EECLAIMING OVERFLOWED LANDS IN MISSISSIPPI. 
I 
the upper end of the district; tliis gradually decreases to 1^ feet 
per mile at the lower end. 
Not more than 15 per cent of the bottom land is cleared; the 
remainder is either in virgin timber or is cut-over land covered with 
a dense growth of cane, brush, and briars. The cleared land lies 
along the edge of the 
TENNESSEE 
MEMPHIS 
bottoms or is in small 
tracts or ridgos that 
are from 1 to 3 feet 
above the general 
elevation of the ad- 
joining bottoms. 
ARKANSAS 
In the upper part 
of the area covered 
by the survey the Big 
Black River has a 
channel varying 
from 30 to 75 feet in 
top width, from 20 to 
50 feet in bottom 
width, and from 5 to 
15 feet in depth be- 
low the general ele- 
vation of the ground ; 
in the lower part the 
channel varies from 
150 to 250 feet in top 
width, 75 to 100 feet 
in bottom width, and 
is from 15 to 25 feet 
deep. Throughout 
its entire length the 
channel is very 
crooked and is filled 
with drift and brush. 
The length of the 
river channel through the portion of the valley covered by this report 
is 1 .7 times that of a line drawn down the general course of the valley. 
The banks are well defined and are covered with a dense growth of 
cane and briars. The bottom of the river is asilty loam or clay. At 
one point near Hoffman and at one or two points in the vicinity of 
Edwards there are traces of rock, but the formations are local and 
occur where they will not affect the proposed work. 
NEW ORLEANS 
Fig. 1.— Map of Mississippi, showing location of Big Black River 
project. 
