The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-04-23
.#s@ a NEW REGULATOR FAYoUI
the Blue Nile 100000 cubic meters

the Blue Nile $4,000, 900 cubic meters
of water daily.
Khartoum is situated at the junction
Of the White Nile and the Blue Nile.
Thus, tho water that flows by the city
is derived from two sources. But the
people drink only the water of the Blue
Nile, because that of the White Nile is
so charged with decayed organic mat
ter and deadly microbes as to be dead
ly for human consumption. It is, in
fact, merely the drainage Of malarial
swamps. The White Nile obtains a
small part of the water from the melt
ing Of the snow on the peaks OF RuWen-
Zori-those Mountains of the Moon de-
fined in ancient Ptolemaic1 charts and
only restored to modern maps by Stan
ley. The bulk OF it's supply, however,
is the oozing of a gigantic sponge
formed over a vast plateau by innu-
merable streams and mora sses. This
plateau is somewhat like that of Min
nesota, with it's countless lakes con-
tributing to the current of the Missis
sippi. By throwing up a bank not
more than a foot high across one Of
the marshes of the White Nile, the
Abysinnian king could hold back an
amount of water equal to the whole
quantity now utilized for irrigating. the
Nile delta.
; Even the defeated Mahadists are
in position to hold Egypt at ransom
ut any time by threatening to ellt of
her water supply. The situation is
certainly remarkabl but it is likely to
be altered before long by the carrying
out Of an engineering project now IN
der consideration. The plan is the
idea OF an American named Cope
Whitchonse. He has discovered that a
great natural depression exists to the
west OF the Nile valley and about sew
enty miles southwest of Cairo. This
depression, which is 100 feet below the
level of the Mediterranean, might be
utilized as 4 reservoir for holding 4
supply of water during the season of
low Nile.
The depression referred to is known
as the Wadi Raiyan Mr.. Whitehnlse
cannot be said to have discovered the
wadi, but he was the first to ascertain
the fact that it was below tho level of
the sea. He was led to the discovery
by a clew quite extraordinary, which
was nothing more nor less than a map
preserved in a monastery on Mount
Atllo, and believed to have been draft
ed by monks during the Middle Ages.
The map itself was apuzzle more eliti-
cult OF solution than the famous cipher
given by the: Able Farla to Monte
Christie, but certain things set down
upon it led Mr.. Whitehouse to the con
clusion that the Wadi Raiyan had been
the location Of an ancient reservoir for
I holding the surplus waters Of the Nile.
The casual observer, who knows no
more of Egyptian history than is to be
found in the Anthony and Cleopa tra''
of Shakespeare, must be struck with
the enormous difference between that
wealth which lavished gold on coffin
lids and the miserable Egypt of#to-day.
whose pea SAINTS during five months Of
the year earn an average wage of little
less than = cents 4 day. The ancient
source Of wealth. according to the
4Fible story of Joseph. and the descrip-
tons of Greek historians lay in a L. s.
erYoil' situated in a depression TO the
west OF the Nile valley This depres-
!; Sion. now satisfac torily identified with
J, the Watli Raiyan. seems to have been
put there for this very purpose, being
at convenient distance behind the