Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-03-18
A HOT AND THIRSTY LAND.
With Springs OF Fresh Water In the
Salt Sea Close by Shore.

The region of highest temperature
Gulf, a part of tho southwestern coast
of Persia, including the llahreIn, \ or
Avail, islands, June, July, and August
are terrific, uncomfortable save to the
natives, bay after day the mercury
will mark moro than loo degrees in the
shade. by day hero Is meant the dur
nal twenty tour hours. Think OF i,
YOU who look with fearful eyes ON the
thermometers that register TOO degrees
at noon time. Imagine the horror Of
striking match at midnight and read
ing 100 degrees II hardly seems pos.
sihe, yet 1t is declared that this fright
full heat is not excessive In that country
Often 100 degrees In the shade liz at
tanned In the atternt on.
The islands are small group named
after the largest, Hehrein. They lilo
/ between latitude % degrees 30 minutes
and rs degrees 30 minutes north and
| longitude SO degrees and SO degrees 30
minutes east leilrein itself ia about
twenty-seven niles long and ten miles
broad, The population Is fairly abun-
dant numbering 10000 In the group OF
islands, The natlyoe arc for the most
part Arabs, governed by sheik who
pays tribute to the Sultan Of Gilman.
The island of Bahrein Is the one Pc
culiarly cursed In the interior the
ground is hilly, with fertile soil that
produces wheat, barley, dates, figs, and
the like. There arc abundant springs
OF good water This Ii tho interior,
On the coast there Is the awful heat
that shriyels this part OF the world,
and there Is no water save the undrink-
able salt waves OF the Persian Gulf.
There are no springs. Those OF the
interior are practically unavailable In
that land of rude conyeyances and
clumsy methods of transportation The
way In which the Arabs here acquire
water is curious. They get II out OF
the sea.
A mile from the shore Of l,ahrein are
treasured springs Of fresh water 1h
sprlnkling wells bubble up through ia
sands--in the bottom OF the harbor.
There Is depth Of hundreds of feet OF
salt water over them, into which they
merge and are forever lost at the mo-
ment they issue from their subter-
ranean courses But there they are.
there they have been for hundreds.
even thousands. OF years. Hidden In
tie oceans abyss, they have. neyerthe-
les, beea discovered by man, and from
their supply the city OF Manamah, a
thriving commercial oortre, and all the
other towns. and every separate hut OF
the coast gain all the water TINT Ia used
for drinking purposes
The means taken for securing the
water before II mingles with tho brine
are at once simple and arduous Divers
are sent down from boats stationed
over the springs. The divers inYert
their goatskin sacks over the gushing
waters. so that the Jets may enter the
bags mouths. Each bag when filled is
closed water tight, and the thing 10
done. These divers are a numerous
class, and one whose employment never
ceases, since the demand Of the thirsty
are constant. One thousand sacks are
filled daily from tho submarine wells
The sources Of these springs are I'M
known. They are. perhaps, to be found
In the interior hills Of Bahrein. or they
may exist In the more distant ridges
OF the mainland. Anyhow, there are
the springs, and they are the saliva
ton Of the coast. Without them the
sea border would be uninhabitable, In
asmuch as repeated efforts to secure
shafts were sunk 70 depth OF 500 feet,
have failed.
1t IL most extrat rdlnary that these
springs were ever discovered. The
manner Of their finding Is profound
mystery. One sayant has suggested
that In primeyal times the present bot
tom Of the harbor. where the wells
are. was above the surface Of the water.
According to this theory the springs
we're known when they were thus