The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-12-21

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server must SEQ Is Fastening tho exhaustion
OF our lumber supply. in enhancing tho price
Of one Of the prime necessities OF modern
| civilization.
| Free lumber will be u blessing 70 the whole
country, aud Congress cannot wisely refuse
| to relieve tho forests OF tho great and uu.
necessary drain the present duty imposes
upon them. Perhaps Mr.. HEWITT or some
| othcr revenue reformcr in Congress will tako
| up this subject and treat 1t as its Importance
| demands. There is a chaucs for some one to
| do worry creditabio pioco of work in this
| matter and earn tho gratitude OF every
man in the United States intelligantly inter-
| csted In the future prosperity of the country.
Water pipes for Khartoum Campaigns.
The feature of Lord WoLsEnEY's Soudan
expedition which has most attracted the at
| tcntion of those who look ut its military
bearings is tho route of march selected.
| The British column, as is we'll known, is
| moving to Bsrbcr over the roundabout road
| which follows the windngs of the Nile,
| whereas 1t might have reached that point BY
| taking steamers to Suakini, and thence
| marching only 24o miles across the country
| from the Red Sea. The final stage, by either
| line of advance, from Berber up the river to
| khartoun,, Is comparatively easy, although
| 225 miles long.
| Tho reason for this choice was the peril or
| practical impossibiity of conducting a large
| army over the almost watcrless route be-
tween Suakim and Berber, except In small
successive detachments which an enemy
| could destroy. For tho same reason it has
been deemed impracticnble TO cut across tho
| great bend OF the Milo by march of $50
| miles from Korosko, situated between tho
First and Second Calaracts, to Abou Hammed.
| Commercial caravans take that route in
| order to avoid de.our of about 500 miles
along the Nile; a squadron or two OF horse
men could also undertake it.; and So of
| course, could the Bedouins, trained aud ac-
customcd to drink little, and ut long inter-
walls But a powerful British army could not
be marched over this route, In large part one
OF pure dcsolation, and more terrible than tho
desert between Suaklm and Bclber which
has sort of vegetation
| Yet tho difficulties even OF the Nile route
have proved so great, and the time which
il will occupy threatens TO be so long, that
| attention has once more been turned though
hopclcssly, to the desert routes Meanwhile
on this side OF the ocean. the theory has
been advanced by Gen. f. l.. MoLINEUx, who
has been assisted in working up the details
by Lieut.. L. L. ZALINsKI, that the conduct
| possibly Of the present and certainly OF all
future desert campaigns, might be greatly
simplifled and changed by tho use OF the
American system Of pipe lines, water pipes
being laid by the troops as they ad-
vance, and left for subsequent use by
caravans. In other words, device of OBJ
vious immediate military value would be OF
1n nd IN nj 70, A
1t may be added that. ON the suppositon
that khartoum is reached by the British
troops, they have next to be extricated. aud
q return by the long Nile route might have to
DO undertaken in a disadvantageous season.
The basis of this scheme is the fact that
the pipe line OF the National Transit Com
pany taking oil from the wells in West Vir-
ginla and Pennsylvania, u distance OF moro
than 400 miles over the Allegheny Mountains
to tidewater in New York harbor has there
by revolutionzed the transportation OF this
article OF commerce in our country. This
however, Is not only comparatively recent,
but a purely trade enterprise; and hence the
possible military application Of the success
thus achieved in forcing fluids for hundreds
OF miles through pipes of light weight and
cheap material has not yet attracted tho
attention it deserves.
Railroads for traversing tho desert have
been projected during this campaign, and
much labor was expended in preparing the
material for n proposed narrow-gauge line
from Suakim to Berbcr; but that project was
either postponed or abandoned. Railroads
are expensive, both in construction and
maintenance; besides, in the present in
stance. time is most important factor.
Now, in constructing the oil pipc just spoken
OF, 1t was found that five and six inch pipe
could be laid at the average rate of n milo a
day by an ordinary gang OF twelve men. OF
four-inch pipe fifty miles per day could be
placed by 1000 ordinary or unskilled men. so
far as tho laying Is concerned-it being I'M
derstood, OF course that the pipe Is in that
case already delivered along the line where
wanted. Apart from the rescue of GORDON,
such facts are important to any European
| power that wishes, by short commercial
routes, to control the trade of the Soudan
The Nubian desert, between kOtt)sko and
Abou IIammed, Is described as consisting of
hills and open deserts, the northern portions
being hilly. The hills range from 500 to 700
feet in height, and are clustered irrcCularly,
without any common axis. In fact, they APP
pear to be simply tho remains of a sandstone
plateau. which has been channcled and
bored by the action OF whirlwinds, edged
with silex-the sand blast on n large scale
The route through these hills passes from
ono little valley TO another by narrow delles
where there Is " shadow for many hours OF
| the day" The hills are easy to climb, and
fiat on top, and dominate the passes. The
dtmoor, or open desert, IL composed, as Ia
SOIL largely Of overbakcd loan, forming
with pebbles species of soft conglomcIate
Occasional drifts OF pure sand are found, and
In places large outcroppings OF marble md