Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-27
Copyright. 1907. by Frank @. carpenter>


COLOMB-BECHAR, Desert of Sahara
Few people appreciate the extent Of the
fertile spots Of the Desert of Sahara. The
French have been exploring their territories
in these sandy wastes. They are mapping
them and are making q kind of census OF
their population. They are now policing a
great part of the desert and for the first
time travel in the central Sahara is COM
paratively safe.
This is not so in the western part of the
desert where l now am. l can go no.
where unless accompanied by soldiers, and
many of the GASES about here are now
fearing an invasion from the 1ahlet brlg-
ands who live across the mountains IN
Morocco. Only a day so ago a camel
caravan coming north into the french
Sahara from the Soudan was robbed not
far from Lake Chad. many of its people
were killed and the French soldiers tell me
that they apprehend trouble here In the
near future.
The Gases Of the Sahara.
But l want to tell you something about
the GASES of this mighty desert l have
visited a number of them. and through con-
versation with explorers and travellers of
this part of the world have learned much
about others. The GASES are scattered at
wide distances apart throughout the Sa-
hara Often there will be none for miles
and miles, and again tney WEI pepper tHe
rocky wastes though the Lord had
sown patches of green from out the sky
1t IL estimated that there are altogether
something like 5000 square miles of such
garden spots scattered here and there upon
this ocean of sand.
Eighty thousand square miles
That means territory twice as large as
the state of Ohio. and one Infinitely more
rich. Suppose that you could pick out of
our country enough of its richest hot beds
10 cover Virginia and Kentucky. and patch
them together. That will give you some
idea Of the extent Of the GASES. To ap
prcCia-e them, however, you must imagine
them lying in the midst of region larger
than the United States the rest OF which
Is absolutely sterile. You must have them
surrounded by sand rocks. boulders and
all sorts of arid formations. You must
have no green of any kind for miles about
but vast waste Of blazing white dazzling
yellow or eyc-aching red. on In the dis
tanCe the mountains may be blue and may
change TO a warm rose tint at the time OF
the setting sun, but elsewhere all is arid
and bare
Desert Islands.
Sometimes the GASES will form a string or
rather chain of green Islands marking
the route Of some dry gulf stream flowing
through the ocean Of sand. At others. there
may be many In one place showing the site
OF subterranean lake. or of springs
wells far off from any other apparent water
supply.
ocean. and the Gases as its islands These
Sahara islands, however. lie below rather
than above. the level Of their sandy sea
They are always found in dcpressions
where The sCanty waters have drained in
and formed reservoirs.
Much of the desert has bed of stim
clay under II. The water may sink down
through hundred or more feet of gravel
and rock. but when IT comes to this clay
bed 1t flows on until il strikes a hollow
and II this hollow be high enough and deep
he r. Is "a 1EiS In he AiI-
trict known RI Erg depreSsIons of this
kind furnish wells which can irrigate eight
millions OF date palms. and where l am
now Is the Wady Sacora great under
ground stream which flows far below the
surface for several hundred miles and then
rises and supplies the GASES of Tuat. which
are among the largest of the western Sa-
hara.
The River Oasis of Taria.
I have already described the extensive
date plantations CT Figuig. lying northeast
of here near Benz Ounif. in Morocco. on the
other side Of the mountains. They are wa
tered by hot springs some of which have a
temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit
Those springs come out of plateau in the
middle OF the GASES. and their waters are
conducted by underground drains over a
solid date forest, covering an area greater
than that OF eighty 100 acre farms
l rode miles with my soldiers in going in
and out among the plantations and l am
told that their number is close to a mil
lion
The oasis of Fguig is not at all like the
oasis of TARA, which | also visited during
thirty-m horseback ride over the desert
from Benz Ounif. Tarla is one OF many
GASES which spot here and there the
branches of the Wady Ssoora. 1t is found
on the S"usfane river which unites with
the Wady Cir near Igeli to form the Saoora
the latter flowing from there on southwark
and finally feeding tle GASES of Tuat. From
here To lgel. a distance OF more than a
hundred miles. the river flows so far below
the surface that there Is no vegetation
whatever.
Just east of Figuig the Sousfane comes to