Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-27

rainfall is in the complete control OF man.
providing present known
Control If methods of controlling
-, water are adopted by the
haln1a1. farmers of the country. is
the belief of George H. Maxwell OF New
Orleans, who Is now In Washington to
confer with heads Of departments and bu-
reau chiefs on methods Of controlling
stream flow.
Mr.. Maxwell was head of the Pittsburgh
flood commission several years ago and
also conducted Investigations of the great
floods Of 1912 and 1913 along the MISSISSIPPI
pi and it's tributaries. At recent confer
ence of all of the bureau heads of the
United States Department of Agriculture.
who were called to hear Mr.. Maxwell ana
which was presided over by Assistant
Secretary Galloway. the Hood investigator
spoke to the experts who were gathered
and disclaimed originality In the ideas
which he advanced saying that they were
found here and there In various govern
ment publications.
Through the more general adoption of
the methods of so-called contour farm
Ing" along with a system of checking
non-cultivable lands. by the blowing of
sible to catch practically all OF the water
as 1t falls and soak 1t into the ground. &C
cording to Mr.. Maxwell. On steep hill
sides where there is sure to be some run
off of rain and melting SHOWS, control OF
water can be effected. he thinks. by the
construction of reservoirs which will store
water to be used In the dry seasons OF
the year for irrigation In the opinion of
Mr.. Maxwell and other experts, the adop-
ton Of these methods OF stream control
which is caused by floods almost every
year. but would also result in enriching
farmers by increased yields OF CROPS
brought about by more even distribution
Of water on the soil.
Mr.. Maxwell who IN now working for
better methods Of cultivating the soil
and for flow control. is the same adj
vocate who twelve or fourteen years ago
Travelled from one end of the UNITED
States to the other telling OF the 1e.
OF the west through irrigation. Director
Newell and other officials of the United
States reclamation service have OFTEN
. expressed their belief that had not MI
ment during the latter years Of Mckin-
ley's administration, and In the begin
ming of Roosevelt's frst term, the
law would never have been passed as
statute books. Mr.. Maxwell believes
that the damage done by MOODS mas
awakened the people Of the country
to their danger and the uselessness OF
SuCn excessive IOS6 hluiOSl 0VCby ySesN
and that Congress will soon adopt legis-
lation such as that proposed by senator
Newlands of Nevada and others: which
will provide for adequate methods OF
flood control in the United states;
which often proved unstable in time of
emergency. is necessary, according 70
Mr.. Maxwell. In the YaZoo dlstrlct oI
Mississippi he says that 90 per cent OK
the levees have been abandoned: speak,
ing OF national policy OF hooo cohtro'
yesterday. he said:
saThe more one studies the subject the
more he Is forced back to the conclusion
that the only way to prevent hoods, pre-
serve the normal flow OF navlgaDle r n.
ers In summer time and preserve the
rains and SHOWS Of winter, which usually
cause the floods, Is to go back to the
source and conserve the rain or snow as
1t falls. The problem is to devise some
means of catching and holding back
every single drop of water or flake OF
snow on each acre Of land in the United
States 1t can be shown by this methoo
that the. precipitation on twenty acres
Of land can be controlled. and TO my
precipitation on the entire drainage basin
on the Ohio river, and that would mean
the control of the lower Mississippi
foods Man has destroyed the prOv'sions
of nature for preserving water ana
eoualizing its flow in most sections or
the country, and man must restore these
provisions or provide measures which
are substitutes The so-called source sys-
tenn OF stream flow control includes the
construction of storage basins for sur
plus water. the enlarging Of channels
as you go downstream. adoption OF con-
tour methods of farming the land, SO
that water will not rush or rapidly. ana
the permanent protection of banks of
rivers by the building Of revetmen H;,, be-
nIantinr has been found. to be the best
method Of constructing revetments.
II believe the conservation Of xo water
Iv hrmnght about only through national
legislation which will put the work In
the hands Of coordinate branches Of the
government: such work, for instance
as is provided In the bill already intro
duced by Senator Newlands. Most peo-
PIE who have studied the problem .sn are hond IN
favor of placing the work In the nan9s
Of the departments and bureaus interest
ed"