Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-01-01
THE GREAT MILL DAM
STUPENDoUs ENGINEERING FEAT
ACCOMPLISHED AT LAST.
WORK LONG IN PROGRESS
Flood Waters Conserved for Use
During Dry Season and Vast
Increase in Riches of the Country
Certain to Ensue-Cost of Dam
$4,000, 900.

From the ages of the dynasties OF
shepherd kings and Pharaohs a '1ow
Nile" or a high Nile" has meant
dear.h or plenty in Egypt. In proper.
ton as the river spread its fertilizing
waters in flood time along its banks
the crop of the season was assured.
II for one or more years in succession
its volume fell short famine stared
the people in the face.
Imperial Rome depended largely on
the granaries of Egypt for the daily
bread of her populace, but in her
great constructive days she failed to
insure the constancy of supplies in
grain and other products of Egypt's
soil which is confidently expected
from the present regulation of the
rise and fall of the ancient river.
Nearly four years have passed since
the foundation of the great Nile dam
at Assouan was laid. 1t was bedded
on high portion of solid rock.
Across the river, mile broad there,
the massive wall has been steadily
build up of granite. welding together
the rocks which form the dangerous
first cataract.
The length of the dam is about 5000
feet. Its strength had to be designed
to hold in reserve for purposes of ir-
rigation great mass of water.
When the river is in food its waters
will gush through the massive sluice
gates. In the autumn months the
sluice gates will be closed until the
reservoir thus formed is full and
ready to be distributed by channels
over the agricultural land on each
side. When the water is most wanted
in August and April-for the crops
of corn, sugar, cotton and rice the
supply in the lower river will be in
creased from the reservoir, and thus
fairly even supply of water will be
afforded throughout the year. A canal
with numerous locks will give passage
to the Nile steamers and other traffic.
There are in the dam $50 openings,
each containing sluices. These are
! of the late f. M. ..oneys patent-a
wonderful invention, by which a child,
by merely pressing a lever, can
elevate or depress a huge mass of
steel with this enormous pressure of
+, water against it.
Commercially the value of the dam
to Egypt in the future can hardly be
estimated. One of its immediate
effects, according to the Egyptian
governments engineer, will be to
bring under cultivation 6O0,0 900 adj
ditional acres of land. This Is In adj
dition to putting certain districts and
levels beyond the ordinary risks of
flood and drouth. An area of 5000, 900
acres, now In fair cultivation, will be
| converted into land of the first
efficiency in crop-producing qualities
Over the whole area Sir William
Garstin, the secretary of state for
public works, believes the value of
summer crops will be increased by as
much as $50 an acre Egypt's re-
sources for growing corn and cotton
will thus be immensely enhanced and
are likely to bring her forward as a
competitor In the worlds markets.
From the engineering point of view
the stupendous nature of the under
taking will be realized from the effect
it will have of creating practically
lake 144 miles long impounding more
than 1,00000u,000 tons OF water At
some periods of the year, it is said.
100000 tons a minute will gusn
through the sluices. The dam will
raise the river about &C feet above
its usual previous level. The
structure is broad enough for a car
riage road to run along its top.
Nowhere else in the Nile valley.
says Sir Benjamin Baker, who has
carried out the work, were to be found
such advantages of site, sound rock.
numerous islands and shadows in
which to work. The openings of the
sluices are lined with cast iron one
and a half inches thick, so as eff
fectually to guard against destruction
from the constant impact of large
volumes of water at high velocity.
Inc width of the base of the dam has
been made such that the pressure on
the solid granite masonry will lie less
than that on any of the other great
dams of the world.
The cost of the dam when the en-
tire project is completed will be, it is
estimated, S18,000,000, including the
smaller dam at Assiout, about $50
miles nearer Cairo. The capital was
guaranteed by Sir Ernest CasseI, a
London financier who has been co
operating with Lord Cromer, British
diplomatic agent in Egypt. The rev.
enues from the extra water supply
created will pay off the cost, 1t is be-
lieved, in single generation.