The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-11-25
AFRICA.
The Sudden Raise and Overflow OF
the Waters OF the River Nile.

The Sudden Raise and Overflow OF
The Waters OF the River Nile.
A correspondent of the Landon Times,
writing IRON Alexandria on the 10th of
October, supplies the following interesting
fact relative to the recen. sudden raise and
overflow OF the waters OF the river Nile,
additional TO the report which has already
appeared in the Herald:
On the night of the 10th inst, owing to
the extraordinary sudden raise in the Nile,
an inundation occurred, which, for the cell
erity with which it rose, is, perhaps, with
out parallel.
On this night happened to be staying
in one OF the doomed villages. I had,
therefore, opportunities which rarely fall
ito the lot of an European of Witnessing
Intimately the immediate effect ofthe calam-
ity on the poor villagers. and | am induced
to send sou this brief account OF what came
under my experience and observations as 2.
tribute TO the remarkable patience and for
tItudc CT the Arabs under very trying peri.
ious circumstances.
10 many OF your readers the immediate
nelghborhood of the Great Pyramid will
be iamilar-the range of rocky hills run
ming southward and parallel with the Nile,
at then base a strip OF desert several miles
south OF the Pyramids with some Arab
villagers. l. was to house in the south
ermost Of these that | had come On the af-
ternoon previous to the lnundation with
two friends having the intention OF staying
several weeks. On our arrival the country
presented its usual appearance, wirh a
very high Nile, the water coming scarcely
further than the cultivated ground aud
showing 70 signs Of increasing About
two o'clock IN the morning, however our
BedOuin servant aUoke US, saying the wa
ter was raising rapidly Every inhabitant
at the village, man, woman or child. was
working with an energy seldom wltn5ksed
here. making banks to stem the encrOachs
ing water OF carrying their bread and winter
supply OF grain TO spots which had hitherto
proved sufficiently high fer safety. All, how
ever was of no avail. The banks we're
washed down and the bread Hoated away.
Now, indeed, the scene began to get dis
mai enough-the darkness, the uncertain
lty the wailing Of the Arab women; and
then came the fall Of the house. This was
an occasion for universal shrieking and la
mentation, but the water soon had it oil
its Own way, monOpoizlng even the noise,
and nothing was new heard but house after
=
noise into the water.
Our house being higher and stronger
than the others we went to the top and be-
gan 10 construct raft there, intending 10
| launch it from the roof We were very
soon compelled 10 relinquish our task, and
were scarcely clear when the walls ave
way at water level and the whole came down.
All now made their way, with the water
breast high, to the highest spot-fortunate-
" still several feet above the water level,
Here was soon collected every inhabitant of
the village, but how changed-the women
no longer waiiing, and the men 40 longer
Gisc0nteEted, for the last house was gone;
1t was no longer possible TO save Anything,
and the water was still raising There was,
| therefore. nothing for 1t but 10 await their
destln, which they set about doing with
every appearance ofcoDtentmeni, the village
beauties (ReVer seen except at such q time)
even seeming, as it appeared to me, to en-
| JOY the state OF things as relief to the
monGtony of their czistance.
| .t nOW became necessary TO think Of our
raft again; so, after making several exour-
/ sions from our present comfortable stand
| Ing place TO the site OF our late residence,
! we had collected sufficient wood for the
purpose. Over this we placed dried corn
! stalks and bound the whole together-eith
ropes from the came! packs. So quickly
! did the water still rise that our raft, COM
menced on dry land, was finished floating
! on over a foot OF water We now ioincd
| the villagers on the little mound and
awaited the sunrise. Il conspicuous figure
was the digoihed old ''sheikh" of Lhe vii
/ age, as he passed from one family group
! 30 another, evidently imparting coDfdepce
| 10 all. To him ne proposed to take of
| vita us as many women and children as
our raft would bear, but he replied that
| Allah was great, and would send boats in
| time ii 1t was His will TO save His people;
that our bark was trail. our poles short, ana
the current strong, Gnd if any went with us,
he washed his hands of any responsibility. "
dis arguments we're backed by the
sight Of sail in the distance,
! so we had to put OF by
ourselves 70 the base of the hills between
two and three miles distant Arrived
there We sent the raft back by two Bedou
ms, and made cur way TO where some boats
were employed IN carrying stone. One of
these We procured Tor the assistance Of our
late neighb0rs, and we had the satisiao-
ton before leaving OF seeing them all en-
camped under the hills.
The very sudden rise Of the water at this
particular spot, was caused by the spread
OF the water being stemmed by raised
road constructed last year, and running
from the Nile across the valley to the base
OF the Pyramids Part of this was eventu-
| ally washed away, and the villages thereby
relieved. On returning to Cairo We were
able to sail from the base of the Pyramids
parallel with the road to within two miles
of the Nile, at which point the road re-
manned firm.