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

lHS the HOOUS. Dut, IN the summer, IL may
be so regulated by a dam at Lake Tsana
as will furnish perennial irrigation to a
large region near here. The Blue Nile
is just about as long as from Philadelphia
TO Chicago. 1t rises In the mount aims OF
Abyss!nfa at an altitude as great as that OF
the top of Mount Washington, and winds
It's way down through Abyssinia and the
Sudan to 'Khartum, where It joins the
White Nile. The river here is about as
wide as the Potomac at Washington, and
its waters are now beautifully clear. Dur
ing the floods they turn reddish brown. be-
ing load d with great quantity of the leaf
mold of the Abyssinian forests and the
scourings Of the volcanic rocks of the
Abyssinian plateau. The river is navga-
Bile as far as the cataracts at Rosaires,
which is 426 miles from here. and there
are regular steamers plying upon 1t. Be-
yond that point the stream Is known
the Abai. 1t flows out of Lake Tsana In
series of channels and light rapids,
which soon unite to form a stream 100
feet wide. in which shape It flows on.
narrowing and wIuening until It reaches
Rosaires.
About five years ago one Of the eng,-
neers of the Egyptian irrigation service.
Mr.. Dupuis, made an exploration Of the
Blue Nile and went around Lake Tsana.
something like 5000 OoO. 600 tons Of water.
and that, with the construction OF proper
dams and regulators. 100000 tons per
day can be given out from January until
June. He says that Lake Tsana can be
easily controlled. and that without affect
ing the 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
"ater to irrigate great part of the rich
ands lying bet,e the White and Blue
Miles.
The Control Of the Atbara.
This same engineer made an investiga-
ton of the Atbara river. This 10 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 Abyssinian torrents. and
while in flood 1t is of great size although
during the summer a large part of its bed
Is perfectly dry. 1t is called the Black
Nile on account of it's color when in flood.
At that time it's waters are heavily
charged with volcanic dust and II carries
down great quantity of the rich fertiliz.
ing mud to which the lower Nile valley
owes its wonderful fertility The river be-
gins to rise In July. It's floods last only
about eighty days and 1t dries up toward
the end of September.
Mr.. Dupuis proposes a great reservoir
near the apex of the Atbara Delta In
this the water will drop its silt, and when
1t becomes clear 1t can be carried through
different regulators into canals and used
for irrigation. If this is done consider
and the main Nile can be irrigated, and
thriving region will result there at the
point where the Nile and Red Sea road
unite with the great route from Cairo to
the cape.
The Nile New River.
The schemes that 1 have described are
so far only in embryo. Sir William Gar
stin. who is at the head of the public
works of Egypt and the Sudan, has made
a report upon them and the government
has sent out explorers along the different
rivers to investigate 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 recent interview
with the sirdar, Sir Reginald Wingate.
asked him whether we have yet gotten an
accurate knowledge of the, sources OF the
Nile and the actual flow Of Its waters.
I'VE are learning great deal about it."
was his reply. I'VE have surveyed the
main stream from where it flows out of
Victoria Nyanza and have followed 1t
down to Khartum. There are many OF
the. tributaries, however. of which we
know but little. I have men now explor-
ing the vast system of streams which
feeds the White Nile in the Bar ell Ghazal.
our province which borders the Congo
watershed. That country Is difficult Of
access. 1t is covered with a rank vegeta-
uon consisting OF papyruS, reeos ana
grasses, which are twelve or fifteen feet
In height. and our officers have to keep
track of one another by sending up rock
cts from time to time. Our first attempts
at the investigation of those streams were
from the north. but we are now going to
their headwaters and following the
streams down to where they flow into the
Nile. We are building boats there, and we
hope to open such communication by
steamer that goods can be taken by the
Nile to and from the watershed of the
Congo" FRANK G. CARPENTER.