The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-01-13
A MODERN MIRACLE.
THOUSANDS OF LIVES SAVED BY
COURAGE AND FORESIGHT.
How the British Authorities on the From
tier of India Prepared For . Tremen-
dous Flood-A Wonderful Calculation


dous Flood-A Wonderful Calculation
Showing When q Dam Would Break.
On the northwestern frontier of India,
in the TANKS of the Himalayas, is small
stream, the Birahi Gunga, q tributary Of
the Ganges. High up on this stream Is
tho little village of Gonna.
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 4, 200 feet above the bed
Of the stream. The dam which the ma
terial formed across the valley was about
900 feet high and 5000 feet long as meas
ured across the gorge. OF course the for
nation of this dam would convert the
stream above 1t into lake, and it was cal
oulated that when the water should reach
the level Of the top of the dam it would
cover an area of about l 1-3 square miles
and would contain about 1860, 600, 900
cubic feet Of water, about as much water
as could be carried in 500, 900 of the big
gest freight trains.
All of this was apparent to every one,
but back OF all 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 the
lake would I'll and the water would begin
to 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 trickling overflow ant' the
escape Of the mass Of the water probably
less than a day would elapse, possibly only
a very few hours. In fact, II hours after
tho first overflow did take place the great
flood was let loose.
That all this would happen was not
speculation. 1t 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 Gonna dam was IA times rs high
and 3H times as long as the Johnstown
dam, and the water held back was 20
times as much. From surveys they knew
water would come to fill the lake, and
from records they knew the ordinary rain
fall, and SO in the autumn of 1898 they
calculated that the overflow would begin
Aug. Is, 1894 1t actually began Aug. 20.
No doubt the officers intended to make the
error on the safe side and hardly expected
the overflow to take place as early as Aug.
Is. Having satisfied themselves when the
flood would take place, they began to pre-
pare for 1t. They built q telegraph line
from Gonna down the river $50 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 flood level and farther
down the valley 100 feet above floods.
These pillars wero established near oil vii
lagos and camping grounds and at inter
walls Of half a mile down the river. The
people were directed To retire above the
line of pillars when they should receive
warming of the food
Tho valley is not thickly peopled, but il
contains several villages and ono town,
which has population of 1000. 1t is,
however, famous resort for pilgrims, and
is studded with shrines, and streams of
devotees pass back and forth.
When they had done all they could, the
officers waited for the flood. At half past
@ OH the morning Of Aug. 25a little stream
began TO trickle over the dam. At clock
In the afternoon message was sent down
the valley, saying THAI tic Good would
como during the night. A thick mist over
hung the lake and the dam. At half past
III ut night loud crash was heard, cloud
of dust rose through the mitt and rain and
tho food roared down tho valley.
Just below the dam sbc wave rose ESQ
feet above the ordinary nsod loyelN II this
wave hal swept down Broadway, It would
heve rison TO the o,rnices of some OF the
recent 20 story buildings Thirteen miles
below the dam the wave vas 100 feet high,
and az miles below, ~ Srlnasar, 1t was ~
feot above ordinary flood klosel, and at
Hardwar, $50 miles down tho ssrean, IT
tho mouth OF the valley, tho wevo was stu |
III feet high. Ihe average speed o. The
food going down tho va.ley IN tho FIRST 20
miles OF us course was ost mated at about
Is miles on hour. but In tho upI r g
miles it must have showed Ls a rate OF
over q miks an hour.SIn 4 Y hours To-.
900, 900. QQo, COO cubic sct OF water, almost