The Opelousas courier., 1904-07-23
how FLOODS ARE FOUGHT.
WEsTERNERs COMBINE EFFORTS
AGAINST A COMMON ENEMY.
Banks Built Of Earth In Boss-Many
Devices Resorted to for the Purpose,
of Diverting the Rush of Water
Weaving a Big Mattress.

Weaving a Big Mattress.
The great floods which have proved
so disastrous in Michigan, Indiana, Il
lionis and other parts of the West
are largely due to the formation of
the country. Any one who has trav-
eled through the middle West knows
that for miles and miles the railroad
lines are built over prairie and other
land which does not contain a piece
Of stone the size Of a hens egg. The
southern part of Indiana and Illinois,
as well as Michigan, also contain
large areas Of lowland swamps or
marshes in the United States. Con-
sequently the beds of many of The
rivers are composed Of loose mJI erial,
which is easily washed out, andnlSthe
natural banks offer but little resist
ance to the food currents. This is
shown by the fact that in many places
the sides of the channels are carried
away, making great gaps through
which the water flows, inundating
farm land and forming inland lakes.
Therefore, high water in the West
ern river mean far more to the peo-
pie in the vicinity than in New Eng
land, for example, where SO many of
the streams flow owe the beds which
have been followed out of the rock
in some instances, and where the
sides of the channels are so strongly
protected by nature that no artificial
work is needed Only those who
have seen the effect of a food in the
West realize the ravages which it can
cause and for this reason the resi-
dents in the vicinity of a water course
which is liable to break its bank, or
ganize themselves into a sort of COM
mittee of the whole to look out for
breaks and to make repairs. When
the water has reached q height where
it is considered dangerous, the alarm
is given and every man able to handle
shovel hastens to the weak spot. II
the stream is a large one, fiat boats
are often used to aid in protecting the
banks. II stone of any kind a be
procured, they are loaded with this
material, hauled to the scene of opera
tons, where the volunteer workmen
remove the material and crudely
fashion it into breast works, as they
might be IAN ID, along the top Of the
bank. Sometimes the stone is placed
in masses of brush wood cut from the
nearest trees, in order to hold 1t to-
gether more firmly, but as already
stated, the middle West is a country
where stone cannot always be obtain
ed, so the custom which is followed
by the levee protectors in the South,
Of using sand bags, Is in vogue to a
considerable extent. Anything in the
shape of a bag which will hold sand,
flour sacks, cement bags, etc., are fill
ed from the nearest sand pit, although
sometimes even this cannot be pro-
cured and ordinary dirt is substituted.
This sort of protection, however, Will
resist the force OF the flood current
about as effectually as the sand bag
forts have protected garrisons from
the musketry of the enemy. They
can be filled so easily that a few men
can load a boat with them in a com
paratively short time and built in walls
three or four feet high they have
often prevented q very serious break
in an embankment.
The ordinary shovel Is also a very
effective weapon in food fighting in
the West, and the residents of the low
lands are experts In throwing up walls
of earth when their fields and gar.
dens are in danger Of being over
flowed. Many a disaster Of this kind
has been only averted by hundreds
of men working not only all day but
all night, relieving each other in
shifts. raising the natural wall con
fning the stream as rapidly as the
waters have increased In height. IN
cases of emergency convicts are also
pressed into service, working sid by
side with the free men.
The Western rivers have q trick o
eating underneath the bank, and
sometimes have broken from their
bounds in this way before the watch
ers realized that any serious damage
was being done. Here timber WORK
comes in very handy IL it can be bull
strongly enough to keep from beins
washed away. II the stream is moi
too deep, planking a be driven init
the bottom and packed UP with sane
bags. brushwood and any other "fii
ing. which is convenient, while 1t II
also REINFORCED by beams extending
from the earth bank, their shore end
being firmly imbedded In the bank
These crude Golfer dams, as the!
might be called, are often used tt
keep back the water while the EN-
bankment itself 10 being raised ant
strengthened. The pile driver is alst
q great aid in fighting the floods II
this part of the country, and as on tn
Mississippi, q number OF floating PHI
drivers are kept on the larger streams
When there is danger Of q break the.
are taken to the spot and q row o
tree trunks or branches, or posslDi.
rails from the nearest renee, II n
other timber is available. are driver
into the bottom OF the water cours'
in an obliaue direction from the NOR
II no4 parallel with 1t. This serves T
divert the force while it does no al
rect1y restrain the flood water, an,
IN many instances has prevente'
ridasnread disaster.