The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-12-21

~~~-~S>~>~-~~~~~o>~~~~~
The following communication has been published
in the LONDON Times. 1t Is written by the captain Of
the vessel Rob Roy who visited and saw for himself
how this great work was progressing The account
Ia an interesting 0ne:-
The Suez Canal Company have been fourteen
years At work upon their gigantic LABOR ana as they
announce positively that the canal will be opened
within year rom the present time perhaps you
will allow me TO give brief account OF Its present
appearance as seen during very careful examina-
ton OF the whole line from my canoe. The canal -
to be one hundred miles long and one hundred YARDS
out win be twenty-five feet in the middle.
The direction Is nearly north and south, with lew
turningH but no locks or bridges. There VIII ne
slight tidal current along It, but no one can say at
wnat intervals. Already about fifty miles OF the cut
are filled with salt water and are travesed daily by
numerous small vessels and some steam launch mall
boats white the countless barges, dredges and coal
boats, all worked by screw propeiiers, which ply
day and night, make Q din and hustle In the sandy
desert very unromantic indeed, but exceedingly in
teresting to observe or these fifty miles many parLs
are not Wide enough yet for large vessels and only
q small portion Is excavated TO the 1ul depth.
The remainder OF the canal Is more or less dug
out. While some parts are quite dry others are
put under water to m0isten the sand; others nave
great hastings Of rocks, and one long section OF
twenty miles has to wait until the sea Is admitted
c greas ay DASH ASH % lu.mie na ae =, the ea
ratons in progress increases day by day as one
moves along what seems to be wide river, with
villages on Inc banks and smoky iunnes and white
sails on the surface. The hydraulic machines, which
groan and snort ana rattle their CHAINS as they
work. are OF enormous slze and though each of
them seems 10 be pouring forth volume OF mud,
yet the mind finds 1t hard TO believe that all OF these
together can lift up and throw over the banks
enough to make any apprecable progress between
yesterday and to-day. The sand dredged from
below il either carried out to sea in barges or
further inland) Is delivered In a stream from
lofty iron tube, 220 feet long. with its mouth
over one bank or IL Is hoIsted up an iron inclined
plane and cast upon the shore, until the heap on
each side OF the water Is fifty feet high The engines
for this purpose are forty In number, ard each or
them cost G400o0. The expenses at present amount
to 100000 every month, and the work has already
absorbed eight millions sterling
Port said the little town at the north entrance OF
the canal. 1t Is built OF WOOD, with wide straight
streets, and houses that look like brown paper and
that would burn from end to end III ten minutes.
Hotels cafes shops and bazaars are crowded by 5000
peope OF every nation but with the Greek and Levan-
tine element largely preponderating. The two long
piers OF the harbor stretch their white arms into the
sea, but the area enclosed seems very small and
pleiey exposed to the northerly gales. These piers
are made Of blocks Of sand, celnented with lime,
each block being cast separately in mould aud then
carried out to ITS place in barge. The magnitude
when We know that each block weighs ten tons anu
that there are 25, 600 of them.
lsmailia Is the pretty town halfway along the
canal winch mere enters the Lake Itmsah
('.CrocOdile Lake''L Here the Arabs and their
camels and the jackals Of the desert along
side the steamboats,, the whirling lathes and
sounding forge hammers Of the company's work
shops the tau poles OF the electric telegraph and the
hot rails Of the railway, while a cool and sweet
draugnt Of Nile water may be had from the fresh
water canal which comes hither all the way from
Cairo and then branches out north and south along
the whole extent OF the salt water canal. The sweet
water canal Is already q blessing to Egypt. 1t is
from thirty to forty-six feet ylde a1d boats with all
their WINGS sa excea the
delight among all this river population both when
she SKINNED over the water with her blue sails or
rested by the bank with her cabin rigged up,
and my dinner cooked and my little reaa.ng lamp
and mosquito curtains arranged for the night. I
managed TO sleep thus In the canoe very comfort
ably, though the nights cod and on Lake Timsah
aJackal paid me visit at o very questionable hour
by moonlight. During one day violent gale swept
vast yellow picture OF men and cames dlmly fioat-
Ing in o sea OF land without any horizon. The guam
tity OF sand whisked from the PLAIN and cast INTO
the canal water by a wind like this will be serious
matter to deal WITH One ounce OF sand per square
yard amounts to 500 tons on the whole canal and
the wind sometimes blows In this way for month
together.
