GREAT WATERWORKS SCHEME

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 154, 29 June 1912, Page 15

GREAT WATERWORKS SCHEME

Occupying twelve years to carry out,, and costing over £3,000,000, the first part of the new Derwent Valley waterworks i 3 now finished, and the water can be turned on as soon as required. When the other portions of the work are completed, many years hence, over seven millions sterling will have been expended, i The waterworks are to supply Nottingham, Sheffield, Derby, and Leicester (with their combined population of over 1,250,000) j as well as a large number of rural districts in the watershed. Engineering feats of great magnitude have been accomplished. For the material for the construction of the dam in the valley fifty-two acres of quarry land on, precipitous heights ovgrlooking the Midland Eailway at Grindleford wore purchased. The stone was. brought down to the siding by an inclined railway, with a gradient of 3 in 1, the trucks being controlled in their drop of 300 ft by a cable passing over a drum. Over 1,000,000 tons of stone were taken out of the quamee. Huge Btones, some weighing five tons each, were employed in making the central parts of the dam. To brinjj the water to tho towns, an aqueduct fifty-six miles long has been constructed.

EX-SULTAN. ABDUL HAMID PALACE, PEISON, AND POISON. There is a certain Turk- in Salonika for whom the upraised Italian warsword has no terrors. This is one Abdul Hamid, dethroned Sultan, who, in happy ignorance of the dangers which beset his country, is spending the ks^; days of his life in captivity, jealously guarded by that same army which overthrow him. The ex-Commander of t,h« Faithful has for prison a handsome villa on the east side of the city and on the shores of the winding bay of Salonika. Abdul has for neighbours wealthy foreigners, chiefly Greeks. Having amassed riches in the ancient Macedonian capital, they have built themselves stately honieb on the shores of its beautiful bay. The Villa Latini, which the "Red Sultan" now inhabits, -was bought by the Turkish Government froui one of these princes of local commerce. It has spacious grounds, and is shut in by a high wall. The building i« a threestoried one, and the upper floors, and the terra cotta roof are visible ( from the highway which skirts the northern boundary wall. , ' * Ho is very exacting icgarding his food. The ordeal of tasting is exclusively reserved for the chief cook. The dethroned Padishah (writes M. H. Donohoe, who paid a special visit to the palatial palace prison of the "Bed Sultan" on behalf of the London Daily Chronicle) has a marked fondness i'or certain Turkish dishes prepared with rice and finely chopped meat. When a dish is brought to the ex-Sultan's table, tho chief cook accompanies it, and stands at attention, like a soldier awaiting orders. Abdul, armed with a targe Bpoon. will hover indecisively over the dish for a second or two. Then, having selected his point of attack, he will plunge tho spoon into the heart of the steaming hot mass, and, withdrawing it filled, hand the spoon to the cook. If that functionary should evince any hesitation in sampling the food, the dish is at once rejected by the suspicious Abdul. NEWSPAPERS AND MEMOIES. The living apartments aro on the first "floor, and the ex-Ruler of Turkey passes his time between his bsdroom and a suite of two rooms which adjoin it. One is a study, in which are several hundred volumes, chiefly Turkish. A second serves as a combined sitting and smoking room. Here it is that the ex-Sultan passes entiie days. He sits curled up on a divan smoking or else seeking mental solace from the perusal of the work of some Turkish writer. He is not allowed access to current literature, Turkish or foreign, whether in the shape of books, magazines, or newspapers ; hence he is a complete stranger to contemporary events, national as well as international. Indeed, never once since his incarceration has he expressed any wish to learn what men and nations wero doing and how fered that busy world from which h<» has now been shut off for three years. About 6ix - months ago he devoted several hours daily to writing—presumably the preparing of his memoirs. But, repenting of his industry, he one day tore up his manuscript, and that has been the end of his literary efforts. Abdid Hamid in captivity pays but little atten. j tion to his personal appcari"ice. <• When not attired in an old dressi. ; gown he favours a much-worn frock-coat, slippers, and tho orthodox fez or tarboosh. Collar and tie he never wears nowadays. Eighteen months ago, at his own request, he was supplied with a small toolchest — it was of the kind one would present to a boy of 14. With this rude equipment ho has built two miniature mosques; a third is uncompleted. He has also contrived to carve roughly ten or twelve toy soldiers. The ex-Sultan, however, lacks the power of concentration, and is unable to devote himself for any length of time to any task, hobby, or distraction. NIGHTLY PRECAUTIONS. At night he omits no precaution that could' possibly ensure his personal safety. On retiring to bed he locks his bedroom door so that none can enter while he is albLeep. Sometimes .he will insist on his bed being removed from corner to corner of the sleeping apartment. Occasionally he will sleep on the- divan in the sittingroom, so that it is difficult for his attendants to uay beforehand with any decree of certainty where ,the 'terrorhaunted man will attempt to seek repose. Once after his valet had paced his bed in. an indicated i part of the sleeping apartment, the 'prisoner himself, after tne valet's departure, removed it unaided to another corner of the room. All the servants of the villa are Turks enjoying the full confidence of the party in power. They are accustomed to the eccentricities of the old man, and gratify his whims as far as possible. So, a prey to never-ceasing apprehension, the once mighty Caliph thus passes the few remaining years of his existence. Will the thunder of Italian cannon greet his ears Eome morning, emphasising the peril which menaces nob so much • himself as Turkey and her people? One wonders 1