The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-16
HB CAN'T IRRIGATE EGYPT.
COPE WHITEHOUSE'S 500, 600, 600
PLAN TURNED DOWN.
Els Claim to the big Hole He Calls the site
OF Ancient Lake Mocris Also Rejected
by the british Rulers Of Esypt-shali
Uncle Sam Swap the Panama Canal


WASHINGTON July 1S.--After years Of
effort to establish his rights In the matter,
cppe Whitehouse Of Newport. II. l., an
American engineer and traveller, has finally
met with refusal on the part Of the Egyp-
tian Government to recognize his claim,
by right Of discovery and legal registration,
10 a great natural depression in Egypt
which existed as Lake Moeris many hundred
years before Christ and was used as
reservoir to catch the overlooking waters
OF the Nile In the flood season and to dis
tribute them over a vast territory that
would otherwise have been barren, desert
land as 1t ia now.
That Mr.. Whitehouse was the actual dis
coverer OF the sto Of the ancient Lake
Moeris there seems to be little doubt. But
when 1t came to realizing the fruits Of his
years Of study and research Mr.. Whitehouse
found that the British administration In
Egypt had no sympathy with him.
Through the State Department he has
been informed that the Egyptian Govern
ment denies his contention that he secured
. patent for the area covered by the de-
preston. and that his only chance for
redress is through the International courts
VI E6 Pt' AHC iSS peAS'h hnc
also served notice that in no event will Mr.
engineering project which he has had In
view ever since his discovery.
Mr.. Whitehouse has maintained for
many years that at comparatively small
cost the waters OF the Nile may be drawn
into the depression located by him. and
large area Of barren land made fruitful
and beautiful, adding enormously to the
wealth of Egypt. The reported difficulties
OF the Assouan dam encouraged Mr.. White
house to hope that his less costly scheme
would be adopted, but 1t Is now apparent
that there Is little prospect Of success in
that direction.
Aside from the engineering project adj
vanced by Mr.. Whitehouse, historical
interest attaches to his efforts to utilize
the depression as it was used by the Egyp-
tians centuries ago. Lake Moeris's site is
south of the Fayoum. The lake was fed
from the Nile by long channel.
Herodotus, who saw and described 1t in
454 B. c., said it had circumference OF 1895
miles, but there is other evidence that its
circumference did not exceed l4o miles.
The last vestige Of the lake is now 1870 feet
below sea level. 1t ia calculated that the
original body Of water was seventy feet
above the level of the Mediterranean.
Through his study of ancient writings
and from personal explorations MIR. White
house was able to locate the site Of the
ancient Lake Moeris, which Is now known as
the Raiyan depression, or Wadi Raiyan If
the depression were filed with water from
the Nile and the River of Joseph lake
would lie formed covering $50 square miles
with depth of 200 feet.
To bring the Nile water into the Wadi
Raiyan all that would he necessary, ac-
cording to Mr.. Whitehouse, would he to dig
. canal III kilometers long. This. he esti
mated, would cost less than So, 100000.
That Mr.. Whitehouse was the discoverer
OF the Raiyan depression was acknowledged
by Lord Cromer, the real ruler OF Egypt,
whom Mr.. Whitehouse now regards as an
enemy. In 1887, when he was Sir E. Barring.
Lord Cromer wrote to the Marquis of Sails
bury .Xr Cone wbitebouse,s scholastic re-
searches led him to believe that depression
existed south OF the Fayoum. 1t was dis
covered that the depression termed the
Raiyan Basin did actually exist. 1t vas
very much to Mr.. Whitehouse's credit to
have made this discovery.
Mr. Whitehouse has maintained that
the Egyptian Government agreed to give
him the rights to this depression and that
he filed the necessary papers to perfect
his claim, but these were declared not to
be in existence when, at his instance, the
United States Government made inquiries
about them.
In one of his communications to the State
Department Mr.. Whitehouse declared that
either the Egyptian Government or some
English company was seeking to take
advantage OF his researches and labors.
He said then that he valued the Raiyan
depression and his project Of utilizing it
as reservoir Of high Nile waters at
sloo, OOO, co0 He maintains that he has
spent in time and money on the Raiyan
project more than million dollars.
He repeatedly offered to waive all
pecuniary return if Great Britain. would
only heed the despairing cry of the Egyp-
tian peasants, among whom, through the
failure of proper irrigation, the death rate
rises to 10 per thousand. On several oc-
casions Mr. Whitehouse has proposed to
purchase the Raiyan depression and cut
through the canal at his personal risk under
such conditions OF repurchase by the
Egyptian Government as would lea We
those in the construction syndicate rea-
sonabe profit. This offer was rejected.
Mr.. Whitehouse says that he is entitled
to receive a patent for his property. He
informed the State Department that upon
his request for the patent it was illegally
withheld by Sir Eldon Gorst on the admitted
plea that the Raiyan Valley had become
presumptively valuable through the ex-
penditure of time, labor and money by Mr.
Whitehouse.
He has recently been in correspondence
with the State Department in an effort to
locate at Cairo number Of official papers
relating to his case, which he said included
a promise from the Egyptian Government
that his patent would be granted. In
response to a telegram sent by the State
Department to Mr.. Riddle the United States
diplomatic agent at Cairo, the following
was received:
Foreign Minister says Whitehouse has
no possible claim to Hodja he Raiyan
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