Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-10-01
DAMAGE BY FLOOD
THREE SQUARE MILES COVERED
BY WATER IN oTTuMWA.
CONTRACTION OF WATER CHANNELS
Government Report Soon to Be Issued
Upon Damage Done by Recent Flood
in Upper Mississippi VaIIey-Total
Estimate $40, 100000.

Three square miles within the city
limits of Ottumwa overlooked by the
flood of last June is the es-
innate of local engineer A govern
ment report soon to be issued from
the United States weather bureau pre-
pared by DR.. Frankenfeld. member
of the bureau, estimates that in the
city of Des Moines seven square miles
were covered by water in the same
flood.
This forthcoming report will show
that the spring floods of 1908 in
the Missouri, the Des Moines,
and Kaw rivers and upper
Mississippi were the most destructive
in the history of the country and
were the greatest in the volume of wa
ter, with the exception of 1874. The
fact that lesser volume of water in
1903 created greater havoc is due to
the narrowing of the channels of the
river by the march of civilization UP
and down the water courses and the
reclamation of lowlands.
Popular Opinion Wrong.
DR.. Frankenfield corrects an er-
roneous popular impression that for
ests make rains. He says that while
they do not make rains, they are val
liable in that they retain the moisture.
In recent years the denuding of the
forests makes it possible for the wa
ter to reach the water courses much
quicker than when there were extern
sive forests. This causes quicker ris-
es in the water courses and enlarges
the possibilities of destruction.
Contraction Causes Damage.
In support of the assertion that
there was a greater volume of water
in the flood of 1874 than in that at
Kansas City of this year, Dr. Fank-
enfield says that the water was two
feet higher at Kansas City than this
year and three and half feet higher
at ST. Louis. Recent years have seen
the river at Kansas City reduced in
width from 1000 to LOO feet. This
illustrates the contraction of the
water course and the resultant in
crease in the speed of the current.
There were sixteen bridges swept
from their foundations by the Kaw
river during this years flood. Some
of these were not more than 400 feet
long and this is further illustration
of the contracting of the courses of
streams. Present day construction of
bridge approaches is tending all the
time in the direction of solid embank-
ments of masonry and these have the
effect of a dam. This increases the
back water and the height of the
stream at these points.
Total Loss From the Floods.
The report asserts that the total
loss from the floods in the upper river
was in round numbers $4,000, 900.
This is neither speculative nor an
estimate, but is based upon actual in
yestigation by the observers of the
weather bureau. The loss in the vi
entity of Topeka, Des Moines, and
Kansas City was largely to crops,
railroad rights of way and bridges,
and to the commercial interests along
the river. A loss of Sill 100000 was
sustained between Hannibal and ST.
Louis on the Mississippi, and between
Alton and Kansas City on the Mis-
souri,. The loss in the immediate vi
entity of Kansas City was $11, 500, 900.
All Interests Suffer.
Usually the agricultural interests
suffer the greatest from the flood, but
DR.. Frankenfield remarks that the
high water of this year distributed it's
ravages with impartiality. The farming
interests sustained about third of the
loss, the railroads another third and
the balance was to the commercial in
terests of cities and the loss of per-
sonal property. The loss from the
destruction and damaging of bridges
alone amounted to over $T50O0O. The
total area OVERLOOKED by the spring
floods was $500 square miles. AS
large an area has been overfiowed be-
fore, but with less disastrous results.
This year 100000 acres of land in the
american, bottoms opposite st. Louis
from Alton to the kaskaskia river
were overlooked.
One Million Acres Submerged.
In the state Of Missouri alone about
100000 acres were submerged. The
floods were severe tests to the levee
system. On the Mississippi side the
levees were badly broken from about
Warsaw to Hamburg. The Hunt, Lii
ma, Lake, Indian Grove and Sny levees
suffered severely. The three first ran
from Warsaw to the bluffs at Quincy
and the Sny continues the chain to
Hamburg for about fifty miles. The Sc
we're test applied to the shy levee de-
monstrated its superiority for that
1t had serious break in only one
place and that was where the Alton
railroad uses it as right of way to
get into Louisiana
The Skunk river levee broke, putting
$4,000 acres of land under water. DIR.
Frankenfeld says that a good portion
of the water was drained off the land
in time for late seeding and raising of
fair cops. He comments on the great
commercial loss because of the over
flowing of large portions of the cities
of Kansas City, Topeka and Des
Moines. While this is not generally
known he asserts that in the city of
Des Moines seven square miles were
overfowed.