The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-11-24
TO BAGDAD IN 60
DAYS
CONTINUED from Page ID

forks, forming the histOris Euphra-
ties and Tigris, which streams flow
parallel for many leagues through
the valley of ancient MesopOtamia.
to eminent scriptural au-
thority the Garden of Eden was To-
Gated at the point where these
streams converge. Where Three
Rivers Meet" the Bible says-and
three rivers once met here, as the
dried-up course of the third is still
So the spot in question
was no doubt the real scene of that
little affair of the snake and apple.
The figleaf feature at least is easily
supported by the local climate, for
the thermometer stood at I19 in the
shade of the river boats dirty avn
ing when we passed upstream, our
churning paddles disturbing the
slum bers of scores of sluggish crOcO-
dies From the spot where once
the garden smiled" as far as the eye
reaches in every direction, stretch the
endless waste-just sun and sand.
with here and there a crumbling ruin
or solitary arch and columns; for
ages ago Mesopotamia was the most
fertile country in the world. Even
now one can easily make out the
mile-IOng depressions, reaching out
from the river into the desert, mark
ing the line of what We're once irri-
CATION canals, forming in their time
a system never since equalled in
magnitude or ingenuity of cOnstruc-
ton In those days whole rivers
were turned from their courses,
and millions of acres OF what is COW
is now desert land was alive with
fruitful farms and populous cities.
Sir Henry Wilcocks, the English en-
gineer who built the great Egyptian
dam at Assouan. has been engaged
by the Turks to make a survey and
report on a plan for reviving this
famous old canal system, which went
to ruin during the bloody wars of
Haroun Err Raschid's time.
From the now desolate scene of
Adam and Ewes disastrous filtration
We took the Tigris branch of the
Shat-el-Arab, and bore off Bagdad
wards.
The moving picture man who sets
up his machine in the bow of I'll
girls river boat, and turns the crank
from the Garden of Eden to Bagdad,
will get film guaranteed to pack
the nickel theatres all summer.
The Beduoin camps, the camel car
avans, the fierce nomadic bandits
who galloped along the banks and
abused all Franks with horrible
desert oaths, the ancient mud forts
of NebuchadnazZar' time, the water
buffalo and naked children bathing
side by side in the great yellow river,
all made up panorama of wondrOus
charm. Once. at lonely point re-
mote from the nomad camps. a small
desert leopard or ''chiti'' emerged
from the fringe of licOrice bushes on
the bank and eyed us in solemn
wonder. On moonlight nights jack
ais, emboldened by the semi-dark-
ness. trotted along the bank, keeping
pace with the steamer. attracted by
coyotes own curiosity
Passages at arms between the Be
duoin robbers and the passengers on
these river boats often occur. Our
own vessel. the Kalipha (Caliph) was
literally shot to pieces some time
back, 500 bullet holes being counted
in her wooden sides after the war
was over. The splintered side of my
own bunk, rudy daubed up with
putty. bore mute testimony to a day
when all was not quiet on the Tigris
One village, Amarah, which we pass
ed at 10 a. m, told our pilot that
at sunrise on the same day 800
mounted Arabs had raided their
town, and driven off all their sheep
The second officer of the Kalipha
showed us a long. white scar across
the top of his head, the souvenir of
lively bout last spring when several
passengers were shot, and some of
the boats guards killed. Il was ly-
ing behind some date boxes, shoot
ing back" he told me, when | got
that one through the hair. We fought
them off till night came on, then put
out all lights and slipped down
stream in the dark" After that en-
counter no steamers left Bagdad for
seven weeks, and the foreigners
there enjoyed a splendid sense of iso-
lation, most of the wires across the
desert being also cut. All the desert
tribes are armed. and fight cor
stantly among themselves, usually
ovar animals dicnutad wells ar the