UNITED STATES FLOODS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15503, 9 January 1914, Page 5

UNITED STATES FLOODS.

TERRIBLE LOSS OF . LIFE;

[from otfs. own correspondent,;},. ' San-Francisco, December 8. Great floods in Texas last week, caused-by torrential rains that flooded three "rivers, the Colorado, the Trinity, and the - Brazos, and numerous smaller streams, out of their banks, occasioned. . property • damage approximating £1,000,000 and the drowning' of more than 150 persons in the inundated area. Within a territory 200 miles . long and 100 miles wide in Central Texas all the lowlands were under water and 'soma 30,000 people were driven from their homes. Scores were rescued from treetops and floating wreckage. The flooding o/ the Brazos River was especially disastrous. For more than 50 miles this stream was from three to five miles wide, and running at .millrace speed. Thi levees) "30 miles in length, opposite the town of Bryan, gave way, and here the -greatest damage was caused. What are known-as the Brazos Bottoms, one of the richest farm lands in the state, and thickly populated, were flooded with water that overtopped the houses. ' More than 1000 persons refused to believe that the levee would give way and remained in their homes. In boats and by other, means the great majority of them escaped. Along the top of the levee in safe places horses and mules and cows and human beinga were to be seen crowded in great numbers. These disastrous floods, occurring everv winter in the United States, are attracting attention more and more to the problem of controlling the waters of the big rivers. It is likely that within th© near future some gigantic engineering projects will be put in effect to prevent the loss of life and destruction of property, entailed by the overflowing of the rivers. One nowspaper remarks that one half the 400,000,000 dollars that have been',.expended on the Panama Canal if applied to the improvement of the river systems of the United States would yield an even greater return. There is a school -of conservationists that believes the reraedy lies in vigorous reforesting where tho-ttpper- ■-. lands have become denuded of trees "&&s■.■' Gifford Pinchot, who waa''head :of '-the Administration of lhe : F6restty 'Butean'iii President Roosevelt's time,<h"&3 rtpeess|ly| pointed out that well-timbered lands* Etraia the flow of rivers.' ■■'-.