Topic starter
19/11/2007 3:48 am
The discussion in "River Talk & Cruises" got me thinking, and I decided to start a new thread based on that and the comments I wanted to make. It seemed more appropriate to do it in "History".
I am presently re-reading the wonderful book "Rising Tide" by John Barry, which chronicles the Great Flood of 1927. In it, Mr.Barry discusses not only the flood, but the entire sociological situation in the early twentieth century in the South and the rest of the country, and in particular in the "Delta" region of Mississippi and Louisiana. It offers new insights on some things one might think one knows about late 19th and early 20th century history.
One thing that I found of particular interest was the feud between James B. Eads and the Corps of Engineers. The Mississippi River Commission is also discussed in great detail. While many revere the Corps, as history shows us, they were not always revered, and certainly not by everyone...and I don't mean just those that are not interested in improvement of rivers for navigation and flood control. There was much dissent among civilian engineers and the Corps over how best to "tame" he Mississippi, what the levee policy should be, the role of spillways such as Bonnet Carre and Morganza, the role of cut-offs and the role of upriver reservoirs and whether they served any real purpose. It turns out that Mr. Eads actually had the better ideas, but over time the Corps has not only adopted them, but claimed them as their own ideas.
A very interesting book and one I highly recommend for any student of river history.
19/11/2007 12:01 pm
Hi, Bob & steamboating colleagues:
Thanks for 're' reminding of us John Barry's classic book 'RISING TIDE.' I remember Keith Norrington mentioning it with high praise some time back. The book received 'heads up' in printed book reviews and even on national TV. The impact of the big 1927 flood was just as much social, political and economic as it was a natural disaster.
Good to have as many "new threads" on steamboat history as possible. The subject is never exhausted with our friends and colleagues on Steamboats.org.
Cheers,
R. Dale Flick
19/11/2007 4:26 pm
Great book- about 2/3 through it. Are any of the Percy family members still in Greenville? I asked a lady from there if she knew, but she said she never heard of them. Steamboat Mary turned me onto the writings of Will Percy; the book is on the floor of the loft at the RH Shipyard, and awaiting its turn to be read, and will do ASAP.
Workboat 1041 is on the ways awaiting some bottom repair and will be renamed before returning to the waters of the Tennessee. Pictures when back in the Rabbit Hash arena.
21/11/2007 5:13 pm
A book about that subject could be dry details and statistics, but Barry makes it read like an adventure novel and it's hard to put down. Prepare for an all night read.
21/11/2007 5:27 pm
Will Percy's Lanterns on the Levee is a good read and I have always loved his description of watching the steamer BELLE OF THE BENDS. Rising Tide is also a great tome, despite it's realistic and very sad descriptions of the suffering during the flood, giving the reader an "I am there" feeling!