The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-28
FL GODS AND FRESEIETl'S

} FRESI he S /
gravity OF tho situation nre asker.
sa,,,s aid in defending them them.
selves against tlleso floods They ask
ea st 81 tbo rsssrxGira e. the
spring rains usRrua 81 ,rG bo,a aH am. and
d diEwnI tho rivers later. tr, in tie west,
Th yelte ALL g ro the !, Irrigation projects
and cut-offs on nood. plains as a tenn
pordry measure. but. above all they
h 1os. !. asking y ms Tor preservation Of the
careful careful pe mo44jntaI and hin ana
slopes. ND #. : - 'Snuusu
q th,s = Mtsslsssipplz Is i,s5s:ooo squaTs
charges 100000 csbie.fee aooa f'wa a.sr
every. second. It carries an Il ,lnvial
deposit that, has formed new. land iron,
10 !, rect &c, deep at Omaha 70 400 feet
goo 90 square miles, a surface the size OF q
the state OF Montana. With an average
2, 2, !, iI9 5ees Gf alluvial soil, and using
ii,min 11s'nni stolen unchallenged, from
crease Of tho habtnble part .of the
whole earth is reckoned at $500 square
miles m s;,t + sEoeslto the seas in the form
20 IN mans narelessncss.-
!. i,io come from early spring rains
Ealing on frozen ground, from tho
s s1frmlns e. 2rnn sudden Ice gorges IN
from 1nndsildes and like phenori ena, (
but the usual ones como from the lack
OF means Tor, holding the early spring
waters on the mountain. sides. The
hoods OF the Missouri and Mississippi
usually last longest sometimes from
January to July. because OF the slow
advance Of the sun over the widely
dlhysrsgsd hsadwatsss Those Of the
surface. are usually precipitated sud-
denly by the releasing OF all5the SHOWS
at once In the head-wateEs which ITO
leased forms a Volume 100 90 feet s' high.
600 feet Wide and 500 feet long. to DO
hurled suddenly at civilization.
Last spring the loss caused by the>
900. about one-nfth OF the sum that
Congress would have to appropriate TO
purchase the whole Appalachian sys.
tenn Of river head-waters. and estab-
spring! surplus and protect millions OF
dollars. worth of property indefinitely
The Geological Survey shows that tho
cent Of Tho drainage area Of tho
Monongahela. can be stored and re-
leased In dry weather to increase the
depth OF the channel six feet. and In
3
t!on there and mother watersheds Q.
the East would cause storage of
from four to six inches more water an
nually. A minimum Of 2.S00.000 horse-
waters every year. and. according to
the Geological Survey. so per cent. or
more is available for economic uses.
and would bring rental. of s2s. 100000
BY storing the spring foods and res
leasing them for deepening the water
In the river. enormous sums for dredg-
Ing and improving river beds would BIO
100000 Improving the rivers Of the Ap-
pnlachian system and Is spending $685.
100000 more. expecting to increase the
15.0 100000 tons OF freight shipped. an
nually over water routes to much
greater amount.
Floods benr a direct relation to bust.
ness depression. and the relation TO
human suffering. property loss and and
1907 spring flood 100000 working. PEG.
pie In Pittsburg were rendered Idle for
an average period OF week. and many
Use anG down s H.
Mississippi Valley by cholera and other
epidemics. In the spring Of 1903.
100000 acres OF land were laid waste
property destroyed. In 1901 and again
In 1902. the Southern Appalachian dis.
trlct lost $1oooo.0oo. In. 1883 the loss
to Cincinnati alone was 81, 500 oo0, ana
extent OF $50. 900 900. The flood Of 1887
cost the valley s15.0o0,0 100. while the
flood In the Monongahela Valley cost
Western Pennsylvania $1,000 900,
The lesson OF the Old World Is be-
fore us. Southern Europe and Asia are
as skeletons Of former selves, for each
nation In turn las given Its forests to &
misguided civllizers. Northern Africa.
once having q climate Of our VI !. e G ~
Greece is accoming more barren: Sicily
IN typhus-infested: France had been
damaged TO the extent OF untold nils
lions before she undertook to afforest
her hills. The Rhone. the Pos the
Adige, the 5Fbro. the Guadalnuiyer aud
the Martha, localities. where foods were :.
almost unknown In the worlds aim
dawn, now annually threaten to depop-
ulate their t9rage res ,a y, a's
European countries to conservet the
Hood waters. but all, with the United
states, will eventually be driven to. tho
plan OF Mehmet All of Abyssinta, I who
Set out is, 100000 trees on his barren &
hIils over half a century az Q to held
the floods md redeem his country.
II opyright, / OS, by Ere deric y. Haskln.) *