The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1869-07-15
The suez Canal.

This oiqantic work is beyond the com
nrehension of peoble in this part of the
world, who know nothing OF the deathly
heats and binding sands of Lower Egypt. |
In 1846 M. Ferdinand de Lesseps, the dis
t1nguished French engineer, cousin OF
Eugene, while sitting on the verandah
of his hotel in Alexandria, conceived the
plan of what he has 50 triumphantly
achieved. He said to himself that ships
must dc that work that canal must be
cut through to connect the Mediterranean
and Red Seas.
After getting concessions from the Vice
roy of Egypt and the Turkish government
for the right of way, M. de Lesseps or
ganized his company In 1854 a compa
nv was organized in Paris, called "Unl-
yersal Maritime Suez Canal Company,
with capital $50,000,O0O gold, IN shares
of 500, or 500 francs each. TIE grant
or charter is for ninety-nine years. M. de
Lesseps was made manager Ehe vice
royalty of Egypt was to receive fifteen
per cent. of the earnings yearly. The
ship tariff of the canal should be the same
for all nations at the end OF the grant
the Egyptian government comes into pos
sion of the work.
To get ships from one sea to the other,
as a substitute for the camel trains, which
could be done by cutting canal through
the neck of lands.which connects the Med
iterranean and Red. seas, has been the
wish INDUCED in by the kings and vice
roys and queens for two thousand years
It was the faVorite project of the Phar-
aohs The work is supposed to have
been once partially undertaken /; but,
whether from the want Of " greenbacks =
or of professional skill does not appear,
the canal was not built. Bonaparte, when
in Egypt with his army, called to him
his engineers and told them that canal
-"must be cut through !" to which they
replied " that it was impossible that
the Red sea was twenty feet higher than
the Mediterranean that such would be
the force of the current of water which
would set through that nothing could
Withstand it.
This work received the hearty co-opera-
ton of Louis Napoleon, as matter of
course as it was the darling project of his
uncle a
- After a couple of yearsspent in making
preparations the work was commenced.
The Viceroy of Egypt furnished M. de
Lesseps twenty thousand Egyptian JezIdhs
"a sort of slaves in that country but #
the Caucasian race, hardy, athletic, and
extremely docile and good laborers. It
was not long, however, before trouble COM
menced !; Inconsistencies were sent in to
the Viceroy protesting against these tellahs
being held in such kind of bondage F.; that
it would not be tolerated that the civ
ilized world was opposed to such system
of slavery.
The work went on for nearly a year,
till the protests poured in SO strong from
nearly all the crowned heads of Europe
that the Viceroy was compelled against
his wishes to discharge all Of de Lesseps
laborers.
This was one of the obstaclesto beover-
come on the start. H
Nothing dauntod, do Inssana set to
work hiring these feJlahs, paying them d
small compensation for their services. 1t
is this class of laborers that have built
the canal The canal is ninety eight and
one tenth miles long, its narroWest spot
ninety-six feet, its average width being
one hundred and ninety seven feet, depth
of water twenty-six feet-suffioient to
float the great Eastern or any vessel that
will ever want to go through. The cost
of this gigantic work is stated to be as
follows: up to first of May, 1869, more
than $57,000,000 had been spent; its to-
tai cost on opening, on first of October,
will be $80,0OO,000.
The sides of the canal are walled up
with blocks of stone made from the sands
of the desert, and are as hard as granite
they are made of the same material and
in the same way as the foundation upon
which the ancient city of Tyre was built,
and are not affected by age or water.
The water that feeds the canal comes
from Bitter Lake: this and three smaller
ones form part of the canal. The former
is kept filled from the Mediterranean
which is only few inches higher than
the lake the difference between the Med
iteraanean and Red Sea is fourteen inches,
and not twenty feet, according to the
ancient theory, 9a ~e .sIs
The opening ceremony on the first of
October will as far excel all celebrations
of the kind heretofore, as the canal excels
in magnitude all similar works in the
known world.
1t is expected that many Of the crown
ed heads of Europe or their representa-
tives (also from Africa, Asia, China and
JAPAN will be there the Empress Eu-
genie is expected to be present. ! go
For the purpose of doing honor to the
distinguished guests, immense buildings
or tents are being erected, to be fitted and
furnished with all the peculiarities OF
style and fashion of the country they rep
resent--N. 7. Eo8ning Post.
s%SF &