The Washington herald., 1908-06-28

, and Ike phenomena. but the usual ones
come from the lack Of means for holding
the early spring waters on the mountain
sides The floods Of the Missouri and
Mississippi usually last longest. some
times from January to July. because Of
the slow advance of the sun over the
widely diversified headwaters Those Of
the Ohio. the most terrible on the
earth's surface" are usually precipitated
suddenly by the releasing Of all the
snov al once in the headquarters which
lie parallel to the equator The water
released, forms volume 100 feet high.
600 feet wide. and 800 feet long. TO be
hurled suddenly at civilization.
Last spring the loss caused by the Ohio
floods aggregated over S10000O.OOO. about
one-ffth Of the sum that Congress would
have 10 appropriate to purchase the whole
Appalachian system Of river headwaters,
and establish enough reservoirs TO hold
the spring surplus, and protect billions
OF collars worth Of property indefinitely
The Geological Survey shows that the
How OF 1850 square miles. or So per cent.
OF the drainage area Of The Monongahela
can be stored. and released I'm dry
weather to increase the depth OF the
channel six feet and incidentally protect
Putsburg F0restatiOn there e-... =, other
watersheds OF the East would cause q
storage OF from four TO six inches more
water annually. A minimum of .. SEQ O00
horsepower is developed in these head
waters every year and, according 70 the
Geological Survey, 50 per cent or more is
aFaliablc for economic uses and would
brlng a rental Of S2sel0000 BY storing
the spring floods and releasing them for
deepening the water I'm the river enor-
nous sums for dredging and improving
river beds would be- saved The govern
ment has spent S3OC6O000 improving the
rivers OF the Appalachian system and is
spending S6,0@o00 more. expecting TO in
crease the 100000 tons Of freight Skinned
annually over water routes to a much
greater amount
Floods bear a direct relation 10 bust
ness depression. and the relation 10.
human suffering. property loss. and
spread Of disease Is vital During the 1907
spring food. 10000 working people in
Pittsburg were rendered idle for an aver.
age period OF a week. and MANY were
homeless. The foods OF 1877. 1852. and 1SS2
were followed down the Mississippi Val
Icy by cholera and other epidemjcs In
the spring Of 1913. 100000 acres of land
were laid waste in the West and $4,000
0o worth Of property DESTROYED. In 1901
and again I'm 1902. the Southern An
paiachian district lost 100000 In 1883
the loss 20 Cincinnati alone was 81 .5d0O00
and the Mississippi Valley suffered 10 the
extent Of &1oO."'o The flood OF 1897 cost
the valley S5.0o100. while the food IN
the Monongahela Valley cost Western
Pennsylvania Sl.CoG00
The lesson a the old World Is before
us. Southern Europe and Asia are as
skeletons Of former selves. for each nation
in turn has given its forests TO mis-
guided civlIizcrs. Northern Africa. once
having a climate OF our Gulf States. IS
now % per cent sterile. Greece Is be-
coming more barren, Sicily is typhus-in-
tested. France had been damaged 10 the
extent Of untold millions before she un-
dcrtoOk 10 aff0rest her hills The Rhone.
the Po, the AdiEe, the Ebro the Guadal-
Quivir and the Martha. localities where
floods We're almost unknown in the
worlds dim dawn. now annually threaten
20 depopulate their valleys. Storage res
crvoirs have recently been tried by
various European countries 70 conserve
the food waters. but an, with the United
States. viii eventually be driven 70 the
plan Of Mchmet Ali. Of Abyssinia who
set out 15o0o.0o0 trees on his barren hills
over half a century ago 10 hold the
foods and redeem his country.
Copyright 1905. by Frederic j. Hassinl
Tomorrow - National Educntion
Association.