The New York herald., 1869-11-12
EGYPT.
The Sudden Rise and Overflow or tue Waters
of fla River Nile

| The Sudden Rise and Overflow or the Water
Of the River Nile.
correspondents OF the London Times, writing
from Alexandria on the 10th of October supplies TIL
following interesting facts relative to the recen
sudden rise and overflow OF the waters OF the rive
Nile, additional to the report which has already
appeared in the HERALD:-
On the night OF the 10th inst, owing to tho extra
occurred, which for the ceerity with which it rosl
ts perhaps, without parallel
On this night happened to be staying in one O.
the doomed villages. had, therefore, opportunities
which rarely fall 10 the lot OF an European or witness
Ing intimately the mmed late effect OF the calamity
on the poor Villagers and am induced to send you
TINS brief account OF what came under my own
experience and observation as tribute to the re-
marKaDe patience and i0rtItude OF the Arabs under
very trying and perilous circumstances.
TO many OF your readers the immediate neighhor.
mood OF the Great Pyramid VIII be famiar-the
range of rocky hills running southwark and parallel
WIN the Nile, at their base strip OF desert several
dottea az %s"n mem ana tae land
mids with some Arab villages. 1t was to house In
he southermost Of these that had come on the
ernoon previous to the inundatlon with two
IDS, having the intention Of staying several
:. On our arrival the country presented It's
)arance, with fairly high Nile, the water
cey further than the cultivated ground
aau ng no signs Of increasing About two
O'Clock In the morning, however, our Bedouln SER
want awOke us, saying the water was rising rapidly.
Every inhabtant OF the village, man, woman or
child was working with an energy seldom witnessed
carrying their bread and winter supply OF grain
TO spots which had hitherto proved sum
cs cientay od hgh nor Tor safety AL however was
ana the bread hoated away. Now, indeed the
scene oegan TO get dismal enough-the darkness the
uncertainty, the walling Of the Arab women; and
then came the fall OF the first house, This was an
occasion for universal snrieking ana lamentat0n,
but the water soon mad 1t oil Its own way, monopo-
hzing even the noise, and nothing was now heard
but house after house surglng and coming down ith
dull souse into the wafer.
!. Our house being higher and stronger than the
Others we went to the top ana began to construct
ra1! lners intending TO !annca It from the ..oo1 we
were very soon conpenea to relnquish our task,
ana were scarcely clear when the walls gave way at
Yaler level and the whole came down. All now
made their way with the water breast high to The
highest spot-iortunately stu several feet above the
tant OF the village, but how changed-the women
no longer waillng, and the men no longer ciscon-
tented, for the last house was gone; 1t was no
longer possible to save ything and the water was
still rising There WAS therefore, nothing for 1t but
to await their destiny, which they set about doing
with every appearance OF c0ntentment the village
beauties (never seen except at such q time) even
seeming, as 1t appeared TO me, to enjoy the state OF
things as reler TO the monotOny OF their eX-
istence
1t now became necessary 10 think OF our raft
again; SO, alter making several excursions from our
late residence we had collected sufficient wood for
the purpose. over this we placed dried corn stalks
and bound the whole together with ropes from the
camel packs. SO quickly did the water still rise that
our rait commenced on dry land, was finished fi0at
Ing on over foot OF water. We now joined the VII
layers on the little mound and awaited the sunrise.
conspicuous figure was the dignihed old
''sheikh'' OF the village as he passed from
one family group to another, evidently imparting
confidence to all. To HIM we proposed to take or
with us as many women aud children as our raft
would bear but lie replied that Aah was great, and
would send boats III Time il 1t was HIS Will to
His people; that our bark was frai, our poles short
ana the current strong, and II any went with US he
washed his hands OF any responsibility His argu
mentS were backed by the sight OF sail In tile dis
tance. so we had to put Of by ourselves to the base
OF the hills between two and three miles distant.
Arrived there we sent The raft back by two Redouins
and made our way to where some boats were
employed In carrying stone One OF these We pro-
cured for the assistance OF our late neghbors and
had the satisfaction before leaving OF seeing them
all encamped under the nils.
The very sudden rise OF the water at this particular
spot was caused by the spread OF the water being
sxenmed by raised road constructed last year. ana
running from the Nile across the valley to the base
OF the Pyramids. Part OF this was eventually washed
away and The villages thereby relieved. On return
ing TO Cairo we were able TO sail from the base OF tho
Pyramids parallel with the road to within two
miles OF the Nile at which point the road remained
firm.