Evening star., 1932-01-31

it was found again was cleaned out and put
back into service.
1t was still in service when We got there in
1925. and one OF our duties was TO clean 1t out
and ct it for additional service. Goodness
knows how many more centuries 1t Will serve,
but it is surely tribute to the skill Of its
builder
Virtually all Of the crushed stone used in
building roads in Greece, including those neces-
sary for construction of the dam, is prepared
BY women and children laborerS. 1t Is COM
mon sight to see women, hooded like biblical
figures, sitting on a stone pile at work with
their hammers. Their output of crushed -ock
is about one cubic meter per womau-day.
a SURPRISING thing, however, was that it II
n was necessary to force the 5000 workmen
to eat sufficiently!
Strangely the Grecan knows very little of
eating balanced foods" Mr.. Merriman said.
And we know that the workers could not
stand Up under hard physical labor II they
were not adequately nourished.
Left to his own devices, the average Greek
workman will eat great quantities of bread. and
little else. largely because he Is frugal soul
who wants to be very economical He is
seldom aware Of the necessity Of balanced
ration.
But such economy is false, and Ameri-
cans know it. Therefore We held out 27 cents
per Gay Ol MS WAGES dlld pouSlk AOoo WALL
it for him. We fed our men in their own
dining rooms, exactly is done in big con-
struction projects of this sort in America.
In fact we established a fuu-hedged town
on the building site for our 5000 workers and
the families Of those who were married. By
this correct and enforced" feeding We main
tanned a good standard of efficiency among nlen
who otherwise would have been toe under
nourished."
1t was necessary also to combat malaria con-
stantly during the construction period, through
control of the disease bearing mosquito Sleep.
ing and living quarters were doubly screened
stagnant water was either drained or Oiled to
prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Quinlne-
a specific cure for malaria infection-was isSuae
daily to all persons on the scene, as an adG~
tional safeguard.
jHEN the extent of the new lake became
Wv known to residents in the country hue
and cry arose because of the alleged danger
from malaria. Citizens protested that the new
lake would be an ideal breeding place for the
deadly anepheles mosquito which is an in
termediate host for malaria germs.
But Immediately a solution to the problem
was offered" Mr.. Merriman tells.
Somebody told us that the Gambusa fish,
common in Italy was deadly enemy of the
mosquito larvae the wiggletais that live first
in water before emerging mosquitoes. The
Ganlbusa is a tiny fellow, the female of the
family being the largest and getting to be 31a
inches long when grown.
I'VE thought it might be worth the expense
to send to Italy for start of the Gambusa
fishes, and TO propagate them in the new lake,
But when they arrived only 200 fish had
been sent
Here was lake big enough to supply water
to huge city, and 200 tiny fish dropped in to
combat the countless billions of mosquito lar
vac that must develop. I was disguised. But
we dropped the 200 fish in.
"One year later I inspected the lake and
found to my astonishment, literally millions of
the little fish I don't suppose wggletail
had the remotest chance Of surviving in such an
environment"