Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-27
AMERICAN DIRECTS
BIG SOVIET Project
Arthur Powell Davis Tells Of
Vast irrigation Work in
TurkeStan.

MOSCOW. August a. Especially =.
Making the river systems of Central
Asia work every inch Of their way from
their source. to. their mouth is how Ar
thur Powell Davis, widely known Amer
lean irrigation engineer, described the
present huge irrigation projects in So
Wet Turkestan. on which he has worked
for two years as consulting engineer.
Davis, with q staff Of seven engineers,
had had the task Of passing on the trri-
cation projects submitted TO him by the
Soviet Chief Cotton Committee. He was
not asked to make original projects, but
to act as consultant in modifying prof.
ects already made. He describes the
entire list Of projects, covering the river
resources Of Central Asia.
First come the various systems Of d.
version dams and canals on the Amur
Daryd River, known TO English litera-
tslre as the Oxus, which IN its upper
reaches divides Afghanistan from the
o.. s. 8. R., and at its mouth empties
into the salt slowly drying Aral Sea.
on the upper river IN the Kakek prof.
ect: on the middle Anus Darya are half
q dozen systems Of diversion dams and
canals. On the lower Amur Darya. near
Khfva, comes the largest irrigation pos
sibility In Turkestan. six to seven
million acres suitable for irrigation and
enough water TO do it," says Davis.
Other Irrigation Systems.
Another half dozen irrigation systems,
Of which Revat Heia Is already finished,
are 70 mabe the Zeramshan River,
which flows through Samarkand, work
from its source TO its mouth Still an
other system is planned for the CHR
CHG River, on which Tashkent Is To-
Gated.
The syr Darya River system, which
flows through the famous Fergana cot
ton valley, calls for practically number
less irrigation dams and canal systems.
Its two upper tributaries, the Marin and
Karadira. are served by over 30 tribu-
tar1es, each with its canal system.
On the lower Syr Darya the Hungry
Steppe project Is being built, while
across the river the Dalversin Steppe is
TO be watered shortly by q dam and
canal system begun few years ago and
now nearly finished.
OF all these projects, Davis said,
the Hungry Eteppe offers the largest
acres in single stretch. while the low
er Amur Darya has the largest total
amount OF new land, scattered over half
dozen districts. Equally important
with the new land Is the rationalizing
Of old irrigation systems. where floods
aften destroyed one region and dried
out another, the American engineer
said.
Work ON All These Rivers.
He pointed out that work is proceed
ing on all the rivers mentioned. though
by no means on all projects. The Dali
yersin Steppe project Is nearly COM
plsted. At present the largest amount
OF work is being done on the Vaksh
project. In many other places. espe-
cially an the Fergana cotton valley, new
head works or new canals have been
addcd to old systems.
Davis believes that the complete irri-
CATION projects of Central Asia are a
task not for five years but for q gen.
water that pours from the high noun
tain SHOWS and making II fertilize vast
areas.
The engineer related how more than
20 years ago the Cars government
asked President Taft to recommend an
American financier who might be inter-
ested in Russian concessions. John
Hays Hammond came over, looked at
mines. grain elevator projects and irri-
CATION, and then cahlsd for Davis.
Cxarist Trick on Davis.
Through q trick of the Cars bu-
reaucracy Davis was sent TO survey not
the Hungry Steppe bat the Karakum
desert. where he wasted time and money
and found only sandy hillocks useless to
irrigste. On his way back he got per-
mission to visit the Hungry Steppe but
not TO survey It. Eleven days riding
over Its good. level. but unwatered soil,
led him to make recommendations for
a concession 70 survey" But 1t was
sidetracked
why, after all your achievements in
America. did you come TO the Soviet
Union" Davis was asked
For two years." he countered. "I
had been recommending various enef-
neers for the irrigation projects in the
u. 5. 8. r. All that time they kept
asking me 70 come. There were SO
many conflicting rumors about condi-
tons here. wanted TO come and see.
Besides, they offered me q good con-
tract. Then was in Turkestsn 20
years ago when ! recommended the
Hungry Stepps project. I had a ma
turai interest in seeing the recommen-
dations OF my youth come true
tcopyfight 1891
4 q