The Recent Floods 



287 



ing been due to the extension and in- 

 creased dimensions of the levee system. 

 The confinement of the waters within 

 a narrow channel, of course, operates to 

 elevate the flood plane, with the natural 

 result that a given stage of water would 

 be recorded with a much less volume 

 than was formerly necessary to produce 

 the same result. An inspection of the 

 figures immediately following will con- 

 firm this statement, Cairo being used 

 as a reference point for the reason that 

 all lower river forecasts are predicated 

 upon the Cairo stages : 





1S97. 



1903. 



Excess 

 or defi- 

 ciency. 



1903. 



Cairo 



Feet. 

 516 

 37-i 

 19-5 



Feet. 

 50.6 

 40.1 

 20.4 



Feet. 



Memphis 



New Orleans 



+3-° 



+ 0.9 



The difference was most marked at 

 Memphis, owing to the completion of 

 the St Francis levee, in Arkansas, since 

 1897, ar >d had not this levee broken in 

 several places the excess would have 

 been still greater. 



The Ohio and lower Mississippi 

 Rivers, owing to a number of heavy 

 and general rains that are the invaria- 

 ble accompaniments of storms of the 

 Southwestern type, had been rising 

 steadily during February, but not to 

 such an extent as to warrant flood warn- 

 ings until the last two days of the 

 month, when another storm of the same 

 type moved northeastward through the 

 Ohio Valley. It was not necessary to 

 wait longer. Another general rain was 

 certain to cause overflows of the already 

 bank-full rivers, and warnings of dan- 

 ger were at once telegraphed from the 

 river centers to all points between Pitts- 

 burg and Cincinnati, the character of 

 the advices varying with the locality. 

 For instance, at Pittsburg, where the 

 fast-flowing mountain tributaries make 



every moment valuable, warnings were 

 given to take all necessary precautions 

 at once, the usual time for a flood to run 

 out being but 18 hours, while at Cin- 

 cinnati several days were allowed. On 

 the same date a general warning was 

 issued from Memphis that owing to the 

 recent heavy and general rains the floods 

 would continue for two weeks longer, 

 with stages one or two feet higher. On 

 March 1 the people of the New Orleans 

 district were notified to make prepara- 

 tions for high waters. These warnings 

 were repeated from day to day, grad- 

 ually becoming more specific as the 

 great volumes of the tributary waters 

 came into the main stream. There 

 were more heavy rains on the 7th and 

 8th, and on March 9 warnings were 

 issued for stages below Cairo higher 

 than were ever before recorded, should 

 the levees remain intact. It was also 

 stated that the rise would continue for 

 ten days longer at Memphis and for 

 four week at New Orleans, when a crest 

 stage of 2 e feet was expected at the 

 latter place, 1.5 feet higher than in 1897. 

 At the same time a stage of 50 feet was 

 forecasted for Cairo. These warnings 

 were repeated daily with such slight 

 variations as were indicated. With the 

 experiences of 1897 so fresh within the 

 recollection of all, there was no occasion 

 to impress upon them the necessity of 

 immediate action. Thousands of men 

 were put to work at once strengthening 

 the levees and removing portable stock 

 to places of safety. Armed forces pa- 

 trolled the levees to guard them against 

 breaking or cutting, and every possible 

 precaution that experience, foresight, 

 or prudence could dictate was taken. 

 The warnings of the 12th raised the 

 limits still higher except at New Or- 

 leans, 50.5 feet being forecasted for 

 Cairo and 39 feet for Memphis, the lat- 

 ter to occur in seven days. About 

 March 15 there was a sudden rise at 

 Memphis due to recently constructed 

 levees and railroad embankments, and a 



