The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-10
Lives Saved by Courage
and Foresight.
PREPARING FOR A FLOOD.
Wonderful Calculation Showing
Where Dam Would Break.
BRITISH OFFICERS in INDIA


stream, the Birahi Gunga, a tributary of
the Ganges. High up on this stream is
the little village of Gohna.
In September, 1898, an enormous bulk
of rock and earth slid down the mountain
side into the river, and in October Of the
same year was another great landslide
The mountain from which this material
came down rises 900 feet above the bed
of the stream. The dam Which the ma
terial formed across the valley was about
900 feet high aud 900 feet long as meas
ured across the gorge. OF course the for
nation Of this dam would convert the
stream above il into "a lake, and IL was cal
culated that when the water should reach
the level Of the top of the dam il would
coysc an area of about | l-3 square miles
and would contain about 10, 900, 900, 900
cubic feet of water, about as much water
as could be carried in 900, 900 of the big
gest freight trains.
All of this was apparent TO every one,
but back of ali this the British officers,
civil and military, who were in charge of
the affairs Of that region saw certain
other truly awful facts. Some time tho
lake would fill and the water would begin
10 rise over the crest OF the dam. But,
there being no masonry protection, the
water would begin at once to cut away
the crest and the face Of the dam, and, the
breach started, it would increase by swift
leaps, as greater and greater volumes Of
water were let loose, till the whole lake
would be released, to sweep in one vast
wave down the valley. This process Of
breaking down begun, the end would not
be a matter of days. but of hours Be
tween the first trickllng overflow and the
escape of the mass of the water probably
less than day would elapse. possibly only
a very few hours In fact. II hours after
the first overflow did take place the great
food was let loose.
That all this would happen was not
speeulatien.-It was human experience.
1t was exactly what happened at Johns
town, Pa, in 1889, when several towns
were wrecked and 5000 lives were lost,
only the Gohna dam was Ia times as high
and 81. times as long as the Johnstown
dam, and the water held back was 20
times as much. From surveys they knew
the area of the watershed from which the
water would come to Ill the lake, and
from records they knew the ordinary rain
fall, and SO I'm the autumn Of 1898 they
calculated that the overflow would begin
No doubt the officers intended to make the
error on the safe side and hardly expected
tho overflow TO take place as early as Aug.
10. Having satisfied themselves when the
food would take place, they began TO pre-
pare for il. They built telegraph limo
from Gohna down the river 100 miles and
established stations at all important points.
They put up pillars of masonry on the
slopes of the valley in the upper part 200
feet above ordinary food level and farther
down the valley 100 feet above floods.
These pillars were established near all vii
lages and camping grounds and at inter
walls of half mile down the river. The
people were directed 10 retire above the
line of pillars when they should rcceiv,
warning of the flood.
The valley is not thickly peopled, but it
contains several villages and one town,
which has population Of 1000. 1t is,
however, famous resort for pilgrims, and
is studded with shrincs, and streams of
deyotces pass back and forth.
When they had done all they could the
officers waited for the flood. At half past
on the morning of Aug. 25 a little stream
began to trickle over the dam. AT ? O'Clock
In the afternoon IA message was sent down
the valley, saying that the flood would
come during the night. A thick mist over.
hung the lake and the dam. At half past
/ at night loud crash was heard n cloud
of dust rose through the mist and rain and
the flood roarcd down the valley.
Just below the dam the wave rose eco
feet above the ordinary flood level. If this
wave had swept down Broadway, il would
have risen TO the cornices of some Of the
recent 20 story buildings Thirteen miles
below the dam the wave was 100 feet high,
and ~ miles below, at Srinagar, IL was AZ
feet above ordinary flood level, and at
Hardwar. $50 miles down the stream, at
the mouth of the valley, the wave was still
u feet high. Tho average speed of the
flood going down the valley in tho first 30
miles of its course was estimated Mt about
Is miles an hour, but in the upper IL
miles IL must have moved at rate of
over % miles an hour. In AZ hours TO-
coo, 000 600, 900 cubic feet Of water almost
two-thirds of tho whole contents of the
lake, were discharged. This mass weighed
more than 800, 600, 600, 600 tons.
Nothing could withstand that weight
moving at such speed. Rocks were
ground 20 dust. The town OF Srinagar
was entirely destroyed, with the rajah )
palace and the public buildings, and a
thick bed OF stones, sand and mud was de-
posted where the town had stood. All
the villages of the valley were swept Syay.
But, wonderful To relate, there was abso-
lutcly no loss of life except the Gohna
fakir and his family. This old fellow
scorned the warning Of the Christians,
wnd he and his family were twice forcibly
moved up the slope, but each time they re-
turned, to DO finally overwhelmed in the
food.
The whole cost Of the protective work
and the value of bridges and public prop.
erty destroyed amounted 10 1000, 900 ru.
rces The official value Of the rupee Ina
1894 was 80 cents, and therefore this sum
was equal To $500, 100. This does not In.
tlude the destruction Of private property.
of which no estimate has been made. IL