  The classical experiments on turbulent friction in rough pipes were performed
by J. Nikuradse in the 1930's. Seventy years later, they continue to defy
theory. Here we model Nikuradse's experiments using the phenomenological theory
of Kolmog\'orov, a theory that is widely thought to be applicable only to
highly idealized flows. Our results include both the empirical scalings of
Blasius and Strickler, and are otherwise in minute qualitative agreement with
the experiments; they suggest that the phenomenological theory may be relevant
to other flows of practical interest; and they unveil the existence of close
ties between two milestones of experimental and theoretical turbulence.
