Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-17
BY RAYMOND W. PULLMAN.

g., Ohio valley far eclipsing
CoAtiol. the great flood of 1913.
with it's s2OO.OO0.0OO loss, are made by
| officials of the United States geological
survey in report just made public.
A. II. Horton and H. ]. Jackson, the
survey officials who investigated the
conditions in the Ohio valley, follow
ing the flood, point out that the disaster
of 1913 was caused by storms that
progressed from the lower to the upper
end Of the valley, thus permitting the
water from the lower tributaries to run
off and get out of the way in the main
stream before the water from the up
per end of the valley entered the ONO
and reached the part affected by the
| tributaries nearer the mouth.
The investigators suggest the possl-
bility of a severe storm whose pain
would be the reverse, from the source
to the mouth, and declare that In Such
an event, the magnitude of the disaster
could not be predicted. They also say
it is possible a larger area might De
involved, and calmly add that the con-
,dition is not a pleasant one to con-
template. They still further say that
a flood on the Ohio in conjunction with
floods the upper Mississippi and the
Missouri would probably produce
calamity on the lower Mississippi un-
precedented in the history of this or
any other country.
Referring to the causes of the food
of last year, the federal experts declare
| that the damage was unquestionably IN
creased in a very great measure by the
works of man in the channels, along
the banks and across the river valleys
enormous volume of water as an act
of God yet they charge to man q
large share of the blame for the re-
sulting damage through his works OF
;afo iYon
For this condition. the greed OF man
is largely to blame say the two in
vestigators. This is evidenced by the
procedure usually followed in building
bridges. the effort being made to build
them at the least possible cost of con-
struction and maintenance, to this end
the length of spans being reduced TO
minimum. This results in putting
abutments farther and farther out into
the stream. placing numerous piers in
the channel itself, and reducing the
total opening for the stream below all
| reasonable limits by constructing. as
approaches earthen entertainments that
act simply as dams in times of flood.
The same greed or perhaps false
economy. is shown by building factories,
manufacturing plants and even resi-
dences out to the limit of ordinary low
water stage, and thus forming the most
effective barriers to the free flow of
the streams when in flood This greed
is heavily punished by the first dis
should be cleared of obstruction and
made ample carriers of flood waters
and rigid laws, strictly enforced, should
prohibit any further encroachment on
waterways.
"A noteworthy suggestion in connec-
ton with the reduction of damage by
flood advocates the removal of places
of business or residence from areas
to restore to the river channel that
which belongs to it. To accomplish
this it has been further suggested that
the cities take over the abandoned
making arrangements that will enable
the occupants. especially the poor, to
relocate out of harms way. In this
way the danger line at many cities
food waters that would have to be
taken care of materially reduced In
addition it has been suggested that
such areas be converted into river-front
purpose and still offer no obstruction
to the flood flow of the river
The thousands of persons who live
on the river bottoms in the Ohio valley
do not. get much announcement as to
officials. The records. which go back
to 1873 show that in no year since
that date has the Ohio river failed. at
some point along. its course to over.
flow its banks and flood large areas of
land. and in some years this flooding
has been five times repeated.
The report discusses the two general
plans for flood control the construction
of levees and reservoirs. the latter plan
being looked upon with much favor
but. not to be attempted until further
records of the volume of water car
ried by the various rivers is obtained.
The report is plea for exact informa-
ton of conditions covering a period of
years. so that any plan for control of
the floods can be intelligently carried
out.
1t is asserted by the experts that
while problems connected with the i'm
provement. regulation and use of the
Ohio river and it's tributaries have been
under consideration for more than
century. but little progress has been
made. owing to the lack of consecutive
records of discharge.
* x
Niagara Falls dry. it's rushing waters
swallowed up in the rapacious nav If
modern industry. is one
Enemies of of the serious possibili-
ties of the future. ac-
NlaSa 1d. cording to some men who
believe that the coming generation will
value electric power more than the
great natural beauty of the falls. A
determined movement to destroy this
scenic wonder of the world for the
benefit of waterpower development has
been started by various electro-chemical
interests, whose leaders are frank in
stating that they care nothing for the
beauty of Niagara, when the problem Is
to meet the constantly increasing de-
mand for cheaper electricity.
At the present time the amount OF
water taken from the falls for power
purposes is controlled by the War De-
partment through its corps Of en-
gineers under an international agree
meut between the United States and
Canada. From time to time efforts have
been made to get both countries to In
crease the amount of water thus used,
but on each occasion the representatives
Of the United States have failed to see
why one of the few world wonders
should he interfered with.
j.. F. Roeber. president of the Amer1-
can Electro-Chemical Society, and who
is acting as official spokesman in the
movement for wider commercial
utilization Of Niagara, declares that the
water now laundering over the falls
represents, according to his view. the
equivalent of one million tons of coal
=, week, or in a years time one-tenth
of the entire coal consumption in the
entire United States. This, says Mr..
Roeber, is not conservation of beauty,
but waste, criminal waste.
Mr.. Roeber delves deeper and says that
this country is in dire need of cheaper
nitrogen for fertilizing the land in order
to increase the crop yield, and that
this would he possible If all the waters
of Niagara Falls were turned into power.
He cites the failure of process for
making nitrogen which was tried at
Niagara Falls ten years ago
The deciding element which caused