History of Wells in Rashda Village …
205
of Dakhla, where the superficial strata consist almost entirely of clays, it can usually be
continued to a depth of about 30 metres. (Beadnell 1909: 189)
The timbered shaft was placed on the center of wooden casing, to form a vertical pipe from
the base of the shaft to the surface of the ground. The pipe was either square or round in
section and was usually made of acacia. “The square variety of casing usually has an inside
width of 36 centimetres, the thickness of the wood being 4 or 5 centimetres; the circular, and
perhaps more common, variety is made with an inside diameter of 35 centimetres”. “The
casing, of course, eventually forms the actual channel through which the artesian water flows
to the surface. The space intervening between the sides of the timbered shaft and the central
pipe is then filled in with a mixture of sand and clay, firmly packed down, to hold the pipe
securely in position, and prevent the escape of water should any of the joints become leaky”.
(Beadnell 1909: 190)
The modern boring practices consisted of the hand drilling rigs and American
steam rigs, both of which use a steel casing that can dig up to 200 to 300 m (see
Figs. 1 and 2). These practices were probably introduced in Dakhla Oasis at the
end of the nineteenth century. The modern methods were first introduced by Hassan
Effendi, a servant of a French engineer Lefevre who was sent to Dakhla Oasis by
the Egyptian government to instruct the inhabitants on the use of modern drilling
methods (Beadnell 1909).
According to Beadnell, using the hand drilling rig was the method used with
the hand machines and is the same as the traditional method in principle, “with the
exception that the preliminary excavation is dispensed with, the bore being drilled
from the surface and lined with metal casing down to the Water-bearing Sandstones.
The casing is driven using a heavy weight, or ‘monkey,’ attached to the boring-rod”
(Beadnell 1909: 196–197).
On the other hand, the steam rigs are of American manufacture and the design
usually employed in the United States’ oil-fields. In this method, a heavy weight is
suspended from a cable and worked by steam power to give a rapid succession of
blows to cut out a circular hole through the hardest of rocks (Beadnell 1909: 196–
197). However, these boring methods were expensive, and it was difficult to maintain
and repair the wells. In particular, the steam rigs necessitated skilled drillers with the
difficulty of repair, and the initial cost was high.
As Beadnell observed, the modern technology of rotary drilling was introduced
in the mid-nineteenth century, and the number of wells drilled with modern technology was already starting to increase at the beginning of the twentieth century. The
improvement of the boring method led to the construction of many new wells.
Beadnell lamented that the local villagers quickly learned the new method and
promiscuously sunk “a great number of new bores, without regard to the probable
effects on the older wells irrigating the existing palm-groves and cultivated lands,
with the result that, more especially in the oasis of Dakhla, a great deal of harm was
done. Whole districts suffered a general lowering of the water level, with many of the
wells ceasing to flow altogether. This was the direct outcome of the excessive number
of new bores put down in certain districts where the inhabitants were sufficiently rich
and influential to get and retain possession of the majority of the newly-imported
boring-rigs” (Beadnell 1909: 188).
205
of Dakhla, where the superficial strata consist almost entirely of clays, it can usually be
continued to a depth of about 30 metres. (Beadnell 1909: 189)
The timbered shaft was placed on the center of wooden casing, to form a vertical pipe from
the base of the shaft to the surface of the ground. The pipe was either square or round in
section and was usually made of acacia. “The square variety of casing usually has an inside
width of 36 centimetres, the thickness of the wood being 4 or 5 centimetres; the circular, and
perhaps more common, variety is made with an inside diameter of 35 centimetres”. “The
casing, of course, eventually forms the actual channel through which the artesian water flows
to the surface. The space intervening between the sides of the timbered shaft and the central
pipe is then filled in with a mixture of sand and clay, firmly packed down, to hold the pipe
securely in position, and prevent the escape of water should any of the joints become leaky”.
(Beadnell 1909: 190)
The modern boring practices consisted of the hand drilling rigs and American
steam rigs, both of which use a steel casing that can dig up to 200 to 300 m (see
Figs. 1 and 2). These practices were probably introduced in Dakhla Oasis at the
end of the nineteenth century. The modern methods were first introduced by Hassan
Effendi, a servant of a French engineer Lefevre who was sent to Dakhla Oasis by
the Egyptian government to instruct the inhabitants on the use of modern drilling
methods (Beadnell 1909).
According to Beadnell, using the hand drilling rig was the method used with
the hand machines and is the same as the traditional method in principle, “with the
exception that the preliminary excavation is dispensed with, the bore being drilled
from the surface and lined with metal casing down to the Water-bearing Sandstones.
The casing is driven using a heavy weight, or ‘monkey,’ attached to the boring-rod”
(Beadnell 1909: 196–197).
On the other hand, the steam rigs are of American manufacture and the design
usually employed in the United States’ oil-fields. In this method, a heavy weight is
suspended from a cable and worked by steam power to give a rapid succession of
blows to cut out a circular hole through the hardest of rocks (Beadnell 1909: 196–
197). However, these boring methods were expensive, and it was difficult to maintain
and repair the wells. In particular, the steam rigs necessitated skilled drillers with the
difficulty of repair, and the initial cost was high.
As Beadnell observed, the modern technology of rotary drilling was introduced
in the mid-nineteenth century, and the number of wells drilled with modern technology was already starting to increase at the beginning of the twentieth century. The
improvement of the boring method led to the construction of many new wells.
Beadnell lamented that the local villagers quickly learned the new method and
promiscuously sunk “a great number of new bores, without regard to the probable
effects on the older wells irrigating the existing palm-groves and cultivated lands,
with the result that, more especially in the oasis of Dakhla, a great deal of harm was
done. Whole districts suffered a general lowering of the water level, with many of the
wells ceasing to flow altogether. This was the direct outcome of the excessive number
of new bores put down in certain districts where the inhabitants were sufficiently rich
and influential to get and retain possession of the majority of the newly-imported
boring-rigs” (Beadnell 1909: 188).