The weekly intelligencer., 1900-10-20
DRAINING LAKE copAIs.
Reason, Why 0o,oOe Acres Of Pine
Farm Lsads Have Not Proved
Proatable.

Tho draining Of lake Copais, which
wss begun about 20 yeprs ago, purely
as business enterprise. has not yet
proved financially successful and the
reasons are interesting. Lake Copals.
In Boeotia, was one Of the largest
lakes In Greece. II had some unusual
pecuharities II was without any vis-
ible outlet to the sea, but I, was disf
covered after diligent search that
about 20 underground eonduits car
ried its waters to the Euboean chan
mel II could scareely be recognized
as the same lake al different seasons
OF the year. In May it covered an
area Of 30 square miles. Early in the
summer it's erea was almost inyari-
ably reduced TO about So square miles,
and rich vegetation gave the outer
part, that a short time before had
been under water. the appearance Of
a fertile prairie. In a few months
the prairie lands were drowned by
the rising waters and were turned for
considerable period into most in
salubrious marsh. Lake Copais was
regarded by everyone as a good deal
of a nuisance, says the New York Sun.
A French company arranged with
the Greek government to drain = e
lake and turn it into farming lands.
II began work in 1850 with capital
Of nearly 5000 900, but this amount
was insufficient. In 1857, having ex-
hausted its funds, the company sold
its concession to Englishmen, who
formed the Lake Copais company,
limited. A part OF the capital ex-
pended in completing the drainage of
the lake was secured by the sale of
stock bearing interest at the rate of
six per cent per annum. No interest
has been paid on the stock since 1893.
The lake was drained by digging
two great tunnels through the hills.
One of them carried the waters Of
Copais. The land would have been
of the anclents. Another outlet had
to be made from Likeri, and so tun-
mel was dug from that lake TO Lake
Paralimsi, and thus Copais was final
ly drained to the sea. At last 1000
acres of the finest farming lands were
reclaimed from She bed of Lake
Copais. The land would have been
worth millions OF dollars II It had
been situated in any of the densely-
peopled parts OF western Europe.
But, alas! IL Is In thinly-peopled
Greece, and the rush that the com
pany expected to this new area Of
cultivation has not yet occurred.
The lands were for sale or hire In
1896, but as yet only 20,OOO acres are
under cultivation. Fine wheat, corn,
barley, cotton and other crops are
grown, but nearly two-thirds OF the
land Is still tenantless. Land seems
to go begging among the Greek farm
-ers So the company has decided TO
give the farmers. of other parts OF
Europe a chance. The fact has been
published far and wide that here are
some Of the finest lands for tillage on
the continent and they may be Sc.
cured on reasonable terms.
About 10000 acres have been arbi.
trarily seized by peasants in that re-
gion, without paying the price. and
as yet they have not been evicted.
They assert that the operations OF
the company have damaged their own
property, mainly by raising the level
Of the two lakes. into which Copai,
was emptied and thereby drowning
some OF the lands around them. The
justice Of their claims has not yet
been judicially passed upon. and
meanwhile the farmers remain in pos
session of the holdings seized.
One result of undoubted beneflcence
has followed the drainage Of Copais
The pestilent swamp that poisoned
the air for several months in the year
has entirely disappeared. There 4,
no longer any miasma in that part
of the country.