The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1901-04-17
A WONDERFUL WORK
OF ENGINEERING SKILL.
TIE GREAT DAM WHICH FORMS LAKE
OF THE NILE RIVER IN EGYPT.
Thousands of Miles of What Is Now Des-
ert win be Transformed Into Cot
ton Land and Pastures.

Very few people appreciate the gl-
rantic nature of the irrigation works
which John Arid & Son are now car
rvino out in Egypt. The undertaking.
unsurpassed in magnitude ana dltncul-
~ nv any similar engineering feat OF
modern times, is already advanced To-
wards completion. When completed 1t
is hoped that thousands of miles OF
what is now Egyptian desert VIII De
transformed into smiling pasture land
At present the cultivated soil 81
middle and upper Egypt consists OF a
belt of land on either side of the river
extending as far as and,no farther than
the line reached by the waters OF the
high Nile. The rest is arid, unpro-
ductive sand.
The Niles waters are peculiarly rlcn
in a sediment invaluable for agrlcul-
tural purposes, and yet every year
enouoh Nile water and soil TO create
several Egypts are allowed to run IN
to the Mediterranean. Ii Is 10 lul-
pound this water that great wall OF
granite is being built on the southern
side of the First Cataract at Assuah.
The wall stretches from the right
bank of the Nile to the left, distance
of a mile and quarter, when compleC
ed will rise ninety feet above the lev
el of the low water The top of 1t Will
be as wide as Fleet street, ana VIII
accommodate as much trahc.
C91 l. .1lInpG
number 1870. The great steel doors
with which they are provided Will De
worked by machinery, at once enor-
nouslv now erful and yet SO delicate
that a child could let loose millions or
Gallons OF this water which is to be
Egvt's salvation At at some periods
of The wear SOC, 900 tons of water will
rush through the sluices every MIN
ute. 90, ooo
The dam will bottle up 1000, 900 600
IONS of water; but the effect of the wall
will be apparent over IA miles of the
river; in other words, a lake ia miles
long will be formed.
The cost of the scheme has been tlX-
ed at $4,000, 900: but the Egyptian
Government will not be asked to pay
sixpence until the work has been com
pleted. The settling of this little Dill
will extend over period of thirty
wears. so that Egypt is getting her CO.
Iossal dam on the same system as
thrifty housewives get their sewing
machiues-the deferred payment sYs-
TEN.
1t proved good bargain ior Egypt.
for il is calculated that England is Vlr-
tually making the land of the Pharaohs
a present of something like ESQ, OOO, O0O.
In addition to the great wall at AS
suan, a subsidiary dam is being built
at Assault On the former l2,O0O men
are employed, the vast majority ma
tlves. They receive between three
a.. aud four plastries a day, or about Us.
a week, which is twice as much as
they usually earn. On pay day the
money is brought in bullion on cameis
from the Assuan bank, and it is an in
teresting sight to see the patient
bearers of the GOLD kneel down while
their precious burden is distributed
among the eager thousands of jabber'
ing, happy toilers.
The stone for the great wall is being
obtained from the quarries OF when
the Temples of Phila are believed to
have been built-the unhappy phlla
which. when the dam is com
pleted. will be submurged and partly
disappear from light for the first time
in its three thousand years OF exist
eDce %
The granite blocks that arc being
quarrled for this, the first great engi-
neering achievement of the twentieth
century bear the marks OF wedges
used thirty centuries ago