Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1913-12-25
PREPARING FOR FLOODS
IN BRAz0S BOTTOM
Director YoungbIood of the Texas
Experiment Station Tells Of Plans
He Has Outlined for Future.

LOOK pHOlOBTdpHS III OIuSI tHdI
might offer some suggestions to the
planters and prepare such records fol
the files of the Texas Experiment
Stations as may become interesting
history in years to come. 1t appears
that few years of prosperity in the
bottoms causes us to forget many
things which we should remember
relative to floods of days gone by. If
| any lessons are to be learned from
the recent disasters, they should be
impressed just now, while the events
are fresh in our memory.
1t is said that the inhabitants of
the valley of the Nile look upon a
food rather as a blessing than
calamity; that the foundations come
with such regularity that the people
know when to expect them, and there
fore regulate their farm practices so
that nothing is lost. Though we know
not when to expect flood in the
valleys of Texas rivers, it seems that
we should hold ourselves and our
farms in readiness for floods at all
times. If strict frugality were OBJ.
served, farming could be made not
only very profitable industry in the
valleys, period Of years considered,
but losses OF life and property could
be greatly reduced, and even mini
canoe.
OF course where floods are as ir-
regular as they are in the river val
leys of Texas, it is possible that
crop may be lost, but assuming that
this does not occur more often than
once, twice or three times in period
of ten or twelve years, the profits
of the successful years would average
up satisfactorily for the bottom farms,
after the losses of a given year were
deducted
Those who saw the Brazos bottom
during the recent flood can realize
better than those who did not the
losses which occurred, and that most
of the losses were due to washing
away of farm houses which were
loosely constructed and set upon
blocks as if they were intended to
float off with the first rise of the
water. They will also realize that it
would not require a great amount of
anchoring to have held most OF the
houses firmly in their positions, so
that the only inconvenience expert
enced would have been that of get
ting out of the bottoms and returning
after the floods, to clean out the
houses and begin anew. The recent
flood, of course, came down so sud
denly and with such volume that
some loss Of life, livestock and crops
could not have been averted, yet had
the livestock, feed stuffs and seeds
been the only losses, the farmers
would have found themselves in much
better financial condition another
season than it is now possible for
them to even hope for.
Some two weeks ago, before the
floods had abated, | suggested that
in rebuilding barns, residences and
tenant houses, that they should be
firmly anchored to the ground, and
promised to prepare plans whereby
this may be accomplished with the
least possible expense. Blue prints
are now ready for distribution, show
ing how any building may be safely
anchored to the ground on land sub.
Ject to overflow. These plans sug-
gest that the houses should rest upon
piers or "piles" sufficiently high that
the average overflow would not get
into them. Every plantation owner
can determine for himself Just how
high his houses should be, in order
to remain above the water, by keep
ing record Of how high the water went
during the recent overflow. The plans
as drawn suggest an elevation of six
feet above the surface of the ground, |
and that he blocks" should extend
below the surface at least three feet. |
and that both the building and the
blocks should be anchored to logs
at right angles and lying hor- f.
izontal Immediately beneath the |
blocks. The plans also suggest Ia
inch iron rods to anchor the houses
to the logs or dead men, buried in
the ground. The size of all materials
used in anchoring houses in this man.
ner should be varied in accordance
with the depth and strength of cur
rent of water, and with the size of
the house, as ones judgment would
naturally dictate. These plans sug-
5est materials of maximum strength.
large to hold the largest
and it is not intended that
he farmer having very small tenant
for instance, to anchor down.
should go exactly by these plans.