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Show THE FAULTY DAMS. It is alwuys I he caSC thai tv hen a great disoastot befalls there is a sur rylng to find the reason tor it. and also I" find if am other perils of i be like nature i m me ia t l v threaten. And so, when the great disaster at Johns-(own, Johns-(own, Pennsylvania, sdmo twentj years ago starlle.l the country, there vr.-ix ;i general Inspcotion ot dams and a fefvent resolve on the part of every one responsible for the safety of dams that, i here should never bo another like disaster in the United States, There was a general inspection of .lam-s a eeuerai strengthening where anything was found doubtful, an.; the country once more went to sleop. Then came the startling disaster of the brokon .lam ;.r Austin Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, almost a- terrible as the Johnstown Johns-town disaster, and in the same State. Again, there w;s a scurrying to cover. again a heartfelt resolve thai all .lams Bhould he m:i.r s;ife. and an assurance to the public that everything would be .lone that it. was found possible lo do lo BSSUre safety in like rases In-reafter. And vet. w i hear little of the campaign of precaution tmt was supposed immediately im-mediately lo result frOm the Ausiin disaster, w Yovk alone among the States taking ihe matter seriously to heart, so f-ir ,k reported. Put New York State ordered a thorough thor-ough inspect ion of all dams within its borders The tcpor) of thai inspection has .just been presented to the legislature, legis-lature, an. I it shows that since Oc- tober, forty-six dams have been in apectedi and of these thirty-eight were found defective, : frightful percentage, ami one that may well caUSC the keenest keen-est alarm throughout 'he state, in -ome rases the dams me found to be absolutely fault) in construction and nothing abort of tearing them out and building thorn properly will be effective. effect-ive. In other cases, the dams 'an he Strengthened ami repaired, and made safe. It is curious io see thai die adjoining adjoin-ing Siale to that in which the iistin ami Johnstown disasters occurred, has taken rlus matter to heart, an. I the State in which the disaster! vvne, has done nothing Whatever to Investigate other dams within its jurisdiction. Pennsylvania seems to he supremely indifferent to the safety Of the dams within that State It. of COlirSC, felt the thrill of boiror even more keenlv tba i other communities did on ihe bursting of the John-town ami the u-- tin dams And vet Pennsylvania has done nothing about it has not even ordered an inspection of the flams of that state, and there are no data to tro by Showing whether there is am Other dam in rha; Stale in imminent danger of furnishing another cruel horror tO the people ot thr United Slates. The result undoubtedly- vviJl be, that the whole country will .a" to sleep again, as ii did after ihe terrible Johnstown flood and we shall hear no more about the peril and frightful de-struction de-struction incident to these floods until the next arent disaster comes. The" we shall wake up again for a lillle while, make new and ineffective re solves nnl o0 to sleep again; and so the whole dismal programme will be "v peatcd, world without end. |