The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1937-01-30
State Projects
Beneficial In
Disaster


Washington, Jan. 30.-The flood
(. aters recede, and once again Wash
ington resounds with the cry, ut
must not happen againl"
In 1918, 1927, 1884, 1896, and IN
many years between, the same cry
was heard. And 1887 now sees the
worst flood Of all.
But this time the cry Is louder.
Public works and public spending
are in the air. This time there Is
better chance than usual to get
something done.
Engineer sand congressman alike
have their eyes on the Ohio river,
definitely identified by the Missis-
sippi Valley committee of WPA as
"the principal fiood-producing tribu-
tary Of the Father Of Waters
This committees studies, which
guided the extensive fiood-pre-
vention program launched In 1884,
have definitely shown that the
Mississippi has never had major
flood when the peak discharge OF
tie Ohio into 1t at Cairo was less
than 100000 to 1,250000 cubic
feet a second. Hold the Ohio be-
low that point, they believe, and
the worst Of the lowed Mississippi
problem is saved.
That is why congressional atten-
ton now centers on the projects
which are now under way or
planned for the Ohio drainage
basin, chief offender In the present
food, and chief factor in floods on
the lower Mississippi.
Few Works Completed
Only one of the projects to hold
back the Little Waters" at their
source before then can flow down
a.. combine into q disastrous
food, was completely operative
this winter. That Is the Miami
conservancy district about Day.
ton, o. This entire district, above
the point where the Miami flows
into the Ohio, was the scene Of
one of the country's most dis
astrous floods of 1918. Dayton
took hold, built dry dams" which
back up water automatically when
foods threaten, but whose basins
are dry nine-tenths Of the time.
This winter, the people Of the
lover Miami district never even
got their feet wet. And their dams
held back many square miles OF
water that would otherwise hav.
added to the horror at Louisville
and below. Those dams, on which
$50 ,00O, 900 was spent 20 years ago,
have pail dividends almost every
year, and nobody in the Dayton
area regrets the expenditure as he
reads his newspaper today.
The project comprising IA dams
In the Muskingum drainage area
In eastern Ohio was not quite near
enough completion to lend its aid
this year, though another spring
will see it completed. This would
h.ye reduced food stage at Mariet-
ia, O., by six feet this year had
1t been completed, and even In Its
present stage was Of some help.
A similar series OF reservoirs on
!, q Scioto river system In central
Ohio is planned, but has never
gone beyond the paper stage.
Pittsburgh's Effort
Pittsburgh, badly hit by a heavy
food year ago, leaped iinmedi-
ately toward protective measures.
A whole network Of dams on the
upper reaches of both the Ale
gheny and Monongahela rivers,
which flow together at Pittsburgh.
is proposed, but the only major
one on which much progress has
been made Is the $4,000, 600
Tygart dam in West Virginia,
among the mountain headwaters
of the Monongahela.
This dam was scarcely IN a
position to be Of much help this
winter, but another year will see 1t
functioning. A fan-like spread OF
dams on the upper tributaries OF
the Allegheny Is part of the plan
for. a further protection OF Pitts
burgh. and Of course such waters