The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-08-21 00:00:00

THE ISTHMUS OF SUEZ CANAL AND THE
RED SEA TELEGRAPH.

A letter from Alexandria afford, us the following
interosting infortnati.al .—" M. de Lesseps is proeeeding
l'• C. having .ii.fered sect rely the effects or
ch,,,ke., 511.1 luviag been attacked with j•lindiee. liie
cinal is progressing. About 2.50 Europeans and 1,200
Arabo are employed. Ile says the Arabs are excellent
workmen, and he pays them, according to their clans,
fr two to eight piastres a day. No coercion or ill-
treatment of any kind is allowed. Each man receives
personally hio own wages, according to hio industry and
skill, which are verified by tickets of three different
colours—red, wldte, and blue; red is the highest ; ond
M. de Lesseps is well pleased with the extraordinary
emulotion created by this symtern. If • man has the
misfortune to lose repute, and is degraded by the issue
of an inferior ticket, he strives it. every way to regain
his lost position and the consequent better pay. The
workmen are besides found in distilled water, and one
ration of biscuit asloy ; and they also lusseso the facility
of buying meat, at a fixed price. The employment
thendore, very popular, and any number of men can
he obtained. Six dredging machines are at wink. In
two months hence six more will be in operation.
Even in riveting the different parts of the machines
together M. de 10e,144.11S prefers native workmen to the
Europeans, the habits of the latter being found to
produce disease, and therefore inefficiency. The
excavation of the canal has reached to II league (about
three English miles) in length, the breadth being about
trai yards, and the depth about eight feet. The dredg-
ing-machine, being o floating body, clears a channel for
itself to advance in the direction of the intended canal.
In three or four months time M. de Leasers hopes to
have advanced 30 miles into the interior, where a hill of
moderate elevation must he clearest awey to the working
level of the dredging machines ; 10,000 men are to be
employed for the operation, and this done they
will 50011 arrive at the depression of the bitter lakes,
which are about 22 feet below the level of the
Mediterranean ; and the junction of the two seas, M. de
Lesseps says, will probably be accomplished next
3loy. Mr. elisbourne and woad of the electricians be-
longing to the Red Sea Telegnaph Company go houie by
the Valetta. They have been five months employed
underrunning the cables, which are continually out of
order,--opporently • tiresome and an endless tank. In
regard to the subject of insulation, the conclusion
arrived at by the gentlemen appointed to report on the
matter is said lobe that the exterior of the cable, which
is composed of 18 iron wires, is of much too perishable
a material. In this case • twelvemonth has sufficed to
destroy the whole number in a great many places. It is
certain, however, that this occur, on the muddy bottom,
and scarcely, if at all, on the buds of coral. But, dis-
tinct from tido rapid deterioration, the cause that
necessitates the untlerrunning and repair of the cable is
small h. 'lns or faults in the grata perelia. The interior
ring is formed of the seven copper wires in close con-
tact with each other ; the second circle is a first
covering of gutta pereha ; the outer circle is • second and
lard covering of this material, which is supposed ta be
sufficient to insure insulation. Notwithstanding this
presumed completenees, it is conjectured that there lias
occurred imperfect adhesion of the gotta percha, which
is, during the manufacture, laid on in a soft state, much
ill the same way as you would endeavour to cover a
lead pencil with a narrow tape, applying • spiral motion
to the pencil. The consequence hu been that the
eleetric currents have increased them faults until they
allowed the electric fluid to escape laterally through the
gutta perdu. With respect to this imperfection, the
committee are of opinion that a greater number of layers
must be applied to the manufacture of such cables, and
perhaps copper wires outside to maintain the strength
required to stand underrunning."—Maito Times.