The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-04-16
Water for Provinces Which
Have Been Barren
for Centuries
TO AID ITALY'S
AGRICULTURE
Apennines Drilled in Fiji
teen Year Task at Cost
Of $30,00O,000

Bari, Italy, April l6.-Water from the
Apennines was distributed Wednesday
for the first time to the provinces of
Bari, Foggia and Lecce, through the
Apulia agueduct, the largest in the world
which was begun in 1905. More than
100000 persons now are assured of
a supply fresh from mountain
streams, brought through l.s75 miles OF
pipe. The territory served has suffered
for centuries from lack of an adequate
supply.
| For the construction of the aqueduet,
the cost of which is estimated at 500
100000 and upon which 1000 workmen
have been engaged Is years, the course
OF the Sele river has been diverted A
collecting basin has been built at its
source. !, $40 feet above the level of the
sea. whence the waters are conveyed by
tunnel for seven and one half miles, pene.
trated watershed. and then through the
aqueduct, which is l55 miles long. While
the most important parts of the aoue-
Duct have been completed it will take
a year longer to finish all the minor de.
tails.
With the completion of the Croce di
Monaco tunnel through the eastern Apen-
mines, which was accomplished in NAV,
1914, the last engineering difficulty in the
way of finishing the aqueduct was re-
moved. This aqueduct, which was begun
in October, 1890, and will it is hoped be
completed, this autumn. is the greatest
hydraulic work of its kind ever under
taken. and far surpasses any Vt the giant
works of Marcus Agripps, Claudius or
Sixtus ", who built the greatest of the
Roman aqueducts.
The aqueduct begins at Caposele. and
Of the main waterway running to the
eastern slope OF the mountains at We
nosa. 60 miles are cut through the rocky
mountains. At Nenosa the upplv il d.
vided into three. one branch running to
Foggia, another to Bari, and the third
to Lecce, in the very heel of Italy.
These three main eonduits have a total
length of ] 900 miles. One hundred and
fifty-two reservoirs. each containing l50.- |
900 cubic metres of water, have been
at various points. Two and |
a half million people will be benefited |
by the scheme, and $4,000 small land !
tion OF their holdings.
Compared With Los Angeles Aqueduct.
Comparable to the newly completed
Italian aqueduct, the 500 900 900 munich
pal water project of Los Angeles pierces
the crest OF the Sierra Madre range, ~
miles west OF that city. and drills through
267s0 feet OF solid granite. Work be-
gan at both ends OF the big bore on Oct.
:, 1907. and went on day and night. The
work was finished year ahead of time
and SAL 500 under the estimate of Feb.
rusry, 1911. Imperial Rome's longest
squeduct was 81 miles: New York's
.stskill aqueduct. ~ miles long; but
he Los Angeles aqueduct in the San Fer
iando valley Is 240 miles long and in.
folved engineering features having no
parallel in history. The Elizabeth tun- !
lel is through five miles of solid granite
md is Ia feet wide and II feet high
iore than $500 men toiled in the des
III for the completion of the project
or which the inha bitants of Los Angeles
axed themselves SIS head bv over
vote. Five large reservoirs are
included in the system with an aggre-
ate capacity of 376.256. 10000 gallons.
% dispose of the problems of transpor.
alton Of men. stock. food. supplies and
he .OOOO00 tons of cement. steel, lum-
er and machinery a l20-mile railroad
ad 70 be built. some OF il blasted out
{ solid rock az cost of 5000 per
iile. II is the longest conduit supplying
city with water in the world. and with
ne exception the longest for any pur.
ose. The exception is the Coolgardle
ystem in west Australia. where water
1r mining purposes u sent through a
)-inch pipe and is lifted over a noun
lin range l.447 feet by pumping sta
ons along the line. Except the Apulia
lucduct. the only other waterWorks
liant. in ancient or modern times, AZ
I comparable with the Los Angeles
stem. ia the magnitude Of engineering -.
atures. il the one nov being construct
by the CITY Of New York. But the
"a Angeles system. with a daily caps
~ OF lu0epal000 gallons. cost only Sos
l0.0o0. while that If New Work. with
daily capacity Of only leo00000O gal
ns greater. cost si6A 100000.