Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-01-01
THE GREAT MILL DAM
STuPENpouS 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 70 Ensue-Cost Of Dam
Ntso0o,oO0,

From the ages Of the dyuastiSs ot
shepherd kings and pharaohs "low
Nile" or q "high Nile" has meant
dear,a or plenty in Egypt In proper
ton as the river spread its fcrtilizing
waters in flood time along its banks
the crop Of the season was assured,
II for one or more years In succession
its volume fen short famine stared
the people in the face,
Imperial Rome depended largely ON
the grauarios Of Egypt for the daily
broad of her populace, but in her
great constructive days she failed to
insure the consistency OF supplies in
Grain aud other products of Egypts
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 hedded
ON high portion of solid rock.
Across the river a milo broad there,
the massive wall has boon 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 II reserve for purposes of IT..
ugauon great mass OF water
When the river is I'm flood it's waters
viii gush through the massive sluicc
gates, In the autumn months the
slutco gates viii he closed until the
reservoir thus formed is fun and
ready to be distributed by channels
over the agricultural land on each
side, Whom the water is most wanted
in August and April--tor the crops
of corn, sugar cotton and rico the
| supply in the lower river will be In,
creased from the reservoir, and thus n
fairly even supply of water win lie
afforded throughout the year, A canal
with numerous locks win 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, NJ, -,onoys patent--u
wonderful invention, by which child
by merely pressing n lever ear
elevate or depross a huge mass o
steel with this enormous pressure O
water against 1t.
Commercially the value of the dan
to Egypt in the future can hardly b,
estimated, One of it's immediate
effects, according to the Egyptian
governments engineer will be {,
bring under cultivation 100000 ad
ditional acres of land. This Is in ad
dition to putting certain districts an,
levels beyond the ordinary risks o
flood and drouth, An area of 5000 ,OOt
acres, now in fair cultivation, will b.
converted into land Of the frs
efficiency in crop-producIng Qualitio
over tho whole area Sir william
Garstn, the secretary of state 70
public works, believes the value O
summer crops will be increased ~ n
much as $50 an acre. Egypt's re
sources for growing corn aud cOtto
will thus be immensely enhanced an
are likely to bring her forward as
competitor In the worlds markets
From the engineering point of vie,
the stupcudOus nature of tho mdcl
r. taking viii be realized from the rfrcc
1t will have Of creating practically
p lake IA miles long impOundng NOR
T. than l,000,O 100000 tons Of water A
D some periods Of the year, It rs rait
j 100000 tons minute viii gus
j through the sluicos. The dam wi
raise the river about &C feet aboy
its usual previous level Tn
structure is broad enough for a ca
riage road to run along It's top.
p Nowhere else in the Nile vale,
says Sir Benjamin Baker, who ha
8 carried out the work, were to be foun
a such advantages of site, sound rocl
{ numerous islands and shadows
r which TO work The openings Of IN
3 slulCcs are lined with cast iron on
f. and a half inches thick, 30 rs c
d fectually to guard against dcstructio
j. from the constant impact OF lars
volumes of water at high yeloclt
me width Of the base of the dam hi
been made such that the pressure {
G the solid granite masonry will he LEI
than that on any Of the other gre
e. dams Of the world
t. The cost Of the dam when the G
q tire project 10 completed will be- It
Il. estimated, $lS,OO0.OOO, including Il
e smaller dam at Assiout, about 3
n miles nearer Cairo The capital vi
j.. guaranteed by Sir Ernest Cassel,
ID London nnancier who has been c
IL operating with Lord Cromer, BIRTH
Il. diplomatic agent in Egypt. The re
enues from the extra water supp
created will pay of the cost, II is !
lieved in a single generation.