The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-01-21

able mischancea accepting the conse-
qucnt losses with such philosophy as
they are able to summon, yet most
of the floods could nevertheless be
prevented by intelligent effort, and
the avoidance Of such an effort shows
an Incidence and an improvidence
that would not be tolerated in the
smaller affairs of life. Engineers who
have investigated the conditions say
floods can be prevented and we think
they should.
The ideal remedy for floods, ac-
cording to the engineers of the sur
vey, lies in the creation of conditions
on the surface of the earth that will
prevent the rapid passage of rain or
the water formed by the melting of
snow or ice into the channels of the
streams; that is, the earth's surface
must be kept in a porous condition,
so that the water will be absorbed
and held as by a sponge and allowed
to pass slowly into the streams.
Throughout the eastern and by far
the greater part Of the western up
lands this porous condition is main
tanned by natural processes.
Wherever it is lacking in this part
of the country the fault may be LAID
at the door of mankind. Vegetation
is the great agent that produces po-
rosity of soil, and the most effective
form of vegetation for the restora-
ton of surface flow is forest cover.
The earth is kept in loose condi-
ton by the roots of trees, shrubs,
and other plants, and the mass of
fallen leaves, twigs and bark that
litters the ground is even more ab-
sorbent than the soil itself. The sur
face is protected from the direct
rays Of the sun by the foliage on the
trees and plants.
The next requisite is the construc-
ton of reservoirs to retain the wat
ers so that they may be useful dur
ing seasons of low water. In the
course of a year a river passes
through all stages from high to low,
but there is a certain range of stage
above and below which it does not
persist for any considerable period.
For many of the streams of the
United States the engineers of the
survey have definitely determined
this range, and the work on still
other streams is in progress. The
reservoir serves to catch the surplus
water that would form the flood,
hold it over during the intermediate
stages of the river, and discharge it
into stream during seasons of ex-
treme deficiency.
In contending for this method of
stream control the engineers of the
survey maintain that the logical way
to control a river is to control it's
source of supply; that nearly all riv-
ers of the United States can be read
lily controlled by the construction of
storage reservoirs on the headwaters
streams; that the way to prevent
floods is to use these reservoirs to
catch and temporarily hold the flood
waters, so that they will not descend
upon the lower valleys in large VOL
ume; that on most streams it is un-
desirable to attempt to control floods
by endeavoring to confne the water
between high and expensive levees,
and that the ultimate cost of such
conservation of waste waters will
appear nominal when compared with
the enormous benefits conferred,
these benefits being applied to water
power and to irrigation as well as to
flood prevention and navigation.
SUNDAY was the birthday of Gen.