Destructive Floods in the United States in 1905
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Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 162. Series M, General Hydrographic Investigations, 17 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DiEKCTOB TRANSFER CASE DESTRUCTIVE FLOODS IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1905 WITH A DISCUSSION OF FLOOD DISCHARGE AND FREQUENCY AND AN INDEX TO FLOOD LITERATURE EDWARD CHARLES MURPHY AND OTHERS WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1906 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR f " STATES GEOLOGICAL HA«tES D. WALOOTT, BIRECTQK FLOODS IN THE OTfl STATES IN 1905 DISCUSSION OF FLOOD DISCHARGE AND FREQUENCY INDEX TO FLOOD LITERATURE EDWARD CHARLES MURPHY AND OTHERS WASHINGTON PRINTING OFFICE 1906 CONTENTS. Page. Introduction............................................................... 1 Flood on Poquonnock River, Connecticut, by T. W. Norcross.................... 1 Introduction........................................................... 1 Precipitation. ............................ j^ ........................... 1 Discharge............................................................. 2 Damage............................................................... 2 Flood on Sixmile Creek and Cayuga Inlet, New York............................ 3 Introduction........................................................... 4 Previous floods........................................................ - 4 Flood of June 17, 1857.............................................. 4 Flood of December 14 and 15, 1901................................... 4 Flood of June 21, 1905.................................................. 4 General features................................................... 4 Flood on Sixmile Creek............................................. 5 Flood on Cayuga Inlet.............................................. 5 Area overflowed.................................................... 5 Damage........................................................... 6 Suggested means of preventing or lessening overflow.................... 6 Improvement of channel of Sixmile Creek............................. 9 Conclusion............................................................ 9 Flood on the Unadilla and Chenango rivers, New York, by R. E. Horton and C. C. Covert.............................................................. 9 Introduction........................................................... 9 Precipitation.......................................................... 11 Discharge............................................................. 12 Damage................................................................ 12 Flood on Allegheny River, Pennsylvania-New York........ .................... 13 Introduction........................................................... 13 Precipitation.......................................................... 14 The flood.............................................................. 15 Flood on Ohio River........................................................ 16 Flood on Grand River, Michigan............................................. 20 Flood in eastern Missouri.................................................... 21 Flojds in South Dakota..................................................... 22 Flood in southeastern Minnesota............................................. 24 Flood on Devils Creek, Iowa, by E. C. Murphy and F. W. Hanna................ 24 Introduction........................................................... 24 Precipitation......-.................-......-........---.--.-.....---.- 25 The flood............................................................. 26 Damage............................................................... 29 Inferences from the flood........-................-.------..-...-......-- 29 Flood in Des Moines County, Iowa........................................... 31 IV CONTENTS. Page. Flood on Purgatory River, Colorado.......................................... 31 Flood on Pecos River, New Mexico-Texas..................................... 32 Flood on Hondo River, New Mexico.......................................... 34 Flood on Rio Grande, New Mexico-Texas..................................... 34 Introduction........................................................... 34 Flood flow............................................................ 35 Comparison with flood of 1904........................................... 36 Damage............................................................... 37 Effect of proposed Engle dam on floods................................... 37 Spring floods in Colorado River basin......................................... 38 Introduction........................................................... 38 Precipitation.......................................................... 39 Tributaries above Hardyville............................................ 40 Green River at Greenriver, Utah..................................... 40 Grand River at Palisade, ColO....................................... 40 Gunnison River at Whitewater, Colo.................................. 41 San Juan River near Farmington, N. Mex............................. 41 Little Colorado River............................................... 41 Colorado River at Hardyville, Ariz....................................... 41 Gila River basin....................................................... 41 Introduction.......................................'................ 41 Precipitation...................................................... 42 San Francisco River................................................ 42 Gila River near Solomons ville, Ariz................................... 43 San Pedro River................................................... 43 Salt River..._............_.....__................:_............... 43 Verde River....................................................... 45 Gila River at Dome, Ariz........................................... 47 Summary......................................................... 48 Colorado River at Yuma................................................ 48 Flood in Gila basin, November, 1905......................................... 52 Precipitation.......................................................... 52 Flow................................................................. 53 Damage................................................................ 53 Flood on Little Colorado River, November, 1905............................... 54 Flow of Colorado River into Salton Sink...................................... 54 Unusual rates of run-off in 1905.............................................. 55 Flood discharge and frequency in United States................................ 55 Introduction........................................................... 55 Kennebec River........................................................ 56 Androscoggin River.................................................... 57 Merrimac River........................................................ 57 Connecticut River...................................................... 60 Hudson River......... I............................................... 61 Genesee River ........................................................ 62 Passaic River.......................................................... 63 Raritan River......................................................... 64 Delaware River........................................... A. ........... 64 Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pa.................................... 66 Potomac River........................................................ 67 Cape Fear River....................................................... 69 Savannah River at Augusta, Ga.......................................... 70 Alabama River........................................................ 72 CONTENTS. V Page. Flood discharge and frequency in United States Continued. Black Warrior River.................................................... 72 Monongahela River..................................................... 74 Youghiogheny River.................................................... 77 Tennessee River....................................................... 78 Illinois River.......................................................... 79 Mississippi River....................................................... 80 Kansas River.......................................................... 82 Rio Grande at San Marcial, N. Mex...................................... 83 Western streams....................................................... 84 Flood-flow characteristics............................................... 86 Index to literature on floods in American streams.............................. 88 Index to this paper......................................................... 103 ILLUSTRATIONS. PLATE I. View of Purgatory River at Trinidad, Colo........................... 32 II. Map of drainage basin of Gila River, Arizona......................... 42 III. Map of drainage basin of Delaware River............................. 64 IV. Map of drainage basin of Ohio River................................. 76 FIG. 1. Map of drainage basin of Sixmile Creek and Cayuga Inlet, New York...... 3 2. Map showing area overflowed, location of bridges, etc., Ithaca, N. Y...... 7 3. Flood profile and cross sections of Sixmile Creek, New York.............. 8 4. Map of drainage basin of Unadilla and Chenango rivers, New York........ 4 5. Map of drainage basin of Devils Creek, Iowa............................ 25 6. Plan and profile of Devils Creek at Atchison, .Topeka and Santa Fe Railway crossing............................................