The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-27

of Nile Water When the River
Runs Lew and the Fenaheen
Pray for Rain.
Correspondence The ST. Paul Globe
CAIRO, March 13.-Having explored
the Nile, gone through all kinds of
danger and sufferings to discover it's
source, and fought their way up it's
troubled stretches, Englishmen are
ABOUT to turn the river to new uses by
damming its water and storing it to
Hood the dry land during the season
when the Nile falls to low ebb.
The project is one of the most stup-
endous ever undertaken, and embraces
other difficulties besides those that will
confront the engineers. One of these
is the objections of archaeologists to
any scheme that threatens to sweep
away the ancient landmarks on the
banks of the Nile. The antiquarians
take the temple to Isis as one ancient
structure that they think should be
an effectual barrier to any modern en-
gineering feat that would threaten it's
existence. Ptolemy II. built the tenn
pie to Isis, whose tears. by the way
are the legendary cause of the rise of
the Nile, upon the Island of Philae, and
that island will be almost submerged
If the Nile is held up to the extent
proposed.
What is a temple, say the engineers,
in comparison with the work involving
the prosperity of millions of human be-
irgS? Are base commercial motives,
cry the archaeoloSists, to override
every thing in this world, and is n
priceless monument of antiquity to be
lost to mankind in order that a few
more fellaheen may grow cotton and
millet?
Various solutions are proposed. Phi
lac is to be surrounded by masonry as
solid as the dam itself, and to be thus
secured against all anticipated dangers.
One distinguished engineer is prepared
to hoist the temple bodily and under
pin it, so as to stand permanently
above the highest water level. An
other discusses it's removal stone by
stone and its re-erection on a neigh
boring island which will never be SUBJ
merged.
The actual solution is more prosaic.
The dam is TO be built on the unrivaled
site at Assuan, but it is not to be
carried to the height first proposed. A
head of forty-siX feet of water now
satisfies the engineers and does not
alarm the archaeologists. OF course the
water supply is greatly reduced, for
the originally proposed head of water
was some five metres greater, but II
something is lost, much remains. Cost
is reduced and the provision of water
is, perhaps, as great as Egypt can
profitably utilize for some years to
come.
This great dam will serve the double
purpose Of storing water in relief of
the dry season, or of abnormally low
Niles and of mitigating the violence of
exceptional floods. The dam will be
built of granite ashlar founded on the
great reef crossing the river. 1t will
be seventy-six feet high and about 900
feet long, and the difference in water
level above and below the dam will be
forty-SiX feet. Locks will be built for
the passage of Nile steamers.
The contractors, who promise compile
ton in five years, present a moderate
bill. They are to receive 100000 a
year for thirty years from the carry
ing out of their contract That is a
payment of nearly twenty-five millions,
but the credit is very long, and the
present actuarial value is probably
about half the sum.
1t may be confidently stated that
without the credit of the British gov
eminent Egypt could never have come
within speaking distance OF so good p
bargain. The annual payment will be
saved three times over in security from
floods alone.
The great work, which will be carried
out under Sir William Garstin's able
supervision, with it's subsidiary sys-
TEN of canals both for irrigation and
for transport and with the accompany
irg drainage system, the Importance Of
which is now fully recognized, will con-
stitute such an addition to the sum of
national happiness and prosperity as
it does not every day fall to the lot of
the most Well-meaning rulers to make.