The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-10-19

food the arches are opened, and every OBJ
str,Iction 10 the flow OF the stream is re-
moved
The barrage was begun In the year 1888,
under the direction OF Monge Bey, a French
engineer. IL was finished In 1861. The
Rosetta barrage consisted OF sixty-one
arches, and It's total length was 4oj metres.
The Damiette barrage, with length OF 90
metres. was constructed with se,enty-one
arches. The total cost Of the work amount
ed IN 81. 5000 which does not take into ac-
count the forced labor employed on its con-
struction. The Rosetta barrage was htted
with gates, and was tried for the hrst time
In 1883. Cracks soon appeared, and a seri-
GUS subsidence occurred in 1867. after which
date any attempt TO make II oil use was
abandoned. During this period the maxi
mum height OF water held up was live feet,
nine inches, and only for short time. On
the Damietta side the arches were never
supplied with gates.
At the period OF Sir Colin Scott Mon
criefie's arrival in Egypt, in 1883, the var
age, which. even when new, had not been
considered stronA enough TO DO the work re-
quired of IL, had been absolutely neglected
for fifteen years. The timbers were rotten
and the iron rgsted. There were no officials
competent 10 superintend its working.
During the two following years, 1854 and
1885, the most uns0und portions were
patched up, at a cost Of t44,OOO, ana In the
season Of low Nile, and attempt was made
TO hold up the water by means OF IL. IN the
first year the level was raised by seven feet,
two inches. ard in the secon year by nine
feet one inch. This enai led he canals 10
be flushed, and caused considerable In
crease in irrigation in Lower Egypt.
IL was, however, impossible TO continue
for an indefinite period a system which was
only made TO succeed by the incessant
watchfulness Of the experimenting en-
gineers. At any moment an accident might
have stopped irrigation at the most critical
season Of the year, and the whole cotton
crop. upon which the prosperity oil Egypt Is
so largely dependent, might have been de-
stroyed. When, therefore, the great pow
ers in 1885 gave their consent 10 niiiiOn
being spent upon irrigation works, the nrst
work undertaken was putting the barrage
in a sound state.
The ground upon which the foundations OF
the barrage are laid consists OF alternate
beds of fine river sand and alluYiai muu'
During low Nile, when the arches are
closed there is difference in Level IN the
water on either side, amounting IN June,
1885. TO nearly ten feet. Hence the water
has constant tendency 10 percolate I'M
der the foundations and establish UNIFORM
level. In doing this it carries along WIN
il particles of the mud and sand on Wnlch
the barrage rests, and by degrees unuer-
mines the whole structure. The problem
was. then. TO build across the river foun-
dation either sufficiently deep or sufficient
ly broad to stop the water from passing I'M
derneath. or to compel what niue
did pass to travel so far either
vertically or horizontally that It's
velocity would he checked. In this way not
only would the water be unable to wash
away the sand and mud, but it would even
deposit the particles of sand and mud whlch
il brought along with IT, and thus the SUD
stratum would every year become more ana
more impregnable. Alter careful cOndider-
alton it was decided to spread the iounda-
lions out horizontally, 80 as to form a
broad water-tight platform rather than to
sink a deep wall of concrete in the river
bed. Besides adding to the width OF the
foundations, il was necessary 10 give an
additional sOlidity to the whole work. For
this purpOse a solid bed Of Portland cement
concrete, four feet thick, was spread over
the whole flooring, and covered under the
arches and down stream, where the action
was seyerest. with a heavy pavement oil
dressed Trieste stone, and up stream Win
rubble limestone masonry. line OF sheet
piling, sixteen feet deep, was carried across
the whole river elShtf -hfe ieSt "OO'O '"e
| bridge.
A further difficulty was that all the time
the barrage was being mended it was neces-
sary to use il TO hold the water up. From
the pressure of the water outside springs
were constantly breaking out in the Moor
of the portion from which the water had
been excluded, and on one occasion in the
| last season of all there was serious rlsh
| Of the work being interrupted for the rest OF
the summer. owing 10 disaster OIL TINS
kind. Other difficulties were constantly
presenting themselves, especially IN Inc
early stages of the work. Almost every
day some new trouble had to be faced
some new expedient invented. BY the md
die Of June Of the present year the gshl
work was completed. \ few further opera
tons had still to be done, but the barragf
below the water line was finished. The
outlay up TO date has been 4iOO,OOO, and
what still remains 10 be done may bring
this amount up to f42O,0OO as the cost OF re-
storing the barrage. II is impossible to es
innate with any degree OF accuracy INC
benefits which have been accrued, and VIII
now that the work is finished, accrue to a
still greater extent to the country from the
| Nile barrage.