Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-02-25
IRRIGATION OF EGYPT
And lis Modern Restoration, by M.
m.ral SelTyn.
CONDITIONS OF THE NILE.
origin Of Irrigation In the Long Ag,.
accommodation a. to tho
Future.
CONDITIONS or THE NILE.

HfuctlVe one. COlouti oteNenaOn
cupled the chair and Captain +. q
Bailey acted as secretary. Tn,
audience was large and dlscrlm.
mating one. The principal quealior
was that OF the Irrigation OF Ancient
Egypt and It's Modern Restoration, by
Admital Selwyn. The paper IL u,
10 ows:
About seven years ago my attention
was requested to "a scheme tor makinl
ahip canal from Alexandria 10 Cairo,
by some friu us, anu | reported that
while there were no great difficulties
OF physical nature ~ overcome and
the canal might certainly DO made,
given modern expenditure per mile,
no modern steamship could be induced
to use II on account OF tue delay la.
v0lved, anu the same cause would
operate TO prevent any Profitable com.
petition with the existing railway,
But IN the course OF the Investigation
WAS led to examine tue conditions o
the Nile above Cairo, aud | was im.
mediaiey struck with the curious iact
that ON the most accurate maps the six
cataracis from Assouan 10 near Khar.
t0um were very nearly cquidistant
rom each other along the course OF
the river. Pursuing the inquiry, 1
WAC not long IN arriving at the conciu.
sion that this had not been the work of
nature, but OF ancient and scientific
engineering for the purpose Of both
irrigation and navigation, engineering
nj once bold Ia its conception and col.
Osfal In Its execution. Tunt IL had also
been moot successful In Its results was
evident from the remains OF irrigation
channels sui stretched over many de.
gtees Of longitude on both sides OF the
fivet--as well as by the ancient records
OF houfishiDg cities, where now only
barren wastes are TO be found. The Q
channels and these RUNS are by no
means coniinei 10 tue valley OF the
Nile proper, but reach to the confines
OF the trde desert. In latitu ie nlso.
even kbartoum does not seem TO have
been an impnssahlc southern lini, 10
tue tcrtiliziBg influence Of this great
irrigation scheme. so long as tue lead.
lug Psychologists disagree on the cues.
Ton OF dates among themselvrs--
sometimes by more tnan thousand
ycsfs--and ARE unwilling 10 accept the
minute and accurate chronology now
sitsinabie from the sacred writings "a |
their guide, II IN In vain 90 expect that |
W. can fix tbs date OF the great work |
OF Regulated irrigation, bu. no doubt IL |
was extended from the first to the |
sixth cntaractlh successive conquasts
gave the powtr, fifst to observe the
levels and thea TO compel the labor
necessary. II by 70 doing nom al |
Tribes were forced 10 become ayrlcul.
tural anu settled communities, shsll
So not approve " sucn com uision-
icading to such resulis-rather than
admire the so.cieG glory OF "A dsvast.
ating couqueror, who has no such aims
or elevated object Of action.
However, We may consider thnt
Wade IL ,lfeh nld 5emneh Mt the
second cataract, a2O ieet above the
w'rs regarded ~ the
boundary IN the 'hys OF rhothmrs the
III anu III. Srnhoh ami Kumnch on
either bauk OF Ia Nile having been
founded by User,sen the III about
2OjJ u. O., ten yers after the Dirth of
Abraham TN 1854. NJ. or 2OlO Boz,
lhothmts the III succeeded 10 the
throne OF Egypt, lough an infant, on
Tue sudden deat,oi mis- father (who
had married is.own sister, q Teen
Hasu),s In 1900 !. g.. n date ~ bich
can TO shown by iost irreiutabl, evil
dence TO be tht' OF the exodus
though EgyploloIts have settled that
hamese, IL was 10 PhnraOh Of that
event, cause tey hav, been led
away from tue ia by Tn > evidently
corrupted sIsteubst that the stay III I,
mo children OF 'ael Ia Egypt was
idO years, ins.e o. 100, which il !
rrailly proved b1}be text Of the Bible,
ia not one but ilkmady places, to no a
Tue TACT: but found among the |,
inscriptions that Nile wRtered''vast !,
regions above neh, Pat n period !
which one bgy pgist calculates ut I,
losO Is. u, aud 4 lrs as 1900 Is. G. "a n
Inference OF nrIy two hundrsd !.
years Out "the ok gave way anu n
.he Nile ever q Z ceased to water ~
Tue regions abJS1' CONSEQUENT on ~
ihe divisions ~ distractions In the :,
land Then csuteL the shepherd kings :"
suoetedeu In tlir attacks. For our =,
purpose Mt presen II will be- sufficient :,
u We assume at at Assouan was \
originally STABILIZED the first curb of n
the river, greidam, where an il. ~
nnd w. the mide offered consl1e n. ~
ulelhcllltlee, and lat this dam backed =,
.he rivurup 100 mes to Svmneh. where ~
,Ner second IN was made AMI 4,
uloSeu the river tAgain another I.O -,
hles 70 the thif cataract. DID the a.
original desiguer the first dam Know a.
sholsh OF the IA Of the river anu ~
,ength o course fix from the com. =,
un.eiheht me rght aud distance m
spatt OF each dan 10 was this an mr.. w.
,na,y decision, huonced solely 10y n,
IT, sognl lacIlitidor adverse condi. IN
tSnma iha' Is not great imp ,rtance, 80
, ,,ns hs Total ipnce TO KGrtoum n,
5SN,,thu nIst uahtt AssOuan being in
NY "ai we ulVlse OF tn 4 space by or
.Scs S"nnh would gll20 miles between G,
ibe AZ, "nu ,hS iail eight inches to w.
enoh "o "onlu giv' needed height OF hi
eSsct, v1i as elghI or ninSly feet,
wnni w ehof'I lhYioulatlOn which IA
irrign,I ~, ue nhu'irimafily, by any
On NJ h, s'heeT'Ihe proof uf the
now on1,' 'nk eAlslesherc there are
fesI oni, sah.'s fspids, does not
a, th.,. "o"oNsr, lsucn differences oil
at si,e,i,es' eveh the inscription "a
one n.rti "hich htes that ut
I've fs, H. ne w was tive ty. th
80 on the evilsh al an,,i
ba,uh chauneis as arJon 'N'
the w,s,a. " VI whatnOw deseri on ~,
lie Nss'stn ide OH Nile. from wi
~ Ai'u lerfanean TO uud. ~ '.oni 60,
uot 'uTther, and mt 49,. no''u,
NIus'lule, west as wins ~, 49, OF NV
IA, great p,Vper' put not leaet, ~
~ extending nearly 10 thousn, in,
.'tNotel-As to onooa WI
ln ItmatGabio iem ~ one oi the the
hcB appenrs ~ ,un' nllng II reii- pro
MN nuk n,,r1a rive NV ptOlo iata | no