The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-04-10

The recent flood in the Seine at Paris
has been noted with great interest By
American engineers. especially in con-
nection with the several projects pro-
posed for preventing 1amage by similar
floods in the future
The Seine is the fourth largest river in
France. ranking in size below the Loire,
the Rhone. and the Garonne. It's drain
age basin (3o570 square miles, is larger
than that Of the Susquehanna 90 400
square miles) or Of the Sacramento 81 10l
square miles,.
Paris. however. stands 30 miles above
the mouth OF the Seine, measured along
its course, and the area drained by the
river above the city is only about 1850
square miles.
The mean discharge OF the Seine at
Paris is about 1900 cubic feet per second
cor. as engineers phrase il. second
feet; its greatest discharge in the food
of 1876 was $500 second-feet; its dis
charge at the height Of the recent food
January q, 1870 is reported to have
been 800 second-feet. This is less than
one-eighth the flood flow Of the Susque-
hanna in 1879 Cg0000 secoHd-feeU and
less than one-ffth the flood flow of the
Potomac at Washington in The same
year $4,000 second-feep, when boats
were padded along Pennsylvania avenue,
in the heart of the city.
The Seine at Paris runs between stone
walls i'm a channel that is spanned by
many bridges. The width of this channel
may be seen by noting that the largest
and finest Of these bridges-the Pout
Alexandra Trois-is but 352 feet long.
The construction OF the flood water within
this relatively narrow channel was i'm
possible, so # overlooked a large area
along the banks of the Seine.
Some of the Paris newspapers have de-
plored what they have called the exag-
gerated foreign accounts of the food but
no complete or trustworthy estimate Of
the damage done has yet been made.
The Economists Francois says 1T is
desirable 10 challenge many of the state
ments that have appeared to the effect
that the national wealth has been seri-
ously diminished and that IT viii be nee
So9o4 ~ tolltteitt Ida 81 bADilt ioeiAAH 10
cover the expenditures involved.
NJ Rene Tavernier, engineer Of the
French Department of Public Works
CPonts ct Chaussees). writes to NJ. o.
Leighton, chief photographer Of the Geo
logical Survey:
NO bridge has been seriously dam
aged. The underground works. the sew
ers. and the tunnels of the Metropolitan
Railway have in general withstood the
food perfectly despite the abnormal
pressure to which they have been sub
jected by the encroachment Of the water.
The damage, so far as public works are
concerned, affects principally the docks,
excavations. and unfinished works"
The details Of the several projects pro-
posed 10 prevent future overaows of the
Seine at Paris will be studied with ger
eral interest when they become available.
Engineers OF the United States Geo
logical Survey estimate the annual dam
age by floods in the United States at
100000. 1t is too early, perhaps, to
undertake TO prevent or to diminish this
immense loss. but its very magnitude in
vites "A serious study Of means of pre-
ventiOn, and the recent misfortune of
France may lead to practical work that
VIII serve as an object lesson to America.