The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-01-11
LES 10 S T
>rUnous TOWNS IN ASIA
.ssD AMERICA ARE NOW ONLY
RUINS, HE DECLARES.

LONDON. Jan. io.--'Is the earth
drying up?" was a. question discussed
recently by DR.. J. w. Gregory. pro-
lessor of geology OF the University OF
Glasgow, at meeting of the Geo
graphical Society.
Many impressive facts. said DR.,
Gregory are consistent with the the
Org that the earth is becoming drier. !
The postglac lakes have grown
smaller and IN some cases have been
replaced by marshes or meadows The
great inland sea Of southwestern Asia !.
has shrunk until IL Is now represented
only by the Caspian Sea and the Sea
of Aral. Asiatic travellers bear unan- /
TInous testimony to the fact that In
large areas Of central Asia lakes and
swamps are still disappearing. /
fertile plains are being deserts,
rivers are ceasing to rut and the
deserted ruins OF once busy cities are
buried in sand
All these changes are taken to mean
that the rainfall over central Asia mas
decreased and is still decreasing. SIM !
liar evidence ia reported from many
widely separated parts Of the word. |
The desolation Of Palestine is attribu-
tod TO a decrease IN It's water supply. /
In tropical Africa many lakes nave |
vanished and Lake Tchad has become
"a much shailower and smaller tnat
II has been described as vanishing
lake Livingstone's first contribution I
10 South African geography which
has been lost, described the increas- /
ing desiccation of the country oesloe
the Kalahar desert
American Cities Deserted.
Taking North America, great fresh
water lakes have dwindled to salt
nooIs. Indian cities once numerous IN
certain districts. have been deserted,
and these districts are said TO be In
CAPABLE row OF maintaining popu-
alton corresponding 10 the nuInpeI oA
ruined settlements.
IN south America DR. Moreno and
sir Martin Conway have referred to
evidence OF cultivation in land now
z,ya misunderstanding te-tae failure
water supply, while Bowman has de-
scribed recent desiccaion In southern
Bolivia
The maps OF tho interior OF Aus
tra1ia mark many extensive lakes
which are today mere clay pans or
SAT- swamps, while the once fertile
plains around them have withered into
deserts.
have been proved BY unmistakable
evidence and. according to Prince
Pierre Kropotkine. they occasioned
some OF the greatest historic move
nents among men II this dexccation
OF the earth continues 1t must lead to
further great political changes. for
IN time the populations OF :he world
will be forced out OF the oenterS of the
continents and crowded Into the con-
tinental margins.
Nevertheless, DR.. Gregory proceed
ed. tho problem whether or not the
earth IL drying up is heeged about with
p tAA ~ 20
fact seemed to result clearly
from the evidence. namely that there
had been many and worldwide ell
matte changes In late geologic times,
while in historic times there had been
no worldwide change OF climate.
Rainfall Increased.
II we consider, he went on. partfcu-
lar countries. ruch as Egypt and Pal
estfne. the balance OF expert opinion
was strongly in favor of the view
that there had been no climatic
change In either since the earliest ex-
igttnR records. Increased humidity
characterized the present climates OF
Scandinavia, Germany. Hungary. Ru-
mania, the eastern and southern parts
OF North America parts OF Africa
from Nigeria to Cape Colony. and
change following a dry postgiacial
period In England. As an Increased
rainfall had been demonstrated for
30 many parts OF the world, II was
only natural to expect compromising
decrease In other districts. and there
was accordingly q predisposition to
accept the claim that Central Asia was
suffering from increasing desiccation-
The explanation of tn. conflicting
views might be that In Central Asia
the desert was widening In some
places and contracting elsewhere
That the total rainfall in Central Asia
had diminished was, however. proba-
bic as an accompaniment 10 Its In
crease in parts Of Europe. Variations
ia the distribution OF rainfall must
result from any considerable altera-
ton In the level Of the land: tho uplift
of a continent must cause the rain
fall to become heavier on the marEins
and lighter In the interior. The IN
crease Of rain on the coastlands would.
however hasten their lowering by de
mutation. and again tho rain would
sweep over the interior. hence that
marvellous geographical equilibrium,
which had rendered possible the UNI
broken course Of evolution. would
In time, unless checked by renewed
unrifts of the coastlands. restore the
more even distribution OF the rain and
revive the desolate regions in the heart
OF a continent