Flood Prevention Canal
Would Cost' $352,000.
The Independent has received the
following article from W. D. Gray of
Batesville, who is interested in pro
tecting our town and farming lands
from flood waters. It was written af
ter he had read the write-up in the
Independent some days ago of the De
partee Creek drainage proposition in
Oil Trough. La^t July Mr. Giay had
an article in this paper on the same
subject and quite a few land owners
affected have signified their belief
that the canal would be of great ben
efit to them. He believes if the gov
ernment would sponsor the proposi
tion, it could not fail to be put over.
Many believe that the opening of this
canal would also be the beginning of
an era of pi'osperity for Newport.
The article from the pen of Mr.
Gray follows:
“In a recent write-up of the Depar
tee Creek drainage proposition in Oil
Trough published in the Independent,
it is proposed to follow the Departee
creek basin to a point opposite Au
gusta, a distance of 29 miles. It was
also proposed! to make the canal 200
feet wide, but it did not say how deep.
After studying this matter over, I
would suggest that entirely too much
work has been proposed to get, prob
ably, no better results than the orig
inal route from the he^d of Oil
Trough bottom to Bradford, a dis
tance of approximately 18 miles. This
would shorten the new proposed
route eleven miles and cut the cost
one-third. Another thing: the
tee into the canal 3 miles from the
head of Oil Trough bottom. At the
same time, also all future time, it
would take all the water off the hills,
and thus relieve the Departee basin
of all flood water from hills which is
a big detriment to farmers in that'
locality. Besides, Departee would
become a DRY STREAM BELOW
THE CANAL, and by burning out the
drift piles, would within itself become
an economical drain for land situated
in the basin. At any rate it would
reduce the problem of drainage to a
minor question. This canal can be
dug for 10 cents per cubic yard. (This
work is being done today in South
east Missouri for 10(4 cents per cu
bic yard.) With the water of Depar
tee creek to work with, which would
be available in 15 miles of the canal,
we ought to get the.work done as
stated above, or even cheaper. A ca
nal 50 feet wide and 20 feet deep and j
18 miles long would call for the ex-1
cavation of three million, five hun-1
dred and twenty thousand cubic yards
of dirt. It will be ALL dirt—no ,
rocks to handle in this project.
“The above number of cubic yards, |
at 10 cents, would be three hundred ;
and fifty-two thousand dollars ($352,- i
000)—that is w.hat the work would
cost. I like to know, approximately,'
what an improvement will cost, don’t
you? Then one can tell whether he
can afford to pay the bill.
“The above canal ought to carry,
when running full, one-third of the
volume of water in the river. The
reason is that the canal would have I
quicker the water can be gotten Irom
one side of the bottom to, the other,
so much the better. I favor a deep
rather than a wide ditch, say 20 feet
•deep—this would cause the flood wa
ter to begin to divert earlier in flood
conditions, and continue to relieve
Newport of White river water longer
and would also prove to be of partic
ular benefit if you were at the same
time experiencing unusual flood wa
ter from Black river.
During the great August flood of
1915 a man was heard to exclaim,
“Newport is saved, White river is
■going across and down the Departee
creek channel.” His theory was cor
rect, but evidently he had never seen
Departee creek channel, which is as
crooked as a dog’s hind legs, full of
brush and drift, with no chance for
the water to go in a hurry as it has
to do in order to relieve flood condi
tions about Newport. You will bear
in mind too, please, that the water
had to go over the high bank at Oil
Trough before it could get into the
< Departee creek channel. IN THE
MEANTIME, SO GREAT A VOL
UME OF WATER HAD PASSED
OIL TROUGH, THAT COMBINED
WITH BLACK RIVER FLOOD WA
TERS, NO POWER ON EARTH
COULD SAVE NEWPORT FROM A
DISASTROUS OVERFLOW. Had
there been a flood prevention canal at
the head of the bottom at Oil Trough
one-third of this water would have
been diverted and Newport could have
taken care of the flood from Black.
