Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-03-21
BIG PROFIT IN WATER.
William E. Curtis Declares Esypt's
Prosperity is Due to Irrigation.


| CAIRO, Dec. Silt is disputed
question what the average Egyptian
| thinks of the amazing improvements
1 that have been made i'm the material
condition of his country during the
last few years and how they have af-
fected his character. Many people
believe that he scarcely realizes
them; that they have not touched his
soul or even his consciousness at all,
and that he still retains his medieval
conservatism in spite of the public or
der and Sc irity, the relief from taxa
ton. the G en- hand of justice, the
means OF education and the higher
wages that have been brought to him
| by the English administrator 1t is
true that the oriental soul is very diff.
ferent from that which inhabits the
body of the white man. His ideas are
not our ideas, and his religion. his so
cial habits. his impenetrable reserve,
his serene contemplation of fate and
other peculiar characteristics. wheth-
er good or Ill, have not changed since
| adopted the modern costumes to a
| considerable extent and has allowed
the women OF his family to come In
contact with foreigners, he moves
very slowly. Even Cairo. with all it's
modern improvements, retains its
medieval customs and appearance.
And still It is the city OF the Arabian
Nfyhfg -.
surface may be covered with new
buildings. old Cairo remains and will
remain, and the evidence of modern
life Is only veneer. Nevertheless
1t Is scarcely possible to believe
that the farmer does not appreciate
what has been done for him. The
signs are certain, as | will explain
He cannot be sensible 10 the i'm
provement of his condition
1t is also a question of even greater
Importance, particularly to us. how
much the cotton crop of Egypt Will be
increased by the construction of the
new dam at Assuan and the extension
Of the irrigation system. The cotton
growers, of the United States, how
| ever. need not be alarmed. 1t will p
long time before the cotton fields Il
Egypt are extended 10 a degree tn
will be felt by the planters of the
United States, and the Increase will
be much less than Is popularity expect.
ed.
Under the present system the val
ley Of the Nile is producing all that
it is capable of. and the only way to
increase the products and the wealth
OF the country is to bring more land
rnGer irrigation. AS | told you yes
| terday. the present area has not been
| Increased TO any considerable extent
for many centuries. although projects
have frequently been proposed When
| Joseph. the son Of Jacob, was prime
minister for Pharaoh, he conceived
the Idea OF turning the surplus water
| Of the upper Nile into what is known
miles south of Cairo a vast depres-
sion in the desert known as Lake Mo
eris, by his skillful engineering. be-
came n productive oasis, which has
added hundreds OF millions of dollars
\ of wealth to the nation. Mr.. Cope
| Whitehouse, son of the late Bishop
| Whitehouse of Illinois, who has spent
much time in Egypt and is familiar
with the desert, as well as the irriga-
| tion system. submitted to the govern
ment a few years ago a plan to ex-
| tend the irrigation system built by Jo-
scph and utilize II for the benefit of
the country. The khedive wrote him
letter of thanks and conferred upon
him the decoration of a grand com
mander of the Order of the MedJid.
ieah, but his English advisers poked
the plan into pigeon hole and no one
has ever been able to persuade them
to pull it out again.
Their Indifference. however, was
| due to other plans which they consid
cred more practicable, and 1t was de
termined to construct an enormous
dam at the first cataract near Assuan
which will store up all the water that
is not needed at the annual inunda
ton and allow 1t to be released when
it is needed later In the season. This
! udHl, tdiltu tnt NfTthl DdfdBts Is NOW
practically completed. 1t was begun
in February. 1898. contract having
been entered into with Arid &c Co. a
Scotch firm. who agreed to build 1t fol
s1o,000.00O, payable In 30 seml-annua
installments of siG0 900 each includ
ing interest, but they do not get dol
lar until it is completed. The founda
lions Of the dam rest upon solid gran
itc LED ;es; II is 6.7S6 feet, or a mile
inl q quarter long: 100 feet high from
the rock bottom; So feet thick at this
base and 26 feet wide at the top
where there is a roadway guarded by
walls which takes the place OF tn,
bridge which has so long been need
ed. The dam contains 1,250,000 tom
Of masonry and about 5000 tons o
steel. The masonry Is Of rough gran
lite blocks laid in cement, and the ma
terials have been taken from quarrleI
which for 1000 years supplied ston'
for the obellsks. pyramids. temples
tombs and palaces of Egypt Their
are $50 sluices through which the wa
ter can be released when 1t is needei
and they are fitted with steel gate
! cnp ha handled Htr aIacfrin !.