KKl'OKT OF ('HKMICAL LAUOKATOKY 
395 
These waters Ijoth contained iron and alumina in considerable quantity, but, as noted 
above, the samples were too small to determine their amount with accuracy. 
A’I'daua Uivei: \Vatp;u 
The Athara, like the Illue Nile, is a torrential river fed by the rains of Abyssinia, and 
the deposit from its muddy waters have played a very considerable part in the formation 
of Egypt. The river flows only for about three months and is dry for the remainder of the 
year, except for many pools, which are often deep. 
During the flood season of 1907, examinations, especially with a view' to determine the 
amount of suspended matter, were made at intervals of about a week. The results will 
be found in the following table. 
The samples in each case w'ere the average of six different collections taken at points 
roughly equidistant, across the river, as it flowed beneath the Athara bridge. The figures 
express parts per million : — 
RESULTS OF EXAMINATION OP THE WATER OP ATHARA RIVER 
Flood Season op 1907 
Date of collection 
Solid matter 
in suspension 
Carbonates 
(COA 
Chlorides 
(Cl) 
•June 'iTth . 
4 
not det. 
not det. 
July 4th . 
10 
72-52 
4-34 
„ 14tli . 
1404 
74-04 
‘2-23 
„ 18th . 
1023 
00-43 
3-51 
„ ‘25th . 
3570 
70-90 
'2-6d 
Aiig. ‘iud . 
2-214 
07-71 
1-91 
.. 12 th . 
•2040 
71-82 
•2-55 
I'^th . 
3090 
74-35 
2-87 
„ -i-Jud . 
2840 
73-72 
4-34 
„ 30th . 
. 1 
952 
70-‘24 
3-19 
Sept. Gth . 
1314 
71-19 
3-82 
„ l‘2th . 
1135 
70-‘24 
1-91 
„ 19th . 
714 
05-81 
4-34 
„ 30th . 
108 
77-83 
1-91 
Oct. 3rd . 
170 
79-10 
2-55 
„ loth . 
30 
8-3-02 
‘2-87 
Sulphates were 
present only in very minute quantity, amounting usually to less than 
one part per million. 
The following table gives the monthly averages of 
suspended matter, as w'ell 
as those of 
the Blue Nile, determined in 190G. It will be seen that during 
the height of the flood the 
proportion of solid matter carried was even greater than in the case of the Blue Nile. 
ATBABA, 1907 
BLUE NILE, 1900 
June. 
. 4 
270 
July. 
. 1070 
1004 
August 
. ‘2‘2‘28 
1904 
September ... 
. 832 
755 
October . 
. 103 
280 
Kxaminalion 
of the water 
of the Athara 
River 
Large ciuaiuily 
of suspended 
matter during 
flood 
Comparison of 
Athara and 
Blue Nile 
waters 
