_o 



which is pointed and rests on a wooden bearing'. The upper end of 

 this shaft is generalh' of small diameter and is thrust through a hole 

 in a horizontal beam "I'l or 23 feet long and supported at its ends by 

 columns of sun-dried bricks or masonr}'. Sometimes wooden posts 

 or even two small pieces of wood crossed and tied together are substi- 

 tuted for these columns. Projecting radially from the horizontal 

 wheel is an arm to which is hitched the animal furnishing the power. 

 The teeth on the horizontal Avheel engage similar teeth on a vertical 

 wheel, the shaft of which passes underground to a second vertical 

 wheel over the water to be lifted. The details of this wheel and the 

 earthen jars it carries are shown in the accompanying illustration (PI. 

 XIII, tig. 1). Where the lift exceeds half the diameter of the wheel 

 the jars are attached to a belt which passes around a small wheel in the 

 water or simply hangs by its own weight. Sometimes the sakiyeh is 

 built on a masonr}- foundation. The shaft of the horizontal wheel 

 then has a stone bearing and the beam supporting the shaft rests on 

 the masonry walls. While the wooden parts have to bo replaced quite 

 often, the masonry work is practically permanent. 



An ox or a buffalo is usually emplo^'ed to Avork the machine. P^ach 

 animal is relieved every three hours and generally works two periods 

 per day. Sometimes two animals are driven together. This is conmion 

 when a double belt, furnished with jars quite close together, is used, 

 or where the lift is verv high. In the Favum the sakivehs are often 

 turned by the current of the canals. In the delta the vertical wheel 

 carrying the jars is frequenth* replaced by one having small compart- 

 ments built in its circumference. The jars ordinarily used on a sakiyeh 

 weigh about 2i pounds each and hold about half a g-allon. A sakiyeh 

 will raise from 120 to 180 cubic feet of water per hour, depending' upon 

 the height of the lift. The eiSciency of the device is reduced b}' its 

 lifting the water higher than necessary by about a third of the diameter 

 of the wheel. It has been estimated that one sakiyeh will do the work 

 of four shadufs. This is approximate and is doubtless too high. 



A number of improvements have been made in these machines 

 recently and they are now manufactured by British firms and imported 

 into Egypt. Being constructed of iron, the first cost is often prohil)i- 

 tive, repairs are difficult, and it is not easy to install them where the 

 sites have been designed for larger sakivehs. 



The cost of operating a sakiyeh, using one animal at a time, is about 

 $1.50 per acre each irrrigation, for lifts not exceeding 12 feet. From 

 12 to 18 feet the cost will probably reach ^2.40 per acre, and from 20 

 to 30 feet, $3.60 per acre. If the animals used are owned by the irri- 

 gator, the cost will be considerably reduced. The sakiyeh itself may 

 cost all the way from $10 to $150, depending upon the location, the 

 cost of the material of which it is constructed, the price of labor, and 

 whether or not masonry is used in the walls and foundation. The fol- 

 lowing table has been prepared from notes taken in the field: 



