New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-24

Indian ocean, drawing her due ~ OF @VAoo'' 'o"V
there to pass through the canal, when she cahno'
enter. suppose there can be no doubt tDat tne
canal company, on the faith OF whose pledges inc
ship came is liable in damages for the cost OF hei
voyage and her detention. If people had DeheVed
them they might have had half the Indian neets Oh
Europe and America dancing attendance at tne
mouth of the canal which would not have been an
suspicious opening
/ have met no one who rates the actual mercahliie
capacity of the canal higher than have put it. but
opinions vary considerably az to the depth OF water
for instance. Two eminent English engineers, Mr.
Hawkshaw and Mr.. Bateman. went through the
canal with the feet. Mr.. Hawkhsaw sounded his
way from time TO time, and is reported as saying
that he nowhere found less than 10 feet depth IL ne
had sounded where the Peluse touched so often, he
would certainly have found less. And, after all, the
soundings are moro or less deceptive. When l first
heard at Port Said of the doubts about the depth OF
the canal said impatently that there conld be no
excuse for leaving so simple matter to conjecture
Take steam-launch, take two or three OF them, IL
necessary and probe the canal for every hundred
yards from Port Said to Suez. 1t could be done IN
two days report from competent engineers VINO
had done that would BIO worth much. But l have
since been told that the bottom is far from being
level that the sand is not perfectly at rest and that
nobody can tell by tho soundings of one day what
may be the depth the next If that were altogethef
true il would reopen the question whether nm.
form depth could ever be maintained put even IL ~
be true TO any extent it much impairs the value 10
be attached to such desultory work as Mr. Hawk-
shaw did He not making survey, and what what
ever sounding he did he would not himself consluer
thorough work or satisfactory proof
Such testimony as heard from man who had
been employed in constructing portions OF the cani
seems to me of greater authority than Mr. HawK-
shaw's because based on moro intimate knowledge
1t is on his statement that have put the minimum
width of the bottom of the canal AZ IL metres, III
some places long conversation with him showed
beyond doubt that he knew the canal from lsmailla
to Suez thoroughly we'll He was not only constructor
but pilot. / fancied his opinions were sometimes
colOred by O grievance against the Company. ne
SAID nothing about it perhaps it was my fancy only
In his reiterated statements OF fact no never
and they confirmed, so far as they could DC, Dy
nv own observations. II needed no pilot OF con-
tractor TO tell me that the depth, at any rate, was
often down TO five metres instead of eight.
Other defects of the canal are yet to be mentioned.
In my narrative Of the voyage, have spoken otten
of tho curves and they probably the worst engi-
neeTing fault that has been committed; Inc double
curve at Ell Guisr will have 20 be stralghtened before
the passage is safe for long ship Another IN tne
Toussoum section must likewise give way. There
are Others which it might be possible TO tolerate put
which it will prove the truest economy IN the END 10
abolish One practical English or American seaman
omonp all the French engineers and savans would
have saved them much perpleXlty ana cost. NO
sailor would have been satisfied with mathematical
demonstration that ship OF gwen Iengt GSi ha 10
said: Il don't want to take my snip theIe.
She may get round. doubt, but pun OF WIND ora
minutes delay in answering her heim VIII send her
hundred thousand francs and make your canal
straight line" fAnd wherever curve Is allowed To
remain the canal should be widened.
IL the canal is not to be widened throughout
which can only be done after the traffic mas become
great enough to requreIit and to pay for 1.-THE
stations where vessels sv sTs nessed some without
seeing them certainly did not see all that are on
the chart but then did see things not on the chart
curves for instance so that the ehIe canios DO i
from Port Said to Lake Iimsah. from Lake ilmsah
10 the Bitter Lakes and from the Bitter Lakes 10
SneZ. where vessels could conveniently pass each
other That is, few points except In the lakes where
the canal has no banks, and has abundant width as
well rs depth of water.
More insufficient still. are the appliances on the
banks for facilitating the passage OF vessels at
difficult points And they are wanted at points not
in themselves difficult since vessel IN that narrow
channel cannot always have steeTage-Way on, anu
will swing helplessly ashore when she has not,
unless there are ready means OF fastening hawsers
on the bank. The Seminar kept Two boats always IN
the water with lines bows and stern, and they
were continually in use, dozen times we
should have gone ashore but for them. Yet often II
was with great difficulty the crews could ma
any secure hold on the bank for the hawsers Above
the Serapeum the banks were so soft that the men
could scarcely get about.
Omitting other points, pass from the dark to the
bright slide, from 1duttS 10 anu Iom thO
imperfectons that still exist to the great facts they
cannot obscure and the bOundess tnture that opens
before this enterprise My PrepossessiOns in ats favor
were so strong. my falth In II Is SUN 50 gIeht tht
actual limits to its present and the mistakes
that have been made. Having done that am at lib
ertv TO saw that what remains 10 be accomplished IS
trhe compared with what has been already achieved.
Europe doubted whether canal could Oe quit.
England steadily sneered at the enterprise down to
1851 when the Duke of st. Adams wrote letter 10
TiDl,s describing what progress Ilau tnen Decn
made. How Lord Panerston resisted it on
political grounds of the narrowest seItishness; how
StephensOn the engineer. pronounced 1t physical
impossibility how The Times ndiculed it, more suo,
We know well enough. There has been change
lately but no little ncrednlity kept ITS hold on the
minds of those obstinate islanders and OF Others as
we'll People began TO believe that Lesseps had got
q ditch of some sort across the lsthmus, but canal
that would float ships-that was another ailalrl
Now the thing demonstrated last week was that the
canal would float ships In the ewes OF oil Europe,
Emperors Expresses Princes, an English Embassa-
dor journalists, English, European, aud American
Swans tterateurs. engineers and some three thOus-
and people more, there did pass great fleet ships
of war and of commerce alike, through the iSthmus
from Port Said TO Suez. 1t proved two things Inere
ia a canal and there now easily, speedily. ana
cheaply be the canal needed for tho commerce OF the
world. >, -, m
demonstration OF the incompeteness of the canal,
for the sake of proving how much has been done and
that the rest can be done. For the Company wants
noney The wolKs are nearly at q Stand-Stlll for
more funds Europe would give no more till her
faith in the canal could be strengthened Ana tnen
the date of this inauguration has been fixed for many
months 1t is very possible the Directors hoped and
believed they would have their 20 feet Of depth,
though not 26. on the 18th November AT any rate
they resolved TO rake their chance. With their usual
cleverness they left TO tho Khedve 10 bear the ex-
penses OF which they hoped TO reap the profit. And
ii probable that since the creation OF the world no
project was ever SO magii6cently advertised as the
Suez Canal has been within the last fortnight.
Now the final question Is how much VIII IL cost 10
complete the canal-cOmplete it into commercial
ronte in the sense have explained above. easy and
safe for ships drawing over 20 feet-and how soon
can it be done Thus far it has cost near $sO0ooOO
how much more must be poured into this thirsty