Book Description

Excerpt from History of the Barrage: At the Head of the Delta of Egypt Comparatively few persons, now-a-days, make any stay in Cairo, without paying a visit to the great Barrage. Picturesquely situated at the apex of the Delta, and separated from one another by an avenue of magnificent acacias, the two regulating dams with their long lines of arches reflected in the water, and their graceful towers, standing out in strong relief against the sky, combine to form a striking and beautiful picture, and one not readily to be forgotten. When it is considered, moreover, that this structure forms the centre from which the great irrigation system of Lower Egypt is directed and controlled, and that upon its existence depend the fertility of over two millions of acres, and the water supply of several millions of human beings and cattle, it is little wonder that it should form an object of interest to the visitor, rivalled only in importance by the Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Giseh Museum. Major Brown has thought that a short account of the origin and construction of this work would meet a much felt want, and enable those, possessing no technical knowledge of the subject, to appreciate the long and arduous struggle which its completion has entailed, between the trained energy of man and the forces of the great river, with its immense volume of water, its powerful springs and its shifting sandy bed. Major Brown possesses special qualifications for the task which he has undertaken. As Inspector General of Irrigation in Lower Egypt, the regulation and supervision of the Barrage are in his hands. As a writer upon scientific questions he has already acquired a reputation, to which several papers, printed by the Royal Engineers Institute, can testify. He is, moreover the author of the work entitled "The Fayum and lake M ris," well known to those interested in subject connected with Egypt. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."