The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-07-10

AAuNtTblStT correspondence, RVDNliSht
by Frederic J. Haskin.)
The recent devastation Of cities and
farms by the waters of the Ohio, Mis-
souri,, Red and Kaw rivers places more
wildly before us the fact that the peo-
pie Of the United States lose by flood
each year an average of $l00,00O,O00.
A few weeks ago the 10000 inhabitants
of Armourdale, in Kansas City's pack
ing house district, had to abandon their
homes as the water backed in. Down
the valley of the Big Sioux 100000
acres of farm land were laid waste the
early part of June. Cedar City, Mis-
souri,. saw its population move out en-
masse when the Missouri River left it's
banks on June IA. Two-thirds of the
bottom lands within sight of Jefferson
City were under water, with wheat
fields swamped in from six to eighteen
inches of water,--a million dollars loss
to farmers. The usually harmless little
Shunganuga surrounded Topeka with
water on JRne 10, and wrought havoc
next only TO that of the food of 1908.
The Columbia, encouraged by heavy
rains and melting SHOWS in its head.
waters, rose until the pumping station
of Wenatchee, Washington, was carried
away, and lumber interests were great,
ly threatened. At Emporia, Kansas,
and communication with Spokane cut
the Neosha, and its tributary, the Cot
And so on through the list of floods
that have recently swept wide area
off for days.
leys of the Ohio and of the rivers on
of the country in the West, the low.
tonwood, brought the worst flood that
section has experienced. The far north
western flood plain suffered most. Con.
tinued rain and snow of early June days
set the rivers and creeks rushing from
their banks, telephone and telegraph
communications were cut off and trains
on the Northern Pacific were tied up
for ten days. Anaconda, Butte and
Helena were cut off from the rest of
the world, until the old time pony ex
iured to the extent of $4,000 or more
ed. At Missoula a giant mill was in
lands of Arkansas and Texas, the val
business operations in the city suspend
Mines in that region were closed and
press was revived to meet the situation
the Atlantic slope. In the trail of eact
overflow has come loss of property il
the shape of crops, homes and stock
and sometimes loss of life. In the trai
of all has come greater and more
abiding loss in the shape of erodet
mountain and hill-sides, corroded rive
banks and silt cholled river beds. AnC
greatest of all has come the great waste
of water that PUSHES unimpeded TOWARD
the seas, depriving the earth of thu
| 80, a
fall crops, defrauding the rivers of tn,
water necessary to maintain that ever
current and depth throughout the years
so necessary to the support of that grea
traffic which the nation hopes to Sc,
on her inland waterways.
| And the deplorable thing about ii
the thing which is sad commentar,
on our national thrift and intelligence
is that the greater part of this grea
waste and incalculable loss is our owl
fault. The headwaters of these over
flowing rivers lie among the mountain
which in the beginning of things wis
| Creator set with forests that were de
signed to conserve the winter snow
and vernal rains, and then release then
later through undergo und springs an
rivulets to the thirsty valleys below
The river courses lay through plains Sc
with trees and underground that woul
hold the water from an overflow an
keep it safe in the sponge of falle
leaves, the roots, and old logs, unit
such time as the winds or the sol
asked it again.
Man, in his misguided idea of pros
perity, is denuding the slopes of thei
trees as rapidly as human and mechani
cal agency can effect it, and when tn
SHOWS and heavy rain-water find n
abiding places as. in olden days, ant
rush down the valleys to bring dealt
and destruction in their wake, thi
same man sits and wonders at the dis
pensation of Providence that will s
interfere with his material prosperit,
and happiness! AS the first settler o
the country, the white man began tn
work of deforestation as protection t
his home from Indian ambush, and q
a means of acquiring tillable land. Lat
er he did it to acquire needed building
material, fuel, etc.
In the three centuries of his progress
as an axe-man and path-maker for CON
merce, he has in his ignorance increas
ed the flood evil from PRACTICAL
negligible volume to it's present start
ling strength. With Old World lesson
in flooded areas below naked hills fres
in his mind, he has nevertheless prove
little better than his Indian neighbor.
1t was the Indian who first deprive
America of part of her forests. Scien
lists tell us that the great prairies o
the West were once forest lands, fror
which the prehistoric American burne
the vegetation when gathering nuts
destroying trees on countless acre
through countless centuries. At TIL
foot of the Appalachians the fame
paused, because the vegetation wa
damper there and less easy to destroy
With the increase in floods comes tn
yearly increase in danger to the riparia
cities of the nation. The earliest elite
were naturally built on waterways t
secure the needed transportation facil
ties. Eighteen of Illinois twenty-0n
biggest cities are on rivers; fifteen O
Indiana IS eighteen biggest ones; nearl
all the leading ones of Missouri; an
two'thirds of those of Pennsylvania