Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-30
THE DREAMS OF MAN.
Some Wonderful Plans for Changing
the Face Of the Earth.

the race or the Earth.
From the New York Press.
There are many gigantic schemes In the
world today which are worthy and lineal
successors Of the plan for building the
Tower Of Babel. Yet in an age when 80
many wonders have been accomplished 1t
would be unsafe to assert that any of the
vast products which haunt the imaginations
Of the advocates are impossible Of accom-
plishment or to prophesy for them the fate
which overlook the tower-building expert
ment on the plains Of Shinar.
French engineers have declared that 1t is
perfectly feasible to convert the Desert of
Sahara into vast lake, thus opening to
commerce great regions Of the interior Of
Africa which can now only be reached by
long, tedious and dangerous caravan jour
neys. They say that a large proportion of
the desert lies below the level of the At
lantic and that by digging a canal to let
In the waters Of the ocean the great change
could be effected easily and at a cost which
would be small compared to the benefits
which would accrue. If the whole desert
lay below the level of the Atlantic the flood
Ing of it would create a sea more than four
times as big as the Mediterranean; but as
the Sahara Is composed of elevated plateaus,
mountain ranges and depressions, only a
the waves Of the ocean were let in. and the
new sea thus formed would be an irregular
body Of water probably Of about the same
size as the Mediterranean. Great CONNER
cial cities would at once spring up on it's
shores and trade and civilization strike at
once to the heart Of Africa. The Sea of
Sahara may never become a reality, but in
any event it Is a gigantic and pleasing
dream.
The Russians propose. not to make a new
sea. but to improve old one. The Sea Of
Azov. which lies back of the Crimea is a
body of water 300 miles long and eighty
miles wide. 1t opens into the Baltic sea,
and would be an important center of trade
were it not for the fact that 1t is so ex-
tremely shallow that no ocean-going steam
ers can enter 1t. Even small boats have
difficulty in navigating its waters. Now
the Russian government proposes to bring
wealth and business TO the shores of the
Sea Of Azov by building a dam across the
strait by which it communicates with the
Black Sea of Azov, letting the rivers which
empty into the shallow body of water fill 1t
up to a depth which shall make 1t prac-
ticable for large steamers. 1t is thought
that heavy dam about two miles long,
with great lock capable Of taking in
ocean steamers, would accomplish the de-
sired result. Where the shores Of the sea
re high naturally they would be all right
when the waters rose, but where they are
4Ow artificial shores would have to be con-
structed. otherwise the Azov might only be
increased in area instead of being deepened
1t is a big undertaking, but the Russian
government Is seriously considering the
work. and detailed plans have been pre-
pared
Among great schemes may be included
the proposition of the Hon. Rollo Russell,
member of the British parliament who
advocated the building of immense walls
to Increase the rainfall in sterile districts.
The walls were to be SO high that their tops
would arrest the clouds and cause down
pour of rain. thereby rendering fit for cult
walton lands which are now good only for
pasture or entirely Improbable.
Another member of the same family, Lord
John Russell, when premier of England,
had urged upon his attention the scheme of
digging an immense hole three miles in cir
conference in the center of England. 1t
was to give work to the unemployed and
was to go down so deep that the subter-
ranean heat released would be sufficient to
furnish motive power for all the factories
in the land.
1t has been proposed seriously several
times to put out the fires of Vesuvius by
letting in on them the waters of the Med
lterranean. The experiment has been pre-
vented by fear that a gigantic explosion
would result, which would blow up Italy.