New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-19
TO DRAIN THE ZUYDER ZEE.
A GIGANTIC PLAN FOR ADDING 10 lhD
FERTILE DOMAIN OF HOLLAND.

as successful as the draining OF the sea 81 "''
lem over a quarter Of century ago. F'r u. ',,'
eight years the preparatory work has peer 't'''''
| under wav Representatives from the suites 'e"''
al organized n society in 1856 the SOY" cu!c'' -
| which was 10 make plans for this UNDERTAKING l"'
se,vicrs Of architects engineers chemists. artisans
Granciers and representatives OF different oofp0'"o
have been utilized 10 carry on this WORK NJ s"'
part OF the labor during this time has been the care
tul sgdy and analysis Of the quality OF the SOL "'
| change. constantly. II has also been necessary 10
make repeated drlllngs and borlaes. to fnd cat 'he
d,n,h n, the soil and tie distance underground nee
! cssaty 10 irbcd the dykes. An Official report Has
| lately been issued In which 1t Ia stated uat 'uly
three fourhs OF the soil Is fertile as that ABOUT inc
T. the arm Of the lake projecting toward fhe hoFt''
| The znyier Zee which I, IN reality part OF inc
| basin Of the North sea covers 100000 acres II u
! proposed to leave lake In the cent?" covering
little more than 500 coo acres. leaving 10000 acres
! ~ be drained 1t Is estimated that from l2ooo 10
H. 600 acres will be rendered nhahltable eacb year
and for the whole work at least thrtyrc" years VIII
bu necessary. The cost Of this undertaking VIII DC
no less than SO 600 900. but Holland does not THINK
she Is paving Il dear price for The land. The entrance
70 the zuydcr Tee Is between stavorcn on the coast
| Of Tricsland and Mcdcnbjk. dccaycd CITY of MOTH
Holland. at time the capital Of the province. ~
| this point the gulf IS wide the Straits ~ Gals
and II Is proposed to build Tie rnormoiS dyhe
designed 10 keep ont the North sea III VI" H'uhIH
Of this dyke Will be constructed wide canal for the
movement of the tides and 70 regulate the flowing oi
| tlc waters of the IsScl and Nccr.
Navigation VIII he carried on between the provinces
of North Holland and Frlcsland. Tho lake which Is
In the centre Of the country VIII afford communication
not only between all III" great cities OF Holland but
with the great European centres. The basin VIII be-
| transformed into fertile territory which VIII prop
ably be- the means Of attracting farmers from all parts
Of Holland rs was the Harlem. where there
| di,ice ~ tip
Trovlnco,. Al the deal cities Of the coast will be-
| awakened with new NE: sland'-thc vcstiec, OF
,,nkcn aIHswil disappear and there VIII be created
| "a naw Holland within Holland.
The magnitude Of this scheme only be apprc
| dated hy l"!landcr and tho difficulties In the way
would seem aimo,, nsurmountab" 10 any except the
lIonindcr, who have been accustomed from time i'm
memorial 10 fighting Tor all that they g"t. Even the
land tie Gift Of THE soil Itself which has been be
tovcd upon Other people has been denied the lIol-
lander. The country consisted originally only "f
sandy marshes. lch the pcop" by p'icni ana abo-
rou, ptocc.~c,. rendered inhahtablc sometimes bring
| inc from a Ill .tauce. sometime, spreading me du't
| from the down, the watery meadows and some
times extracting the clay. II land without
metal SON, iron or coal even without wood for tho
forests had Lccn destroyed 10y water long age bcfor"
The land invited stray mariner 10 S'cN ms fortune
tle,c. TIL, wrestling with ihc common enemy. the
sea, has been going for e niurc. II Is an eternal
struggle. and know better than h" lollaad'r1
th"m,clvc, that the country l. conquest by man
ov.r m, ,ca and that t. Will vanish Whenever the
landcIs abandon IT.
III" plticn,c. sc,francc and indomitable cnur
ago Of the llolandor h1, become provcrhial. and
even historical The people know that everlasting
ma eternal vcilan,c. combined with uccsSln' strug
r,r. necessary 90 ct the mastery over The sea.