Another reason I am opposed to
following the meanderings of Depar
three times the tall ot the river, so in !
carrying volume would have equal j
capacity to a stretch of the river 150 j
feet wide, and 60 feet deep—or 300
feet wide and 30 feet deep—or 600
feet wide and 15 feet deep. Rea(| this
carfully. These figures are authen- j
tic, and authentic figures will not lie. |
You do not need to believe any one; ]
figure it for yourself. The width of |
the river at the ferry at an average!
stage of water, I should say, is about
500 feet. The cable is 700 feet. Take j
theoretically, 15 feet off your high j
water there and you can see I have
made no wild statement when I con- j
tend that this proposed canal would j
make a stage of over 26 feet at
Newport unlikely. Then the benefit:
Instead of the banks being fearful of
backing farming operations on ac
count of the menace of overflow,
the credit of the farmers who own
land in Oil Trough bottom would be
come gilt-edged, "and their business
something to be CONTINUALLY de
1 sired. The benefit to the business
men of Newport would be incalcula
. ble, but, undoubtedly if Oil Trough
bottom was definitely relieved from
flood menace, Newport would reap a
full harvest of benefit. The benefits
of this canal could consistently be
spread over a large acreage:—in Oil
Trough, Padgett Island, Big Bottom
and on the Jacksonport side as well as
the city of Newport. We are willing
to concede that it will'benefit every
acre of land we own in Oil Trough
sinr) thp virinitv of Newnort. We would
tee creek, besides the added length (in
itself unnecessary), is that the canal
would be crooked. Drift would be
*. liable to lodge and you would lose
® some of the swifter fall that the
shorter canal would have. If the ca
nal is dug straight across to Bradford,
it will relieve the Departee creek ba
‘sin anyway, as it would take Depar
MAPAUNE THEATRE
♦
ify. Tonight ^
THE KNIFE. ^
Eeaturing Alice Brady in a ^
4, 5 Reel SELECT Pro- +
^ duction. ^
♦ ♦
♦ -- ♦
♦ ♦
LONESOME LUKE ^
^ In a two reel Pathe Comedy ^
BRIDE AND GROOM ^
A ^
♦ - ♦
■JO <$►
fa Admission 10 and 15 Cents.'
+ <>>
•$>
be glad indeed to be privileged to pay
' our full and fair part toward this
improvement. Some say it would
, benefit a half million acres of land.
If this is true, and I believe it is, the
cost will be so largely divided as to
! give no reason to try to hold the pro
ject* up. Publicity, and facts will
tend to keep it from being embarrass
i ed by litigation. Newport ought to
i pay a fair proportion of the cost,
i based on its assessable property.
I And I may add, I do not see any
i cause for trouble as to eithei’.
“Now, here is the other side of the
picture: I am not questioning the
! good faith of any one here on any of
i the subjects already discussed or to
be discussed. You have a right to
' your opinion, also a right to express
it. You have a right to fight any
thing you don’t like or question any
j thing you do not understand. I am
a firm believer in the efficiency of
publicity. No one can sit in the audi
ence of a movie and hear the cheers <
and jeers of , the crowd when the vil
lian gets the worst of it or is thwart
ed, without having full faith in the
honesty and justice of his fellowman.
| Now, to the other side of the pic
ture:
1 * Newport has a levee project. Le-;
, vee District No. 3 has just been au-|
thorized on the opposite side of the
RENGGVERRMERT
IS II IN IIIEil
I
Results of Election Promises a Fairly
Stable German Administration
At An Early Date.
Paris, Jan. 21.—Early returns from
the German elections are interpreted |
here to signify a promising prospect
for the establishment of a fairly sta
ble German administration at an ear
ly date.
The Majority Socialists and the
German Democrats, who are the suc
cessors of the old radical party, ap
parently will go into the constituent
assembly with a big lead over the In
dependent Socialists. Freidrich von
Payer, former vice chancellor and
leader of the democrats, and the so
cialist leaders, Ebert and Seheide
mann, demonstrated their ability to
work together in the old Reichtag.
They also can count on Kronstantin
Fehrenbach, the Centrist leader, as an
ally in their efforts to institute a gov
ernment with a basis of popular sup
port.
