The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-09-11

TO an extent which can be retrieved
only by the labors of many succe ssive
generations Another terrible flood
occurred but year ago. spreading its
havoc over an area of three hundred
and fifty thousand square miles, in
Guiding some of the most densely pop.
ulated districts of Eastern China. The
loss OF life on that occasion has been
computed to reach the appalling ag-
gregate OF seven hundred and fifty
thousand, even after deducting the
hundreds of thousands that succumbed
to the subsequent famine and the many
hundreds slain by marauders and hun.
ger-crazed cannibals.
The floods of the Indus have more
than once chokcd it's delta with the
debris OF inundated cities, and the re-
ports of Prof. Brehm prove that the
yearly rise of the Nile is not by any
means an unqualified blessing to the
natives of the Dark C ointment. Amer
lea, too, has begun to suffer severely
from river foods, and it is an ominous
TACT that the last five foundations OF
the Ohlo valley showed a steady in
crease in the volume of the descending
torrents. The Johnstown horror was
caused by perhaps unparalleled COM
bination of unluclsy circumstances, but
that disaster can not be attributed ex.
cluslvely to the insufficient strength of
the South Fork dam is proved by the
simultaneous foundations of several
river valleys in Western New York
and East Virginia.
| Have the healing arts of our latter.
day civilization no remedy for such
| affliction? The solution of the prob
lem has actually been attempted in
Egypt and Northern Europe. In the
Landes Of Gascony and in the Belgian
Campine the planting of the umbrella
pine (Pinus maritima) has effectually
arrested the irruptions of the sea,
and has given the inhab-
itants a new lease, not only of land,
but also of life, the reduction of pesti-
lential marshes having perceptibly i'm
proved the healthfulness of those dis
tricts. and, it is said, diminished the
frequency of morning fog. In 1882
Mehemet Ali decided to try his luck
with the a0adies or sand plains on the
coast of Egypt. Upper Egypt, Abys-
sinia and the slopes of Mount eau
casus were overrun by the tree agents
OF the autocrat; trees by shiploads
and caravan loads were landed at
Cairo and distributed to the overseers
OF an army of fellahs; and, according
to various estimates from nine million
to fifteen million forest trees were
actually planted, and so carefully
nursed that eighty per cent. of them
took root and helped to qualify the
soil and climate for further planta.
tons. Jules Rozet an eminent French
engineer, proposed to reduce the raw
ages OF foundations by intersecting
steep mountain slopes by bitches filled
with coarse gravel and powders.
Torricelli induced the Government of
Tuscany to divert the waters of peril
Gus rivers by lateral canals; and the
commissioners appointed to devise
means for the redemption of lands
wasted by the mountain torrents OF
Southern Austria made series of ex.
periments with the construction of
artificial lakes or reservoirs, which
they hoped would prevent the too sud-
den descent of the highland floods.
But thus far only the plan of Me-
hemet Ali has led to any thing like
satisfactory results. Dykes are apt to
prolong, rather than avert, the mis-
chief of foundations Gas the city of
Sacramento, Cal, had d chance to as
certain at it's cost; effiuent canals de-
generate into morasses, and reservoirs,
besides being liable to get shoaled by
the accumulation of detritus, consti-
tute constant menace to the inhab-
itants OF the lower river valley. Des-
erts can be redeemed only by tree
culture.
Prevention, however, is better than
cure-so much so, indeed, thai it is
even easier to arrest the progress of a
far-gone disease than to retrieve the
complete loss of health. In America
laws for the protec-
ton of all highland woods might yet
make the endeavors of the Forestry
Association something more than
hopeless pull against the stream, and
help us tide over the transition period
TO Karl Vogt's era of nature worship,
when physical laws of God will be SO
thoroughly understood that men will
think it disgrace to be sick, and ma
lions will be ashamed of drought
The worst of all earthly evils might
5hus be prevented by direct removal
Of the cause, and then it could be truly
said that the lost paradise of the East
srn continent has been regained in the
New World of the West.
-eA
He Crushed the Senator.