<br />32
<br />
<br />CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY, 19Z7
<br />
<br />PLOOD DISCHARGES
<br />
<br />General featuree
<br />
<br />The South Fork of the Republican River and to a lessor degree the
<br />Arlkaree River were the principal souroes of the flood. ',_16 !'lrnt oroat 1::1
<br />the. Arlkarea originated near Halg1.~r, Nobr., owing to '!;l.p h(JlV1 rains In
<br />that vicinity, and wa~ of short duration, although reaching a stage only 18
<br />inchee lower than that of the eecond orest. The disoharge at Haigler WBe
<br />about 20,000 seoond-feet.
<br />The main flood on the Arikare8 River originated Bome distance west 01
<br />
<br />Cope, Colo., where a heavy rain etarted at 6 p.m. May 30.
<br />
<br />The river etart-
<br />
<br />ed to rise shortly afterward and continued to rIee 810wly until about 3
<br />
<br />a.m.,
<br />
<br />then rOBe 4 inches In 15 mlnutee to ite orest of about 6 f'eet.
<br />
<br />The
<br />
<br />diecharge lfEl.8 25,000 second-feet. At this time the water was Ii feet deep
<br />in the main street of Cope, but by early f'orenoon the river was baok in
<br />
<br />its banks.
<br />Ten miles north of Idalia, Colo., the river rose to its crest of' 9
<br />:Ceet about '7130 a.m. and remained at that point for 21 hours and then f'ell
<br />slowly. The crest discharge W8.S late~ found to be 64,000 second-feet.
<br />The heavy rain in the vicinity or Haigler, Nebr., oaused the riVer to
<br />rise during the night to a stage ot 10.2 teet, whioh was reached about
<br />4130 a.m. This stage wae of .short duration, and by 8 a.m. i1; had tall en
<br />4 feet. At that t~e the flood :Cram the Upper river began to arrive, and
<br />by 11130 a.$. the flood reaohed a stage or 11.8 :Ceet, whioh was maintained
<br />tor 3 ):lOUTS. Tbe :Call .as gradual from the orest disoharge of 60,000
<br />second~feet. Being on high ground, the town ot Haigler suftered little
<br />damage. The raUroad and highway bridg8l!l west of Haigler .ere destroyed,
<br />and the river out a new channel :500 teet .ide and severa1 hundred feet long,
<br />
<br />el1m1nating a bend in the old channel.
<br />At Parks, Nebr., the rirst rise started at .130 a.m. and reaohed its
<br />orest at ? a.m. Two hours later the river started to fall and by 11 a.m.
<br />.as baok in its banks. At that t1ll1e the seoond rise started, and by 1130
<br />p.m. tl10 river had reaohed a higher orest than betore. This high et.ge 11'81
<br />maintained :Cor several hours, and then the river fell elo"l,.., and by the
<br />next day it was baok in ite b$nks. As Parks is on low ground, muoh ot the
<br />town was flooded and oonsiderable damage was dono to buildings, eome or
<br />them be1ng moved from their foundation..
<br />
<br />FLOOD ON REPUBLICAN AND KANSAS &IVERS, MAY AND JUNE 1935
<br />
<br />33
<br />
<br />The South Fork of tbe Republican Ri~er and the Arikaree River both had
<br />two distinct flood creete several houre apart. On the South Fork the first
<br />crest was the larger or the two and. 0.0in0.1ded at Benke1man, Nebr., with the
<br />first orest coming from the Arikaree. The second crest on the Arikaree was
<br />sClllewhat larger than the firet, and the two crests were d1stingu1Bhable on
<br />the Republican River at Max, Nebr., 8 miles below the junction, but the
<br />seoond oreet either flattened out or merged with the tirst some distance
<br />below that point.
<br />
<br />At Benke1man heavy rain began about 9 p.m., and by 11 p.m. torrents
<br />of water rrom nearby hillsides were :i'1owlng ovor the highway at the lo"er
<br />
<br />edge of the town to a depth of 18 inches.
<br />
<br />At- 3 a.m. the flood advanoe
<br />
<br />reached Benkelaan, and by 6 a.m. the river bottoms were covered. The water
<br />oontinued to riee gradually until 9 a.m., when the crest stage of 10 :feet
<br />was attained and the water almost reached the tracks of the Chicago, Bur-
<br />lington & Quino7 Railroad at the railroad station. At this time the flood
<br />orest from the South Fork reaohed Benkelman and was the chief' f'actor in
<br />flooding thie vicinity during the ttme of the rirst orest from the Republi-
<br />oan River above Benkelman. The nood from both stre8lll8 remained at the
<br />crest stage about 4 h~e and then started to tall. Within an hour, ho.~
<br />sver, the seoond crest from the Republioan River arriVed, and the water
<br />roee to a new orest about 3130 p.m., .-hich was maintained until 5 p.m.,
<br />when the river etarted to tall and reoeded 810.wly until the next morning
<br />it was back in its banks.
<br />
<br />The Aristocrat~ the ta8t traIn or the Burlingten Route frem Denver
<br />to. Chicago, reached Benkelman just ahead or the fleod and was marooned
<br />there for eevenl weeks. Two days later, as SDon as the highway was pass-
<br />able, the passengere Were taken by motor care to the Union Pacif'io Rail_
<br />road at Ogalalla and sent on the:tr eastward. journey.
<br />
<br />Progres~ of flood crests
<br />
<br />The following tables, based on reoords at gaging
<br />stations and state_
<br />aents or loo~ observers, show the approximate time ot the orest and its
<br />rate or travel along the Arikaree, S th P k
<br />ou or ef Republioan, and Republi_
<br />60 m11es below Benkelman, ie on the 4ivid_
<br />Central etandard time, all time reported
<br />10ca117 hae been reterred to Central t1llle.
<br />
<br />can Rivers. As MoCook.. about
<br />ing line between Kcnmtain and
<br />
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