The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-10-29

people of the Jewish race in many lands,
and one which would do muen IN restoring
to the country the prosperity OF Bible
times, the proposal has attracted wide
spread attention.
The plan, according to the Norwegian
Trade Review, is nothing less than to util-
lze the level variation between the Medi,
terranean and the Dead Sea by means of
great power stations By the construc-
ton OF pumping plants and dams. water
could be distributed throughout the terri
tory available for agriculture. while great
power plants would transmit electric ener.
gy throughout the country. Other ilnpor
tant features of thes:project include the
development of tile hitherto untouched
natural resources of the desert regions.
Mar. Hlorth's plan proposes tunnel
about 81 miles long running east and
west from the Mediterranean to the Dead
Sea, passing under Jerusalem. This tun-
nel would carry the water from the Med
lterranean to the western slopes of the
| lower end of the Jordan Valley. From
TINS point the water would be diverted
| through pipes down to the level of the
DEAD Sea, where power plant with tur-
| Do-electric machinery would transform the
water power into electricity. The power
| thus derived would be utilized in the
| following ways:
l. FOR the production of lime nitrate
from the AR, and also for the extraction
OF the salts contained in the waters of
| the Dead Sea-estimated at 200-weight
| TO the ton of water-and for local mining
operations.
| = For electric light and power through
out the country.
j s. For pumping plant at the southern
end of the Lake of Genezareth, which
should be regulated by dams and by low
er1ng the surface level; also, possibly, by
| making the River Jarmuk tributary At
a suitable altitude above the normal wat
er level, two canals would be built run
nlng parallel with the River Jordan. From
| these canals the irrigation water would be
distributed to local irrigation centres
among the freshly cultivated fields, sloping
for drainage toward the Jordan
by eeonomizlng the water during the
season, and by thorough regulation, even
above the Lake of Genezareth there thus
would be obtained an ample supply OF
water to irrigate several hundred thous-
and acres. Some water might be spared
Tor third canal paraleling the Jordan
and the coast line and irrigating the
| PLAIN OF Sharon, with drainage toward the
| sea- thousands of existing cisterns and
also some quite imposing waterworlls
| which date as far back as the reign of Da-
vId could be utilized in these works.
4. For large salt works to produce com.
mon salt from sea water. From the point
! where the turbine pipes join the tunnel
a horizontal canal could be constructed
! from which thin film of brine would be
allowed to escape down the steep, sun
Il baked rocks toward the Dead Sea Tho
water would evaporate and the salt could
be collected in the ordinary way.
/ D. For fish breeding Establishments t.
| stock the river and lakes with suitable
fish.
| 6. For retaining the shallow southern
part of the Dead Sea by means OF a dam
from Lison westward (the present ford ]
and for the exploitation OF the vast depos
its of asphalt in the plains of Sodom anc
| Gomorrah
Geological maps of the country indicate
what appears to be favorable conditions
for boring the tunnel, although it is sale
that progress might be delayed BY hot
springs. According to The Review, the
cost Of the Dead Sea tunnel. amosty with
out masonry and with minimum area OF
1875 square feet, would approximate $40
| 000, 600
To this should be added the Review
| avs, the cost of the power plant, fac
tories, canals, and other irrigation works
and the salt plant. The interest and the
amortization of a capital of about $50 900,
GOO must be distributed over all these con
| Germs.
If the technical works (line nitrate,
salt, electric power. etc.l are charged witt
one-half> of this amount, and the Other
| half is charged to forestry, agriculture
md horticulture. rough estimate, based
on the incomplete data SO far available
will show that this plan does not compar,
at all unfavorably with irrigation work,
constructed in Asia and America durin.
| the last decade