The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1900-09-13
DRAINING LAKE copAIs.



was begun about 20 years ago. purel,
as business enterprise. has not yei
proved financially successful and the
REASONS are interesting. Lake Copais
tn boeotla, was one OF the largest
lakes in Greece. II had some unusual
peculiarities. n was without any Wis
ihie outlet 10 the kea. but IL was dis
covered after diligcpt search that
about 20 underground conduits car
ried It's waters TO the Euboean chan
mel II could scarcely be recognized
as the snme lake at different seasons
OF the year. In May IL covered an
area OF 30 square miles. EARLY In the
summer its area was almost invari-
ably reduced to about 81 square miles,
and rich vegetation gave the outer
part, that q short time before had
been under water, the appearance OF
n fertile prairie. In few months
the prairie lands were drowned by
the rising waters and were turned for
a considerable period into a most in
salubrious marsh. Lake Copais was
regarded by everyone as q good deal
OF nuisance, says the New York Sun.
A French company arranged with
the Greek government to drain the
lake and turn IL into farming lands.
IL began work in 1880 with capital
OF nearly $2,OOO,OOO, but this amount
was insufficient In 1887, having ex-
hausted its funds, the company sold
It's 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 1898.
The lake was drained by digging
two great tunnels through the hills.
One OF them carried the waters of
Oopais. The land would have been
OF the ancients Another outlet had
TO be made from Likeri, and so a tun-
mel was dug from that lake to Lake
Paralimai, and thus Copais was final
y drained to the sea. At last 10000
lcres OF the finest farming lands were
from the bed of Lake
;opais. The land would have been
worth millions of dollars il II had
'een situated in any of the densely-
'eopled parts of western Europe.
3ut, alas! it is in thinly-peopled
ireece, and the rush that the com
ANY expected to this new area Of
has not yet occurred.
The lands were for sale or hire in
s96, but as yet only 10000 acres are |;
nder cultivation, Fine wheat, corn,
arley, cotton and other crops are
rown, but nearly two-thirds of the :
md is still tenantless. Land seems q
go begging among the Greek farm .
rs. SO the company has decided to !.
i've the farmers Of other parts OF \
urope a chance. The fact has been .
nblished far and wide that here are y
'me OF the finest lands for tillage on n
'e continent and they may be Sc q
lred on reasonable terms. il
About 10000 acres have been arbi- %
arily seized by peasants in that re- e,
on, without paying the price, and
yet they have not been evicted. IL
ley assert that the operations Of m
g company have damaged their own nj
operty, mainly by raising the level ii
the two lakes. into which Copais dl
IS emptied and thereby drowning fe
me of the lands around them. The tn
stice OF their claims has not yet az
en- judicially passed upon, and M
the farmers remain in pos
sion OF the holdings seized. da
)ne result of undoubted beneficence sh
followed the drainage of Copais. so
g pestilent swamp that poisoned isl
air for several months in the year er
entirely disappeared. There is sh
longer any miasma in that part me
the country. Gle
wi