This consummation is regarded in
all allied circles here as an indispens
able preliminary to any peace nego
tiations. The coming into power of
these groups will mean the continua
tion of the present armistice com
mission and the probable appoint
ment of Scheidemann, von Payer and
Fehrenbach or Erzberger as the
leading members of the German peace
delegation.
r m
CHANCERY COURT
Cases Carried Over from December
Docket Were Disposed of At This
Adjourned Term of Court.
An adjourned term of Chancery
court was held the latter part of last
week, the new chancery judge, Lyman
F. Reeder of Batesville, presiding.
Several cases from the Vecember
docket had been carried over and dis
posed of by his honor, most of them
being divorce proceedings.
James Taggart by his brother and
next friend, Samuel W. Taggart, dis
abilities of minority removed.
Grace Toddy by her husband and
next friend, Walker Toddy, disabili
ties removed.
Arthur Lax vs. Leone Lax, divorce,
decree granted. ,
Balma Davis vs. S. F. Dhvis, di
vorce.
Addie Owens vs. Sherman Owens,
divorce.
Dee Hogan vs. Alice Hogan, di
vorce.
Bertha Robinson vs. Elma Robin
son, divorce.
Archie Williams vs. Louella -Wil
liams, divorce.
J. D. Harris vs. Fannie Harris, di
vorce.
Ernest Babb vs. Ivy Babbs, divorce.
Kate Nuckolls vs. Homer Nuckolls,
divorce.
Richard Tidwell vs. Alice Tid^well,
_
Ollie Broadwater vs. W. J. Broad
water, divorce.
—JOIN THE C. OF C.—
LIEUTENANT SMITH ARRIVES.
Lieutenat Theodore Smith of Con
way arrived from France at Newport
News last Saturday *and was met
there by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. S.
G. Smith of Conway, who went imme
diately to see their son. Lieutenant
Smith is a nephew of Mrs. Bradley
Graham of this city and the family
are indeed rejoiced to again know he
is on American shores, for he was re
ported dead at one tirnd, then serious
ly wounded and later blind from*gas.
Lieutenant Smith was one of the
first officers to go to France from
Camp Pike’s training camp, and was
one of Pershing’s ten thousand men,
who have been there since Septem
ber, 1917. He was in the battle of
Cantigny, the fighting around Metz,
St. Mihiel and the Argonne Forest.
His organization, Battery A., Field
Artillery, had the distinction of firing
the first shots for America. In the
fighting on the Marne, his right leg
and right arm were broktn, receiving
other wounds on his body also. He
will be confined in a hospital for sev
eral months.
With the water out of the way to the
extent of 8 or 10 feet, and definitely
safe from a dangerous stage, a low
priced bridge could be built and
maintained.”
river. I am appealing to your com
mon sense annd your sense of justice
now. It is conceded that when com
pleted these two levees will hold a
lot of water off of Newport, also off'
the land leveed opposite Newport.
Where will it go ? On someone else
of course. It will render unfit alto- 1
gether land that now has some small j
chance of making. These levees will j
back water up to Elmo in my opinion,
thus, instead of benefiting Newport
as a canal would do, still further ren
dering precarious farming operations
in Oil Trough. Eventually, (if not
now), you are going to have to en-i
dorse and fight this canal through for!
your own benefit and preservation.
There will be the constant menace of j
your levee giving way. Instead of
having helped your trade territory
you will have done it a business and
a financial wrong, which will work^
back on you as individuals. It is ,
true, we have the same right as oth- 1
ers to build levees. If we do it will1
be the beginning of a levee building
area that would prove inadequate in j
the end to hold the water off. Why j
not begin with the canal, then all j
other improvements needed can be1
economically, and without waste, j
added. The same argument may be j
made as to bridging White river at
Newport. The river could be
bridged for half the money necessary j
now, under pressure of such flood as
are sure to come time and again.
|ARKANSAS
I BANK q
j TRUST
!COMPANY
| □ NEWPORT, ARK..
