The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-10-19
Practical Way of Reclaiming Part
of Zuider Zee Is Established
10y 4 Commission.
WOULD YIELD GREAT REVENUE.
Inland Sea Was Created by Ire.
mendOus Storm Which Broke
Through Sand Hills of the
Coast in Year 1110.

Previous 10 lS2. G commission wa- APP
pointed by the Government OF the Neither
lands to investigate and report upon a prof.
ect for retaining land now covered by the
zuider Zee. The scheme presented 70 the
Dutch Government is largely based upon the
report OF this commission.
Il is sufficient 10 say that the Zuider
Zee. now forming an arm OF the North SEA,
was created IN u1O. when u very heavy
storm broke through the sand hills OF the
coast which had before that protected the
low-lylnG lands from humiliation. The land
bordering the River Vessel was thus con-
verted into an irland sea sixty miles long.
leaving the TeXel and four other islands
along the former coast line. n forming
the higher portions OF the flooded territory
land and Marker.
The original idea OF retaining the whole
territory covered by the Zec-by uniting the
coast Islands, was abandoned a. CONNER
ciaily impracticabis Instead OF this the
commission the plan here
shown Il IS proposed 10 inclOe the inner
portion Of the Zee by building an embauk-
meut-egnteeu miles long and eighteen feet
high-across from Niereugen To Piaam, On
the Frieslau1- shore. and TO use this en-
n~anAinent LOT railway communication be-
tween North Holland and Friesland, and TO
taus shorten the distance between AmSter-
dam and Leeuwardea by thirty-nve miles.
BANKS TO BE BUILT.
Four other incIosing banks were then 10
Be constructed, and the areas inclosed TO be
pumped out An inland lake. $50 square
miles in area, would be left for commercial
purposes, and acting As a reservoir for the
waters Of the Vessel and other waterways
now emptyiBg into the Zuider Zee. The
overflow from this reservoir would dis
charge ihJo the North Sea through thirty
sluiees formed in the Wierengen-PIaam EN-
baukmenL.
The advantages claimed for this scheme
are a. follows.
As the level Of the lake will be lower than
tlat Of the sea. IL viii better drain the low
lying land; and. a. the lift VIII be less. the
cost OF pu;uping viii be decreased. The
a minimum By the outer entertainment. and
this -emba2kmens shottens distances 10y rail-
ways. To provide To- navigation, with the
water level lowered and tidal influences
eliminated, access to harbOrs must be Sc
cured hv dredging the approaches.
4 ship canal with a bottom width OF I5
feet Is also projected 20 run from Ear.iugen,
along the Friesland dixie 20 Piaam with a
terminal lock &5 feet wide and IS5 feet
long As the nshing industry would be d.
stroyec by the exclusion OF sea water, the
fishermen must be compensated for this
loss
The estimated cost o. the project TO Re
templates the building % the Western en-
only, Nos. 1. .. says the E1gi-
neerinE News. For the completed plan the
estimate amounts 20 SIS. 75l.e0 The cost OF
the great SEA dixie is set down al Sll-ElA5.
This money would be raised by a loan. re-
payable in sixty years. and IL IS expected
that II would require nine years 10 build
! and 2. and thirty-three years 10 complste
the project.