The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-11-16

At intervals in the canals one will
see against the banks, projecting
above the water, boards with black
horizontal lines and figures that hook
like giant thermometers without The
tubes of mercury. They are gauges
which show at the top the bench mark
of Amsterdam or the zero TO which all
water levels are referred. The num-
bers on the board have minus signs
before them and indicate the level of
the canal water below Amsterdam. 1t
means that the water on which you
are looking is running along below
sea-lcvel, q bit Of information that may
make you shudder.
Pumping Carefully Regulated.
Since numerous small canals are
emptied by ~wind-driven pumps into
each larger and higher one, there must
be a limit TO the pumping at each
transfer station for water might be
put into a canal more rapidly than it
could be removed somewhere else.
Then, too, the canals emptying into
the sea have their discharge limited
by the height of the tide at their
mouths. So it becomes necessary that
at each station the height Of water
should have a fixed limit. The official
in charge Of each station is in
structed not to pump after the water
in the receiving canal has reached q
certain height, and that the water in
the lower canal should be kept below
a certain level-that is, If 1t rises
an overflow.
From this it can be seen that a
local engineer might be embarrassed
by conflicting orders. He may be for
hidden to pump water into one canal
because it is ready to overflow, and
know at the same time that the lower
canal is dangerously full. Fortunately
for him, he is not called upon TO worry
about this. The latter condition has
already been observed by the district
Inspector, and notices served that
pumping into this lower canal should
cease at once. The canals still lower
might thereby be In danger Of over
flow, but that would cause the pumps
still lower down to stop until the indi-
vidual farmers would be forced to
throw their wind pumps out Of gear.
This might cause some fields to be-
come submerged, but the principle Is
observed that it is better for the water
to rise gently over a few fields than
to have a large canal burst its banks,
and the rushing waters endanger life
as well as property.
This entire question Of drainage,
the conduct Of rivers to the sea, and
the protection Of exposed shores is
under the direction Of the Ministry Of
Water Affairs.
Close to Amsterdam, less than a
century ago, there was an inland sea
over which ships sailed and on which
there was once q naval battle. Now
that body of water does not exist. In
it's place is a beautiful, quiet, pros.
porous countryside Of farms and gar
dens, roads, meadows and canals.
Here is how the lake was "eXor-
cised' and its bottom added to the
COUSldllly SION luS ANCtici ldiius.
An encircling dixie was constructed,
with a large canal on it's outer face.
Great pumps, lifting a thousand cubic
feet at each stroke, poured the water
Of the lake into the encircling canal.
After thirty-nine months the commits
sion charged with this work made the
laconic report. 1.-THE lake Is dry" and
the medal they issued in commemora-
ton Of the event contained in Latin
the inscription Harlem Lake, after
having for centuries assailed the sur
rounding fields, to enlarge itself by
their destruction, conquered at last by
the force of machinery, has returned
to Holland its ALSO acres of invaded
land"
These acres are now occupied by
about twelve thousand people, and
their products are the choicest Of the
land. In this vast plain, So recently
the foraging ground Of crabs, lobsters
and cells, straight roads are bordered
with feathery-topped trees such as
Hobbema painted substantial and
ever elegant farm-housey ire seen on
ovarv hand