Pueblo chieftain., 1921-06-22
Messages From
the People
The Flood Problem
Editor The chieftain:

EIuiloT me SnleItdn.
Pueblo, Colo. June 20. 1871.
On the night of June 8, 1921, nature
assaulted and mans defence crumbf-
ed. The Arkansas Valley, once called
the mile of the West, for its fer
tility now resembles an island beach.
AS n lady remarked. The Arkansas
now can be called The Nile Of the
West because of its inundation.
We have retreated before natures
onslaught but why should We not?
In Emersons words: THE sky Is the
only furniture we have left" As one
views the familiar haunts and homes
of yesterday he sighs: Back to ma
ture." with a vengeance.
Amid the rush of clearing and
cleaning in the city one notes the
hush for a sound of held toward Sc
curity in the country. Is the big, the
broad. the efficient step to be father
ed from some source: or are we like
pismies to act on the low virtue Of
lexpediency?
About sixty days ago representa-
| tive from group of farmers ap-
preached mo saying, plan WAS on
foot to dig new channel for the
river, east of the city. to cause It to
hug close to the Mesa terrace due east
rather than zigzag' at will thru valu-
able lands. Having previously plan
ed and assisted in making new chan
nels and shortening the river about
Io-s o1 IL nllle- L was sOuSnt again TO
effect piecemeal reform.
A feeling exists below the city
| that held received and plans pro-
| posed are for Pueblo largely and
reconstruction is an urban and not a
suburban concern 10 those in charge.
Not asserting that this is entirely SO.
let us view the situation asNif II Is So
| Why. as floods in the Arkansas val
| ley reach such high points and where
is the point they become highest? Is
| IL Pueblo?
Floods from rainfall never acquire
their greatest height during the early
hours of the rise. This is due In part
to natural obstacles to its flow These
are chiefly two. First, the lesseninS
grade which the water encounters as
1t goes down its course. The water
one hour behind has greater fall to
its course and hence gains time on
that ahead. So even more is this
true OF the water five or eight hours
behind the first rise. Thus piling up
in increasing ratio.
The second important factor in any
, race is the length of the course Now
depends on how straight tho line
which connects them. Will aorne
Pueblo surveyor kindly tell us how
many times longer the river Is from
here to the Kansas line than the
straight distance to the state nnc7
suppose 1t to he twice as long Then
II by Uncle Sam or some agency this
distance were cut in two by
Strengthened channel we can readily
see that the water five hours ahead
would stand about twice the chance OF
not being caught and ridden down the
valley by that leaving the sky that
much later.
Some say impornd the waters in
reservoirs. above the city. This may
| have some advantage but do you be-
lievc Pueblo would sleep better thus
Is IL wise to hold back tho danger
| or to push IT pas us?
Some believe tho cutting OF ncw
channel so expensive. II IL not IN.
When two boys with sligh. capital
could cut new channel eighty rods
long and get all the river flowing into
II In ono season IL docs not appear 20.
| II the channel cut straight near tho
bluff he made twenty feet wide and
the dirt used as "A north ieycc tho
| running water when turned in will
soon erode It's own room.
| third factor omitted above Is that
water flows faster in straight
course than in "A crooked one a
Pueblo lawyers wife said Uo another
tlady) the disaster was due to mans
getting In the rivers bed II occurs
TO me that that would no; he 20
Ihlamcworthy IL he succeeds in kc~pin <
the river out while he is in tho bed.
| Can IL no, he done? VIII no, the
u. s. alone or assisted BY the state.
county. city and tho farmers them
selves mako civilization safe in this
needed arca7
d. f. sLAwsoN.