The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-27
NILE CANNOT BE DIVERTED.
silly Talk About Draining 1t in Order
to Ruin Egypt.
London Chronicle.


There is a good deal of loose talk just
now concerning the possibility of some
power possessing itself of a position on the
headwaters of the Nile and then cutting the
banks in such a way that the water would
be drained away from Egypt and the latter
left without the overflow which now gives
her life. What are the headWaters OF the
Nile? First the basin catch of the Victoria
Nyanza, which joins the basin catch of the
Albert Edward Nyanza, running on as a
joint stream to the north of GondOkoro. All
this way it is carbined, crbbed and confined
between walls of rock never less than 1900
feet in height. After that it runs on to-
ward the KhartOum through great open
alluvial valley, receiving on the left bank
the mighty waters of the Bahr-el-Arab, the
Bahr-e-Gazal, and a number of other
Nile as to keep the waters away from
Egypt? No doubt. for about one year at
the most But this very valley is itself sur
rounded by elevations of 500 feet and
consequently, after the first soakage every
drop of water led out of the Nile will flow
back to the Melt cannot possibly get
away At Khar-Suef, close to Cairo, there
is o ridge never less than LOO feet high,
and with a minimum breadth of $50 miles,
sufficient. surely, to prevent anyone turn
ing the Nile into the Red sea- and We have
not heard yet of any power with money
dne 70 es 10 eu or 70 drive
at a similar depth for like distance.
. So far for the right bank Of the Nile The
left is bounded by the JIibyan desert.
There, of course is the country into which
the enterprising Egypt ruiner is to divert
the Nile. But all the Libyan desert water
sheds is toward the Nile. The Wadies all
make for the Nile, not from it. AT various
distances from the Nile is a range of not
less than $50 feet trending northwest and
southeast to the very latitude OF Cairo it
self, so that on this side also the Nile is
shut in by the Libyan desert, which is it
self shut in by the Tarso and Tummo and
Black mountains, and the chain of which
they form part and which runs east untn
it reaches the GASES fed underground from
the Nile to the north of Assuan.
nor fore no ont ha 81 N &c hnl6 in
an unbroken chain of mountains, with
minimum elevation of 1500 feet. Obviously
to break the banks somewhere in this great
area and let off the water for the temper
airy injury of Egypt is possible, but 1t is
not possible to prevent the water returning
to the bed of the Nile. And a careful ex-
animation of the maps shows that there is
no place where the cut would not have
to be several hundred miles in length to
produce any appreciate effect even tenn
porarily.
But there is safeguard even against
this outrage. The Nile is not one stream,
but a collection of streams. If the waters
suddenly subtracted from those of the
whole river there would remain the true
headwaterS in the great lakes, the Sobat
the Blue Nile and the Athara. The confg-
uration of the river makes ii impossible il
should be materially tapped at any one dis
trict. Even if Abyssinia, cutting off her
nose to spite Egypts face, were to divert
the supply from the Lake Tana and AM
hara strict she would only have hurt her
self, and then would not have prevented
twQ-thirdS of the stream of the Blue Nile
running past Famaka to Khartoum. 1t is
the Blue Nile and the Atbara which bring
down the great bulk of the fertilizing al
luvian matter. but their course can no more
be altered during the lower part of their
streams than the Tay could be made TO
discharge itself into the CALIFORNIAN canal.