The Washington herald., 1908-06-28
LOSS BY FLOODS AND FRESHETS

SHOWS and heavy rain-water find no
abiding places as in olden days, and rush
down the valleys to bring death and de-
struction in their wake. this same man
sits and wonders at the dispensation OF a
Providence that will so interfere with
his material prosperity and happinessi
AS the first settler OF the country, the
white man began the work Of defOresta-
tion as a protection to his home from
Indian ambush and as means Of ac-
quiring tillable land. Later he did il 10
acquire needed building material. fuel, &c
In the three centuries Of his progress
as an aXman and path maker for com
merce. he has in his ignorance increased
the food evil from a practically negli-
gible volume 70 its present startling
strength With Old World lessons in
flooded areas below naked hills fresh in
his mind. he has. nevertheless, proved 1T
tie better than his Indian neighbors II
was the Indian who first deprived America
Of part Of her forests. Scientists tell us
that the great prairies Of the West were
once forest lands. from which tine pre-
historic American burned the vegetation
when gathering nuts, destroying trees on
countless acres through countless centu-
ries At the foot Of the Appalachians the
flames paused because the vegetation
was damper there and less easy 10 de-
stroy.
With the increase in floods comes the
yearly increase in danger 10 the riparian
cities OF the nation. The earliest cities
were naturally built in waterways 70
secure the needed transportation facri-
ties Eighteen Of Illinois twenty-one
biggest cities are on rivers: fifteen OF
Indiana's eighteen biggest ones; nearly
all the leading ones of Missouri, and
two-thirds Of those Of Pennsylvania. over
half the populatin OF Iowa Is riparian
and in Ohio there are not over a half
dozen big cities in the uplands or 955
cities lying below the "faU line" Of
Eastern rivers between New England and
the Tooth meridian. 9A with an aggra-
gate population OF about 100000. are
river towns. All these cities. through
their churches. pray weekly for deliver
ance from war, pestience. fire. floor. and
femme. and through the exercise Of
modern Invention and discovery have
proved their ability 20 successfully com
bat All but one. The food problem has
not been met. and it grows bigger every
year.
Dwellers In these river towns and I'm
the valleys have learned 10 expect a
flood at periods Of three. FIVE. or. at
most ten years The more intelligent.
those who have really awakened To the
gravity Of the situation. are asking gov
ernment aid I'm defending themselves
against these floods They ask for the
great storage reservoirs al the head
waters of tho principal rivers. where the
surplus from thaWs and spring rains can
be held and sent down the rivers later.
or, IN the West. diverted 20 the ir~igs-
tion projects. They ask for the building
OF levecs and cut-offs on hood plains as
temporary measure. but. above all. they
are asking for a preservation OF the FOR
ests on mountain and hin. and a careful
refGsesting of all denuded slopes.
The total area OF the watershed or the
Mississippi is 12590l0 square miles. and
during great foods it discharges 100000
cubic feet Of water every second II
carries an allUvial deposit that has
formed new land from forty feet deep az
Omaha 10 600 feet deep below New or
leans. covering 5000 square miles.
surface the size OF the State Of Mon
tana with an average OF 10 feet OF al
luvial SOIL and using material stolen.
unchallenged from hills and farm lands.
The yearly decrease Of the habitable part
OF the whole earth IS reckoned az $500
square miles. II goes 20 the seas in the
form OF silt and much OF IL can be
charged 10 mans carclessness-
Floods come from early spring rains
falling on frozen ground. from the form
Ing Of sudden fee gorges in streams, from
unusual local rainfaIls from landslldes