Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-28
Special pispatch to The Star.

ent time again refuteS the assumption
that there is no romance in big buSi-
ness.
The Grecian land reclamation prof.
ect. announced today, entails the
drainage of large areas in the Struma
district which are covered with water
for eight months of the year, and the
irrigation of a further large acreage of
adjacent and unproductive territory.
It Is estimated by the Greek govern.
ment that the restoration of fertility to
these 10000 acres will result in agri-
cultural operations capable Of sustain
ing approximately 100000 people at
living standard Of high proportions
for Europeans countries.
Discussing the Athens iraeus water
supply contract. C. M. Bournell, vice
president of Ulen & Co.. admitted to-
day that engineers in charge Of the
work had retrieved many valuable art
treasures which had lain buried fG9 CEN
turtles beneath the city of Athens and
enytrons.
Statuary Found.
Statuary, vases and basreliefs in mar
BILE, found In excavations for the new
water mains, had been turned over TO
the Greek government as we'll as nu-
merous sarcophagi of the pre-Christian
era and of later times.
Funeral urns of the period when the
civilization of Greece was at its height
constituted an important part of the
finds, according to Mr.. Bournell. Elk
hibiting one specimen. he pointed out
that 1t doubtless contained the remains
of an old woman because of the alb
sence of jewels in decoration or con-
tents. Old women, he said. were not
considered to be in need Of the embel-
lishments of precious stones and metals
when launched on their journey to the
unknown. On the contrary, girls and
young women were thought to require
them. Their ashes were inferred with
necklaces, bracelets and rings and the
urns in which their remains reposed
bore frescoes testifying to their pre-
possessing appearance and anlabllity.
Passing to the material side Of the
Athens operations. Mr.. Bournell said
that at the close Of the war when the
influx Of refugees from Armenia and
other countries had swelled the popu-
lations of Athens and Piraeus to we'll
over a million people the question Of
water supply became very acute. The
Adrian Aqueduct and its supplementary
systems were delivering less than three
gallons day per capita.
80 Per Cent Complete.
The new system, built on American
lines, already delivers 20 gallons day
per capita and this will be increased to
some extent when the project Is finally
dealt with. 1t is now 80 per cent COM
pleted.
In connection with the building of
the huge dam on the Marathon Plains,
the historic athletic field of ancient
Greece, Mr.. Bournell said that tons
upon tons of fine italian marble had
= to- al = efA
the only material available.
This marble, if available in the
United States, would be almost price
less" he declared. Some of our engi-
neers who thoroughly appreciate its
value and beauty, actually shed tears
when they were first called upon to use
it. OF course, concrete and steel are
being used for strength and stability.
The use of the marble results In fin
ish that is more or less in keeping with
the traditions Of Greece"
Dust Interferes.
The Athenian project was COM
plicated at the start of dust nuisance,
not only In Athens, but In the unim-
proved streets of Piraeus and for the
Is miles Of connecting roads and SUBJ
urban areas. The first move by the
Ulen Co., therefore, was to install a
high pressure sprinkling system. Ameri-
can steel pipes were laid and sea water
utilized. The result was more health
full and comfortable living conditions
for the entire population. The swirl
ing dust storms, which for years made
Athens an unpleasant place to tarry In
the hot weather, have now almost en-
tirely disappeared due to this system
and to the tendency to install hard sur
faced streets.
But the Athens Piraeus water works
and struma reclamation projects are
only two of the big undertakings in for
eign fields which the Ulen Co. Is carry
ing out at the present time.
The Persian Railroad being built
from the Caspian Sea to the Persian
Gulf in conjunction with German engi-
neering interests. is the principal enter
prise on the company's books at the
present time.
recently completed task was the
building of railroad lines and bridges
1900 to 1,400 feet above sea level in
the Tupiza section of Bolivia for the
Villazon- Atocha Railroad. A French
engineering firm had this contract
about the time the Great War broke
out One Of the principals Of the firm
the contract was subsequently awarded
to the American concern.
Had Polish Projects.
Since the war the Ulen Company
built extensive water, sewer and other
public Improvements In the four Polish
cities of Lubin, Czestochowa, Radon
and Piotrkow. In the first named, ex-
cavaitions revealed extensive under
ground tunnels used centuries before
as means of entrance and egress from
the famous walled city, the ramparts
Of which are one Of Europe's most
unique sights today.
In these ancient Subterranean bores
the skeletons Of more than 1000
persons, men and women, were found
by the Ulen engineering parties. Gold,
silver, jewels and other valuables were
also found in such quantities as to lead
to the belief that during one of the
periods of siege, numbers of the inhabi-
tants had hidden from the invaders and
persisted of starvation. Polish his
torians are al present engaged in seek
ing the solution to the riddle of the
1000 skeletons.
Tramways and electric light plants in
the Argentine, reclamation project in
Chile and other undertakings in
Warsaw, Brazil, France and Colombia
are among the activities of the Ulen
Company at the present time.
The organization far-fiunR operations