The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-06-22
SAHARA'S GREEN MEADOWS,
The Desert. Visited by Heavy Rains, Smiles
with verdure In and Nenr Algeria.

The Desert. Visited by Heavy Rains, Smiles
with Verdure In and Near Algeria.
ALGIERs May 3O.-The last winter has been
remarkable on account OF its dampncss.
the quantity Of rain having been quite
extraordinary. Even now. ut the end
OF spring we have frequent thunder
storms and copious rain. But what
struck all as being quite abnormal was the fire.
auency Of heavy showers in the desert. Though
it Is contrary to the general belief. tho fact Is
that rain is no uncommon visitor there in win.
ter. yet the persistency with which it rained this
year constituted u real phenomenon. The old
est natives. whose recol!ections reach far back
into the times of the Turks. do not remember
such n wet season. Tho farmers arc in high
glee. IA the crops stand capitally and promise
a rich harvest. 1t is only to be hoped that 1t
will not rain when the corn is to be reaped.
Though this uncommon wetness has been. on
the whole. attended with favorable results. it
has not passed away without having done some
harm. The desert cities have suffered much.
The walls and houses are generally
built OF a kind OF raw. sun.dried brick which il
in Arabic called attob. Strange 10 say. the
same material Is used in Spanish American
countries. and Is there called adobe. u word
which clearly denotes its Arabic origin. This
brick was unable to resist the continued wet.
ting. Whole towns were dissolved into heaps
OF mud by the action OF the rain. Tho citizens
being deprived Of their houses. and the SOL
ders Of the French garrisons having lost thoir
barracks. were forced to dwell under tents un.
til tho wet season had passed away. Though
much property was destroyed. there was hap
PLY little loss Of human life. Tho desert rlv.
ers. which. like nearly all rivers in Algeria are
winter rivers. sweiled to an unwonted size and
spreading over their banks. gave rise to mum
dations. But greater damage was done by the
water breaking through the dams OF several of
tie great reservoirs constructed for irrigntlng
the soil In summer.
mad strange effects upon the vegetation of the
Sahara. which has become remarkably rich aud
luXurlant Even in places where ordinarily
not ~ blade OF grass is to h. seen. herbs and
shrubs have sprung up. Our Governor. VINO.
r., nr%aTh nm me G"irn ma visited
In speech delivered on tho occasion OF tho
opening Of loca exhibition declared lhn, for
this year the desert had ceased to exist. Where
formerly nothinE but tho arid sol! was TO bs
seon. rich meadows covered thu ground. which =
to make the picture complete. lacked. unfor-
tunately. the catt.o TO gra2o upon them. the
stock having been almost wholly destroyed by
the scarcity Of fodder during the preceding
This is certain. that those who havc predicted
nm increasing dryness in tho mate Of Algeria
last winter. succession OF dry years gavo
rise to this prophecy. Many persons here, ear
Rod hlon! by their lmHgi nation. saw the desert
already advancing toward tho sea coast. leav-
ing to the Inhabitants tho alternative only Of
quitting the country or dying OF thirst. The
probability OF such dreadful event was de-
duced from the met OF the constant decrease
of the, Algerian forests. In corroh"rntion OF
their doctrine thcsn theorists pointed 10 the
many ruins Of former hnbitations IN Tunis
and Tripoli. In places where the desert now
relgns supreme. and whore not u trace Of
vegetation IL TO DO seen But they forgot to
say that those ancient dwellings, were not do
serted on account OF the advancing desert. but
n,neanss o. INC lnyns'ons OF the nomndic Arabs.
the INHABITANTS having either He'd or been
killed. There was nobody TO keep the VOLS
from being filled with dry sand. and thus was
stoppen the very source OF vegetation. As to
the wells they still exist. and II would require
only little labor to remove the sand and make
them serviceable Rgni in; Even in compare
The psopo we're dri Won to despair when they
were unable TO satisfy the eXnctions Of the tax
c2llsctors. They abandoned their homes rather
that now, under French dominion such occur
rences Will no longer take pl;ue.
IN the mean while the fear OF increasing dry
ness has had one good effect. 1t has aroused
the Gov-rnm"nt us we'll rs public opinion from
their Indifference to the Stat" of tho forests.
IhouSh y Is ridiculous to assert that tn. col
rs the constant decrense OF woodland could not
fail to be attended with consequences disnd-
ss strH,i 70 az branches Of agriculture The
ure due TO the carelessness OF tho nomadic or
hali-nomadic Arab tribcs But III will ON their
part was also frequently tho cause. During the
Si the Arabs. The HIsorian ' Wood ap'G ilrss
DeaT IN ms respect close similarity to the
form part OF Indian warfare. Great vigilance
and collective responsibility IL the only way la
Which repetition Of such catsstrophs can be
lectlve responsibility the obliaation nnda,