Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-21

get into the main stream of the Nile. The
water of/this swamp Is nowhere much
over mans head, and in most PLACES
except where the main streams flow
through, 1t is only about as deep as his
waist. The evaporation increases at the
time of the floods. when more land is COW
cred, and no matter how much water
flows into the swamp. only about the same
amount flows out. This Is so throughout
the year.
The Sudd.
This vast region is known as the Sudd
1t is now being explored: and attempts
have been made to cut channels through
1t. I have met some of the surveyors
who have attempted to penetrate 1t and
some who have broken away parts Of 1t to
open up channels for the Nile. They de-
scribe 1t as a vast sl.eet Of brilliant green
made up of papyrus, feathery reeds ana
sword grass These rise from five to f1f-
teen feet above the water and are broken
here and there by patches of ambatch
trees and by channels, pools and lagocns..
The greater part of 1t has no human IN
habitants, and this is especially SO OF that
region along the Bahr ell Ghazal. There
are some Dinka villages near Bor and
few tribes on the edge of the Belgian
Kongo. Farther south at Lado and Con-
dokoro the region is populated.
1t is only at the south of the swamp re-
the land is little higher and elephants.
CRATES and buffaloes inhabit the edges
of the swamps. In the heart OF 1t, and, In
fact. in all parts of 1t. there are vast
numbers of ffippopotami, and there are all
sorts Of swamp birds everywhere. From
the reeds and mud banks clouds of wild
cranes, geese, storks, herons, pelicans and
ducks Of every description rise up as the
boats approach. and there are insects by
millions There are all sorts of mosqui-
loo q nd
are other insects which carry fevers and
the tsetse fly. which causes the sleeping
sickness. Among the queer birds Is the
whale-headed stork one of which may be
seen here in the palace grounds at khar-
tum. The wild geese are black. white
and brown.
It is Impossible to conceive how closely
the vegetation of the Sudd is matted TO-
gether The roots of some of the plants
60 down into. the beds of the swamps.
others float on the water and the whole
is one great united mass. Sometimes
section goes loose and becomes float
ing island until 1t reaches q shallow place.
where the roots will grow fast again. Such
islands often book up the channels OF
the river and some of the main tribu-
taries have so much vegetation that 1t is
impossible for boat to make its way
through them
Opening Up the Tributaries.
Nevertheless, one Of the projects con-
templates the opening up OF these tribu-
taries of the Nile. 1t is believed that the
Bahr ell Zaraf could be SO banked up that
it would carry the volume Of the Nile
and keep it out of the swamps. and thus
save the enormous amount of water vast
I'd by evaporation. The river would have
to be banked up between Bor and Lake
No. and in that case it could probably
carry the Niles summer water supply.
The Bahr ell Jebel will also be opened up
for navigation, and by some means or
other a great part of the river water
will be held in Its course. These schemes
would mean an expenditure of millions OF