floods.
During the flood of 1912 thousands
of colored tenants were rescued after
remaining many hours without food
upon impoverished RATS of logs or
on the roofs of their homes. The ma
tional government fed 272,z50 of these
refugees. For more than 90 years the
people of this countrys have been
pleading with the federal authorities
to save them from the invasion OF
the mighty waters, and, although the
engineers are working with all the
energy and skill at their command,
vet It seems assured that the early
spring months this year will again
see another flood in the Mississippi
valley. food as ravaging and de-
structive as the previous floods have
been.