;| Approved |j
? The constant patronage and loyal- = J
8 f=§ ty of hundreds of Newport and Jack- f§ •
: j|| son County people indicate the satis- if i
| |l| factory nature of this bank’s service. j ]
j == Strict adherence to sound and ap- \
j = proved banking practice, progressive, |§ j
i =E modern methods and facilities, equal jp J
I = courtesy to all patrons—these are dis
! = tinguishing features of the f|j j
|I Arkansas Bank & Trust
!| 4 Company j|
•J51 Safety-Satisfactory Service jjfj
■
*
Movement In Legislature
To Make State ‘ Kiln-dry ” 1
Special to Independent.
Little Rock, Jan. 22.—The unex
pected of a few years ago has been
realized. It is politically popular to
be a prohibitionist—as well as an
equal suffragist, for the two go to
j gether.
There is a rivalry in legislative
bodies for the honor of fathering laws
on both subjects, and it requires con
siderable nerve to oppose either. On
ly two members of the House had the!
courage—to say nothing of political -
judgment—to oppose the equal suf- [
frage resolution. They were Moore i
[ of Newton, one of the five republi
[ cans in tl?e whole assembly, and Ste
vens of Columbia, who boldly voted j
“no” in the midst of a flood of
“ayes.”
But as no opposition has developed
in any quarter to anything that has
for its purpose the scotching of the
old Demon Rum, who has just about
as many friends left as old Bill Ho
henzollern.
The first thing done by the House
was to adopt a resolution by Judge
Doyle of Lawrence county <o ratify
the Fedei'al amendment for prohibi
tion, and the senate adopted it Tues
day, which enabled Arkansas to get
in among the 32 necessary to make
the amendment effective.
But even that is not enough, al- I
though it means that one year from
today, the whole country goes dry,
and all the breweries and distilleries ;;
must close up or go to manufacturing
dyestuffs, fertilizers, bitters, or
something equally harmless.
Bills are introduced to make the
“bone-dry” act of 1917 even drier than
it is—in fact, to make it kiln-dry.
A bill by Judge Doyle prohibits the
shipment of liquors into or within the
state; prohibits the storage or pos
sesion of liquors; the solicitation or
taking of orders for liquors, the stor
age of liquors in lockers or other
places in any social club or fraternal
organization for use therein, declar
ing a nuisance all places where li
quors or intoxicants are maintained
for use or sale, and providing for the
forfeiture of the charter of any incor
poration, club 4r association violating
the law.
The penalty provided for violation
of any section of the act, which in
cludes having in possession, is a fine
of not less than $100 nor more than
$1,000, and, at the discretion of the
court, imprisonment in the county
jail for not less than thirty nor more
than ninety days.
A bill by Mr. Talkington of White
prohibits the bringing into the state
of any liquors for any purpose what
!GLASS TOWNSHIP CITIZEN
DISAPPEARS FROM HOME.
Mrs. Oscar Saffel of Swifton was
here a few days ago looking for hei
husband, who left home -me week agi
to come to Newport, and from that
day to this has not been seen oi
heard from. Mr. Saffel was for a
number of years, a farmer living a
few miles out from Swifton, but foi
some time has been in the automobile
business at Swifton, where he has a
garage. He handles the Overland
car and had a shipment of two cars
sent through a local automobile com
pany here, and it was to get these
two cars that he came to Newport
leaving Swifton on the evening train
saying he would, drive them througl"
next day. The cars are still here anc
the required amount paid on them foi
their release. Mrs. Saffel said hei
husband bought a ticket for this place
but it is not known whether he got ofi
here or not. He had an engagemem
! to meet the state agent for the Over
land car here the next day. Th<
agent came, but Mr. Saffel failed t(
keep his engagement. The family
are very much worried over his dis
appearance and are unable to accoun
for his seemingly uncalled for act, a:
his wife and neighbors say he had n<
.domestic or financial troubles tha
would cause him to disappear in this
manner. He is known to have con
siderable money in the Swifton bank
Mrs. Saffel, who is almost crazed witl
grief, came to Newport to make ai
investigation of her husband’s disap
pearance, and has appealed to thi
Chamber of Commerce to aid her it
locating her husband.
