Tue EARLY YEARS OF THE LAMAHA CANAL. 287 
completion. The Russell Lake, as it has appropriately 
been called, will then consist of an oval reservoir of nearly 
400 square miles of water, which ought to be able, to 
defy the worst drought that can ever visit the Colony. 
The works in conneétion with the completion of the 
scheme are being carried out by a Joint Committee of the 
East Demerara Water Supply Association, andthe Lamaha 
Committee. The North wing dam to Cane Grove has been 
completed, and the South wing dam as far as the Madoonie 
Creek only requires raising in a few places. This dam 
will be continued southwards to the sand reefs, and two 
large weirs will be built on the Lama and the Madoonie 
to relieve the pressure on the back dams of the estates 
when the water reaches a certain height. 
This great water scheme had a very humble origin. In 
its early days Georgetown obtained its water from a few 
wells, and a precarious supply from Ward’s Canal drawn 
through a koker near where Lodge Village now stands. 
The East Bank estates from No. 3 Canal northwards 
were joined aback by a trench called Ward’s Canal: 
which apparently colle€ted the rain water from the 
savannahs to the east, Who WARD was*, and when he 
dug this trench, we have been unable to ascertain. This 
supply of water was found to be so inadequate to the 
wants of the estates and the town, that the proprietors of 
estates interested were summoned, and a meeting was 
held at the Old Colony House on the 2nd Novr. 1825. 
A previous survey had been made by Mr. BAKER with a 
view of tapping the Lamaha Creek, and bringing its 
waters to town. The Governor and Court of Policy had 
* In an old Local Guide for 1832, Joseph Ward is put down as 
proprietor of Pln, Judustry.—Zd. 
002 
