Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-14

wear tight pantaloons of bright colors.
Some have red sashes and all turbans more
or less gay. Some wear red fez CAPS such
FRANK GJicARPENTER-
CLEARING THE NILE,
The Work of Removing the "sudd.
That Obstructs Navigation.
From the London Graphic.
We are permitted to publish the following
letter from a young naval officer engaged
in removing sudd on the Nile:
Gunboat HAIR,
In the Sud-, Bahr-el-Gebel
We are at work on the third block now.
The first block was LOO yards long and
took four days to clear. The second block
was ], 260 yards and took twelve days to
get channel through it. This one is about
500 yards and has already taken twelve
days and will take another five or six.
There is a cataract in 1t, most weird. The
river has a fall of about four-fifths of
foot. and there is one very narrow chan
mel at the other end Of the block, where
the water rushes through at the rate Of ten
miles an hour making regular little cata-
ract, which, think, will disappear as we
clear away the sud-. The fourth block is
about fifteen miles south of this, apd there
are ten blocks altogether. We hope to get
through in April Then We shall probably
go in procession with our five steamers
one we shall find at the other end of the
blocks, which Gaze left there-and go on
to Gondokoro, passing Shambe, Bor and
some pace which the Belgians have, Fort
Berkeley, where Gaze came from. 1t will
be very interesting. won't it, getting into
Central Africa like that?
L wish that could explain nicely what
the river is like. When one arrives at
block it is very curious. All of sudden
the river ceases to be. Nothing but an ex-
fourteen feet high entwined with convol-
vulus. the hippos and crocodiles disport:ng
themselves and numerous wonderful birds.
Elephants. CRATES and lions occasionally
day time. but this block is very damp of
an evening.
Our routine is as follows: Up to $50
am, tea and start work. stopping from 8
an to 8; work from to l pm. stop till
2:15: then work on until after sunset when
comes the best part Of the day We collect
and yarn about the days work and the flu
ture, etc, take our quinine pills and whisky
and soda, then battle and dress Funny
time of the day to dress isn't It? After
dinner one isn't fit for much except bed, to
which we lonesomely and solemnly adjourn.
Ten hours a day, seven days a week, out
of the way Of the world, all by our little
selves! Dervish prisoners and Egyptian ar
ttllerymen do the work. Major Peake of
the r. A. is in command of the party, then
we three do the brunt of the work up at
the front. There is Captain Stewart, a so
of the r. A, and a doctor down at the
base. where all the wood for the steamers
is cut. We had two other army officers up
here, but one has just left to go out to
South Africa and the other has been ap-
pointed inspector of Berber. Peake is
rather lucky in having three naval officers
not wishing to boast-but l think it would
take much longer If We weren't here, for
the work is more in our line-paying about
with wire hawsers, capstans, etc.
Some parts Of this block are very stiff.
We have broken wire nd
chain cables in trying to get away some of
the sud-. 1 have just read a leader in the
Morning Post of December T. re the sud-,
which l inclose in case you haven't seen 1t,
so you will see what they think of the
"stupendous'' task before US! As a matter
of fact. We can do it easily on 10000.
Now. as to how we do it. On arriving at
block We tie up the steamer and set
everything on fire, then cut down all the
dead papyrus, etc, which is on the sudd
until it soon looks like very rough fed.
Then this field is dug into small sections
four or five yards square; the trenches are
dug to about two feet under water. the
sud- itself is one, two or three feet above
water and from six to ten underneath.
section (cut up telegraph poles), fix a wire
hawser round the section showed well
down In the trenches and behind the posts.
and bring the two ends on the steamer.
The steamer then backs astern and eventu-
ally pulls out the section, which floats down
stream. The wire is got inboard again, the
poles recovered and the steamer proceeds
for another section. The force and Jerk
which the steamer brings on the wire sever
the roots of the section underneath from
the others-or, at least. sometimes does.
That's the idea
February g. 19oO.-We got through this
block on the 9th, having been eighteen days
at 1t, but there is lot to be done yet to
finish. Today is a holiday. the first one for
a month. The other boat up here has gone
on to view the fourth block. fifteen miles
Off. When We get through all the sud- we
are going on south in procession far as
we can CO. which may be a little south Of
Gondokoro pronounced Gondockoro). but
then between that and the lake are some
rapids. which, am sorry to say. we shall
not be able to pass. We are in hopes OF
getting back to Khartoum in May.
February 8, 1900.-The laval, which went
on to the fourth block yesterday. returned
In the evening with the good news that
the alteration in the river caused by our
opening the third block had broken adrift
the fourth block which has been coming
down the river in pieces, SO she went on to
the fifth block, thirty miles from here,
which they report is about 800 yards long.
fairly easy and that one has also started
breaking up
February 16, 1901 am now by myself
at the fifth block, getting along very well
at 1t. AS is our usual custom at each block.
We turned up dead crocodile, which the
dervishes wanted to eat. but as he was so
very offensive l couldn't allow 1t. One Of
the seamen of one of the barges died the
othef night IN most extraordinary man
ner. He went to sleep in one Of the holds
and was sufocated. We have lost about
twenty-five dervishes SO far, which is not
to be wondered at, considering the state
they were in when they came up here
a lot of them had chicken pox, too.
A young fellow, Progan by name. was
suddenly discovered one day by our doctor
while he was out shooting up the Bahr-el-
Zeraf. He has done really remarkable
performance. having walked here the whole
way from Uganda with only six men-in
fact. he originally came from the Cape, so
l should think will be the first man to do
the little journey, Cape to Cairo! No one
was more surprised, and 1 expect pleased.
than he to find our party up here ready to
give him a lift down to Cairo. Steamer
arrives tomorrow and takes mail, so fare
well.
Fortunate.
From Puck.
CNansus Man-"Aro ,-o,, ~, rriedVs