Evening star., 1898-07-30

granite, a huge mass seventy feet high at
its lowest point. and its crest 800 feet about
the lowest water level OF the river below
the cataract
"A carriage road, thirty to forty feet
wide. will be driven across It from the east
to the west bank OF the Nile: and on It's
western side will stretch a chain OF locks,
leading from the upper to the lower river.
The locks will be $50 feet long each. capa-
BILE, therefore. OF taking a good-sized steam
er. and will be of an average height OF fifty
feet The archipelago Of islands will dis
appear. the tops OF the hills on the larger
Islands will just appear above It's surface.
and the temples OF Phiae will rise out OF a
wide placid lake instead OF appearing as
now. when tourists visit II. at low Nile,
Insignificant and in hollow"
It's Importance to Egypt.
To the Egyptian administrator the chief
concern is in the money value OF the new
dam TO the country. and in this respect IL
makes a most favorable showing In
land which. in Sir Gardner wflkinson's
phrase positively screams for water" it's
worth can scarcely be overestImated With
Its supplementary dams and barrages at
Assiout and near Kasheshat Il will in
crease the present cultivated area Of Egypt
oy 5Uo.OW acres and bring under constant
cultivation the whole Of that proportion of
The o.oOO.OoO acres in Egypt which is now
under yearly irrigation only. The supply OF
water needed for this purpose according TO
Mr.. Willcocks calculation is 1910 900 600 OF
cubic centimeters flowing at a maximum
rate OF $50 meters second over the whole
line of district affected The monetary adj
Nantages OF the scheme may be expressed
by saying that the direct annual return 10
the state will be $3.50 900: that the increas-
ed value of land In Egypt will be f46. IDS 900;
mat IN" increase to annual produce will be
tl66l2,oOO, and to annual rent fs 800 Opl
These estimates leave out of account the
increased value of land and crops owing 10
Tr-T~v.a cod FpN Re-
jamin Bakers view is expressed in the
Words; The profit resultant from the
works Ii is difficult to overestimate as the
value of the crops will be increased about
70 per acre per annum over the whole area
affected
Cost of the Enterprise.
The cost of the dam itself was calculated
by Sir William Garston and Sir BENJAMIN
Baker to be some f1 300 600, and this was
an estimate that has been practically ac-
cepted by the contractor. But to this esti-
mate have to be added the cost of supple
mentary dams and barrages at Assiout and
at the other point which Sir BENJAMIN
Baker had indicated 2sI miles nearer TO
caro- The exact form of these dams is
not yet determined: but the barrages which
Will be part of them will be similar TO that
at hoshesheh already existing. The mod
ern masonry barrages are the substitute
earthwork, which were cut or preached at
the top when the water was high enough
and which We've dangerous and wasteful
The barrage at koshesheh already exist
ing Is 2I3 yards long and is practically a
wall OF masonry running by the side of the
river and pierced with sixty double arches.
Each of these arches is fitted with an up-
per and lower iron gate, and without going
into detail we may say that they permit
the rising Nile to overflow into a reservoir
which Is $4,000 acres in extent and has a
depth of three feet. This lake feeds the ir-
rigation canals.
This in brief gives bird s-eye view of
the great scheme which is to give new
birth to Egypt. Its cost altogether will not
be far short Of f5.000000. which is to be
paid by the Egyptian government in year.
ly lnstallments extending over thirty years
and not beginning to be paid until the re-
ceipts from the reservoir afford a margin
of profit. 1t is novel arrangement, but
the nnanciers have risen manfully to meet
It, and the days are now numbered when
the Nile will be able to run riot in it's dis
aStrous freedom.