The Honesdale citizen. [volume] (Honesdale, Pa.) 1873-1908, 1908-08-27
SAVING WATER WASTE
Movement to Conserve Supply Of
Natural Moisture.
WATERWAY CoNTR0L URGED.
Professor ReGec Says Cooperation Ct
Congress and States In This Wsr'
Would Add TO the Nations Wealth.
Our Annual Rainfall Lr1s3i0c.

Would Add TO the Nations Wealth.
Our Annual Rainfall kr,sei0c.
Two hundred u,.t,a ,I.r feet "i
water uu an average ru.> on thr sur
face OF Tia, United state. t'Hry %rar'
This startling siltcEuu, N.s made by
Dr. w. J. Niece, syCrc.d.y If the In
land Waterway Cynu.S lon ana an
expert connected with the lrioau Of
coils Of the dcuartm. 1T Of agriculture
This is not II haphazorl statement
on the part OF one whose original re-
search has made his name familiar to
scientists the whole world over hut
was mndc In the course Of an inter.
view which had for Its primary object
O better knowledge Of the conservation
Of water and It's uses for the benefit
OF mankind.
Two hundred trillion cubic feet or
water" said Professor McGce, "is to
the average mind but two and lot Of
ciphers. TO be more explicit, It equals
about ten Mississippls, and that vol.
ume Of water Is the entire basis OF
our prosperity.
''The United States has IN area Of
100000 square miles, but that area
could be cut directly In twain, and with
the same amount OF rainfall We could
sustain the same population that we
have today, conduct the same enter
pr,ses and raisc the same products.
condition which do not believe most
people appreciate. We know very
well. II We stop 10 consider, that the
market price or any commodity Is de-
pendent on tn water supply. We buy
land In Tho ctHtr'I half Of the United
States and say that there are -" many
acres in this parcel or in that. Int In
reality we buy wlt"r. This Is funda-
mental. Water Is the first Of our re-
sources. 1t IS the natural rcaplvcnt.
1t Is power. fertility, everything. And,
being Fundamental. values begin with
the water supply.
"With tho ten Mlsslssippis falling
upon the land of the United states
every year. two Mississippis RUN of.
Thus one-lifth of the waterfall from
the heavens flows into the sea. of the
eight MlssisSippis remaining about
five Mississippis are absorbed, passing
off into the air. to be precipitatcd
again and again. \ fraction In part
passes into the earth and slowly
reaches tho oceans, while another frac-
ton is consumed, passing into chem
ical combinations, such as plant
growth, etc.
what we want to do Is to mini
mize the waste OF water md max
imlze the benefits which must accrue
TO the citizens and country by proper
conservation Of water supply. II we
30 control the water that the rivers
shall fiow In uniform stagc we Will
solve the problem OF inland navigation
and make tho United States richer 10y
thousand per cent than 1t Is to-
day. In or,'nr TO do this we must
equallze the Of the streams Mt the
heads Of T.! ,vcrs. and this may be
done by dams and reservoirs and sci
entiflc cultivation OF the soil along the
courses of both streams and rivers.
Tho levees Of the lower Mississippi
have done n magnificent work. but the
prevention Of floods is better far than
all tho levees in the world.
'"What We want to do Is to get back
to nature in dealing with water, fist,
to prevent floods, and, second, to com
pei the water to run clear and pure.
It Is O fact that each year the rivers
OF tho mainland Of the United States
pour into the sea q thousand million
tons of richest soil matter In the form
Of suspended sediment, an impost
| greater than all our land taxes com
| bined and q commensurate injury TO
| commerce In the lower rivers, which
are rendered caprlclous and difficult
OF control by the unstable load.
| "The difference IN the power value
ulonc between controlled and uncon-
trollcd streams would In ten years pay
tho entire cost OF stream control In the
United States. And this. coupled with
me billion dollars loss every year
through soil erosion. due to floods
would construct comprehensive sys
TEN Of water control In the United
States
at sccms 10 mo. In view OF thest
statements. taat congress should an
thorizc tic ccatrul over the waters n
order that this wealth might contrib
ute a thouSl, lfoll t" mans happi
ness and prosperity Ho'h the fclcra
government nul The states hay,
shruY.: from arsuHin; control over In
land waters bc,uaGs" '''y have hy'i
fearful of invading each others r.Gh'-
What We should aim to d. Is t. SO c'
ordinate the work on the principle u
the greatest good to III" greatest mum
Der for the longest time. ana n com
| prchenslvc policy, such ~ j. urged -,