Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-27
TO DAM THE NILE.
ONE or THE GREATEST OF MODERN
ENGINEERING FEATs PROPOSED.
OPPOSED BY PSYCHOLOGISTS.
They Think Many Historic Land
marks Would He ObIiternted-Dry
Land VIII be Irrigated from the
stored Water supply.
written for the plspatch.>

(Written Tor the DlSpatCnJ
CAIRO. March 2-Haying explored the
Nile. gone through all kinds OF dangers
and sufferings TO discover It's sources,
and fought their way up It's troubled
stretches, Engllshmen are about to turn
the river to new uses by damming It's
water and storing 1t to food tbe dry land
during the season when the Nile falls TO
low ebb.
The project is one of the most stupen-
dous ever undertaken, and embraces
other difficulties besides those that VIII
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 enectual
barrier to any modern engineering feat
that would threaten its existence
Ptolemy II. built the temple to ISIS
whose tears, by the way, are the lengen-
dairy cause Of the rise Of the Me- upon
the Island of Philae and that island VIII
be almost SuDmeTSeu IL INC -Ni'N ." $500
I'D TO the extent proposed.
What is a temple, say the engineers
In COMPARISON with the work involving
the nrosperity of millions Of human be-
ings? Are base commercial motives cry
the archaeologists, to override every
thing in this world, and is priceless
monument of antiquity to be lost TO man
kind I'm order that few more leliaheeh
NAV grow cotton and millet!
HOW IT COULD BE DONE.
Various solutions are proposed. Philae
Is to be surrounded by masonry as sollu
as the dam itself. and 10 be thus secured
against all anticipated dangers. one as
tinguished engineer is prepared TO MOIST
the temple bodily and underpin II, so as
10 stand permanently above the hlshesl
water level Another discusses us re-
novaI stone by stone and its re-erectlon
ON a neighboring island, which VIII never
be submerged. .,.
The actual solution IS more prosaic.
The dam is to be built on the unrlValIeu
site at Assuan, but it is not 10 De car
| ried TO the height first proposed
| head of forty-siX feet OF water no" saIlS-
fes the engineers and does not alarm
| the archaeologists. OF course tne "alIi
| SUNNY is greatly reduced, for the ollgl-
| five metres greater but If something Is
lost much remains. Cost IS reduced ano
| the provision of water IS perhaps az
| great as Egypt can proftably utilize foi
| some years to come.
| This great dam will serve the doupI'
| purpose of storing water in rellet OF the
dry season, or of abnormally low Mics
and of mitigating the violence OF eXcep
tional floods The dam will be bullt oil
| granite ashlar, founded on the great rec
| crossing the river 1t will be 70 feet mgr
| and about 5000 feet long, and the dllleI
| ence in water level above ana DeloW 'he
dam will be 46 feet. The approXimat'
storage capacity will be 1,65VOVlo cuDl'
metres. Locks will be built for the pas
sage of Nile steamers.
WHAT IT WOULD COST.
The contractors, who promise compile
| ton I'm five years, present moderate
bill. They are TO receive 100000 a yeal
for thirty years from the carrying oul
| of their contract. That is payment oil
nearly twenty-five millions, but the ere
dit is very long, and the present actual
value is probably about half the sum
1t may be confidently stated that Win
ont the credit of the British Government
Egvpt could never have come withiE
spealting distance of so good a 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 SUI
pervision, with its subsidiary system Of
canals, both for irrigation and for trans
port, and with the accompanying drain
age system, the Importance of which Is
now fully recognized, will constitute sucf
an addition TO the sum of national hap
niness and prosperity as it does no
every day fall to the lot of the mosl
| r.nll m na ming, rulnrs 10 make.