The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-22

use or tho Bluc MIC Tor. Tie lrflSdtlon
OF the dam.
That river will still DO allowed to
carry its heavy load OF silt down to
Egypt during the floods. but in sum-
mer it may he so regulatedsby u dam
at Lake Tsana as will furnish peren-
NAL irrigation to n large region near
here. The Blue Nile is just about as
long as from Philadelphia to Chicago.
1t rises In the mountains OF Abyssinia,
at an altitude as great as that or the
top of Mount Washington. and winds
Its way down through Abyssinia and
the Sudan to Khnrtum. where 1t joins
the White Nile. The river hero is
about as wide as the Potomac at wash
ington. and its waters are now beauti-
fully clear. During the Hoods they
turn reddish brown. being loaded with
a great quantity of the leaf mold of
the Abyssiniun forests and the scour-
#ings OF the volcanic rocks of the Abys-
sinian plateau. The river is navigabie
as far as the cataracts at Rosaires.
which Is 426 miles from here, and there
arc regular steamers plying upon II.
Beyond that point the stream is known
as the, Abai. 1t flows out of Lake
Tsnna In series of channels and light
rapids, which soon unite to form a
stream 700 feet wide. in which shape
it flows on, narrowing and widening.
until 1t reaches Rosaires.
About five years ago one of the en-
gineers OF the EGYPTIAN irrigation SER
vice. Mr.. Dupuis. made an exploration
of the Blue Nile, and went around Lake
Tsana. He estimated that the lake
Will store something like 1000 100000
tons of wuter. and that with the cons
struction Of proper dams and regula-
tors, 15O0O.0oO tons per day can be
given out from January until June. He
saws that Lake Tsana can be easily
controlled, and that without affecting
tho large grazing lands which are
found near its shores. Another dam
might be made at the Rosaires rapids.
and the two would probably furnish
sufficient water to irrigate u great part
of the rich lands lying between the
White and Blue Niles.
The Control OF the .Atburn.
This same engineer made an investi-
cation of the Atbara river. This is the
Black Nile, which flows into the main
stream about two hundred miles north
OF the mouth of the Blue Nile. The
Atbara Is fed by the Abyssinlan tor
rents. and while in flood 1t is Of great
size, although during the summer u
large part OF it's bed is perfectly dry.
~ lSSAiASua Wig Lawn FiANAASf oAi uSSpuhS
of its color when in flood at that
time It's waters arc heavily charged
with volcanic dust and 1t carries down
a great quantity OF 1.-THE rich fertiliz-
Ing mud to which the lower Nile val
ley owes its wonderful fertility. The
river begins to rise in July. Its floods
last only about eight days and 1t dries
up toward the end OF September,
Mr.. Dupuls proposes a great reser-
voir near the apex of the Atbara Delta.
In this the water will drop it's silt, and
when It's become clear it can be carried
through different regulators into
canals and used for Irrigation. II this
is done considerable land at the juno
ton of the Atbara and the main Nile
can be Irrigated. and thriving region
will result thorc ut the point where the
Nile and Red Sea road unite with the
great route from Cairo to the cape.
The Milo IA New River.
The schemes that have described
are SO far only in ambryo. Sir William
''Garstini, who is ut the head Of the
public works OF EGYPT and the Sudan,
has made Il report upon them and the
government has sent out explorers
along the different rivers to investi-
gate their possibilities. They report
many new things regarding the Nile
system, the upper part of Which is now
for the first time becoming known to
the world During n recent interview
with the slrdnr, Sir Reginald Winsate.