Evening star., 1944-11-08
| Prisoner Of War Labo
Used 10 Build Huge
Flood Control Model
- the Associated Press

- eAsS SASsS~ASseH Ae0Ss
CLINTON, Miss. - The mighty,
muddy Mississippi River, which for
years has rampaged through valley
lands, gulpfng lives and property
alike, and the 5000 miles Of trib-
utaries from - States will be robot
lied by the Army engineers in a
reservoir operation model now under
construction here.
Maj. Gen. Eugene Reybold, chief
Of engineers at Washington, and
district engineer at Memphis, Tenn.
during the 1887 floor, originated the
idea Of Q model by which to study
flood conditions.
His plans to build the model with
prisoner-0f-war labor at q cost OF
43 3,000, 900 are being carried out by
@. H. Matthes, director of the
United States Waterways Expert
ment Station at Vicksburg, Miss.
and Capt. H. @. Dewey of Denver
Colo, ut the subofiice here. When
completed it will provide a visual
means Of studying problems arising
In operation .of reservoirs already
built or contemplated.
Built on 22e-Acre Plot.
On = 220-acre plot here German
prisoners Of war, under direction ol
Capt. Dewey, are laying out a mode
OF the United States from Montana
down through Wyoming, Colorado
New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma
Louisiana. Mississippi; up through
Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia
Pennsylvania to New York, anc
across the Great Lakes to Wisconsin
and the Dakotas.
The model includes all the. mair
streams within the 1,244,OOO squar,
miles OF the Mississippi River water.
shed. In addition to the Mississipp
River. the Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri
Arkansas and Red Rivers and theil
principal tributaries are included
The model Is being erected to a seal.
OF one foot representing 1000 fee
horizontally and one foot represent.
ing 100 feet vertically. Upon com.
pletion the total length of the mode
streams will be nearly eight miles.
Courses to Be Recorded.
Flood of known magnitude will bs
placed in the model and theil
courses will be recorded by electrica
recording devices. Engineers sale
1t viii be necessary to operate tn,
model occasionally at night to ae
accurate readings because Of evapo
ration in daytime.
Mechanical measuring eouipmen
Will control the 900 gallons of wate
per minute-this amount represent
ing on the scale of the model ,
maximum flood of record in tn,
Lower Mississippi River.
German prisoners were told wha
they were building" Capt. Dewe,
said. They are used for excavatinl
with wheelbarrow and shovel a
well rs for skilled work. At first W.
had trouble getting enough worl
from them, but now they are allote,
certain amount of work daily. t.
be completed in q specified time"
Public May View Model.
Capt. Dewey said that seyers
hundred prisoners used daily ar
paid 30 cents each, under rules O
the Geneva Conference.
The master blueprint" of tn
United States waterways system
Is TO be paid for by various enginee
districts. Capt. Dewey said, wit
the amount Of water maintained i,
reservoirs In each model State
determining the pro-rata cost.
The model, believed to be tn
largest hydraulic model ever bull
In the world, will be available t,
public view after completion. Fo,
TINS purpose . three-mile perimetel
road spaced with viewing tower,
will be constructed.
Inc project now is about 20 De
cent complete.