The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-28
gaining a new sight. will thus not be ''e-
priVed of an old one


prived of an old one.
Working drawings, specifications and es-
Inmates Were prepared and submitted for
the consideration of the two leading firms
of public works contractors in GfGat Bril-
ain. Their tenders accorded closely with
the estimates of the government engineers
and with the independent estimates mad
by sir Benjamin Baker. Next the govern
ment-always the Egyptian government
and the Khedive considered the tenders.
The Messrs. Arid have undertaken TO
construct, in five years, the reservoir at
Assiout, lower down the river. Further
they are within the same period to con-
struct the reservoir locks and other WORKS
required for the passage of steamers and
the distribution of the water to the ca
Lals Payment for the works will be made
from an annual Egyptian revenue This
will commence after their completion, nd
win continue at the rate of between 10000
and $4,000 every half-year for thirty years.
A simple sum in arithmetic will thus show
a total cost of between 100000 and $1,000
600.
Now for the reservoir in more intimate
sense How much water will it store-of
what will it be built? 1t is to be construct
cd across the head of the Assouan cataract
in a straight line. In length il will measure
1000 meters-the French system of meas
urement-or, in other words nearly mile
and a quarter from bank to bank. The con-
dition was essential that the dam should
be so made as 10 be completely capable, by
means of sluices of regulating the flow or
the Nile through it. Similarly, it was neces-
sary that there should be no difficulty
about securing the absolute stability of the
structure-making it invincible against
any hazards of nature and the Nile. The
dam and locks will everywhere be founded
on granite rock, while the mass of the
work will consist of granite rubble, laid In
what is known as hydraulic mortar. This
is composed of three parts OF pozzoulana
and two parts of Stacked lime.
Extreme strength will characterize every
part of the reservoir, including the sluices
and regulating gates There will be one
hundred and forty under sluices and forty
upper sluices. The storage capacity OF the
reservoir, TO give the exact figures, Will be
I ,O65 O00. 600 cubic tons of water. 1t Will be
filed between November and April, after
the floods have passed, and will be dis
charged during May, June and July. Inc
water stored will be sufficient for the re-
uuirements of Middle Egypt, between AS
Stout and Cairo. The aim of barrage at
Ass!out is to preserve an immediate re-
serve of water in the event of contingent
cies Many of the more important summer
| crops in Egypt are incapable of standing
ten days drought. Yet the summer dis
| charges of the Assouan reservoir would
| take twelve or thirteen days TO reach the
| canal heads at Assiout. 1t is expected that
| the gain in crops to Egypt, through the
| irrigation by the water that has been stor-
ed will represent the annual sum OF tl0oo'-
900.
Nor is this ALL In summer the reser-
| voir will extend as far above Assouan as
Ibrim-a length of a hundred and forty
| four miles A good part of this distance
| will be within the trough of the Nile. Inc
remaining part of the area VIII be mum
| dated during certain months of the year.
| To return to the reservoir as a machine, II
NAV be mentioned that while the Nile is in
| flood all the sluices will be open. Inc
| maximum discharge of an extraordinary
| flood is IA eco cubic tons per minute, ana OF
| a mean maximum flood 10000 cubic tons
The former would pass through the sew
| eral sluices at a velocity of over SIX tons
| a second, the latter at the rate of nearly
five tons. How will the Nile be regulated
in its passage through the reservoir, now
| made obedient to what is demanded OF t!
This regulation will generally commence
in December or January, when the Nile
is discharging 1000 cubic tons of water ev-
cry second. One set of sluices VIII De
lowered then another, until eventually
the OutIal Will De cODpdi dtANSiS 0iiSHS'
With the coming of May some OF the
sluices will be opened, and the discharge
of the Nile gradually increased as the dry
season advances. Regulation for the
year being over, the Nile will have free
passage through the dam, and the muddy
waters of the flood will be discharged
without obstruction. One other fact
should be noted about the dam, namely
that the navigation channel Will be on the
left hank of the river Again, an effect
of the barrage at Assiout will be TO raise
the hight of the Nile away up as far as
Assouan. This will allow the distribution
of water along the canals of Middle
Egypt during the whole time that water
is sent down by the reservoir at Assouan.