Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-10
THE DREAMS OF MAN.
Some Wonderful Plans for Changing
the Face of 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 so
many wonders have been accomplished 1t
would be unsafe to assert that any of the
vast projects which haunt the ina ginations
of the advocates impossible of accom-
plishment or TO propnesy 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 Allan
tic, and that by digging a canal to let In the
waters of the ocean the great change could
be affected easily and at cost which would
be small compared to the benefits which
would accrue. If the whole desert lay be-
low the level Of the Atlantic the flooding OF
it would create sea more than four times
as big as the Mediterranean; but as the Sa-
hara is composed of elevated plateaus.
mountain ranges and depressons, only
part would be covered with water when
the waves OF the ocean were let III, anu lllc
new sea thus formed would be irregular
body of water probably of about the same
size the Mediterranean. Great CONNER
cial cities would at once spring up on Its
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 an old one. The Sea of
;.t, lix..h nI Of 1an vi ic
body of water 22) 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 it is SO ex-
tremely shallow that no ocean-going steam
enter it. Even small boats have
difficulty in navigating it's 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 1t communicates with the
Black sea of AZov letting the rivers which
empty into the shallow body of water fill
it up to a depth which shall make it prac-
ticable for large steamers. 1t is thought
that a heavy dam about two miles long,
with a great lock capable of taking in
ocean steamers would accomplish the de-
sired result Where the shores of the sea
are high naturally they would be all right
when the waters rose, but where they are
low artificial shores would have to be con-
Structed, otherwise the AZov might only
be increased in area instead of being deep
ened. 1t is big undertaking, but the Rus
sian government is seriously considering
the work, and detailed plans have been pre-
pared.
Among great schemes may be included
the proposition of the Hon. Rolo Russell
member of the British parliament, who adj
vocated the building of immense walls to
increase the rainfall in sterile districts. The
walls were to be high that their tops
would arrest the clouds and cause a 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 II
was to give work to the unemployed and
was to go down 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 Medit-
| teranean The experiment has been pre-
vented by fear that a gigantic explosion
would result, which would blow up Italy.