Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-12-01

equally effective in promoting the
other. fs s4 3$1@gs5 Ss& '&sEss%>.
The low water flow of any stream
determines its capacity, either for
power or for navigation, and the varia-
ton in the most of our rivers is sur,
prising. Take for instance such a
well known river as the, Susquehanna.
For several months each year it's flow
is around about i, 900 cubic feet per
second, while in times of flood it.
frequently passes the 100000 feet per
second mark; in other words it flows
in one day what it would otherwise
discharge In three or four months.
For power or navigation purposes,
this excessive flow is worse than use
less. And in-the case of general floods
along the various rivers which en-
PITY into the Mississippi and the Mis-
souri,, the aggregate swollen discharge
of hundreds of such large rivers and
of thousands of smaller streams is
enormous. 5Etssts ~
Great Value of Storage.
The intelligent storage of these
flood waters in a thou sand natural
reservoirs or lakes at the head waters,
would reduce these floods to entirely
*saIe bounds, while at the same time a
vast supply of stored water would re-
suit which would later be let down
into the various river channels to be
converted into power and to maintain
Manageable stream flows. ~ !. ss%S / 81
The erosion and waste Of good soil
by reason Of deforestation and the
lack of storage is another evil of
large proportions; but one which can
lbe remsdied. The washing away of
farm fertility is, as the president
says, greater than all the other land
taxes borne by the farmer. The Miss
issippi alone sweeps away thousands
of acres annually Of its richests delta
lands, the value of this mortgage run
ming into the millions of dollars. But
the Mississippi lands are not the only
ones depleted by flood. Some OF the
| silt carried by the father Of waters
comes from the crests of the Alleg,
henies, augmented by the wash from
every farm 10 the great Mississippi
Valley and its tributary valleys. Di.
rector Newell, OF the reclamation ser.
vice, estimates that each year "a vol.
ume of earth, represented by one
square mile, 400 feet in depth, is
thrown into the Mississippi river.
Improvements WortE, Hundreds Of
| Millions. III
AS a nation, we are undoubtedly
nearing q position where, despite the
great cost of such work as outlined,
lit will be determined the part Of
wisdom to undertake 1t. The expense
would be heavy, but the benefits would
be disproportionately greater. Floods
are destructive and expensive and
their aboIishment would increase
property values hundreds Of millions
Of dollars; the wasted power, due to
the lack Of stream control is loss
annually Of hundreds Of millions, while
the lack Of water transportation which
we should have is actually costing
the people every year hundreds of mil
lions OF dollars more. It lis not to be
doubted that the benefits which would
result under these three heads would
| be of far greater value than the
amount of the expenditure necessary
10 make the impossible. IN other
words, our ecotlcmists and engineers
are looking toward the day when ouf
rivers shall become as certainly and
effectively managed as Is the water
Id the distribution pipes of i medern
city IL Is The highest conception d
streams management that tt shell