The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-16
WHAT CAUSES FLOODS
Senate Committee Says They
are Due to Rainfall.
HOW TO PREVENT THEM
Is Too Big a Question
of the lefty System.

Washington. D. c., Dec. 15.-The senate
committee on commerce today agreed .
under the resolution of March, 1897, to in
! vestigate and report upon the floods in
the Mississippi river and their causes and
prevention. Teh subcommittee. consisting
of Senators Nelson, Elkins, Vest. Nc
Bride, Gallinger, Berry and Caffery, has
visited many points on the Mississippi and
its tributaries, taking testimony at var
ious points, and altogether giving the sub
| ject very careful attention. The report
was prepared and submitted by Senator
Nelson, as chairman of the subcommittee.
The committee say that the greatest and
most destructive floods have come from
the Ohio river, and were due to excessive
| rains, but Their tributaries have also con-
tributed 10 the volume of water which has
so frequently In times past submerged the
bottom lands OF the lower Mississippi.
TIMBER ON HEADwATERS.
The first important conclusion reached
is in regard to the cutting of timber at the
| headwaters of the streams. On this point
the committee says:
Nothing in the evidence or other data
obtained by your committee .discloses the
| fact that the destructionof the timber at
or near the headwaters of these river sys-
TENS tends to cause or promote the floods
| referred to. Where timber is cut down for
| purposes other than cultivation, the un-
der brush remains and grows more lux
| uriant than ever, and such underbrush
serves to retard rather than hasten the
movement of water on the slopes and hill
sides. And where timber is cut down for
purposes OF clearing and cultivation the
plowed area becomes an enlarged absorb
ant Of surface moisture. And it is a gen.
orally accepted opinion that the destruc-
ton of timber tends rather to diminish
| than to increase the rainfall"
RESERVOIRS IMPRACTICABLE
With reference to the five reservoirs in
the headwaters of the Mississippi, the
! committee saws:
They repress, to some extent. the floods
in the river bottoms above Lake Pepin,
and improve the navigation of the river in
low water down to that point but have no
material effect upon the floods or naviga-
| ton of the river below that point
Taking up the subject of reservoirs in
| general, the committee continue:
'"rhe evidence discloses no other points
on the upper Mississippi available for res
ervoir purposes. On the Missouri the only
point where sufficient holding ground could
be found for a reservoir of any magnitude
is on reach of the river above Great
40
high enough to bring the waters of the
| Missouri into the Milk river valley, would
be valuable for purposes of irrigation but
would have no material bearing on the
floods in the Mississippi river, nor on the
navigation of the Missouri river. The evil
dence. as well as the other data, discloses
that on the Ohio river, as we'll as its
main tributaries, where reservoirs could
act more directly on the floods than else
where. with the one exception of the St.
Francis basin, there are no suitable sites
or holding grounds where reservoirs could.
at any moderate or reasonable expense
and without working far-reaching and ex-
tensive damages, be constructed that
would at all be adequate to open up and
retain the great downpour from the In
Vulnerable mountain torrents during the
great freshets of January, February and
March,
LEVEES MUST BE HIGHER.
The committee present quite a compre-
hensive historical sketch of levees and Jet
ties in the Mississippi. With reference to
the levees, they say that experience Of 1897
indicates that complete enclosure Of all
the river basins vii ,require from three 70
four feet higher levees in Louisiana and
of from four to six feet OF the Yazoo
levees.
The committee conclude that no substan-
tial relief from the foods can be obtained
by means Of outlets; hence the further
conclusion that only through properly con-
structed levees can the proper relief he
secured. The committee furnishes an esti-
mate OF the cost OF completing the levee
system from the head OF 81. Francis basin
TO the head OF the passes. putting the
figure at from SIS, GOO 600 to $50 900 on and
the time necessary at from four 10 five
years. The opinion is expressed that with
this expenditure levees sufficiently high
and strong TO afford complete protection
could be assured.
JETTIES AND DREDGES BEST.
Inc STATE l1aL good results
in assisting navigation have been obtained
from dredging with the new style hydrauI-
ic dredges. which have proved very ef-
fective, and recommend that ample provi-
sion be made for continuing this work
Speaking Of the revetment work. they
say:
In view Of the great cost. especially
great in view of the results it seems that
it would be more judicious TO limit revs:-
ment work TO levee and harb0r protection.
Contraction. by means OF jetties. dkes and
dams. supplemented by dredging. seems 70
have given the best results az least cost.
There Is no doubt that revetments are very
efficacious. but the cost is so immense that
us systematic application IS scarcely war
-3atei"
SOUTH PASS NOT Up To DATE
Speaking Of the jetties in South Pass.
the committee say that neither these nor
the training dIkes nor mattress slIls have
been kept up 30 the condition they were IN
1879. but have been allowed 70 diminish
and deterioriate and as consequence the
channel has not been maintained withou;
considerable dredging
Hence they reach the conclusion: ION
the whole il appears that. although the
jetties have accomplished much good and
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