Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/14

CAIRO. Old Cairo or Fostat was founded in (j40 by Aniru, the conqueror of Egypt, on the site of his camp and near the old town of Habylon. It was the capital of the country till DT.'i. when (iauliar, the general of the Fatiniite Caliph Al Moez. founded to the nortli of Kostat the new town of Al Kahirali, the 'iclorious City: Saladin en- larged the boundaries of the town and surrounded it with walls. Tliroughout the -Middle Ages Cairo was one of the chief centres of Mohamme- dan culture, and the emi>ori>ini for the trade between Europe and the East. From 1798 to ISOl it was held by the French; it passed from them to the Turks, and through the Turks to ilehemet .Mi, the founder of the present rul- ing dynasty. Though nnich of its former great- ness has departed. Cairo is still one of the great capitals of Islam, and the life within its walls presents a picturesque blending of the buoyant European civilization, as represented by the English and French residents, with the dreamy mysticism of the Oriental world. Consult: Rey- nolds-Ball, The VUy of the Caliphs (Boston 18!I7 ): Penfield, Prescni-Day Ef/ypt (Jfew York, ]80!1l: and Kemeid, Cairo and Egypt (].,ondon, 1809-1000).

CAIRO, ka'ro. A city, port of entry, and county-seat of Alexander County, HI., at llie junction of the Mississi|)pi and Ohio rivers, 150 miles southeast of Saint l.ouis, on the Illinois Central, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and Saint Louis, and other railroads (Map: Illinois, 6). The Ohio River is here crossed by a rail- road bridge 2 miles long, and 58 feet above high water, which cost .$2,500,000. Cairo has consid- erable manufactures, chiefly products of lum- ber, and has an extensive river trade, being an important market for the agricultural products of the ilississippi valley. It has a public li- brary (.. B. Satford Memorial), a Government custom-house, and a Inited States marine hos- pital. Settled about 1837, Cairo was incorpo- rated some 30 years later. It was expected to become a great commercial centre, and is the place described by Dickens in Martin Chiizzleuit as "Eden": but. until it was protected by levees, begun in 1857. it sutVered from frequent inunda- tions, the most disastrous of which occurred in 1858. During the Civil War large ((uantitics of military supplies were stored here by the l-'ederal Government. Cairo is governed under a general act of the State Legislature, passed 1872, with slight amendments since that time. The mayor, who is elected biennially, and the city council, chosen by wards, select the city marshal, tax col- lector, corporation counsel, health oHicers. police- men, etc. Other ollices arc tilled liv popular elec- tion. Population, in 1890, 10,;{24: in 1900,12.500.

CAIROLI, ki'nVlf, Benedetto (1825-80). An Italian statesman, born at Gropello. near Pavia. He was educated at the I'niversity of Pavia, which he left in 1S48 to volunteer in the war against Austria, and from 1851 to 1859 lived in exile in Piedmont, when be again took up arms for Italian liberty, serving at the siege of Palermo, in the Trent ino, and at Montero- tondo and Mutino. Though he favored a rc|)ul)- lic, he was induced to accept the constitutional monarchy, .fter the accession of Humbert 1. Cairoli becivme president of the Chamber, and was appointed Premier in March, 1878. This was the beginning of the period of personal and fac- tional ))olities which have since been the bane of Italy. On November 17, as the King was driving into Naples, a certain Giovanni Passanante at- tempted to assassinate him with a poniard, but was prevented by Cairoli, who was in the car- riage, and who received a severe wound, while King Humbert escaped with a mere scratch. In December. 1S78, the Caircdi Ministry resigned. The Depretis .linistry. which succeeded, was in turn defeated in 1879 and the Left again came into ])ower. under Cairoli, who was, however, forced to reconstruct his Cabinet the same year, and to bring in Depretis as Minister of the In- terior. Finally, owing tw the unpopularity of the jioliey pursued in regard to the Frencli expedition to Tunis, the ilinistry resigned in 1881. From that time until his deatli Signor Cairoli was con- spicuous as a leader of the so-called "historic' Left. Consult Lowell, (lorcrnmiiila and Partiea in Continental Europe (Boston, 1897).

CAISSON, kas'son (Fr.. augment of caisse, chest, Eng. case). A four wlieeb'd vehicle oi ammunition carriage, attaclicd to batteries of field artillery. In horse or light field batteries

AMMUNITION CHESTS) V. 8. F1EM)-.RT1LLLRY CAISSON. there is usually one caisson to each gun, and in heavy field batteries two. The anununition is carried in three chests, two of which are mounted on the liody or caisson pro) cr, and one on the limljcr. On the caisson are also carried a spare wheel and such tools and su|iplics as would be useful in any enieigency or accident likely to cause delay. The limber of the caisson is simi- lar to that provided for gun-carriages. See Ab- Tii.LEKv: Field .ktili.eky: Limher.

CAISSON. A floating gate with both ends alike, and resembling a short but very deep ves- sel, which is used to close the entrance to a dry dock. Its framing and plating resemble those of a ship, and it frequently contains a boiler and pumps for clearing it of water after being sub- merged. The term is also used, in a nautical sense, to designate a hollow tloating structure for lifting ships. Caissons for this purpose are now generally made of steel, and are divided into compartments which can be separately con- nected with a i)unip. To operate a caisson it is first submerged to the required point, and then, having little or no buoyancy, it is drawn under the vessel to be raised or, with others, lashed to her with ibains or ropes. The water is then pumped out, and the ship rises, supported by the caissons. Sectional floating docks, not now much used, consist of several caissons which aie linked together to form a bed long enough to support a ship. In New York anil in one or two other ports there are contrivances for lifting vessels called scrcic-doeks. These consist of caissons which are sunk sufficiently to permit the vessel to pass over them. They are then emptied, and after they have lifted the vessel as far as their buoyancy permits, the caisson and vessel are raised by heavy screws in a side framework.