Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-05
PROTECTION FROM FLOODS
Measures to Be Taken to Prevent Damage
Along Missouri Bottoms
GOVERNMENT AND INDIVIDUALS AT WORK
Large Amount of Work Laid Out to
ForestaIl the Recurrence OF De-
structivc Floods Each Re-
curing Season.
GOVERNMENT AND INDIVIDUALS AT W0

SIOUX CITY, June 4.-(special During
their recent visit in Sioux City Congress
men Gamble and Burke of South Dakota
held an important conference with Captain
j. C. Sanford, engineer in charge of the gov
ernment Improvement work of the upper
Missouri The purpose was to enlist the aic
of the government in the proposed work Of
protecting large part of the bottom LANDS
between Sioux City and Yankton from
serious damage on account of overflow from
the Missouri and the collection of large
amounts of water thereafter in wet seasons
like the present. 1t is estimated that a
tract of country nearly fifteen miles long
and from four to five miles wide could be
put beyond the possibility of injury however
high the river might rise or however great
the precipitation might be.
Already there has been something like a
concerted movement among the large farm
and ranch owners in the vicinity of Yer.
million, Meckling and Gayvlle, S. D., to
improve the drainage of the section and the
management of the Chicago, Milwaukee &
St. Paul Railway company has likewise been
interested in the same enterprise.
The government will be asked to construct
levees at certain points where at high water
the river has the readiest access to the bot
tom lands. Captain Sanford has been re-
quested to make an inspection of the country
Immediately along the river between the
mouths of the James and the Vermilion IN
order that the chief engineer at Washing
ton may be able to know the probable cost
Of the levee and so that Congressman
Gamble and Burke may have sufficient data
as basis for their request for an appropria
ton. 1t Is believed that the work can be
done for very few thousand of dollars, bu,
Of
until survey shall be completed
Damage to Railroads.
The great damage which floods have
caused to the tracks OF the Milwaukee Rail
way company by overflow of the Missouri
at different times within the last few sea
sons has been on account of the soaking of
the roadbed by water standing along the
track, and cutting the grade as it was lashed
by the wind. The trouble is not so much
that the tide of water during an inundation
carries the track away as it is that the
grade soaks and crumbles by reason of the
water not being allowed to escape through
proper drainage. And, furthermore. after
the soil has been soaked by an overflow sub
sequent rainfalls accumulate a surplus
which otherwise might have run into the
ground or disappear by evaporation. The
plan proposed by the Milwaukee company is
to raise its track a few feet for several
miles through the section which heretofore
has so frequently suffered damage. con-
siderable portion of the ordinary grade will
be surplanted by trestle work especially
along the lower stretches so that the road
bed would cease to act as a dam in hold
ing the flood from a free exit to the nat
ural streams.
Several of the townships affected by the
flood have already procured or are negotiat-
ing for graders and ditchers with which
it Is proposed to reconstruct their highway
system. Heretofore the public roads have
usually run harth and south leading from
the upland to the market towns on the bot
tom. 1t is Low planned to construct roads
running east and west with ample culyert
facilities and with bitches alongside of
the highway SO that there may be ready
drainage into Clay creek and Vermilion
river. The natural fall of the land toward
the east is about one foot to the mile, and
1t is figured that continuous and open
bitches would promptly drain tens OF thou
sands OF acres that occasionally in seasons
of flood have to be allowed to lie fallow
On top of these enterprises of a public
character many Of the heavy land owners
are interesting themselves In private pro-
jects to be undertaken in connection there
with. Among these are C. n. Taylor Post
master Schrader and others at Mecklng;
Messr. Bagstad and Jackson Of Gayvllle
Lee Governor Lee) e. Prentiss and Inman
& Thompson of Vermlion, John A. Hinzey
OF Chicago, owner OF the great Hinzey ranch;
Mr.. Doe of Minneapolis and several other
resident and nonresident owners of large
interests.