Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-07-15
FLOOD OF THE NILE.
THE GREATEST EVENT or ALI THE
YEAR At CAIRO.

the hank t0 Allow the Water 90 Flow
Into the Canal Tho Ancient Niiometer
ON the Island of Iloda.
The tourist who only comes TO Egypt 70
shun winter and foul weather" knows
nothing Ct the majestic glowies Of the
Nile food The ancient Nilomoter at
The sonth end Ct the island Of Roda. just
above Cairo. is one sf the most interest
ing sights 81 the place The water en-
tiers from the river by culvert into a
well about rs feet square, with gradu-
ated stone pillar in the center. On each
side of the well is recess about feet
wide and feet deep, surmounted by a
pointed arch. over which is carved in
relief Kufic inscription, and similar
inscription is carried all around the
well, consisting of verses of the Koran.
A staircase goes down the well, from
the steps Of which the initiated may
read the height of the water ON tho pill
lar, but they arc few in number, and the
hereditary sheilh of the Nilometer,
whose duty it is to keep the record, is
q person of some Importance The Nil
ometer dates from A. ID. SCI, and be-
heve in the archives of Cairo may be
found tho daily record for ! 1000 years
need hardly tell you that whom our
English engineers took the river in hand
we established a number of gauges at
Wadi- Halia, Assuan, Cairo and many
other points on more scientific principles
than the venerable Nilometer of the
Roda island.
After the river has begun TO riso its
height Is daily chanted through the
Cairo streets until it reaches l6 cubits
on the gauge AT this point the Khalig
el Masri, the old canal that flows through
the heart Of Cairo. is opcned--up 60 this
point it is dry, and full or empty it is
little moro than 4 sanitary ah0minaticn
at present, bat in former days it occu-
pied an important place, and when the
Mile water was high enough 60 flow
down it's bed it was looked ON that the
flood had fairly set in. and that the kind
ly fruits of the earth might be duly ex-
pected.
The head Of this canal is ON the right
bank Of the river, just south Of Cairo
The water enters channel some 80 feet
wide, with a high wall on its left and IA
sloping bank on its right or southern
flank. The water then flows under the
pointed arch of an old stone bridge. The
bed of the canal is cleared so that it
would flow in at gauge of about Ia Is
cubits, but an earthen bank is thrown
across it about four feet higher.
There is no more interesting ceremony
in Egypt than the annual cutting of the
khalig, as the opening ceremony is
called 1t takes place between Aug. 8
and 10. Days before preparations are
made for the festival Tents with innu-
merable lamps are placed along the wall
ON the one side. Frames for all manner
of fireworks are erected ON the sand bank
on the other side. All the notables are
there in full uniform or in canonicals.
The khedive himself or his representa-
tive, the Sheikh nj Islam, the highest
dignitary of the Mohammedan faith;
the Sheikh ell Belzri, the Sheikh ell Sadat,
all the learned scribes of the great uni
versity of the Azhar, the cabinet minis
tiers and under secretaries, the sirder Of
the army and his staff, the judges and
the financiers.
The Egyptian troops are turned out,
salutes are fired, and about o'clock in
the warm summer night the classes all
assemble under the gayly lighted tents,
the masses crowd round the frames for
the fireworks, the street is lined with
harem carriages full Of closely yelled
figures, though il is not much that they
can see from thcir broughams Out in
the river just opposite the canal IS mouth
is moored an old hulk of certain sea-
going ontline, which has been towed up
from Bulak during the day and is an
emblem of the time when the great re-
public of Venice sent an envoy to wit
ness the ceremony. This boat is full of
lamps, and fireworks too. As the night
deepens the excitement increases. The
populace ON the bridge and opposite
bank are shouting, yelling and dancing
wildly round the fireworks.
On the other side are the gay uniforms
and lighted tents, from which we can
look over the wall down ON the dark wa
ter, where you see brown figures plung
ing in and, waist deep, digging with
their hoes at the embankment that
blocks the canals mouth. Long before
midnight the fireworks have gone ont
and left the splendid stars to themselves I;
the grandees have all gone to bed, but
the people keep up the revelry, and in
the morning. by z 80, every one has
come back. Then but little of the bank
is left uncut, and few more strokes of
the big hoes viii do it, and the brown
skins and brown water reflect the bright
sunlight from above. Then the Sheik hui
Islam solemnly thanks the Almighty.
Allah the all powerful, the all merciful
He implores his blessing ON the flood,
and at signal the bank is cut, the wa
ters rush in, and with them crowd of
swimmers. A bag of silver piasters is
scattered among them, and the ceremony
Is at an end. Nature
AcujardI's Voice. .