15 



quote his own words in full rather than attempt to paraphrase 

 or condense them. He says : — 



" The sea har of the lake closed during July (1890), and the water 

 level of the lake never rose, during the next north-east monsoon, 

 sufficiently high to burst open the bar, the north-east monsoon being 

 unusually scanty, and the great extent of the flood waterspread 

 making the lake act as a moderator of floods. From the time the bar 

 closed in July 1890 up to February 1891, the lake remained at a 

 fairly high level, and slowly passed off the floods received into it, 

 during the north-east monscon, by means of the canal, to the open 

 bar of the Enuore backwater, mile 10 north of Madras and to the 

 open bar of the Dugarazapatam backwater, mile 70 north of Madras. 

 By March 1891, however, the lake had run down to a comparatively 

 low level, and the hot weather evaporation soon caused such a steady 

 drop in water level that, when early in April the bar of the adjoining 

 Ennore lake began to contract, the surface water level of both the 

 Ennore and Pulicat lakes began to fall in a very ominous manner. 

 From 13th to 24th April, the general water level dropped 0*80 foot. 

 On the complete closing of the Ennore bar on 24th April and the 

 consequent final cutting off of all supply from the sea, tremendous 

 evaporation at once set in over the extensive surfaces of both lakes, 

 and promptly caused a steady and continuous flow of water from the 

 open reaches of canal in communication with each lake. This evapo- 

 ration registered about one inch in depth per day, and traffic, which 

 was very heavy at the time, was, in a fortnight, altogether stopped, 

 notwithstanding that the utmost exertions were made, by means of 

 the rapid execution of heavy clearances unparalleled in the history 

 of the canal, and extending for over 60 miles in length, to cope 

 with the rapidly dropping water level. At the same time, measures 

 were taken to open and keep open both the Pulicat and Ennore sea 

 bars by running out long groynes to sea on the southern, or windward, 

 side of the site selected for opening. Finally, after some three weeks' 

 labour, both the bars were artificially opened by the inrush of the sea 

 at high tide ; a heavy scour was obtained through them ; the bars 

 remained open for about six weeks ; the water level in the canal 

 readies rose rapidly, and the water level in the Pulicat and Ennore 

 lakes rose steadily, until the bars of those lakes closed. Both 

 operations were entirely successful, and all trouble in the canal was at 

 an end as soon as the bars were opened. An idea of the drop of 

 water level by evaporation in the backwaters, before the sea bars 

 were opened, can be formed from the fact that, in the interval of 

 four weeks that elapsed between the closing of the Ennore bar and the 

 reopening of both that bar and the Pulicat bar, the general water 

 level in both the Pulicat and Ennore lakes, and in a long length of 

 canal, dropped over 2 feet, the gauge register at the Shadayankuppam 

 lock (7 miles north of Madras) falling during this period from — 1*36 

 M.S. L. to — 3-76 M.S.L. At the Koudaleru river, mile 90, where the 

 bar was open, and for some few miles south of it, the tides rose and 

 fell as usual and traffic could proceed ; but from mile 70 to the Pulicat 

 lake, and southwards to the Shadayankuppam lock every sea bar was 

 closed during this period of four weeks ; the canal contributed a steady 

 flow of water to the backwaters to make up for the loss of evaporation 



