Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-07-28
MEASURING OUR RIVERS
BIZ FREDERIC .. HAsxn.

mum power supply from the penned water ano lle
actual flow below that minimum Tor even en0r
time each year. the investment is hkeiy 70 PrO''
losing
In the dry west. problem is one OF determlnlns
by long observation just how little water WIN lo" A.
dry year In the east chief point to be determined
&c usually lust the opposite-how much water must Do
Guarded against in a year of flood With the disastrous
floods in southeastern states just beginning 70
cede leaving wake Of damage and death Dehinu
them there is example OF the necessity Oh
determining with scientific accuracy just what stream
flow is likely to be-
Large and destructive floods in some part OF the
country are matters of Flood dam
age in the United States is estimated at more tnan
s1Oo,OOO0OO year A certain part Of this perhaps
considerable part is popularity considered unavod-
able But prevention is recognized function OF
the duties of government great deal OF tne
damage is undoubtedly human encroachments
on the danger of the larger rivers WharVes ana
docks even streets cities built on land that Is
in ordinary years well out Of harms way but that Hes
in flood years in rivers abnormal channel Only
by recording fluctuations of river and its trb-
utaries for is it possible to determine In ad
vance, selecting sites for new developments IN
building whether the land in question is liable to mum
dation not
The measurement of stream-flow is becoming an in
creasingy important activity of the federal govern
ment each passing year. There is an ever-in-
creasing demand for power, along with an override
creasing supply available fuel The water power re-
sources the country becoming more and more
essential: they being harnessed and developed Wig
orousy everything that has been done in this di-
rection is insignificant compared to what might be
done. power has this advantage over power
derived burning fuel; it be used for thou
sand years and the is still undepleted. Behind
and preceding every fresh in the campaign to
draw power waterways there must be this
same volume and eccentrictes of
particular gathered patiently long
period of years.
There is another form of reclamation too, BESIDES
the winning of the desert of the There
in the United States more 100000 of rich
land that is useless because is swampy and subject
TO overflow The problem of drainage, and
in order to drain ntelgenty, it is necessary to have
accurate knowledge capacity Of the stream beds
that are to carry drainage. well as OF the
amount of their they must carry in flood
times otherwise only result of drainage scheme
NAV be to dry one rich and flood the adjoining
one There will merely a exchange of land
values with no gain and the cost of the work done
entered the wrong side of the ledger.
The whole work of stream measurement, which IS
being patiently carried all the United States Is
of great Importance plain citizen and yet Ia
most he does know il is going forward
abors science and engineering that
lay through long periods of painstak
ing effort only light of pubic obser
walton when a knowledge of of their results Is
vitality necessary progress of industry and de-
velopment A realization of which fact caused at
least one plain citizen regard dry and ponderous
full of unintelligible tables Of figures with
respect