The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-05-16
HOW TT WAS AND rs.

The absolute indifference 10 all
views and arguments against their
! theories shown by tho forest faddists
with regard to floods, is ono of the
curious things of the time. We have
shown by expert reports and discus
sion, especially from a very able and
thorough paper by Professor Dec
Ward in the Popular Science Monthly
for April, 1913, that the old notion
about forestry diminishing the floods,
conserving the rainfall, and all that
sort Of thing, is fallacious. The evi.
dence of former times as to the preva
lence Of extensive floods all through
the Ohio and Indiana region is com
plete, When General George Rogers
Clark took his expedition from Kas
kaskia, Illinois, to the capture of
! Vincennes, Indiana, his report shows
that his command had to march day
after dav through flooded regions
where the water absolutely covered
the country for scores of miles in
every direction. The depth of water
went from ankle to waist deep. Still,
prise of the British forces at Vim
cennes and captured that place. In
view of the flooded condition of the
country. it is evident that the British
! had no idea that force could come
upon them from the west. They mad
no picket stationed, no lookouts, so
that the Clark forces got right into
| ,..l
ture of Vincennes, of course, is not i'm
portant in this connection, but the fact
disclosed in General Clark IS report,
that the whole country was flooded for
many marches is important, for there
had been at that time no slaughter
of timber no interference with the
country as it existed in the state of
nature.
It is also true that the records of
! floods as shown by the lodging Of moss
and twigs up high on the forest trees
was quite general all through the Mis-.
sissippi valley. Which proves that the
idea of floods being of recent occur
renee is an iudefensible theory.
The Detroit Tribune, which is
printed in region where the people
know and remember, has a brief edi.
torial on this subject which is worth
the attention of those who have the
idea that floods are of but recent oc
currence and that the destruction of
forests has done something very dam
aging with regard to the prevalence
OF ravages Of food waters. Its edi
torial on this question we commend to
the attention Of the forest faddists,
and print it entire, as follows:
Even the New York Times comes along
with repetition OF the legend that the
spring :, floods In the valley OF
are due TO the cutting away of
the forests. The Times admits that there
may have been spring freshets along the
Ohio and Mississippi In the old days. but
impossible, TO find the record OF disas-
trous flood
The real foods along this great water
way are OF more recent origin it de-
Cides. "They date back to the time when
the lumber companies began the whole
sale destruction of the forests Before
life and property on the rare occasions
when the Ohio and the Mississippi left
their banks"
But in those early days there were no
dams 10 break and let loose all at once
a great mass of water. nor were there
| levees to prevent the natural spreading
out OF the rivers. We fancy that on the
the whole the immunity Of life and prop
| eTty was due less 10 the presence OF
forests and the lack of the floods than
10 the absence Of life and property sus-
| ceptible OF destruction. The rivers rose,
| submerged the plains and sunk away into
their ba nks. and few persons were the
| wiser because there were few persons TO
observe Those who Were present could
easily find places which We're secure he
cause they had raised no abnormal bar
riers In an attempt 10 regulate nature S
The theory that forests prevent foods
Ia about as tcnable as that other equally
interesting theory that the cutting away
OF the trees materially decreases the rain
As TO the first idea. We have the val
ley of the Amazon in direct contradic-
tion. No one Will say that the great
South American river has been denuded
OF its envelopng forests. And yet II is
n matter OF record that each year the
Amazon ,overflows It's banks and sub;
plains. turning them into vast swamps
and shallow lakes. Some years the
freshets are greater. than in other years
this. depending on the rainfall, and ever
as far west as Peru a 3O-foot rise Is
no uncommon occurrence: But these
floods come and go unnoted and unham-
did in the early DAYS along the Sissls-
sippi valley. and the destruction they
work Is negligible because there is moth
ing 10 destroy.
Build cities along the Amazon below
Hood level. dam the head waters, try e
confne the main current within levees
| and forests or no forests the world vii
hear Of floods which will rclegaie tho
Mississippi valley floods 10 second place.
There are exciting causes wrought by
the hand Of man. which bring about tho
annual destruction by our central drain.
age system. but It Is vet 10 be proven thai
: the mere cutting away OF tho forests Is
one OF them.
THE SHAFROTH APPEAL,