Evening star., 1936-10-16
CONTINUE RECITAL
OF FLOOD DAMAGE.
West Virginians Hold Dams
Impractical as Means
of Control.
BY LESTER N. INSKEEP,
Stan Correspondent OF The Star.


PETERSBURG, w. Va. october
ie.-The South Branch Valley of the
Potomac River, which suffered the
greatest losses of any included in the
Potomac watershed during the floods
OF last March, presents serious prob
lem in proposed flood control by the
Federal Government.
This was revealed yesterday at the
second of series of public hearings
being conducted by Lieut.. w. j.
Matteson, acting District engineer
for the Washington area, and his
aids.
In addition to the hearings pre-
viously announced for Cumberland
and Luke, Md, next Monday and
Tuesday. the dates Of three more
hearings were made public. A hear
ing will be held at Frederick, Md,
on the morning of October %. with
a meeting on the afternoon of the
same day at Hancock, Md. october 81
was set for a hearing in Strasburg,
Va, but the time was not announced.
Use Of Dams Difficult.
Many property owners and officials
appearing here yesterday pointed out
that the use of dams in controlling
South Branch floods would be diff
cult because of the low river banks.
Dams, it was declared, would of
necessity be too low to accomplish the
control of excess waters unless built
in one of the gorges. In the latter
case they would back water up over
valuable farm lands.
Lieut.. Matteson and his aids brought
much of this information out in ques-
tions put to advocates of dams, where
as some of the speakers had made a
study of the same situation.
The towns of Petersburg and Moore
field were protected to some extent
by levees of their own construction,
but these were swept away during
the last flood, which was the largest
In the history Of the valley. One
spokesman, S. L. Dodd. declared there
is danger that Moorefield will be en-
tirely swept away unless the north
and south forks of the South Branch
are controlled. AS it is now, the two
branches come together with such
force that just south Of the town
there is an unnatural flow of water
through the streets in case of flood.
Damage Set at S14,800.
E. Carl Shreve, Moorfield town engi-
neer, said the water ran feet higher
than during any previous food. Total
damage to the town, he said, was
e74.80O, including homes, furnishings.
business and streets. c. c. c. workers
were assigned to the clearing Of the
streets and highways after the water
receded.
1t was estimated that 10000 acres
Of bottom land in the Petersburg area
was damaged to the extent of S43, 900.
The loss of shocked crops from the
preceding year was set at more than
$4,000.
Joseph G. DaSher, representing farm
ers in the South Fork Valley, set
damages TO land at $4,000. Begin
ming with the flood of 1901, when 40
per cent of the land was covered with
water, he showed increases during
subsequent freShetS which brought the
total of land covered in March of this
year to 80 per cent.
Streams Changing Courses.
Together with many of the other
speakers, Dasher expressed the opin-
ION one OF the best methods of control
would be to clear the rivers of debris
washed down from logging activities.
It also was suggested that the re-
moval of small islands and the con-
struction of new channels through bad
curves would eliminate much of the
damage caused by back water.
Many said the South Branch and
Its tributaries are changing their
courses through steady erosion, thus
destroying the most fertile soil in
the East"