The Planet Mars and Its Inhabitants | Page 7

system on Mars is comparatively new. The idea of constructing a planetary
Canal system had its incipiency at the time of Christ's visit to our planet. The Master
warned the people that they must make provision for their future water supply. At that
time (10,000 years ago) the water supply was becoming noticeably scarcer as time went
on. It was nearly 3,000 years after the Master's mission to Mars had been concluded that
actual construction of the Planetary Canal system was undertaken; and during the

intervening 7,000 years and up to the present time, construction on the public waterways
has continued.
At the present day the system is most complete, but constant work is required to keep the
canals in working order. In addition to the gigantic Canal system, provision had to be
made for suitable reservoirs to impound the water after the seasonal thaws at the poles.
To this end immense reservoirs were constructed at most canal intersections. In some
instances the reservoirs are established between parallel canals; but in every case smaller
canals, or laterals, always intersect at these points.
Many of the canals on Mars are double, as they appear to your astronomers. These double
waterways parallel each other at a distance of about 75 miles. The reason for this is that
as the Martian population is absolutely dependent upon the Polar waters to irrigate their
crops, any accident to a canal, such as a land- slide stopping the regular flow of water or
the breaking of a lock or gate, would mean a very serious calamity to a great number of
people. And for that reason, soon after the main canals were constructed, second and
parallel waterways were made for the purpose of guaranteeing an uninterrupted flow of
water from the Poles to the Equatorial regions. The result of this was that on many
occasions the foresight of the Martian engineers who had the water supply of the planet
in charge, saved immense areas from drought.
The rainfall on Mars is almost nil and the immense population (eight times larger than
that of your Earth) is entirely dependent on the water supply from the melting Polar caps.
Water on Mars is a most precious fluid and there is none to waste. Our oceans evaporated
ages ago, and outside of the precipitation of moisture at the poles in the form of snow,
none is to be had anywhere else on the planet except in very meager quantities.
The astronomer Lowell of your Earth, who made a life study of our planet, called these
reservoirs "Oases," but he was mistaken in his theory. He concluded that these points,
which appear as round disks in the telescope, were centers of population. This conclusion
is erroneous. The centers of population on Mars are scattered over the entire planet
regardless of the position of the so-called "Oases." It is quite true that owing to the rapid
evaporation of water in the comparatively thin atmosphere of Mars, the dewfall for quite
a radius from the center of the reservoirs is considerable, with the result that vegetation
springs up, giving the "Oases" the appearance of a diameter of about 75 miles. The
reservoirs are about 60 miles across and hold millions of gallons of water.
The same explanation may be given of the Canals. The dewfall on each side is extensive,
and the vegetal growth which extends the full length of the water-ways and for thousands
of miles in some cases, is most prolific.
The water in the canals, in most instances, is distributed by gravity; but recourse is had to
a lock system and to immense pumps for raising the water to proper levels.
The gates of the lock system and the pumps are operated by electricity, the control of
which energy is well understood by us. In fact, we are centuries ahead of your Earth
people in the knowledge of the use of Electro-magnetic energy. (More will be given on

the subject of Electricity in a later chapter.)
Another source of mystery to your astronomers has been the appearance of triangular
dark spots at the origin of some of the Martian canals. These have been referred to by
your astronomer Lowell as "Carets," named so by reason of their peculiar shape. These
so-called "Carets" are the thoughtful provision for the impounding of a season's supply of
water. In other words they are in part a lock system for raising water to the level of some
of the main canals, and embrace also a prodigious pumping system.
These so-called "Carets," as the telescope will show, are located at the edge of some of
what appear to you as very dark areas on our planet. These dark areas are Mars' old sea
bottoms, and in many instances have been utilized by our engineers as natural