"da Cruz, Daniel - Republic of Texas 02 - Texas on the Rocks" - читать интересную книгу автора (Da Cruz Daniel)

"Yes, Congressman Castle, it will, for it has already been done on a limited scale by the Russians, to irrigate their virgin lands. We propose a similar--"

"And how did the Russian project work out, Mr. Jonas?"

Jonas hesitated.

"Well, actually, there were a few snags."

"Such as?"

"For one thing, the Caspian Sea level has fallen because its historic sources were diverted."

"You mean it has dried up?"

"Well, not completely."

"You're saying, I believe," persisted the chairman, "that the Russians have destroyed the largest body of fresh water on earth and that we should follow their example."

"No, no," said Jonas, beads of sweat appearing on his upper lip. "We intend, naturally, to avoid their mistakes."

"Details," snapped Castle. "Details, Mr. Jonas."

"Yes, sir. Above the fifty-fifth parallel the Mackenzie, the Yukon, the Coppermine, and many other rivers empty into the Beaufort Sea in the Canadian Arctic. NAWAPA proposes to preserve these waters for mankind by means of a series of great dams, thus reclaiming some 36 trillion gallons of sweet water a year. Think of it--an amount equivalent to 6,000 gallons for every man, woman, and child on earth."

"Remarkable," said Castle dryly. "You will dam those rivers, then?"

"Exactly. The impounded waters will then be piped southward to create a reservoir five hundred miles long in northeastern British Columbia by damming both ends of the Rocky Mountain Trench."

"Canada gets the water?"

"Only a small portion. We pay for the project, we get the lion's share."

"How, pray tell? Between British Columbia and the plains states are Idaho and the Rocky Mountains. How do you propose to get the water over the mountains--by siphons?"

"Very shrewd of you to suggest it," said Jonas with an ingratiating smile. "Actually, though, a more feasible method is to drill a tunnel through the Rockies."

"The tunnel's dimensions?"

"Nothing the Corps of Engineers can't take in its stride, I can assure you."

"Assure me with numbers."

"The tunnel will be eighty feet in diameter and fifty miles long."

"Which is to say, the diameter of this committee room

and as long as the distance from here to Baltimore."

"Yes, sir."