The Flood of 1913 in the Lower White River 

 Region of Indiana 



By Hal P. Bybee, A.M., and Clyde A. Malott, A. B. 



PART I. INTRODUCTION 



Acknowledgements 



The recent March flood in the Ohio Valley brought such 

 disaster and ruin upon the people within its scope that it will be 

 long remembered, and will be used as a guage for floods of the 

 future, whether of this particular region or elsewhere in the Mis- 

 sissippi Valley. Realizing this, the Department of Geology of 

 Indiana University sent out an expedition as a part of the Public 

 Service work of the University, to study the effects of the flood along 

 the West Fork of White River. The field work was done mainly by 

 the writers, each of whom traversed a bank of the stream, carefully 

 noting the conditions under which any damage was done. Much aid 

 was given by Mr. Thomas F. Jackson, a graduate student in the 

 Department of Geology, who took charge of the boat and noted 

 changes that took place in inaccessible places. To Mr. Jackson, 

 credit is due for preparing the photographs. The writers are in- 

 debted to Dr. J. W. Beede for his valuable suggestions and general 

 supervision of the work. Dr. E. R. Cumings has given much valu- 

 able criticism and has aided the writers greatly by his suggestions. 

 The photographs of the region below the junction of the two White 

 Rivers were contributed by Mr. Harry W. Morrison, county sur- 

 veyor and engineer of Gibson County. 



It was almost three wrecks after the crest of the flood had 

 passed before the flood plain was dry enough to permit the work 

 to be undertaken. On April 19, the party started at Waverly, 

 near where the river enters Morgan County. Some three weeks 

 were required to traverse the river valley through Morgan, Owen, 

 Greene, and between Knox and Daviess counties, to the junction 

 with the East Fork of the White River. At Worthuigton, in 

 Greene County, Mr. Jackson was succeeded by Mr. W. Raymond 

 Allen, a graduate student of the Department of Zoology of Indiana 

 University. 



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