BYBEE-MALOTT : THE PliOOI) OF 1913 VX] 



five days of the flood there was an average of 8.28 inches of pre- 

 cipitation at the twenty stations. That is, 78 per cent of the rain 

 for March fell in five days. Also an average of 4.46 inches of rain 

 fell at sixteen out of the twenty stations on the 25th day of March. 

 There was an equally large rainfall at the other four stations on 

 March 24th. Thus 56.6 per cent of the water, that caused the flood, 

 fell in one day and 42 per cent of the entire precipitation for the 

 month of March fell on one day, March 25th, in White River valley. 



The general storm conditions of White River valley were 

 about the same as those of the entire Ohio Valley, which have 

 already been discussed. As was stated above, melting snow, ice 

 jams, and frozen ground did not enter into the consideration of 

 the cause of the flood, as all were absent from the conditions of 

 this State. Neither was abnormal temperature present either 

 immediately before, during, or immediately after the five days of 

 excessive rainfall. However, on March 25th, in the northern part 

 of the State, a light fall of snow occurred, which added misery to 

 all concerned in the flood stricken parts of the different cities. 

 This fall of snow was due to the spreading out of the area of high 

 pressure that was centered over the Great Lakes district. 



There is no question but that the flood was caused solely by 

 the enormous rainfall, in the short time of five days, and the fact 

 that 56 per cent of the precipitation fell within the short period of 

 twenty-four hours. If the ground had been frozen, or if there had 

 been floating ice to form jams, or if very cool weather had followed, 

 the deluge, the damage to property and the loss of life would have 

 been vastly greater. On account of the fact that none of these 

 other factors acted in conjunction with the continued downpour 

 of rain, and on account of the fact that the rains came in the latter 

 part of March at a time w^hen there was a minimum of growing 

 crops, or crops in storage, the amount of damage was at a mini- 

 mum to crops, buildings, and human life. It is difficult to tell 

 whether the soil was washed as badly then as it w^ould have been 

 if the storm had occurred later in the season. The chances are 

 that the soil was damaged more on account of the recent freezing 

 and thawing. 



Considering everything, the damage was about as light as it 

 could possibly be, with such an enormous rainfall in so short a 

 time. 



