The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-04-15

BOluB IeCOIlSLTuCLlOHp peTlOu WlCHO rich, ly-populated valley from Pittsburgh to Cairo, H., late in Ms lions of dollars.
 Out of this devastation of nature have come lasting benefits to the Ohio Valley, however. These, gen. erally, are in the form of concerted planning for flood control, reha- Utilization of waterfront areas, and reorganization of public supirited groups to help flood-wracked com- smunities to "come back"
 Valleys Rebuild Quickly es Valley towns will come back rapidly. There have been at least 2l bad floods of the Ohio since 1883 Usually the valley residents take their losses, rebuild quickly and hope that the next one will be less .Bevere.
 C The 1886 floods have crystallized flood control plans to greater de- gree than at any time since 1913. State officials and citizens are CO., operating with the federal govern 4nent in plans to keep the "beauti- Jul Ohio" in check.
 s- The most important preventive Z measure projected in the brief re- construction period has been a pro- posal to construct dams on large tributaries to control the flow of E water into the Ohio. One plan calls for construction of 39 such dams.
 Army Approves IA Dams
 Fourteen of the proposed 39 dams have the approval of army en- gineers, according to Dr Charles E. Holzer of Gallipolis, O., president of the Ohio Valley Conservation and Flood Control Congress.
 Such 8 flood control program would require long planning if 1t should be approved by congress. Months of surveys and planning, probably costing $l,000,000, would be needed. Roughly, the Ohio Valley water control project would cost from $75,00O,0o0 to $100,000,000. Several river towns also are con- sidering building of flood walls. Twice in the last three years, Ports- mouth, O., has escaped serious flood damage because of it's $600,000 con- crete wall which will hold back 61 feet of water.
 Huntington May Build Wall
 Huntington, city of 85,000 population, which lost at least $250,- 900 in the 1886 floods, is consider ing construction of such wall, to cost approximately $3,500,000. The city would ask federal financial aid for the project.
 So effectively did Portsmouth's three-mile flood wall hold back the river two weeks ago that there was no damage to the city although the water stage would have covered a large portion of the city without the barrier. The cost of repairing and strengthening the wall was only few hundred dollars.
 Some towns are not in position to be benefited by flood walls :. .Pomeroy, O., flooded to some de- gree almost every spring, also is situated along tributary streams which would "back up" and over- flow into the town even with a flood wall.
 The flood has been followed by cleaning up and rebuilding work giving employment to thousands.
 A survey of reconstruction in some of the communities affected
 Wheeling, w. Va.-This city lost about $5,O00000 when the Ohio River went rampaging. Hundreds of homes and buildings were wrecked. The building boom that already has started will give 3,00C building tradesmen work all sum- mer. A labor shortage developed Steel mills and coal mines, Wheel fngs leading industries, have speed ed operations.
 Rebuilding is Rapid
 Bellaire, O.-BelmOnt County lost an estimated $3,000,000 in the flood Carpenters, contractors and highway crews are busy putting Bellaire Bridgeport, Martins Ferry anc Powhatan back to normal. Shacks Along the river fronts will be re- placed by modern houses.
 -~ Steubenville, O.-Orders are pill ing up in the steel mills of the .district, which employ 12,000. Ir Jefferson County, 186 homes were swept away by the flood and 98t were damaged. City officials re- port prospects for "the biggest busi- ness year since 1923"
 Marietta, O.-Mariettas problem has been largely one of cleaning up Property damage was kept to Q minimum.
 Ironton, O.--About $50,000 will be needed for reconstruction work. = Catlettsburg, Ky.-Hard hit, Cat Iettsburg will spend about $lo0,o0C rebuilding.
 ~ Manchester. O.-Holbrook col Iege buildings damaged. New homes will be built. Total cost of re- mobilization estimated at $l25,00O.