MRS. SPITZER CALLED
’ TO CALICO ROCK.
Dr. C. W. Garrison, state health of
ficer of Little Rock, telephoned Mrs.
Spitzer ye-sterday to know if she •
would go to Calico Rock and assist in 4
caring for the victims of influenza in
that town. Mrs. Spitzer was given a V
; leave of absence by the local board
andl has gone to the relief of the
i stricken ones of Calico Rock. A maim
from that town yesterday, stated that
business houses were closed, schools
1 suspended and whole families down.
Newport and Jackson county feel
honored that her nurse should be
called to help in such times, for we
well remember that we had to ask
Little Rock for help to go to Swifton
several weeks ago, when- the scourge
! struck this county so terribly. I
—JOIN THE C. OF C.—
MISSIONARY CIRCLE
CHANGES NAME.
Members of Missionary Circle No.
2 of the Methodist church met in bus
1: iness session with their chairman,
|Mrs. O. E. Jones, Tuesday afternoon.
: Plans were made by which the socie
| ty will greatly strengthen it’s finan
i cial condition. Much enthusiasm is
' being demonstrated by all the mem
; bers and it is expected that the new
1 year will prove most successful.
• f The most important business of
. the meeting was the changing of the
name of the society from Circle No.
1 2 to “The Lelia Head Johnston Socie
ty.” This was done in honor of the
■ raimiui wotk. renuuiuu tuc cucit; uy a
i Mrs. Johnston. She was an untiring 1
; worker and never failed to devote her 9
best efforts to the cause of the circle, 9
S her efforts being crowned with much I
success, as the solid footing on which I
' the society now stands, will show. 9
■ Mrs. Johnson’s untimely death is 9
i greatly mourned by all who knew her, 9
for to know her was to love her. Her a
good and noble work will never cease I
to be remembered and will be a beau- ■
tiful example for those who follow fl
her in the fields of service. Her life . ■
must have received God’s most m
blessed benediction, “She has done
; what she could.” fl
—JOIN THE C. OF C.— U
FUNERAL OF MACK FOUSHEE. H
j The funeral ef Mack Foushee, aged ■
.39 was held at the home of his cousin, fl
Mrs. Frank Rankin, this afternoon at S
2:30, the service being conducted by
1 Rev. J. F. E. Bates of the Methodist
church, burial following at Walnut
Grove. The body was shipped from 19
Little Rock this morning up on No. H
30 and was accompanied by the wife, |S
Mrs. Rankin of this city, George H
Foushee, Mr. Carpenter and Mr. |m
Woodall of Little Rock, also Mrs. G. H
B. Shoemaker and Mrs. S. G. Smith
of that city.
The pallbearers were John Purdy, fl||
Sprigg Foushee. Jeff Avera, Joe Arm- Hi
strong, Mr. Carpenter $nd Mr.
• Woodall of Little Rock. H
—JOIN THE C. Or C.—
MRS. S. A. DRIVER.
Mrs. S. A. Driver was born neai
Elgin, Jackson county, Arkansas, ir
1861, and died at her home in Swifton
January 19, 1919. In 1878 she was
married to S. A. Driver. She livec
near Swifton from the time of hei
marriage up to the time of her death
In 1887 she joined the Methodist Epis
copal church, South, and remained a
faithful, conscientious member. Few
women in the community were bet
ter and more favorably known thar
Mrs. Driver. A husband, and one
daughter, Mrs. Nora Henson, survive
her. Funeral services were helc
Monday afternoon at the Swiftor
Methodist church by Rev. M. A. Fry
with interment at the Arnold ceme
tery.
—JOIN THE C. OF C.—
The remains of Mrs. E. J. Meade
who died at Moulton, Alabama, Mon
day reached this city this morning or
No 17 and were carried to Batesville
where the funeral was held this after
noon. Accompanying the remains
were the husband, Dr. J. W. Case
Miss Maggie Case, Mrs. A. C. Wil
kerson, Miss Fannie Huddleston, Mrs
Jean Diaz and Mr. and Mrs. Nathar
Adler.
—Join the Chamber of Commerce.—