| Show Town in Louisiana Fools 01 Ol Man lan River Menaced for More Alore Than Years Y cars It Moves Back Backo ft VIDALIA LA Ol Ol Man Mn River has been browbeating this town for more than years but they've fooled him now The big yellow currents that crush against Vidalia's levees will pound In vain for soon Vidalia wont won't be there They're moving Vidalia back backa a quarter mile and the th currents can undercut the dikes and the dikes can cm slither into the river river Vidalia's 1500 people wont won't care They're They're- tired of fighting lIghting the river anyway Its It's been going on a hundred years Their predecessors and bands of slaves carted the earth to build the dikes against the currents The dikes grew higher with the years Sometimes It looked like 01 Ol Man Rivers River's fight sometimes It ft looked like The river took temporary posses posses- possession possession possession sion during the devastating flood of 1927 Vidalia moved back and strengthened the levees now tower tower- towering ing tag above many homes In the spring of 1937 the levees mounted again But the river changed its course United States army engineers strengthened the bends above the town dredged channels and per per- performed performed performed formed a little surgery but the river would not be quieted Engineers cut through Giles Giles' bend north of the town It made the river only more dangerous The current was deflected onto the protection levee around Vidalia's front and great slices of land weak weak- weakened weakened ened and fell into the water Works Progress administration en en- engineers engineers engineers moved Into the front line of attack They began the tedious process of mapping out a new town townsite townsite townsite site a quarter mile from the bank A new courthouse and a jail rose roseon roseon roseon on the new location Today the new newtown newtown newtown town Is growing the old is moving back to safety It didn't do any good to moan river stay way from my door They had to move the door |
