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FLOODS Tragedy, pathos, even humor follow in wake of the muddy waters. Prepared by National Geographic Society, Washington. D. C.—WNU Service. O MARKS made by mar on his earth can com pare, in magnitude, with the giant Mississippi levee sys tem. It overshadows even the Great Wall of China. More than 2,000 miles of dikes parallel this Father of Waters from Cape Girardeau, Mo., south to the Gulf of Mex ico. These were built under the direction of United States army engineers. Along many rivers, great and small, that flow into the Mississippi, still more dikes and levees have been thrown up, some by local au thorities, some by the army. Into the Mississippi itself there pour the waters of so many hun dreds of rivers, creeks, and other streams that nobody even knows all their names. Fifteen. thousand miles of its system are navigable; total length of all tributaries in a rainy year may be close to 300,000 miles. Among its greater tributaries are the Missouri, Wisconsin, Des Moines, Illinois, Ohio, White, St. Francis, Arkansas, and Red rivers. At no time in recorded history have all these been simultaneously in dangerous flood. Such a calamity is not good to contemplate. But early in 1937, heavy rains along the Ohio alone swelled it to such unheard-of-heights that it sent the greatest volume of flood water in Mississippi annals racing down the river. “All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again,” says the Bible. In what simple words Holy Writ condenses the Ohio flood’s cy cle of four phases: evaporation from Gulf and Caribbean; clouds blown north two or three thousand miles; rainfall over the Ohio basin; run off, flood. Man can tamper with only one phase of this great cycle—flood. Yet look at its power! Billions of Tons Think, too, what strength nature used to get this water up out of distant seas and haul it north over the Ohio basin, where they say 60,- 000,000,000 tons fell in 25 January days. To lift that bulk of water from the Gulf and the Caribbean, and to move it so far, probably took more strength than the combined power of all motors, machines, winds, waterfalls, and animals then working in the whole United States. To gauge such power, imagine this river, in January of 1937, as frozen solid from Pittsburgh to New Orleans—a 2,000-mile long glacier sausage of ice sliding south across the United States at 10 or 12 miles an hour, pushing down thousands of houses, bridges, trees — scraping away colossal cubes of field soil and river banks. On the state of Ohio alone, in three January weeks, some 28,000,- 000,000 tons of‘water fell. Furiously Epidemic often follows in the flood’s wake. Even before the debris is cleared away, health officers post warnings to prevent the spread of contagious disease. “Pop, I’ve found our house," called a small boy. “It’s three miles down the river, against some trees, and upside down. Everything’s in it, but what a mess!" Said others: “Whose barn is that on our lawn?” ... “I bought a brand-new car that had been under water ten days for only $25. I’m a mechanic. In two hours I cleaned it out; it runs fine.” . . . “There’s a cow walking around on our up stairs porch, bawling for food.” One thinks of flood as a violent force, tornadolike in lateral pres sure, sweeping all before it. Not so in backwater, or sluggish cur rents slowed down by walls and embankments. As in Paducah, under water for 15 days or more, it was slow soak ing and settling slime which wrought ruin. ' Walls and founda tions crumbled; in shop windows light objects of merchandise float ed foolishly about on top of the wa ter. In homes, saturated mattresses and upholstery bloated to twice nor mal size; wallpaper peeled; rugs were thick with slime and mud; pianos and cheap, glued chairs and tables literally fell to pieces. Gro tesquely, bedclothes, rocking chairs, picture frames, baby buggies—and a cow—hung high in treetops, tossed there by the flood’s crest. News dispatches told volumes in few words: “On board steamer Thomas Moses, Henderson, Ky., January 28.