Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-13

SIDE Or THIS Rl,NK EAcr'
NSTL6tqS ,BLOWM OUT
TORNADO. OTHER MALLS
sissippi when in food. Yet the water
from the two-day rainfall in that limited
district would have made river of thai
size, and 1000 miles long! Flowing al
the speed of the ordinary river, it would
be much over q month before it could
dispose Of that water. Another view: II
: that water were used for canal pur'
poses 1t would fill an aqueduct the size
of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal al
Washington as long as from here to the
moon, ana t4en have enough left over &c
girdle the earth, and then to furnish
canal from NewYork to San Francisco
According to Prof. Henry, a flood OF
anywhere near the masnitude of the re-
cent one Is always attended by a severe
rainfall In other parts of thes Mississippi
valley, hence such a flood may be looked
for in time along the whole length of the
Mississippi river
According to our prediction. it took
this Ohio food about three weeks to reach
New Orleans" said the professor. In the
case of localities far down the Mississippi,
we are able to predict the wave crest OF
a flood within practically the exact time
OF its arrival at any given point; the
height of the food, we can figure within
a small fraction of a foot. These pre-
dict1ons, OF course, are much easier than
In the case of small streams. such as the
Miami and Mad rivers; the latter rise so
rapidly and. are affected by such COM
paratively small rainfalls that 1t is i'm
Of marked size. The recent flood we pre-
dicted because We knew that rainfall was
liable to occur from the atmospheric
conditions previous
Professor" asked the visitor, did the
people In. the valley towns of that flood
ed section have warming from the weather
bureau in time to protect themselves-to
protect their lives. at all events?'
Yes" replied Prof Henry, certainly
ample warning to protect their lives
against the flood. Observe say specific
ally against the flood because that does
not include sudden descents Of vast bodies
of water caused by the unexpected break
ing Of a reservoir, or levee, or dam, as
was the case at Dayton. OF course, we
;-re in no better position to predict such
a catastrophe than the layman on the
ground. But We have very excellent
system Of supervision of true weather
conditions in that section of country.
There are about ten head men through
out that Ohio Valley district, who keep
us advised thoroughly as to all weather
conditions. These have local observers
under them-Pittsburgh district has prob
ably twenty such observers. Through
these agents we were kept advised Of the
progress Of this storm and in turn gave
the various localities the benefit Of our
deductions from the collected facts.
But here arises a great difficulty"
continued the scientist. speaking with
great earnestness. THE human crea-
ture Is very conservative, especially
when it is a case of protecting himself
against an unaccustomed and previously
unknown danger at the expense of his
times seems as thou'>3 men have to be
saved by main force Ind against their
wills. A man who has been living on the
banks Of stream all his life is very 10th
to believe-when we notify his section Of
country that an abnormal rainfall has
taken place around the head Of the
stream and a dangerous flood is imminent
that anything is going to happen to him
and his.
HE has never been swept away in a
fore. it seems too improbable for him to
inconvenience himself about 1t. Hence.
although duly warned, he goes to bed at
night-to wake some time later and find
himself afloat on swirling food. miles
from home. with his dwelling as his only
ship.
X X
THE jewellers in the cities of the west
are peculiarly liable to danger from floods
because. from the nature of their early
settlement, these cities are as a rule par
ticularly subject to flood conditions The
early settlers followed the streams and
rivers, Of course. and when a pioneer
made settlement he selected some spot,
not only on the bank of stream, but
at point where the facilities for getting
to the water were great. OF course the
converse was true; that the facilities for
the water getting to him were equally
great. Likewise, the junction Of two
streams became favorfte place for set
Element; nearly every large town of the
middle west is located at such a con-
f1uence. sprung. as 1T has. from some
little log cabin settlement Of a century
or more ago.
LAS these towns have grown, the stream
has been cribbed and confined by levees
and walls. This confinement adds i'm
measurably to the power of a rushing
flood and is also a fruitful cause of the
rapid rise of a flooding river at such
points The rapidity with which some of
the large rivers as well as the smaller
streams rise in that section is astounding
to one acquainted only with the slower
swelling of eastern streams. In 1898 this
same Miami that worked such destruc-
ton recently rose ten feet in twenty-four
hours at Dayton and within the next
few hours added more than two feet to
that. At Pittsburgh the Ohio has been
known to rise twelve feet In twenty-four
hours"
What do you think OF the feasibility
Of any plans to harness the f1oods?" Prof.
Henry was then asked.
The subject Is too vague to express an
opinion on" was the reply. II fear,
though. that mankind has not yet reached
point where he can cope with such a
flood as the recent one when once 1t has
gotten well under way The force ex-
erted by the vast bodies of water is ap-
palling. Railway cars and even locomo-
tives are swept away like chaff and the
heavy steel rails of the tracks bent and
twisted as though they were made Of cop
per wire.
Railroads are particularly liable to
damage from f1ooIs because the tracks
generally follow the valley of some
stream or river in order to take advan-
tage of the gentle grade 1t affords. Then.
when the floods come. their tracks, and
oftentimes depots. are submerged. In
Colorado there have been instances where
the floods have not only covered the
track. but piled 1t six feet deep with
heavy powders.
THE ease with which floods sweep
away the stoutest bridges and piers of
masonry Is a matter of common knowl-