The Detroit times., 1909-04-03

less OF a spring food. They know
about foods in Pittsburg. where one
section of the city is flooded every
year. For weeks every year people
live on the second floor, and go shop
ping In boats.
Levees are being planned to hold
the food or water back from the city
: In Pittsburg. The damage amounts
10 appalling figures. The lower parts
OF the Ohio river do not see so de-
structive a food, though along Cincin-
natl there Is a flood every few years.
The head waters OF the Missouri
and Mississippi treat the surrounding
country to an annual bath. The ice
and snow of Minnesota and the Da-
kotas melts and pours down through
the tortuous channels OF the Missis-
sippi and the residents have to climb
trees and G. O. ID. for help.
Most OF the larger American rivers
fow to the south. Consequently the
farther north the tributaries OF the
river take their source, the more snow
and Ice there is TO come out. Other
wise the water would slide out like a
hand from a glove.
It's spectacular thing-this break
ing up of the winter ice jam. Still.
the people who are driven from their
homes by II can't get enthusiastic over
this
The first rush OF shattered ice cakes
down a river is sight like the rap
ids OF Niagara. The mass sweeps past
with the noise OF a dozen express
trains, grinding. creaking. believing
tossing high in the air great pieces Of
ice and spouts of water. Perhaps at
first the ice cuts a channel for itself
only through a narrow lane in the cen
ter of the stream.
But even with the almost resistless
force OF the spring freshet behind IT,
the broken ice seldom reaches the
outlet without interruption. II is these
Interruptions which the property own
crs on the river bank most dread; for
frequently they result in great ice
Jams that hold back the water and
greatly increase the extent OF the
Hood.
Ice gorges," as they call them, may
result from any one. or all, of three
causes: So long as the river channel
10 deep and straight the only obstruc-
ton Ia stretch of unusually hard ice
that refuses to give way and checks
the progress OF the whole mass above
Or sharp bend in the bank or sand
bar may stop the advance.
When a few cakes are once firmly
/. lodged others gather around them
with increasing rapidity. The barrier
soon extends from shore TO shore.
Then the river begins TO rise. Other
ice cakes are thrown against those
already lodged until solid wall grows
to the bottom. The force of the food
pressing against its upper face YIELDS
the mass more firmly together.
But the river cannot stop. Some
how IL must find it's way to the sea.
Unless the fee dam gives way the
water .'sets back" until 1t finds an
outlet through one of the banks. Then
IL .pours around the obstruction and
ranges. the country. Eventually IL
finds It's way back into the main
channel
on occasions, notably on the Hud.
son, they have tried ice boats to ram
a passage through the gorge. But the
ice boats, though built of steel,
crumpled before the mass of ice.
Dynamits has been tried with only
partial success. The ice. though 1t
held SO firmly, was not solid enough
to give the powder sufficient resist
ance. Fire Companies from western
city once played hot water on the
mass of ice, but the progress was too
show 10 be, practicable.