—Tied up in a cornfield five miles from the Ohio river, in 13 feet of water, and with 87 refu gees on board, 150 mules, 350 hogs, 14 cows, 1 dog, 4 chickens, 1 guinea, 1 pigeon, 2 quail, 1 pheasant, 1 coon and 1 possum.” Humor, Too! Looking into a floating Louisville house, rescuers saw a parrot roost ing on a piano. Saved, warmed, and fed, the bird squawked in a hoarse but cheerful voice, “This is fine! This is fine!” To calm Evansville refugees, pho nograph records were played over a factory’s public address system. The plaintive tune, “Mississippi Mud,” brought cheers—and “rasp berries.” Rescuing farm animals, near Hen derson, Ky., when flood had sub sided, workers found where fam- Household Hints By BETTY WELLS T ALWAYS used to keep my hard- wood floors like glass,” writes Mrs. A. K. “But now that I have three children I find it impossible to keep the floors looking as I’d like to have them. So my problem is to get extra rugs to cover the floors. “There is quite a large reception hall as you enter which leads into the living room. I have taupe rugs for the living room and dining room but in the past I haven’t had any thing on the hall floor. I expect to move the dining room rug into a bedroom and will get a new rug for the living room and also a new rug for the reception hall. "Soon we expect to recover the living room suite—what would you suggest? The dining room furniture will be replaced eventually, but in the meantime we have to make the most of the old stuff. The walls are plain cream. Do draperies in dining room and living room have to match? There are Venetian blinds in these two rooms. But in the re- “I can’t keep my hardwood floors looking like glass.” ception room the door with transom and side panels of glass have shades with shirred marquisette curtains. Does that sound all right to you or would you get drapery material and drape over the side panels of door? What should I use in the reception hall for furniture? At present I have a desk and a radio there. Is that proper? Any suggestions you might make would be appreciated.” It will be quite all right to have rugs for your reception hall and living room in a different color from that in the dining room. Why not choose a soft gray-gfeen, not too dark and in a texture effect that won’t show foot marks? Then for the sofa have the new covering in a green ground printed mohair but with the design in bright contrast. The other two upholstered chairs might do in a gayly flame colored material—all these coverings would be more practical if they’re slips so they can come off for washing. Dra peries in this same flame color would be very heartening. • • » Arranging Old Furniture in a New House. “We have a new house,” writes Vivian A., “and of course we’re so eager to have everything just right. We must use our old furniture, but we will need to buy new lamps, ta bles, rugs, etc. The living room is first in our thoughts right now and we don’t want to go ahead without your advice. Mother and I read your column all the time. “This living room is 27 by 15 feet. The walls are a light french gray warmed with umber. Woodwork, mantel and bookcases are light ivory—there is a six-foot mirror over the mantel. We have already bought and made draperies of bur nished rose with a dull pattern in ivory and turquoise. Should we have marquisette glass curtains in ivory or a shade to blend with the rose? We have been considering an egg plant rug to cover almost the entire floor—how does that sound? Our fur niture is dark mahogany and wal nut. We’re getting all new small tables—if we have Chinese Chippen dale in the room, would it be cor rect to have an old rococo mirror made into a coffee table? This frame is now gilt but our idea was “Mother and I read your column all the time.” One result of the disastrous 1937 Ohio river flood is the Mus kingum watershed conservancy district, a flood control program. Voluminous data has been assembled to show where rains fall in the eastern one-fifth of Ohio, which is now protected by 14 flood con trol dams. The above map shows where rain will occur during storms which pass over the area. the Ohio rose till its whole winding course from West Virginia to Cairo, HI., where it empties into the Mis sissippi, was a boiling, odoriferous torrent of muddy water, clogged with smashed houses and barns, fences, furniture, telegraph poles, floating lumberyards, and drowned animals. Sodden Misery As the Ohio rose, water backed up into every stream that feeds it and overflowed behind dikes and railroad embankments, submerging towns, villages, and farms. Lights, power, and water plants failed. Res cuers worked with kerosene lan terns. In this calamity rose odd bits of ished beasts had eaten all bark from trees to a height of six feet. A farmer near Sorgho, Ky., had a cow and eight hogs in his bedroom— water was up to his second floor. When found, he was sitting on his bed, milking the cow! Coast Guard boats en route to Parkersburg from New York de trained 20 miles above the West Vir ginia town and took to the water, starting down what the commander took for the Ohio river. But both the Ohio and Little Kanawha, out of their banks, formed one whirling yellow sea. Pushing trees aside