Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-07-31
MYST-RY oFTHENILE
now WATER w ThE RIVER 10
REGULATED FoR HARvEsTa.
And Now Another Twsnty.rhree Fees
10 20 De Added 10 the Great Dam
~ AssOuan--aurlss His-
torle Rulne.

Every morning from q little room.
OF great white house on the eastern
shore OF the Nile. At Assouaa. 10
clicked by telegraph to Cairo the aues-
ton; How much water The an
swsr comes. 80 many thousand gal
Ions less. A button 10 pressed, tho
water which COWS under the iron
bridge at Cairo is increased or di-
minishod some ten days later In ao-
cordanoe with the telOgrAphic answer
and the intervening valley between
Assouan and Cairo has little more
or q little less water on It's surface.
The man at the button NAY bring
Joy or sorrew TO thousands OF little
farms-it IL all according to the mes.
sage he receives
From the great white house there
extends across the river granito
wall or dam $50 feet hiGh. Half way
up this wall, and stretching it's co.
tire length. = line OF shutters opens or
closes by . pressure OF the button.
In the winter months a huge lake OK
pRnds to the southwark. which has
every appearance of being a Hood, Tor.
In certain places. the tops OF palm
trees are disoernible above its aur-
face. and the submits OF inundated
ruins apparently mark the sites OF
sunken cities A the days 20 by,
and Cairo demands more and more
water. the palm trees and the ruins
seem 10 rise from their watery beda,
until. in June and early July, the river
flows freely with all its historic indo-
lsnce.
still the cry for water Is Unsuitable.
and now the 1850 feet OF granite wall
will be heightened by % feet. which
will double tho power OF the man Rt
the button, and after that no more
palms or ruins will unfold them.
selves. as the hot menths come. from
the surface OF the lake The palm
trees will not be missed but what OF
the ruinsI That Is the tribute OF tho
past which modern agricultural Egypt
is called upon 10 pay.
Just south OF the granite wall In the
island which holds the amphibious
ruins. Twsnty-three feet OF granite
now stand between II and oblivion 10
IL named Philae. and II IL the burial
place OF Osiris. A temple OF IL ool-
nmns rises on It's eastern bank. and
on lts western IL the great temple OF
Isis. begun by Ptoiemy Philadelphus
and added 10 by the Roman emporors.
Its front IL IN the form OF propylon,
before which ls an expansive court
bounded by two galleries. tho column
sides OF which skirt the shore for $50
feet Behind the propylon are many
halls and chambers OF curious aud fan
tRstic design The whelming waters
OF tho winter months have already be-
gun their work. Floors have sunkeu.
columns fallen. and walls crumbed.
The twenty-three additional feet OF
granite will complete the work OF
devastation Philae and It's ruins will
never again feel the sun OF Egypt
II was thought that the granite wall
across the Nile at Assouan. 90 feet
high. would provide perpetual irriga-
ton for the desert 10 the north. That
was a mistake. But will the 80 addi-
tionAl feet 10 the summit OF the wall.
which will forever bury Philae, com
plete the work. VIII the man at tho
button in the great white house ever
have the power that Joseph had 90 d.
rect. increase or diminish the flow OF
the river2 Joseph had no Assouan
dam and no shutters 10 manipulate by
the pressure Of button. In what.
therefore did his power TO make Egypt
perennially fertile oonsist7-N Y.
Times