Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-27

I
the interests involved and the expense
entailed are much greater than those
Of the mighty Panama Canal or any
other engineering project known to
man. Construction of the Panama
Canal involved determinate or fixed
problem which the engineer could work
out in his office and say I'VE are
obliged to move so many tons of earth
and rock. to build such locks and dams
OF concrete and masonry, to do certain
Things which will cost in round numbers
$375,000, 600, and If Congress will give
the money needed we can complete the
project within 10 years." Congress ap-
proved the plans, told the engineers to
go to it and send in their bills as the
work progressed. without any limitation
on the amount that could be spent, and
within 10 years the giant task was
completed. This canal is marvel of
engineering skill which reflects the
highest glory on its great builders. It
| has been. and ever will be, of meal
culable benefit to America and the
whole world.
Difficulty OF Control.
The problem Of controlling and reg
ulating the accumulated rainfall of
more than 400 of the area of our Re-
public as it pourS down on that mag
nif1cent region between the Alleghenies
and Rockies, including small portion
| of Canada, and compelling these angry
waters to pass in orderly progress to the
sea through the Mississippi River-the
Nations drainage ditch-is a very diff
ferent and much more difficult task
The best engineers cannot tell how
much water must be commended with
during any given season. They can only
SurmiSe when the various rivers of the
valley may go on rampage. The Ohio,
With its many tributaries, especially the
Allegheny, Tennessee and Cumberland;
the upper Mississippi, with the Illinois
and Missouri; the st. Francis and the
White, the Arkansas, rising in the
Rockies and fed by many streams; the
Yazoo and the Red, with its great aff1u-
entS-aU pour their entire volume of
waters into the Mississippi The engi-
neers may conjecture, but they cannot
know with any degree of accuracy. as
they did with the Panama Canal, what
forces will be opposed to them and how
permanent will be their works after
completion
At Panama they dealt with rock,
ages old and almost imperishable while
in the flood section of the Valley, the
youngest part of our continent. geo.
logically speaking, the only material is
soft dirt, which yields readily to the
impact OF rushing waters, making it ex-
tremely difficult and expensive to con-
Struct permanent works. Levees cost
ing over hundred millions have cayed
into the channel and been entirely lost.
The soft banks of the stream melt rap
idly under the rush of swift currents
pouring around the bends, striking first
one bank, then the other dissolyinp the
loamy soil and causing large areas of
land, with leveeS, houses and towns to
be swept into the greedy NAV of the
great river.
LOng-standing Problem.
Engineers have been trying to solve
these flood problems for a long time.
In 1718-over two hundred years ago
the first levees were built in front Of
the then village of New Orleans, and
the riparian people have been building
leveeS ever since. In l879-fifty years
ago-the Mississippi River Commission
was created by act of Congress and
charged with the duty, among others.
or helping to solve the problem of con-
trolling the floods Of the Mississippi.
Prior to that date the National Gov
eminent had not assisted in flood-con-
troll work, but all Of it had been done
by the localities affected. The commits
sion labored well in its difficult task.
and II Congress had been as liberal in
appropriations for flood control as it
was toward the Panama Canal we
would not have had the disastrous
overflow Of 1927. Unfortunately, the
wise policy which completed our great
1nteroceanic waterway ten years after
work began was not pursued toward
Mississippi flood control.
Money was doled out to the commits
sion in small annual sums, which pre-
vented the adoption and vigorous pros
ecutlon by 1t OF comprehensive plan
TO prevent floods. A more liberal policy
was tnaugurated by Congress in 1911
and continued in the act Of 1923. under
which the local people paid about one
han the cost OF levees, and fair prog
Of 1927. --N
That awful catastrophe aroused the
conscience Of the entire Nation and
President Coolidge. speaking for all the
people, said: I'VE will not allow q
repetition of these terrible disasters "
The matter came before Congress and
was presented with extreme force by the
citizens and their Representatives and
senators from all the Valley States,
aided and assisted by their colleagues in
both Houses, by a most friendly press
and by the general sentiment of the
entire country under the kindly leader
snip OF the President. AS q result, the
hood control bill was passed and be-
came the law on the 18th day of May.
1928. This remarkable piece Of legis-
lation recognized unequivocably the OBJ
legation of the Federal Government to
control the floods Of the Mississippi
River and to pay the cost thereof.
Costs and Concern.
Section recites that as the local in
terestS in the alluvial Valley had ex-
pended approximately 1922 ,0OO, 900 for
protection against floods, and lin view
OF the extent of national concern in the
control of these floods in the interests
OF national prosperity, the flow of in
terstate commerce, and the movement
OF the United States mails; and, in view
OF the gigantic scale of the project, in
volving flood waters of a volume and
flowing from drainage area largely
outside the States most affected, and far
exceeding those of any other river in
the United States, no local contribution
to the project herein adopted is re-
quired"
Full provision was made for prosecut-
ing the work, and the sum Of 1925. OOO,-
600 was authorized to be expended for
that purpose. In the project adopted
certain controversial differences existed
between the plans of Gen: Jadwin.
Chief Of Engineers, and those of the
Mississippi River Commission, some of
which have not yet been definitely set
lod