and dodging telephone wires for hours, the fleet got lost. Suddenly an angry voice called from Stygian darkness, “Get the — out of my chicken yard!” to paint it ivory with legs to match. Should we have crystal lamp bases or some colors? One chair is in the same material as the draperies. The sofa and one chair are in beige rose mohair. What should the oth er chairs be covered with? Thanks for any help.” I’d prefer the curtains in ivory. Will the burnished rose in your dra peries go with an eggplant rug . . . it sounds like a difficult combina tion though not impossible. I’m thinking a deepish turquoise broad- loom would be very handsome here —so far you have nearly all warm colors so you’ll need a big splash of turquoise before you’re through, you know. If you choose the egg plant rug, you might have several of the chairs predominantly tur quoise—two in solid color perhaps, one or two in a beige and turquoise stripe maybe. If you choose the turquoise rug, I’d love to see two chairs in a rose and beige stripe and perhaps two more in plain beige. C By Batty Wells.—WNU Service. Homemade Dessert Easily Prepared Dishes That Require Only A Minimum of Effort By EDITH M. BARBER 'T'HERE is always that dessert question! The business woman housekeeper seldom goes in for homemade desserts. Not because she does not like them, but because she just does not have time for such extras: When she does she chooses something which can be quickly and easily prepared. Not long ago when I was a dinner guest of one of my friends, we had with the coffee crisp, hot honey toast which had been baking in the oven while we ate our dinner. It almost made itself! The bread was spread, before it was cut into rather thin slices, with softened butter. After the slices had been arranged on a baking sheet, strained honey was drizzled over each. You may like to sprinkle a little grated orange rind over the honey. Honey may also serve as a sauce for ice cream. Chopped dried apricots, by the way, provide a pleasant contrast with the honey when it is used as a sauce. A delicious sandwich spread may be made by blending honey with cream cheese. I am old-fashioned enough to like honey-on-the-comb with breakfast toast. Down in Richmond where I have been spending a week I have particularly enjoyed the Virginia honey, which has an individual fla vor. If you are a honey epicure you may select your favorite flavor among native products and among the many foreign honeys which take their names either from the plant which supplies the bees with their stores or from the country of their origin. Honey Dressing. V* cup honey 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon mustard powder 2 teaspoons paprika % cup salad oil V* cup vinegar 2 tablespoons catsup 2 tablespoons lemon juice Blend honey with dry ingredients; add remaining ingredients. Beat well with egg beater. Honey Sance. V* cup butter 2 tablespoons cornstarch- 1% cups strained honey 8 marshmallows Vi cup boiling water I tablespoon lemon juice V* teaspoon salt Melt butter in saucepan, remove from heat, add cornstarch and stir until smooth. Add honey and water. Return to flame and simmer slowly for five minutes. Add remaining in gredients. Remove from flame as soon as marshmallows are melted. Soft Chocolate Filling. 4 squares chocolate % cup cold water 1 cup sugar 1% cups milk 5 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons cold water 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla Cut chocolate into four or five pieces and put with water in sauce pan. Stir over direct heat until smooth. Add sugar and milk and bring to the boiling point, stirring constantly. Mix flour with two ta blespoons of water and add slowly to the first mixture, stirring until thick ened. Remove from the fire; add butter and vanilla. Cool and spread. Brown Betty. 3 cups diced stale bread 2 tablespoons butter 3 cups sliced apples % to 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon % cup water Mix the bread with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar, put a layer in a greased baking dish, add a layer of apples sprinkled with sugar mixed with cinnamon. Repeat un til the material is used, having crumbs and sugar on top. Add wa ter and bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees Fahrenheit) until the crumbs are browned and until the apples are cooked—about 40 min utes. Cranberry Compote. 