Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-04-10
St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Nile Cataraets-Status OF the Cam
paign.
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Two of the four Northwestern river
captains who last October started for
Egypt 70 enter the service of the
British government as pilots on the
river Nile, namely: Messrs. A. r.
Russell of Fishers Landing and J. S.
Segers OF Moorhead, have returned
home, their contracts with the British
government having expired. They
arrived IN st. Paul few days ago,
and are now stopping at the Mer-
chants hotel. The other two members
OF the party, Captain William Robin
son of Winnipeg and jeremiah Webb
OF West st. Paul, renewed their con-
tracts for another month; but as this
new contract expired early in March.
they are probably on their way home,
also, by this time. 1t Will be remem>
beled that these rivermen were engas-
ed for England through the Canadian
government at Ottawa. because II was
necessary to have skilled river pilots
to take certain new steamboats,, 10 be
emf loyed ia mail service on the Nile.
over the cataracts of that river. Capt.
Russell gives an entertaining account
of the experiences of the party, and
the condition Of navigation on the
Nile. They arrived at Alexandra
Nov. 10, slast, aud found one of the
two boats, they were taken in charge
of, nearly ready for them. This was
the Lily" The other called 1.-The
Lotus, had been put together up the
river.
Tee boats, Capt Russell said, were
.uilt in England and shipped over TO
Egypt in sections, to be PIT t.gether
there. They were of steel, fiat bot
toned, about one hundred and twenty
FIVE feet beam, drawing two feet of
water. They were a very good model
for level river, but would have been
better adapted for service on such a
river as the Nile if some suggestions
as to construction had been taken
from the native boats, They were in
tended tor mail boats, and had no
cabins, except Tor the crews, though
awnings were stretched over tie main
deck to protect the passengers from
the sun. The boats were Stern~wheel-
ers, the first of the kind ever used on
the Nile. We all four went up the
river in the Water Lily, about the LIST
of January, our destination bein z
Wady Halfa, about nine hundred
miles from Alexandria at the first
cataract We had native pilots with
us as guides, bat their opiE ions were
usually just to our own judgment.
The Water Lily was left in charge of
Captains Robinson ana Weber, to ply
between the first and second cataracts
aud Capt. Sergers and myself took
charge of the Lotus, which was at
Semnch, and went with her beyond the
fifth cataract, called Aboofemph. In
all, however, we went over seven
cataracts, for some of these we passed
had nat been numbered. These cata-
racts are not cataracts, as we under
stand the term. They are strong
rapids, full of currents, whirlpools
and eddies.
Referring in general way to the
facilities for navigation in The Nile,
Capt. Russell says, that side wheel
steamers are used IN transporting
troops between Cairo and Wady
Halfa Beyond this large yawls sims
liar to whale boats, and native boats.
are brought into the serT ce. Tke
'whalers, as they are called, number
900, and carry ten men and one ton
of freight each, being thirty five feet
in length, six feat beam and two and
one half feet draught. The Lotus, he
adds, reached Dongola Feb. 1, three
days after the fall Of Khartoum. The
troops f2ll back on Dongola. The
death of Gen. Gordon was felt
throughout the whole of upper Egypt
as a terrible blow to the campaign.
The troops have fortified themselves
at Dongola-mainly by throwing up
earthworks, as the place was situated
on an open plain-and probably about
all the troops in the country except
those on the Red sea, who will be
quartered at SuakiRl, will be concen~
trated at Dongola for the summer.
NEARLY ON THE DEFENSIVE.
There will probably be no active
demonstrations on the part of the
loyal troops for the present, but they
will be kept in condition to defend
themselves against any attack that
may be made By TIE forces Of the
Mahdi. 1t was the general impress
sion throughout Egypt that the Madhi
had an enormous force at his com
mand, but that he had not subsistence
for his men. The Arabs, Capt. Rus
sell says, are all loyal to the Egyptian
government, and the correspondents
are at fault when they speak of them
as rebels. The rebels were the Sou
danese and the Berberines, the latter
being especially bitter in their oppoS-
ition to the Khedive and the British
and universally loyal to the nahdi.
The returned river men bring back
with them very complimentary testi-
moniais as to their skill and courage
in taking the two steamers over the
cataracts, from Brig. Gen. Grenfell,
of the Nile expeditionary force The
British government has ordered
twelve more new steamers for next
season, and more pilots will 6e needed
to take them up river. Capt. Russell
thinks he and his companion will go
back next season. He speaks in high
terms of the manner III which he and
| his companions we're treated by the
authorizes, wao, they say, were dis
posed TO show him every favor and
courtesy within their power. The
climate during the winter has been
delightful, and there has been but
little sickness among the Europeans
resident in Egypt.
| PERLOUS PASSAGE.
The navigation was perilous and
difficult, and in order to get over the
cataracts it was necessary to unload
and transport our goods around them
on camels, these nortages varying in
length from one to six miles. At each
cataract there is garrison of four OF
five hundred troops, and besides keep,
ing up full head of steam, we had
these troops assist US from the bank
Big pulling at tow lines. 1t was i'm
possible to keep the channel. At
Taniour we were five days getting
over, The cataract of Abofetmas Is
about fourteen miles in length, but is
comparatively easy to navigate. We
we're three Gays, however, working
1 IL {. T