The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-29
vA SUNDAY sHPTEhB 1901
,EI I'm. TlARNESS==EGYPTSH GREAT DAM AT ASSOlJAN

is herculean. AS tho Milo rusllcs in.
the ei1lbnnkments arc watched as the
Dutch watch heSdikes OF Holland. 8
They are patrollcd by tho village.
With stalks of nlllet and earth, The
Village officials have the right to call
out the people toThelp. and no one res
fuses. If the Nile gets too high it
sometimes oyerflows ginto tho villages
and the mud nuts crunlble. During
the flood the people go about III boats
from village to village Tie donkeys,
lbnffaloes and bullocks live on the
bikes. us do also the goats, sheep and
.csmeis. ,il ,.s,i
The people SOW their crops as soon
as the floods subsdc. Harvest comes
OH, within a few months, and witho out
they have someElmeans of Irrigation,
outside the Nile floods, they must wait
until the Following year before they
can plant again. If they can have a
dam like this at Assouan, the Nile can
be kept high throughout the year and
they can grow crops all the year round.
This is already the condition in d great
part Of the delta. and tbs aimed TO
extend It to the farms Of upper Egypt.
The Assounn Dam. S
Isl The Assouan dam is one of the won.
dcrs3 Of modern Egypt. Il t Is IN full
sight OF me MS I sit here on the left
bank of the Nile, with>4the desert at
my back. 1t looks like a great stone
jvladuot crossing the rocky bed Of the
river Joining the stony hills which wall
the Nile on both sides and holding
back q portion OF Its mighty waters.
1T isa great granite wall, cighty-six
feet wide at the bottom and twenty-six
feet wide at the top, rising 12Oaweet
above the bed Of the river being a
mile and quarter in length. There
Is now a roadway guarded by walls on
Its top, and there is a, little car line,
the wagons Of which are pushed by
toMthe other. The dam serves as a
bridge as well, and dohkeys camels and
men are allowed to pass over 1t from
bank to bank. I, crossed on the cal
at a cost Of 25 cents. my motive power
being two Arab boys who came behind
oil the trot. r. "a
tt3zss. How the Dam Is Built.
AS I came over I stopped from time
to time to examine the construction.
The dam is made of great blocks Of red
granite as fine as that OF any tomb
stone in the United States. They arc
Il bt autifully cut and fitted as closely
as the walls ofya$palace. On the upper
side or north face the wall IS perpen-
- !iiHis : q TIA IL III uu ana Gown
4 barrier "a ainststh waters OF the Nile.
y Climbed down a ladder on that side
at one place almost to the river and
could see that the blocks are fitted SO
closely that the cement does not show.
Inc wall seems almost one solid stone
throughout, with the exception OF
where the grea sluices are cut to al
low the river to flow through at the
times of the flood, and as the floods
subsidesto shut back the waters to
q form the great reservoir for the dry
1 sea son. ,ls. tya 81 5.sas M
1,OOo,000,0oO Tons OF Water. lst
There are $50 of these sluice gates
ltr the dam. each Of which has steeI
doors that can be raised and lowered
3 TO allow the whole river to flow
through or to old pack as much or as
4 little as the engineers will. The dan
ir thus q great stone wall pierced b,
! these gates.
HssThe Nile never flows over the top oil
\ the dam but always through the gates
and the canal at one SIDE When the
gates are closed during the dry season
\ enough water Is held back by this
Estructure Of steel and granite to form
a lake 140 miles long, and this is lei
4 out as needed, to supplement the ordi.
4 nary flow Of n the river and give the
4 crops plenty Of water all summcl
\ through &. k K !. 5 3j,
! In orderito appreciate tho strength
OF the structure 1t is necessary Il
know the enormous weight 1t supports
l When the reservoir is full the water
liz I. . A z *.