2 cups sugar 3 cups water 2 apples, cut in eighths 2 cups cranberries 2 oranges sliced Boil sugar and water together five minutes. Add sliced apples and cook slowly 15 minutes. Add cran berries and oranges and cook for 10 minutes longer. Serve cold as a dessert. Corn Flake Pastry, ft cup butter 1 cup com flake crumbs V* cup sugar Roll and grind 4 cups com flakes to yield 1 cup fine crumbs. Melt the butter in a lb-inch pie pan. Add the com flake crumbs and sugar. Mix well and press the com flakes pastry firmly around the sides and in the bottom of the pan. Chocolate Popcorn Balls. 2 cups sugar Vi cup com syrup 1 cup water 2 squares chocolate 4 quarts popped com Combine sugar, syrup, water and chocolate. Cook to 265 degrees, F., or until small amount forms hard ball in cold water. Pour over pop corn and mix well. Form into balls with the hands, using as little pres sure as possible. • B«U Syndicate.—WMU Service. WHAT to EAT and WHY C. Houston Goudiss Describes the Body's Vital Need for Vitamin C; Names Most Significant Sources of This Substance By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS O F ALL the vitamins that should be included in the diet every day, none, perhaps, is more important, nor more frequently provided inadequately, than vitamin C. There are, I believe, two reasons for this. First, unlike some of the other vitamins, vitamin C is hot stored by the body, so that it is impossible to build up a reserve supply. In order to maintain top health,^ it therefore must be furnished in the diet every day. Second, the C vitamin is more easily destroyed than some of the others, for it is oxidized upon exposure to the air, and is usually partially destroyed in cooking. That accounts for the well-known rule that it is usually desirable to in clude in the daily diet some raw foods, such as cab bage or citrus fruits. The rule may be waived, however, when to mato juice or cran berry sauce are in cluded in the menu. For careful experiments have determined that, because of their high acid con tent, these two foods retain their vitamin C to a remarkable de gree, when commercially canned or when cooked quickly in the home. Functions of Vitamin C The full importance of includ ing an adequate supply of vitamin C-rich foods in the diet can only be fully appreciated when the amazing functions of this anti scorbutic vitamin are fully un derstood. Long years before the first vita min had been discovered, and when the science of nutrition was still in its infancy, English physi cians observed that the nse of or ange juice would help to cure chil dren of a serious disease charac terized by a sallow, pale complex ion, flabby mnscles, and a painful inflammation of the membrane surrounding the bones of the legs. And as early as 1795 it, was also discovered that British sailors could be prevented from develop ing the painful and serious dis ease of scurvy if they were given a regular ration of lemon juice which had been evaporated to a syrup. It was because lemon, then called lime, juice was invariably prescribed for the navy that Brit ish sailors came to be known as “limies,” a term which is still in use today. Scurvy a Controllable Disease Scurvy was thus prevented or cured in both children and adults, long before scientists learned that precious vitamin C is the control ling factor in this disease. And shortly after the turn of the cen tury a systematic study was be gun by scientists in both Europe and America to discover all the foods that possessed the almost magical power to prevent and cure this former scourge of man kind. In the course of many painstak ing investigations and brilliant discoveries, we have gradually in creased our knowledge of scurvy until today we know that the sub stance which prevents the disease is vitamin C. May Retard Growth in Children It has also been noted that many cases of latent scurvy can be fonnd among children and adults in all walks of life. It has been determined, for example, that many children who are rest less, irritable, or retarded in growth are in reality suffering from a deficiency of vitamin C. When deprived of this vitamin, experimental animals develop swollen, tender joints, sore jaws and spongy, bleeding gums, while the teeth become loosened and as sume irregular positions. Hemor rhages may occur almost any where in the body, due to capil lary weakness, and are particu larly common in the kidneys, in testines, bone marrow, tinder the skin, in the muscles and adrenal glands. Indeed, one of the most interesting of all the discoveries concerning vitamin C was made with guinea pigs. It was observed that in a healthy animal, the adre nal glands are rich in vitamin C, while in a scorbutic animal, they contain practically none. Pyorrhea and Vitamin C Many investigators have discov ered that a deficiency of vitamin C causes profound changes, not only in the gums, but also in the enamel and dentine of the