The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1909-08-13
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lie IeIudThdDl6 dcnloNemouIS VI
our sister American republics in ir-
rigation and reclamation demonstrate
forcibly the importance and progress
OF these nations. Their far-reaching
work, both past and present, in this
line of material development of their
tonishes the average man and is little
appreciated throughout the United
States.
What they have done, are doing
)itious schemes of this country and
make us admire their enterprise and
energy. If the irrigation expert of
he United States were to visit and
aspect the principal reclamation
works between Mexico on the north
and Argentina on the far south, he
would return not only with new and
-aluable impressions which would be
lelpful in extending the work here
>ut with an enthusiasm for the possi-
>ilities of our Latin American neigh
oors that would do much to foster
loser relations of commerce and
comfy, said John Barrett, director of
he international Bureau of the Amer
lean Republics, in an address before
The National Irrigation congress at
Ibuquerque, N, NJ.
Irrigation in Latin America is nc
new problem. In fact, there are to
be found to-day evidences Of great
irrigating canals and systems built
by the Aztecs of Mexico and the In
cas- of Peru long before the Spanish
conquest and even the discovery of
America. A few facts illustrative of
what they had accomplished in the
line of irrigation before Europe in
vaded the New World may be of inter
est. The student of the problem of
irrigation will find abundant material
Republic to prove the beneficial work
done by these early peoples.
Let us look for moment at Peru.
The Incas. the Peruvian aborigines,
were thorough agriculturists, and, al
though much of the country along the
seacoast suffered from want of water,
as little or no rain fell there, many
places were capable Of being re-
claimed. and indeed needed only to
be properly irrigated to be suscep-
tible of extraordinary production. To
these spots water was conveyed by
means of canals and subterraneous
aqueducts, executed on a noble scale.
They consisted of large slabs of free
stone nicely fitted together without
cement and discharged volume of
water sufficient, by means of latent
ducts or sluices, to moisten the
lands in the lower level through
which they passed.
Some of these aqueducts were of
great length. One, that traversed the
district of Condesuvo. measured be-
tween four and five hundred miles.
They were brought from some ele-
waited lake or natural reservoir in the
heart of the mountains and were fed
at intervals by other basins which
lay in their route along the slope of
the Sierras. In this descent a pas
sage was sometimes to be opened
through rocks (without the aid of
iron tools), impracticable mountains
were to be turned, rivers and marshes
to be crossed; in short, the same
obstacles were to be encountered as
in the construction of their mighty
roads. Near Caxamarca a tunnel is
still visible which they excavated in
the mountains to give an outlet to
the waters of a lake.
Most of these beneficent works of
the Incas we're suffered to go to de-
cay by their Spanish conquerors. In
some spots the waters are still left
to flow in their silent subterraneous
channels, whose windings and whose
sources have been alike unexplored.
Others, though partially dilapidated
and closed up with rubbish. still be-
tray their course. Such remains are
found in the Valley Of Nasca. where
the ancient water courses Of the In
cas-. measuring four or hve feet In
depth by three In width. and formed
Of large blocks Of uncementod ma