Evening star., 1952-04-21
Flood Workers Fiqht
10 Protect AirfieId
AT Fort Leavenworth
1900 BottIine Missouri
To Brace 3 Miles of Dixie
Against River Pressure
BY the Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, April 21.-The
Army, augmented by civilian
workers, carried on a grim battle
today to save the Sherman Airfield
|of historic Fort Leavenworth from
the unruly Missouri River.
Some 1900 men sloughed
through mud in a chilly rain,
bolstering a Smile stretch Of
dikes against the tremendous river
pressure.
It was a dangerous hand-to-
hand struggle.
Flood waters behind the dikes
stood as much as 9 feet above the
level of the airfield. Lifeboats
were kept at hand. Most of the
work was done without machines
The field was too soggy for trucks
Fort Leavenworth is about Is
miles northwest of Kansas City
The critical area along the food
ing Missouri is now between st.
Joseph, Mo-, and Kansas City.
Ruin of Field Feared.
If the dixie at the north end of
Sherman Field gives way, the wa
ter probably will cut a new river
channel across the field leaving
part of it an island, flood fighters
reported.
The around -the-clock activity
was carried on at night under
lights.
1T looks like a beach operation
in New Guinea" an observer said
We've got the water and the bee
hive activity. About all we lack is
the mosquitoes"
The flood fighters even included
instructors at the Arny's Com
mand and General Staff School at
Fort Leavenworth.
While the Army fought the Sher-
man Field battle, Missouri Valley
weather posed new problems on
TOO miles of the flooding river.
Rain Poses Threat.
What worried the flood fighters
was the question: How much will
it rain? And where?
All the experts would say was
that a chance of heavy rain exists,
But they couldn't tell yet whether
it would hit the Missouri basin,
especially the overloaded area
from st. Joseph, Nc, to Kansas
City.
Even if it rained full inch in
the Kaw (KanSaS) basin, they
said. it would raise the Missouri at
Kansas City only about a foot,
That would still be well below the
level, the protecting dikes were
built to stand.
The Kaw, fast-acting river,
was what gave Kansas City, Mo-,
and Kansas City, Kans., their
worst flood when it poured into
the Missouri here last July. It's
rolling along at a low level now.
Brig. Gen. D. G. Shingler, di-
vision engineer at Omaha, stuck
to his prediction that the Kansas
Citys would be safe this time. But
while the downstream battle was
not as spectacular as the fight to
save Omaha and Council Bluffs
last week. it was still a hard one.
Men still fought to confine the
river which has driven thousands
from their homes and caused mil
lions Of dollars Of damage.
100 Miles Of Flood Stage.
1--WE really have one terrific
food" Gen. Shingler said after
an aerial survey. To-day we're
in flood stage from Blair, Nebr.,
above Omaha almost to the mouth
near st. CHARLES distance of
about TOO miles"
Another weather threat devel-
oped on the Northern Mississippi
River. A flood crest of 1873 feet
lower than originally predicted
reached La Crosse. Wis. yester-
day.
Soggy dikes held but repair work
went on around the clock. Wealth
erman A. d. Sanial said today and
tomorrow would be critical times
there because the river won't start
dronuing much until tomorrow
night. i, ~,