TORRENT OF ST. MOREL 



The lower part of the torrent spreading out and ruining fertile agricultural land; showing ineffectual fences 



built by the communes below for protection 



once for all the stream was turned en- 

 tirely away from the threatened slope 

 by piercing a tunnel through the rock 

 on the opposite side. It was necessary 

 not only to cut the tunnel almost a kilo- 

 meter (six-tenths of a mile) long but 

 to line it throughout with masonry at a 

 total cost of $260,000. In addition to 

 the actual money spent several lives 

 were lost in building this tunnel. As 

 the result of this work the slope which 

 had been undermined will in all proba- 

 bility continue to slip until it has filled 

 up the former stream bed and reached 

 the angle of repose with its base sup- 

 ported against the clift" on the opposite 

 side. All danger of further slipping 

 will then have disappeared. The lower 

 course of the stream will be prevented 

 from committing any further ravages 

 on the fertile plain with its wantonly 

 distributed and all destroying deposits 

 of boulders and gravel, by means of a 

 stone channel through which it will 

 henceforth be forced to flow. 



Thus after the expenditure of large 

 sums of money and the loss of human 

 lives, the torrent of St. Morel is at last 

 controlled. 



206 



Considering the work as a whole, the 

 public spiritedness as well as the 

 skill, energy and pluck which the 

 French people have shown in dealing 

 with this difficult and far-reaching con- 

 dition of affairs deserves the highest 

 praise and should serve as an inspira- 

 tion to other nations if they ever become 

 afflicted with the same misfortunes, 

 h'ortunately, we in the United States 

 have not yet reached this stage. But 

 there are parts of this country, notably 

 in the Southern Appalachians and 

 White Mountains where such condi- 

 tions are not only possible but very 

 probable unless action is taken on cer- 

 tain bills which are now before Con- 

 gress aiming at the preservation of 

 these all important watersheds. 



At the end of the eighteenth century, 

 the French people made a mistake from 

 which they are suffering to-day and are 

 likely to suffer for many years to come. 

 This mistake was made at a time when 

 the scant knowledge of political econ- 

 omy made it natural and excusable. In 

 the United States to-day there is not 

 the same excuse for committing the 

 same blunder. 



