Evening star., 1937-02-02
Features of the Lower
Mississippi Region.
TO the Editor Of The Star:

! TO the Editor Of The Star:
With reports that the "Big Muddy" is
| past the 46-foot stage at Memphis and
55-foot stage Is expected by Friday,
| 1t appears almost certain that the water
will break through the big bend at the
southwestern corner of Kentucky south
of Hickman and flood Lake County,
Tenn, entirely for the first time. In
| the floods of the past there has always
been narrow strip of dry land in the
county known as the Ridge, from whence
the town Ridgely derives its name. This,
| at worst, has always been at least q
| quarter of a mile wide, and it has al
ways been blessing to Lake Countians
The waters from the Reelfoot Lake
backed up on the east, and on the west,
of course, there was the Mississippi,
which flooded Main street to 5-foot
depth. I have, in the past, observed
debris lodged In the forks Of trees level
with the window of railway coach
along the C. M. & G. Railway, which
was built on levee to serve the logging
industry between the Reelfoot Lake and
the Mississippi. Yellow water left its
mark high upon tree trunks, mostly
cypress and oaks. If the levee breaks
these marks are likely to be much higher.
covering the whole of Lake County, a
width of miles, which does not in
clude the lake itself-it being miles
wide. On the east of the lake there are
high. wooded hills, perhaps 200 feet
above the water level of the Reelfoot.
A strange country, indeed!
There are many who hold that the
entire region is undermined by water
which for ages has seeped under the
river bed, where the big bend occurs, as
shown on the map. 1t is fact that
wells are quite shallow, average depth
being only or feet. This belief
was once so widely held that cotton
farmers, securing the hills of West
Tennessee in the early Autumn for cot
ton pickers, found it extremely difficult
to hire Negroes to get out their crops
for ginning. That their fears were we'll
founded may be cited by the very fact
that the Reelfoot itself never would
have been there. in the first place, If
there had been no earthquake in 1911.
There are many who hold to the opinion
that the bottom of the lake was at one
time level. or nearly so. with the hills
to the east of it. But if so it was quite
a drop, even by degrees. The earthquake
of 1811-12 was the only major shock
since white people have inhabited the
area, although it is common knowledge
there are numerous minor shakes every
year.
Lake County is perhaps one Of the
richest farming regions in the United
States. But its staple crop is cotton
when cotton markets are soaring the
farmers get rich. In bear markets they
lose all their money and often have to
live on near-pauper income. 1t is easy
money for the average cotton farmer,
however, who never does any actual
farming himself-that is done by the
share-cropper. The better off class
are not farmers, but planters. But
whether farmer. share-cropper or a
planter, they all look alike to Old Man
River when he goes on spree. Even
the lazy, slowmoving stumped-tail
moccasins may get washed out of the
lake region if the crest reaches the S.
foot mark at Memphis. which would
put the county under almost 10 feet of
water for a new high.
E. H. ALEXANDER.