Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-11-10
AN INLAND SEA.

Australian Lakes Which Could BE Con-
nected by Canals with the Ocean.
A correspondent writes to the Bris-
bane (Australia) Courier of the pro-
posed Lake Eyre scheme: This scheme
has not been much noticed of late years,
and yet by it's means the whole climate
and character of Australia may some
day be destined to be thoroughly
changed, turning what are now arid de-
serts into huge inland sea, surrounded
by cultivated shores and extending
over hundreds of miles of now useless
unlnhabitable country. Its not general
ly known that Lakes Eyre and Torrens
and the small lakes surrounding them
are salt, and are situated at the bottom
of great depression which extends
Tor miles east and west Of Lake Eyre
and for hundreds of miles in norther-
ly direction. Yet such is the fact, this
depression being many feet below sea
level.
BY levels already taken the land in
the Immediate vicinity of Lake Eyre is
known to be over forty feet below
the level of the sea. There is no doubt
that the sea once flowed freely in the
center of Australia, and some con-
vulsion of nature having cut off the
entrance of the sea the water which was
left in the center has gradually disap-
peared owing to the enormous evapora-
ton which takes place there. 1t is sup
posed that the entrance was somewhere
near where it is now proposed to cut a
canal-that is to say, Spencer Gulf. The
country between Spencer Gulf and
Lake Torrens is composed of chain of
small lakes and creeks. From Lake
Torrens to Lake Eyre it is intersected
by water courses, which by deepening
would join the waters of the two lakes.
The greater part of the land in this de-
preston is Of no value, being either salt
marshes or boys, Or else arid deserts
covered with stones, as witness the
Great Stony Desert; but on the margins
of the depression the soil is most fer
tile, and during the rainy season will
grow anything.
What can be more feasible than to cuta
canal as proposed and let in the sea, and
SO utilize all this present waste land?
On and around Lake Eyre the evapora
ton is as great as one inch per diem.
Consider some hundreds of miles of
country covered with water several feet
deep, and subject to heat which would
evaporate one inch of water per diem.
What would become of the thousands of
tons of moisture taken up into clouds?
It must be precipitated again, and
where? Somewhere in Australia. At
present the coast ranges intercept all
rains coming from the sea inland, and
so they never reach the interior. But
if rain be produced in the interior and
is stopped by the coast ranges from going
out to sea, will it not render our rainfall
more frequent and regular, and SO swell
the present inland creeks into perma-
nent rivers?
Then, instead of having continental
climate in the center Of Australia, We
should have an insular one, a regular
rainfall and balmy breezes instead ofthe
not north winds of Victoria and South
Australia and the bitterly cold winds of
Queensland. All the lands around the
lake for hundreds of miles would feel
the benefit of this inland sea and be
fertile. There is any quantity of good
soil there, and once this scheme was be-
gun we should see towns springlng up
all along the lines of the canal and
around the margin of the sea. New in
dustries would be started, work would
be ready for all and reign of prosper
ity would set in such as was never
dreamed of for the vast interior OF Aus