At Cnaloof found IL, 900 men at work. They labor
very hard indeed running up the hill with baskets
OF sand on their heads About 1000 donkeys walk
in long lines, with neat mat baskets Their backs.
In curious and close contrast 10 these SIMPLE carriers
the mighty power OF steam tolls anu puiis as it
hurls up huge bulks OF heavy clay, and it perhaps
only in Egypt one could see human anu animal
power eXerJed III such competition with steam
power. The laborers sent from all parts OF
Egypt. They must come. but tney are highly paid
OF labor and OF food have risen very much since the
canal has been begun, but the supply OF fish has
rapidly increased. The salt water canal teens
with Hsh-0ne OF them leaped across my canoe Il
few minutes after first set sail and on the fresh
water canal stopped once to receive letter nom
messenger, and While putting it my breast
pocket as | sat IL the canoe q beautiful little
lisa sprang from the water into the same
pocket WIN tne letter. Ihe spectators were
omen,o ana had the fish broiled for dinner.
me officers OF The Maabar troopsnp were very KIND
10 me, also the captain OF the reIoze which wait
ing 10 take Lord Mayo to india. Fne expedition for
the survey OF sinai lett here lew days ago and we
expect Dr. Livingstone TO arrive next week. The
special correspondent OF Il well known American
newspaper - waiting in readiness 10 telegraph all
he can gather on the subject 10 New York.
At TINS, The Red Sea end the works OF the canal
seem very far behind. The entrance por6 mas all
the obstacles OF shallow mouth, sois shifting
sand Tor bottom ana a crooked, irregular tide eddy
ing ABOUT III u most puZLilar wag. When the pas
sage from the Mediterranean to the RED sea is open
- the word 1t Is intended TO tow vessels through t
by tdrD0ltS working along cham WHICH lies at the
bottom OF the wafer. steamers are not TO- be
allowed To use their own paddles or engines FOR
fear OF damaging the soft soping banks OF the
canal by the ..wasnO thus created. The uucuity az
towing q vessel OF 1900 tons IN this manner when
the wind presses her to one side IS an objection 10
the whole scheme which have heard no feasible
answer to- and as have been towcd IN CHS way Tor
hundreds OF miles In my yawl, and was c1mf cllcd
10 tow my canoe myself or whole day on this
canal, l cannot help urging this point distinctly
WINE carefully ahStalning from expressing opinions
as TO the probable return which the Olrlay on the
whole scheme may reasonably expect 70 receive III
the future.
During the fortnight have passed on the salt
water canal the fresh water cana ana thc two lakes
1lenz0eh and Timsah, | have been most kildly
treated by all the officers or the corn
pany and by hundreds OF Arlbs Nubians
Greeks aud even Chinese, who always cluster
round M little canoe. sometimes, Il II true found
1t advisable 10 show, among otAeg thlngs, my pistol
capped ana cooked, but al OF us were rooa-hum.
orcd in our intercourse, Gnd the friendship conf
menced by q pleasant laugh together IS, alYays
nnd the best In the end among DarDarlals OF tnat
Sort have now brought my former drag0nan
from SYRIA and intend 70 paddle down the Dam.ctla
branch OF the ME- While ne takes my heavy luggage
q Mcmahon.
shall take the canoe TO Damascus and launch her
upon the rivers ALBANIA aa1 Pharpar watch have
never had such thing as boat on them. and then
the sources or the Jordan ana Lake Huleh. where
there lnust be something 70 disoaycr hctOra | as.