One of the most interesting chapters in Mr. Fowler's career is that connected with Egypt. He went there, in the first instance, in search of health; and the connection thus accidentally formed lasted as long as Ismail Pacha remained in power. As is well known, that enterprising Sovereign threw himself heart and soul into the material improvement of the country. He had unlimited credit in the money markets of western Europe, and he aimed at restoring Egypt to its ancient position as one of the chief producing countries of the world. He brought about a wide extension of the irrigating system of the Delta, in order that crops might follow each other independently of the season of the year; he introduced sugar plantations and factories in Upper Egypt on a most extensive scale; he built several railways, and projected one southwards to Khartoum, which, if completed, would have been the key to Central Africa. He entered upon every scheme with the greatest ardour, and no sooner were the plans completed than he urged the giving out of the contracts and the commencement of the work. In Mr. Fowler the Khedive found the very man he wanted—one whose ability was only equalled by his rectitude. National prosperity, however, is not to be founded by railways, docks and canals alone. Its basis lies in good government and the just administration of wise laws; but it is not our business to go into the politics of Egypt further than to explain the condition of affairs when Mr. Fowler came in contact with them.
He landed in Egypt at the close of 1868. At this time the Suez Canal was within a year of its completion, and it was natural that Mr. Fowler should hurry to see it, even before fulfilling the avowed object of his visit of exploring the antiquities of the country. The trip was made under very favourable circumstances, the party including M. de Lesseps, M. Voisin, the Duke of Sutherland, Sir Richard Owen, General Marshall, the Marquis of Stafford, Mr. W. H. Russell, and others. The works from Ismailia to Port Said, and the harbour works at Port Said, were well advanced, but between Ismailia and Suez nearly one-third, or twenty-five million cubic yards of excavation, remained to be executed. The survey occupied three days, and included the whole length of the canal, everything being explained by M. de Lesseps with the greatest kindness, and the various points being discussed without reserve. At the request of the editor of the Times Mr. Fowler addressed a long letter to that journal giving a full account of the state of the works and criticising the prospects of the company. This letter appeared on February 18, 1869, and was made the text of a leading article which pronounced it to be a fair and final summary of the subject by an English engineer of the highest eminence and repute.
In the spring of 1869 the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Egypt. When about to make the journey up the Nile the Prince invited Mr. Fowler and Professor Owen to join the party, which was embarked on five steamers and dahabeahs. Nothing could be pleasanter than to make the excursion under such conditions, as every arrangement was made for the Royal party to see the objects of interest in the country, both ancient and modern. Of course Mr. Fowler had to pay the usual penalty of fame, and to be prepared to suggest the probable methods employed by the Egyptians in raising large stones for the pyramids and temples, and in cutting and polishing the greenstone and diorite statues. At Thebes his engineering resources were severely tried by the Prince's cross-examination as to the manner in which the colossal statue of Rameses II., weighing 888 tons, was brought from the quarry near Assouan to its present position at Memnonium on the plain of Thebes. The excursion proved to be most enjoyable.
Before Mr. Fowler returned home he had several interviews with the Khedive, explaining to him his views concerning the Suez Canal, the irrigation schemes, and many other matters in which Ismail Pacha was interested. The outcome of this was that he accepted the position of consulting engineer to the Khedive and the Egyptian Government, a post which he held for eight years—that is, until the abdication of that ruler. The office involved yearly journeys to Egypt, the first being in the latter part of 1871, and required Mr. Fowler to personally investigate all the great undertakings then in hand. The most important matter presented to him for solution was the projected Soudan Railway. It is needless to say that, although commenced, and 150 miles constructed, it was never carried out, or recent Egyptian history would have been greatly changed, while thousands of British soldiers and millions of money would have been saved.
Mr. Fowler, before deciding between the two possible routes by the Nile Valley and by Souakim-Berber, had long interviews with General Gordon, and also with the governors and other persons acquainted with the country to be traversed. The Nile Valley was ultimately chosen, and the decision ratified by the Khedive and his ministers. The surveys were commenced at once, and when completed the Khedive, with characteristic promptitude, instructed Mr. Fowler to obtain a contract for the work. This was accordingly done, and on February 11, 1875, the works were commenced at Wady Halfa with great ceremony in the presence of Mr. Fowler, the governor of the province, the Cadi, and other notables, bullocks being slaughtered as part of the religious observances. The abandonment of the railway, and all the disasters which followed it were keenly felt by Mr. Fowler, who fully believed that had Khartoum been thus connected with Cairo the turbulent native tribes could have been overawed, and a great economy would have been effected in the long run. Unfortunately it is not given to man to read the future, and when matters went wrong in Egypt the expense of the railway seemed too great for the resources of the country
Although this railway was not completed, and has passed for the moment out of public notice, yet it is a matter of certainty that, sooner or later it will be constructed. The eyes of nearly all European nations are concentrated on Africa, and many are striving to secure a firmer foothold on the continent with a view to gaining a share of the future trade which is anticipated. It is certain that when Egypt attains the position which is sure to follow upon a few years of good government, there will be a revival of the old ambitions, and she will turn her attention southward, with that craving for extended sovereignty which is the characteristic of all healthy communities. It will, therefore, be interesting to give a few facts regarding the route, length, and cost of the line which must be made if the flood of Arab invasion is to be permanently dammed. Sir John Fowler always held the opinion that our difficulties in the Soudan came from the undecided attitude we took up. The native tribes could not be neutral; they were obliged to side either with the English or the Mahdi. But the former declared that they had not come to stay; they came to rescue Gordon, and when that was done they would retire, and leave the entire population "to stew in their own juice." This promised to be so highly flavoured with Mahometan vengeance that the tribes were obliged to cast in their lot with the successor of the Prophet, and fight against the invaders. In the days of Ismail Pacha the Soudan was ruled by the shadow of the authority which existed at Cairo, and Sir John Fowler holds that the same conditions would recur if the railway were completed.
