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0270 Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902 : vol.1
Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902 : vol.1 / Page 270 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

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[Figure] Fig. 151. Old Tarim, May 28.

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doi: 10.20676/00000216
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  • 184   THE TARIM RIVER.

and thinly planted. Embedded in the sand are the two lakes of Kök-köl and Baschtage-köl, both reported to contain fresh water, although now both cut off from the river. When the existing channel becomes dry, as it seems likely to do, and the stream flows through the Laschin-darja, these desert lakes will entirely disappear and no longer levy any contribution upon the river. This would of course mean, ceteris paribus, an augmentation of the inflow into the Kara-koschun. In 1898 the Kök-köl was still connected with the Tarim, but the connection was cut off in the summer of that year. Naser Bek, a man of sixty, told me that the "Karim, after having for many years flowed along the channel in which we then were — it did so in the time of Naser Bek's father — had become diverted into the Laschindarja three years before our visit. Previous to the lifetime of his father the Laschin-darja was the principal artery of the Tarim system. Thus we have here again two channels between which the river alternates periodically. As soon as one of these two becomes sufficiently raised by the deposition of sedimentary deposits and the growth of material along its banks, the water seeks its way through the other.

May 28th. Measuring the river in the morning, I obtained the following data: breadth, 22.66 m.; mean depth, 0.999 m.; mean velocity, 0.5839 m.; and volume, 13.22 cub.m. in the second. And for the last three years the principal trench of the Tarim has here been no bigger, because in the same years the Laschin-darja has been growing. Only five days previously we found that the volume of the Tarim amounted to 78.58 cub.m. in the second. Hence there was here a loss of 65.4 cub.m. With regard to the future direction and distribution of the volume that is thus lost, see a subsequent chapter; though I may add here, that it goes in part to the Ara-tarim, and also, more particularly, in the form of canals issuing from the lakes described above, to Ak-dung and Laschin. Down to the point we have now reached the Tarim has a continuous flow all the year round, although its channel is constantly contracting; no doubt it will eventually become entirely obsolete as soon as these lakes have become dammed up with sedimentary matter. At the spot where we took our measurements the high-water line was 1.58 m. above the existing level, an indication that the area of a vertical section of the river had lately been more than twice the area of the actually existing section. At that time the datum was 22.63 sq.m., whereas at the high-water season it had been 56.17 sq.m. I have no doubt that these high-water lines were left in previous years; it is very problematical whether the mus-suji had risen so high that year.

Fig. 151. Right.   I.3:   I.38   I.19 I.02   1.07   I.07   1.68 0.87 = depth. Left.

7o 81 71 69 75 66 63 42

63   75   64 61   79   6o   65   6o J} velocity.

59 53 46 55 66 51 5o 5o
Breadth = 22.66 m. Old Tarim, May 28. Scale r : 300.

During the day we noticed how great the resemblance is between the Tarim here and the Jarkent-darja above its confluence with the Ak-su-darja: that is to say, it is sinuous, its current excessively sluggish, and its bed sharply cut. As