teeth. It has been suggested that pyor rhea may be associated directly with a vitamin C deficiency. Certainly, here is enough con vincing evidence, as a result of work with both children and adults, to indicate the importance of an adequate supply of vitamin C in maintaining healthy teeth. Sources of This Body Regulator Vitamin C is produced by plants during their growth. It is found in juicy stems, bulbs, roots, tu bers and fruits. Outstanding among the fruits are the citrus family, including or anges, lemons and grapefruit; to matoes and cranberries. Raw cabbage is a good source, as is watercress. So important is vitamin C that one or more generous portions of a vitamin C-rich food should be consumed daily, preferably at ev ery meal. Orange and tomato juice have been used interchangeably for quite some time as a convenient and easily available source of vi tamin C. In recent years, some experiments, performed at a lead ing university have given a high ranking to cranberries on this score, so that they, too, may be ranked as a significant source of vitamin C. These brilliant little red berries come into market in the fall—the very time when it is important to eat generously of fruits to fortify the body against fall and winter ills. Their tart flavor helps to stimulate appetite and their fruit acids promote intestinal tone. Neither the maturity nor variety of the fruit appears to have any influence on the vitamin content, and even when cooked, as whole fruit sauce, they retain from 75 to 80 per cent of the original vitamin C content of the fruit. Cranber ries are also a fair source of vita min A which is not impaired by cooking, and they contain iodine, iron, copper and manganese. Because they are such a versa tile fruit, cranberries can be uti lized throughout the menu and at any meal. Thus orange and to- AROUND THE HOUSE Watch Young Toes.—It’s dan gerous, especially for children, to have the feet of stockings too short; it may lead to foot deformi ties. Stockings should not be too large, either; they may form ridges that will cause painful blis ters. • • • Use Left-Over Cereal.—Never throw away leftover cereal. It may be fried and served with syrup. • • • How to Stretch Soap.—To make your laundry soap last longer, un wrap it as soon as you buy it and pile the cakes loosely in a dry place so they’ll dry. Hard soap goes farther than soft. • • • Stained Tea Cloths. — Cover stains on a tea cloth with glycerin and leave to dry; then boil and rinse in the usual way and all the marks will disappear. • • • For Soiled Suede Shoes and Belts.—Clean with sawdust or bran, slightly warmed in the oven. Rub it over the surface with a clean, soft rag, and to raise the pile, rub gently afterwards with fine emery paper. mato juice may be varied at breakfast by serving a cranberry conserve, jelly or sauce, or a cran berry juice cocktail. For lunch or dinner, this same fruit may be served as an appetizer; with the meat course; or used to make a variety of attractive desserts. If vitamin C-containing foods are included generously in the daily diet, the homemaker may well feel that she has provided her family with an important form of health insurance. Questions Answered A. F. G. Jr.—Green salads do play several important roles in the diet. They furnish bulk or cel lulose, minerals, vitamins and wa ter, and therefore help to balance a meal. Mrs. F. C. L.—Most authorities now advise giving semi-solid foods to infants before the end of the first year. Usually the cereals, vegetables, and fruit pulps are carefully strained so that they are finely divided and free from harsh particles which would irritate a baby’s delicate digestive tract. C—WNU—C. Houston Goudiss—1B3S—37. WHOEVER TAKES ASPIRIN SHOULD STUDY THESE PICTURES Drop a Baysr Tablot In water—it starts to dis integrate in 2 soconds —hone* is roady to "go to work" rapidly 3m* This “Qukk Dissolving" Property is Why BATER Aspirin Acts S« Fast to “Take Hold" of Muscular Aches and Pains if you suffer with headaches or the pains of rheumatism or neuritis, keep the above picture about gen uine Bayer Aspirin, in your mind. Especially if quick relief is what you want. For the way a Bayer Tablet works in the glass is the way it works when you take it. It starts to dissolve al most at once — hence is ready to “take hold” of the rheumatic pain or headache with astonishing speed. Relief often comes in a few minutes. Always ask for “BAYER Aspirin” —never ask for “aspirin” alone. 15S I FOR U TABLETS 2 FULL DOZEN ZSe Woman’s Prerogative Woman changeable we find, as a feather in the wind.—Italian Proverb. YOU BET! 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