The southern terminus of the line was to be at Metammeh, on the left bank of the Nile, immediately opposite Shendy, 16 deg. 14 min. N. latitude, and 32 deg. 25 min. E. longitude. Shendy is equidistant between Berber and Khartoum, and about 991⁄2 miles from each. It is moreover the converging locality for the camel routes from Khartoum and the White Nile district, from Hamdal, Souakim, and the Red Sea, and from Aboo Kharraz and the Blue Nile. There is good navigation between Berber and Khartoum for ten months in the year, and the obstructions which exist in the low-water channel would not be difficult to remove or lessen. The northern or Egyptian end of the lino was fixed at Wady Haifa, at the second cataract. Commencing at the foot of the cataract on the right bank of the river, the line followed the general course of the stream as far as Kobe, this side being chosen to avoid the drift sand from the Nubian desert. At Kobe the line crossed the Nile, and then followed the right bank as far as Dabbe. Here the Nile makes a long detour, and consequently the projected line struck across the Bahiuda desert to its terminus.
The following are the lengths:
| miles | |
| Wady Halfa to Kohé | 160 |
| Kohé to Ambukol | 216 |
| Ambukol to Shendy | 176 |
| 552 |
The line was one of easy construction, with no works of magnitude except the Nile crossing. When practicable it kept to the villages and cultivated lands on the banks, but sometimes it took an inland course amongst the mountains to avoid expensive works, and sometimes it traversed deserts to cut off bends of the river. The gauge was fixed at 3 ft. 6 in., the same as the Norwegian railways, but with a heavier rail of 50 Ib. to the yard; the maximum gradient was 1 in 50, and the minimum radius of curvature 500 ft. The cost, including stations, sidings, quays or landing places, rolling stock, workshops, and all expenses required to complete the line ready for traffic, was estimated at four millions sterling, or 7240l. a mile. Of this amount five-eighths would have been spent abroad and three-eighths in Egypt.
It will be noticed that the railway was to start at the second cataract, some 550 miles, as the crow flies, from Cairo. The Nile forms a natural roadway between the two for the entire distance, except for some three miles at Assouan, where the first cataract occurs. To enable steamers and dahabeahs to pass from the lower to the upper level of this cataract, Mr. Fowler conceived the idea of a ship incline, and in company with Sir William (now Lord) Armstrong and Mr. Rendel he went to the site. The necessary surveys, examinations, and estimates were made, and on the return to Cairo Sir W. Armstrong offered to undertake the work, and his proposals were approved. But like many other projects of that time in Egypt, the plan was frustrated by the interference of jealous foreign rivals, and nothing was done.
The plan contemplated the construction on the right bank of the canal of a ship railway 3 kilometres in length, commencing at the bottom of the cataract in the river channel, about 5 kilometres south of Assouan, and terminating at the top of the cataract in the harbour of Shellal. The boats to be transferred were to be floated upon a cradle constructed to run upon the railway, and to be hauled over land by hydraulic engines of 400 horse-power, placed near the centre of the railway. The water to work the engines was to be pumped at a high pressure by a pair of large stream wheels carried upon pontoons, and driven by one of the smaller rapids at the lower end of the cataract. The total length to be traversed over land by the boats was 2950 metres at low Nile, and 2300 metres at high Nile. The estimate of the cost of the incline with machinery, workshops, wharves, and all expenses required to complete it ready for traffic, was 200,000l.
One of the first matters claiming Mr. Fowler's attention on undertaking the duties of consulting engineer was the organisation of the existing railways, and to this he devoted much time on his first official visit in 1871. As a preliminary he employed Mr. D. K. Clark to obtain for him full details of the rolling stock and plant. With this information before him, Mr. Fowler was able to advise great changes in the direction of simplicity and economy, most of which were carried out.
The management had previously been of a most unsatisfactory condition. In the year 1869 the expenses per train mile amounted to 7s., of which the locomotive power figured for 3s. 5d. Many other items were needlessly high, and were increased by the practice of keeping duplicate sets of accounts, more or less imperfect, in French and Arabic. Mr. Fowler considered that the expenses could be well cut down to 4s. 6d. per mile, or 36 per cent, of the earnings. This small percentage was due to the very high traffic charges, particularly on the transit railway which conveyed the P. and O. Company's passengers across the isthmus ; on this line first-class passengers were charged 43⁄4d. per mile, and second-class 21⁄2d.; accelerated goods were charged 41⁄2d. per ton, and unaccelerated 1d. per ton per mile.
In the same year visits were made to Upper Egypt to examine irrigation works and sluices, and to Suez to determine matters connected with the docks there. M. Duport, on Mr. Fowler's recommendation, was appointed engineer in charge of the new Alexandra Docks, a post which he filled in a highly satisfactory manner till the completion of the works.
In the following year, 1872, the most important matter for consideration was the sugar plantations and factories of the Khedive. Already several millions sterling had been spent upon them with but poor returns, and the time had come when some alteration in working must be decided upon.
