The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-03-03

waters Of the Cape Fear serve to
accentuate the present precarious
position Of the PAL farmers in
Trenches Creek township. But the
dry statistics Of the past do not
truly picture the plight of the town.
ships farmers today, who, five
months after the most recent
freshet, still have quagmires
where green fields were once.
Major Wheeler's report did not
confine itself, to the Trenches
Creek township in the discussion
of flood control, but indeed the
entire Cape Fear river area, from
it's origin at the junction Of the
Haw and Deep rivers in the north.
ern part of the state to the At
lantic ocean. Concerned as it was
with establishment Of hood-control
measures sound from an economic
standpoint, the report concentrated
upon the erection of Ellington,
Towards Mills and New Hope pow
err projects.
The report, too, was filed under
different circumstances from those
existing today. Major Wheeler S
conclusion that Trenches Creek
township needed 30 miles Of dikes
instead OF the existing four miles
of dikes was made at time when
those dikes were unbroken. Today
the breaches in the bikes are I'M
repaired, with the major breach,
at the Kelly community millpond,
holding water of the same level
as the Cape Fear.
1885 Protests
When additional locks and dams
were being considered for the
Cape Fear, residents in the White
Oak Swamp and Lyon Swamp
drainage Enthusiastically, one
drainage district-protested in
1885. The residents claimed:
/. Prior to construction OF the
lock, the White Oak canal-four
and one.fourth miles long-and the
Lyon Swamp canal-15 miles long
sufficient to drain the at
fected area, and the people were
2. Since the creation of the high
er pool level' through construc-
ton of the locks, the water OF the
Cape Fear backs against the
Trenches Creek flood-gate, inter
fering with discharge from that
area to the river, necessitatlng
drainage of the area into the two
canals. The two canals, with more
water than they can handle, spill
the water into the farmland.
3. That several small creeks,
which formerly drained lowlands
adjacent to the left bank OF the
Cape Fear around Lock NO. l.
now act as bypass channels, dis
charging waters into these low
lands thence to Natmore creek,
hacking water up that creek to the
flood-gate at its head, and prevent
ing full discharge OF the White
Oak canal. H.
d Standing water in the drain
ape area has resulted in an in
creased incidence OF malaria
among the citizens. ,
IN 1885. also, the local residents
in trenches Creek township asked
th.+ the s,deral government con-
n r,eS the White Oak and Lyon
swamp canals with proper chan.
t the Lyon canal, and thus free the
a sLie Of danger from flood wa
t a.ss--r properly drain the land, and
ia rS :, the district of malaria.
6 suc, is the background of the
,ouees in Trenches Creek town
hin The levees, when they were
not o broken, afforded protection for
i farmers from the Cape Fear
waters as long as the river stage
in Fayetteville did not rise above
50 feet. Today, a rise to 20 feet
will flow through the preached
|levees and inundate much of the
farmland in the vicinity of Kellv
The farmers, who have appealed
to Gov. R; Gregg Cherry and Rens
lGraham A. Barden and J. Bava pS;