New Britain herald., 1930-09-05
RIVER
 SAFE FROM FLOOD
Secretary of War Hears Report
 on Engineers Work

Washington. Sept. (UP) - As Secretary of War Hurley continued his inspection trip down the Missis- sippi aboard the river boat General Allen. nembers-of his staff outlined results obtained since congress in 1923 authorized s325,ooo,ooo to bring the river under control.
 Already sS9.ooo,ooo of that sum has been expended by the Missis- sippi river commission under super vision of the army corps of engi- neers, and although the project has eight years more to go. the flood danger even now is in large measure overcome, army engineers say.
 In the spring of last year, one of the highest waters ever recorded passed safely down the river to the gulf. In another year ample protec- tion will have been provided against any flood reasonably proba ble," the engineers said.
 Some idea of the tremendous scope of the project may be gained, they pointed out. by comparing it with the Panama canal, also car ried to completion under army en- gineer supervision.
 Cost S39O,00O,OOO
 The cost of the canal construc- tion has been estimated at s386.- 100000. Including the s71.000.o00 spent by the federal government on the river prior to the flood control act, the Mississippi project will have cost on completion nearly s4000.- 900 more. The estimate does not include about s1e6.000.0o0 spent by the states
 For more than 100 years. lands near the river had been protected against overflows by levees or earthern dams.
 These consisted only of small mounds thrown up around indi- vidual plantations. These mounds gradually were made higher. Later, plantation owners combined their protection levees. and this led to the present system of chartered levee districts
 The disastrous 1927 flood demon strated to congress, however. that the governments aid was needed in shaping a control project.
 Brown Directs Plan
 Maj. Gen. Edgar Jadwin at the time chief of army engineers. su- pervised the drafting of the plan which is being followed in the main today by his successor, Mai. Gen. Lytle Brown.
 Using the ancient levees as a foundation, the plan provides for raising their level about three feet and doubling their thickness. When the work is completed. the levees will carry safely any floods except such as occurred in 1922 and 1927. according to the army engineers.
 Should there be another flood of this kind, the water would take a. natural course over the levees just south of the Arkansas river and south of the Red river, under Jad- wins plan.
 The excess water would find its way to the gulf through the swamp and timber lands in the Boeuf basin, in the Red river backwater area and in the Atchafalaya basin. Along the edges of these swamp and timber lands it is proposed to construct levees to prevent ex- traordinary flood waters from spreading over the better land in these basins.
 In addition to the main features of the plan, army engineers point out, a f,oodway is now being placed opposite Cairo. H.. extending from Birds Point to New Madrid. Mo. This floodway will relieve Cairo and southern Missouri of flood danger. by widening the river and so keep ing the water levels down during high water