Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-04-26
MAY UPSET EARTH,s BALANCE
Plan to Change Sahara Desert Into a
Great Inland Sea.

i Great inland Sea.
Great agitation has been aroused in
Europe by the renewal OF the project to
change the Sshars, desert into sea.
The author OF this project is Prof. Ed
mond Etchegoyen, one Of the most distin-
guished engineers and scientists in France.
He Is in many ways comparable to Ferdi-
nsnd De Lesseps, the protector OF the Pam
anna canal.
The project is receiving great support
from Mile. Eschegoyen, the beautiful and
accomplished daughter of the professor.
She is promoting the scheme with much
4 efforts there is serious prospect that it
may be carried ont.
In favor Of the scheme it is said that it
4 will restore q vast territory to civilization.
Against it is urged the startling fact
that it may upset the balance Of the world.
| The Sahara desert is an immanse depres-
sion many hundred thousands Of miles in
extent, lying generally from 100 to 1000
feet below sea level.
1t is for the most part useless, a menace
to life and hindrance to commerce. Its
climate is absolutely uncomfortable be-
cause it lies on and about the equator, be-
low the sea level, and is shut off from the
cooling winds from the north by the Atlas
mountains.
On behalf OF the plan to food the Sahara
it is claimed
surrounding the great inland lake habit
able.
2. That it would furnish a safe and
healthy way Of communication through
central Africa.
3. That it would give a comparatively
moderate climate to this region-as mod
crate, probably, as the north shore of
Africa, lying on the Mediterranean sea.
The lake could easily be formed. accord
ing. to the projectors, by cutting a small
fifty mile canal from the Mediterranean
to the Sahara through certain part OF
the French-African possessions. France
is the country chiefly affected by the
change, since the Sahara lies almost en-
tirely within French territory.
Against the formation of the new sea
the chief reason urged is that it would
cause dangerous change in the climate
OF Europe, the consequences OF which no
one can foresee. 1t is quite remarkable
1 how many eminent scientists hold that
this would be a grave danger.
Some go so far as to assert that the sud-
den shifting of so vast body of water
might shift the position of the earth's axis,
thereby entailing distur bance which
! iu had o1 - III t:s
our globe.
The change would mean the shifting of
countless million tons of water in the di-
rection OF the south pole. This, it is cal
cuiated, might have the effect of shifting
the south pole away from the southern
end OF Africa towards America, and the
north pole in corresponding manner
away from North America toward Europe.
That, apparently, would have the effect
OF changing Arctic Canada into moderate
climate and Europe into an Arctic land.
There seems to BIZ no question that the
creation of a new sea in Africa would
4 seriously modify the climate of Europe.
Every continent is dependant on con-
ditions in the others. Scientists have re-
Gently come to the conclusion that the ex-
traordinary Hoods and frosts from which
Europe has lately suffered are due to the
deforestation OF America. France and
England have both suffered abnormalIy
from floods. Prof. Camille Flammarion, of
Paris, is o. OF those who support this
view, and another is Prof Bruckner, Of
| Vienna.
1.-THE flooding of the Sahara would !"
Gays the distinguished Prof. Mollendorff,
OF Munich, "make the climate OF France
and Germany sub-arctic, while England
and Belgium and Denmark would be
almost uninhabita BILE. Some of the
greatest capitals in the world would soon
be quite deserted. Polar bears would
prowl amid the icebergs and SHOWS OF
what are now the splendid cities of Lon
don, Edinburgh and Brussels.
"The British islands would be practi-
cally blotted from the map, since their
people would become savage people, clad
in skins and drinking oil and eating blub-
Der like the Eskimo. The picture is
strange one, yet there is something else
that is stranger still. Serious minded
men OF science have predicted something
even worse, as a possib Utility, than a mere
change Of climate. Suppose the channels
were cut down through the hills and
plains OF Morocco to the verge OF the vast,
mysterious desert which lies beyond.
'There would come the moment for the
last cutting to be made on the edge of the
Mediterranean - the moment when Q
tremendous explosion OF dynamite would
shatter the last barrier and allow the
waters Of the worlds oceans to go
laundering and roaring down the. steep
incline. The bursting Of reservoir, the
breaking OF a great dam, is a fearful thing
to contemplate; yet how trivial would it
be compared with this great cataclysm,
which would drain 900 900 cubic miles Of
water from the seas and hurl them in lone
I tremendous avalanche into the heart OF
/ coutiDeuti Might not his sudden shift