The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-04-09
Which Has Swept Coun-
try Recently.
FATAL WATERS RUSHED DOWN
Great Continental Slope Into
the Mammoth Cont.
mental Valley,
FLOODING OHIO AND INDIANA


Herald)
What is the reason for the great
flood that swept death and destruc-
tion before it in Ohio and Indiana?
Why is it that great walls Of wa
ter annually hurl themselves
through the Ohio Valley or the
Mississippi Valley?
When the continent of North
America was raised from the wa
tiers that covered the globe. the
peaks of the Appalachian Noun
tains appeared first; then came
parts of the Rockies and then the
Central Plain; the very first part of
which to appear was the part now
stricken with food.
All parts of this country south
of the Ohio river remained under
water long after Ohio and, Indiana
emerged. But on the part of dry
land just made was ridge, the
summit of which. is north of the
central parts of Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois. This summit reaches a
height of 1000 feet above sea level
At Bellefontaine, o., and the slope
is so rapid to the south that Gin.
cinnati is only 500 feet above sea
leyel. Between the two points are
Dayton and Columbus. Water that
falls on one side of this summit
flows south to the gulf. Water fall
ing a few feet away on the other
side flows to the Great Lakes. :
When the southern part of the
country rose above water, that Sec
ton south of the Ohio sloped to the
west toward the Mississippi and to
the south, as shown by the courses
OF the Ohio, Cumberland. Tennessee
and Mississippi rivers. The great
est slope was to the south.
This formation, therefore, left the
particular section in Indiana and
Ohio, where the worst of the floods
are to-day, the very lowest part of
the Central Plain and the slope
from them ran straight south to
the gulf in an almost unbroken
line, forming a depressed basin
wide at the top and narrowing to
the points between the Appalachian
and Ozark Mountains from which
point it widened west to the Rio J
Grand and east TO join the depres-
sion of Florida and the Atlantic |
coast.
This mammoth gully, therefore, |
was the natural outlet for all the
excess moisture of a vast region.
1t was on this foundation at the
top of the slope that the ice of win
ter formed. 1t was here that the |
rain and snow fell, vast quantities
of it, during the last few weeks. 1t
was against this that the wind beat
and held the rain that was melting
the ice, in check. And then the
wind suddenly slowed down. Its
strength was not great enough to
hold back the waters any longer.
And the water poured forth over
the land and engulfed it.
That is the explanation of the
Hood. The water will flow on, some
OF 1t will seep down into the soil as
it goes and its volume will be re-
duced. 1t is hardly possible that so
much will be lost in this way, how
ever, that there will not be enough
left TO food the Mississippi and
break the levees.
Ii may find some sidetrack and
more OF 1t may be seeped up than
We have estimated. Owing to the
fact that much of the ice has gone
from the southern section of the
route 1t must follow, the ground
there might be in condition to re-
ceive more of IL. But a further
Hood, not so disastrous, seems al
most inevitable along the lower
portions of the great hollow. for the
force of the water will not be able
to spend itself over a wide area up.
I'll after the narrow neck between
the ozarks and the Appalachians
has been passed.
North of the Ohio-Inciana ridge,
the same food conditions prevail.
but are not so severe because they
drain directly into the Great Lakes
and there are more channels pro-
yided for the drainage.