The Republican journal., 1876-08-17
A Stupendous Job at Drainage.

and cheap, it would seem strange to at
tempt the making" of land by pumping
the water from lakes and ponds into the
ocean in order that the bottom might be
used as fields for the growing Of human
food-but this is just what has been done
for centuries in Holland-an old country,
the people Of which are thought by many
to be somewhat staid and slow in their
ways, and not at all possessed of that gen
ius and spirit which are the characteristics
OF new nations-an estimate by no means
correct. One Of the most stupendous I'M
dertakings of this kind ever performed by
| man, was the drainage Of the HARLEM
Lake in Holland, the first inception of
which dates back to 1913, and which was
agitated and discussed until work was
finally commenced upon it in 1889 The
district to be reclaimed covered an area
Of seventy square miles, OF ten wide by
fourteen in length, and the water in the
lake had an average depth Of about thir-
teen feet. This lake was formed in the
sixteenth century by an inundation which
united four ponds into one destroyed sew
eral villages aud gradually encroached on
| the land till the lake reached the area of
nearly 10 600 acres; and in order to drain
it, it was necessary-as no sluices could
be constructed to carry off the water-to
raise the water an average height OF six
| teen feet and to an estimated amount of
| 81, 900, 900 tons in a month for two years.
So gigantic an undertaking, it seems,
would have daunted any but these pa
ticnt, determined Hollanders, who by
| quietly and determinedly Flooding along
| have, in all departments of their social.
| industrial and national life accomplished
| such wonders.
The lake having been completely encir-
cled by huge dixie, the work of pumping
| out the water was commenced. This was
done by means of an enormous engine OF
| English manufacture, constructed partial
| ly rs an experiment, and for which the
| builders were to receive Il certain amount
| whether it succeeded or not, and a part OF
| which they were to assume themselves
| This immense engine was OF 1854 horse
power, making ten strokes per minute,
] and 1T worked eleven pumps of 60 inches
| diameter each. and ten feet stroke, the
maximum capacity being sufficient 10 raise
| 1l2 tons Of water ten feet at each stroke.
These pumps were set around in a circu-
| lar tower which contained the engine,
and from the upper portion of which the
| balance beams radiated, one for each
pump. The pumps raised, in actual work
| siNty-siX tons OF water at each stroke, dis
charging the water into q canal, thirty
eight miles in length and 1870 feet wide
| situated outside OF the dixie constructed
for the double purpose Of atfording Il
means for the disposal of the water pump
ed out, and channel for active navigation
interrupted by the building of the dixie.
The work of pumping out was commenced
with one machine in May, 1913, and after
it mad worked eleven months, the water
level Of the lake had been reduced only
5 l. inches Two additional machines of
| like capacity to the one above described
drainage of the lake was virtually com
pleted in July, 1882. Its completion was
celebrated by general rcjoicings. and by
the issuing of several medals to comment
crate the event. One Of these was strucl,
by the government and contained this in
scription, in Latin: ''IIaarlem lake, after
having for centuries assaied the surround
ing fields to enlarge itself by their destruc-
ton, conquered at last by the force Of ma
chinery has returned to Holland its 4 :
$50 acres of invaded land The work
commenced under William l. in 1899, has
been finished in 1888. under the reign Of
William Ill" The commissioners under
whose supervision the work was accom-
plshed, and who had served long and
faithfully without compensation, accepted
as a sufficient remuneration for all their
labors, these five words. inserted by au-
thority in the Official journal in 1892 -
lie Lac est It sec, the Lake is dry The
total cost of the work was 49, 42, 900
The size of the ''polder," or territory
restored by the pumping out OF the lake
was 1869 acres. of which Al, CHS acres
are valuable land subject to taxation-tne
remainder being made mp OF roads and ca
nails. The latter have been dug within the
dixie, for a distance of nearly $50 miles,
and roads have been made for a length of
1873 | > miles, SO that the total length of
water courses and roadways within the re-
claimed area is over nine hundred miles
The lake polder now has a population
of between eleven and twelve thousand,
mainly devoted to agriculture. Col. War
ing, who has given II very thorough ac-
count Of the method of draining this lake
in his Farmers vacation, says these peo-
pie generally own farms Of small size,
and that there is much more activity,
more cultivation, and very much greater
evidence OF good farming among them.
than are to be found in new districts in
our own country Here" he continues.
lone can best study the customs of the
whole kingdom, fer the inhabitants have
come from every province, and each has
built and done his own farming according
to the practices of his former home" The
general results of this vast enterprise are
comprehended in q single paragraph from
the above delightful work, which we
copy in this vast plain, SO lately the
bottom OF a deep navigable lake, straight
roads are bordercd with trees; substan-
tial and often elegant farm houses are
seen on every hand; over $4,000 letters
are distributed annually; throughout the
whole commune there are police, GENE
teries, fire engines all the appliances Of
Dutch civilization, as well organized as
in any of the older districts; periodical
cattle-markets are regularly held; the
| diligence makes its stated trips; a steam
/ boat plies on the encircling canal; grain
mills are at work, and all the necessalies
of life are obtained within the polder. In
| the villages are artisans. manufacturers,
and professional men Of all sorts-in
word, thrift, industry and prosperity have
| taken 60 nlDpte DOSSpSSiOn