Ih greater part ~ the country i, below the eal,vcl
and over, ahcrr that nature has not provided bul
wlri - SAND banks the coast must be- protected by
dNLr-. Ia Zealand alone. the dykes extend over
distance - uorr than :,'o mile. has
computed that the cNpors' Of construct ON and pro-
crvaion ~ the dyke the western coast Of Walchcn
4 II were pui At interest would amount to
,rn -'.n,cnt TO huid the dyke ~ solid copper. Am
.tcrllm al the ellie, of the Zuyicr lee. and all tn
,-ial- which Strung together he rop> pearls.
are protected hy tho" massive DYKE.
u o. np wonder That IN this mighty conflict the
people have developed tho" national characters
tie, which almost wholly the salt 81 environ
mont nnd winch have enabled the people in all ages,
IA spite 81 cucrucu,ni, from foreign couniric. and
rreard", of pt H. religion. and other uphcaval,. ~
Oh Il io MY = their oWa y. llol AM day
IN roror, IiI tud IN" s"vcHtccath century. bat
~ o 'IIuHH.n- country ohe T. second Onl' 10 Eng
l.ud lriun. tl" European power. II il the country
"hci" there l. the must p,pllw education and I,a,t
rpr"Tion ~ m'ii-. ~hcrr simplicity ind simple
hosp tally have dc-ccud,d from generation t. g'n-
'riiion He a NIL" heirloom.
:" moon lInl l. romantic, poet ~ ana sngg'-tv"
for Hli ana h'l'n b. 'ln-t"ru ab. q IN" Hnld,r Ar
,in'" The formation oi Thu basin the thirteenth
""nlir} iN i" t'm"nd"n. inmdhion which cost
900" hV"s and Destroyed million, Of doaI~ worth
Il property. H." cite, along It's coasts it. pcoplc
amount Of mt rial Tor tradition ana legend, borrowed
from HE history Of tn" Old ciri's that have ben
DESTROYED land, long ~inrc Devastated nd from the
add, rising Of new oti., which IN turn we're r..
81 ilnia,i horrors ~" N told Oh u" shore, OF the
>iavocn. the town on stilt,. wa, the olc.,t Of The
lns,an cities and NJ on" lime III" Nnoyeh Of the
Mydcr n~. To-day II l. an i."lucd viiIng"
rounded ly waste marshes nnd n-1cg impairment, 10
commerce. The sand bank which clogs mp The port
Is called lronwrn-tnd ar the Woman ,ard Bank.
ana ia" lI)land"is have an eNplinlti"n If course
h"i "nh l"r ihr h"nl" bat for t!ir presence OF ia"
,ah bank ii,rl. II i SID that at ON" lime IA"
III" result q" Their extensive" commercial transactions
NJ rich woman. = merchant sent vessel to Danlzic
IN" captain l"Id'd the ship with grain. This
much Tor IT," naughty Woman. WHO ordered the grain
dcinrrnrrd a, TO the best method Of "nidnImg t,s
i>iandcr- and mi furnished an o"casion for punish
m"t. \ great >and bank va, fnI.cd before the port
Mlmr. me I'.'n laI m"n thrown overheard, and
er1dn1lly n. CONNER" wa d. Stioyco
ol 'nsinc'rS prrad the country and c)ntrrd Hike
an arrN continually watching oven Ia" internal
water, ana hspine back III" sea. Ihc work of
strengthening and repairing Old dykes. building new
oncS and throwing ont and hanks I, oirv,r going
YEAR ago would b" la from accurate now. The sea
t. continually washing away The band. retiring from
som" portions AMI Joining Islands 10 the main land.
,h'H lhhl w"rr 'ncc r"pnio,'S invr been "N"rNw"pt
and almost washed away. and Islands nrr continually
Tn" greatest engineering feat Vet record WAS
ne draining Of Tia" linarirm Lax" In -. only
thirty nine months OF labor required for This,
and Holland received u new pro, Incr Ol more than
$1,000 acres Of land. THEE gigantic steam engine,
sufficient for ia" work. Of which. the Leigh
wntci-ndm,d In honor Of the engineer who Planned
the works. sin at T." in times the rain
into ia" canal. TIL" engines Kept IN larg,
bIu"mcnt"d tower, cncIrclrd by widows with pointed
arches. from which PROJECT cl"vcn great which.
II ing and failing tcinatcy. put In motion rs many
pump. each calabl" Of raising sixty cubic metres
Of The lami ton Of lee Is
Il, Vi lie rl
a century for Its completion.
THE Only IL ty orr OP IT