The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-03-14
NOW A HOME FOR JACKALS.
THE ONCE PROSPEROUS CITY
OF KASSALA IN EGYPT.
Destruction Left IN the Footsteps
of the Mahdi-RIined Walls
and Jungle.

In the course of letter written from
Kassala On December 9th the special
CORRESPOND Mt Of the London Times
gives the following description OF TIE
city. over which the Egyptian flag has
just been rehoisted:
The cid city of Kassala can be de-
scribed in few words: The DerVlshes
were here for some time, which slshl-
1les that but very little remains OF the
former buildings. Here, as elsewhere
IN the lost Egyptian provinces, the tol-
lowers of the Mahdi destroyed all they
could leaving behind them, OF Whae
was once a prosperous city OF 4o,VJo m
habitants, only ruined walls and de-
serted iungie-over-g grown streets, when
are still streWn with the bones OF the
massacred citizens and garrisons. ms
modern native town consists chiefly OF
straw tokuls; and there are but few
brick buildings, which have been erect
ed by the Greek traders. In my last
letter / spoke of the famous pilgrimage
of Katmia, the mosque containing the
shrine of the Morgani saint. 1t stands
at the foot of the grand mountain has-
sala el Luz, whose steep lower slopes,
riven by gullies, where long grass and
ebony trees find root, are crowned by
stupendous barren granite peaks and
precipices inaccessible to man. the,
Katmia is a large and beautiful build
ing of brick, which was designed by an
able architect and cost a large sum.
The graceful minaret still stands, but
the DervisheS have heWn through the
base of several of the columns support
ing the edifice. so that the roof and
many of the Shapely arches within the
clustered mosque have fallen in. They
have also torn the ornamental copper
work from the gates, windows and else
where, not for any use that il might be
to them, for it still lies broken and
twisted on the ground, but out of sheer
wantonness, as is the Dervish way. So
now the Katmia stands, roofiess, with
floor overgroWn with jungle, a pictur
esque ruin amid this wild scenery, its
chambers haunted nightly by the jack
ais and hyenas. The wrecked tomb of
the Morgani is now closed against the
profane by a wooden door, and is year
ly visited by a great number of pill
grims. Hard by the Katmia, amid
what is now 81 waste of high halfa
grass and bush, are to be seen the re-
We're the villas of the Weather citi-
zens of Kassala, who here had pleasant
gardens ana shady groves, to which
they used to repair during the summer
heat
Of what was once kaSSala but one
building of any consequence remains
whole. AS one approaches this place,
the first object one sees, a conspicuous
,f..; al,
ed plain. is a lofty brick chimney. be-
longing to the factory which was es-
Ia blished here in the days of the Egyp-
tians. The DerVishes destroyed the ma
chinery, but spared the extensive build
ing, which they converted into their
Belt el Nal or public store. The new
Italian fort row encloses the d;sused
factory, whose capacious engine room
and other chambers are used for ths
armCry, the officers messroom and
other military purposes, while some OF
the boiler plates have been utilized in
the construction of a fort drawbridge.
This forte, erected by the Italians
shortly after the capture of Kassala
could be held by small force against
any attack the Dervishes are capable
of making. Its stout walls. about II
Itet III night, FORM rectangle CT
feet Long and 80 feet broad; they are
surrounded by a deep moat and wire
entanglements. There are at present
six nine-centimeter guns on the walls.
The garrison (of native troops is now
small, but no fewer than eighteen Ital-
ian officers muster al the pleasant
mess. KasSala fort commands a no.
sition of very great strategic import
ance. 1t stands Immediately TO the
westward of the outermost of the par
allel ranges which run from north to
south through Erithrea and Abyssinia-
Looking westward one has before one
the bushgrown, dead level plain which
extends TO the Nile, the horizon being
unbroken by even a slight eminence. so
that at the outlook posts beyond the
fort the sentries have to stand at the
summit of wooden scaffoldings erect
ed for the purpose in order that they
may command a view over the plain.
Looking eastward one sees about three
miles off the last of the wild. rocky
ranges rising abruptly from the plain
and stretching far to the north and
south, and due east to the fort. within
range OF its guns. broad opening in
the mountains. the main gateway to
Erithrea and the sea coast, through
which passes the high road by which