Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - III. Batum to Tiflis
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
ARMENIA AND THE NEAR EAST
74
The first attempt to constmct a dam quickly revealed the
fact that the dammed-up pool became full of mud and sand,
deposited more especially by the brown waters of the Kura ;
sinking to the bottom, this mud formed banks which would
rapidly stop the water from running through a pool of this
kind. It became necessary, therefore, to build a special
clearing pool, from which the accumulated mud could be
washed away and passed out through a side-canal and returned
to the Kura below the falls, by occasionally allowing the
whole mass of water to run through this clearing pool with
its full force. It is to be hoped that this solution will prove
satisfactory ; but our expert adviser, Mr. Dupuis, felt con
vinced that this mass of mud, constantly added to, would
always give trouble.
As a rule, the rivers in the Caucasus do not flow through
lakes where the mud can settle, thus clearing the water.
Moreover, these rivers, at least in their upper reaches, usually
fall sharply and dash headlong through narrow canyons and
gorges, carrying with them, if the rocky bottom is loose,
large quantities of mud and gravel. Another important
factor is the rain, which often falls in violent showers, with
the result that these rapid rivers without lakes are apt to
overflow and carry away the surrounding soil. It should be
remembered that a river’s power of transporting mud and
gravel increases so enormously with its velocity that if, for
instance, the latter is doubled owing to a flood, the water can
transport stones sixty-four times as large as it could carry
before. It is no wonder, therefore, that these Caucasian
rivers carry along with them large quantities of mud and sand,
and assume different colours—brown, yellow, whitish, or
dark grey—according to the rock or soil they travel over.
But the amount of mud varies greatly ; in the water of the
Aragva, for instance, there is very little mud compared with
that in the Kura.
Since the first unsuccessful attempt to construct a dam the
work has been placed in the hands of a German firm. It is
calculated that, to begin with, 18,000 h.p. can be developed ;
but with the power exploited to the full it should be possible
to go up to 30,000.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
