The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-04-27
THE HAsKIN = E-TTERI
SPRING FL GODS

By Fre.lcrts = IRsf:tr.

the Mississippi and Ohio valleys be-
came saturated with water. This
created a condition under wttch III
was necessary that all water that fell
should run of. At the same time
there were considerable accumula-
tions OF snow up toward the Great
Lakes and then later, warm rains.
melted this and put it into the.
rstreams at the end of the food sea-.
son when 1t was most dangerous.
HI So it happened that the greatest
strain that had ever been experienced
was put on all the reaches OF the
lower Mississippi. The duration OF
this flood was over two months. To-
ward the mouth or the great river the
/ flood stage lasted ei5hty-three days,
and did not end until late in June.
It. IS difficult to appreciate the vast.
ness OF a stream flow like this. The
great river rose at Vicksburg. FOL. in
stance. sixty-fve perpendicular feet.
! This vast wall Of turbid waters push
ing on to the sea. was five to ten miles
across. The depth Of it, the force
of it. the very volume Of water con-
Gained IN its unrush Is so great as TO
stagGer the imagination. On top of a
waterway OF the continent and OF the
world win possibly one exception
There is added twenty or thirty or
| forty feet of additional depth and this
| is spread out fer miles in width. and
| the whole runs on to the sea Pike a
millrace
Many and fantastic are the actions
OF this mad stream on a rampage. Be
| low Memphis, for instance, much OF its
course is through a wide belt&of waste
land where it is allowed to run riot
| at will usually corseted in at dis
ltance with a fringe Of levees- Old
pilots relate to the traveller on the
stern-wheel river boats. that Still ply
/ here, many tales of the freaks of the
stream. There is a point some twenty
miles below Vicksburg, where. in war
| time, the river maintained direct
1 course through the lowlands Ten
years later it seemed to tire OF its de-
corum. abandoned this direct course
an distruck off through the bayous to-
the left Twenty miles through the
| jungles and sWamps X wandered,
twisting itself like a snake, taking a
great bit out Of the shore CT Miss
issippi, and returning after having
Travelled sixty miles. to a point 600
feet below that from which 1t had
i d .gressed Yet in the Old river bed III
had thrown UP a barrie CT sand which
made it necessary that lit should fol-
low the new course it had laid out.
For thirty years it continued BY this
round about route and whatever river
traffic piled upon it was forced TO go
! the long way around because of the
narrow spit of sand. Then. as sud-
denly, a few years ago. the stream de-
cided that it would resume its old
bed. W:,thout more ado cut across
and since has been following the route
of its antinellllm glcry. There We're
SINAI inconveniences to individuals as
in the case of the owners of a planta-
ton located on the piece OF land that
was cut off from mississippi at the.
time Of the first detour. These people.
were. at that tine. transferred into
louisiana To be sure they had been
born and raised en- this land as citi-
zens of Miss issiEpi. and had not moved
but they no longer resided in that
state Whensthe old channel was re-
sumed, new generation Of citizens
LOT Louisiana were as peremptor:allE
thrust into Mississippi. The next fall.
l5thcy attempted to vote fcC president
but We're not allowed TO do SO in that
they had not resided in the state the
necessary six months.
The flood OF 1912 overlooked II,Gfs0-
square miles adjacent to the MISSISSIPPI
mi and did damage CT SIS coo 600.
| The area flooded was twice as great
as that Of the state OF ,fassa chusetts.
In the food of 1919 the loss was esti-
mated at 1909, 900 but this was Of
a different ma ture and consisted most
| ly in damage to such cities as Dayton.
on the upper streams.
A remarkable phase OF the kncwl-
edge of floods that has grown up is
1.-THE possibility OF issuing warnings Of
their coming. TheAWeather bureau Ii
able, also. to tell far in advance, much,
of the food probability. IL there is
4 a heavy snow blanket through the
\ Chic belt Of states In the late spring,
4 there is a probability OF warm rain.
which will not merely precipitate It's
own runoff into the streams but also
4 the water resulting from this; accumu-
Hated snow. Tnen there is danger
of food. IL the Mississippi valley is
l3dry it can take care Of a storm OF two
without danger for the soil will drink
/ them lip. If it is saturated, sa1bse
5quent storms are dangerous The ap-
fE3proach OF such a stormeis known when
1 lit appears in Texas. lit is three days
tbeforesB lit reaches Ohio. If there is a
precipitation or three inches over GER
tain regions I'M Ohio, it is known Just
what effect that amount of water Will
have at Cincinnati. at Memphis, ait
New Orleans Those conditions can
be accurately foreca5ted New Or
Il leans knows three weeks in advance
4 that the food stage is to be reached.
/! On all that vast streth OF river from
Pittsburg to the gulf those who are
l5affected by high water are given q
A week or two to prepare for its coming.
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