The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-08-09

Known Known to English readers. the suez snip Canal was
GENERAL VIEW or rnE WORE
Let the reader imagine O vast ditch, 100 miles IN
length 900 feet wide ut the top 100 to $50 feet wide
at the bottom, with an average depth OF twenty
sandy isthmus at Its narr0west point aud discharg.
Ing At either end into large inland sea, and he will
have far presentlnent OF what the canal IL OF
rather Is intended 10 be. These lakes are situated
at distances varying from ten to 1lteen miles from
each other, and form the natural boundaries SO 10
speak, OF the several divisions OF the work. Tho
largest and deepest OF these, called Laos Ameers,
or Bitter Lakes, extend TO within fourteen mica OF
Snes The other lakes are called Timsah, Ballah and
Menzalah The nrst aud smallest or these mas long
been drying up. TO deepen the channel through
these lakes, excavate the Intervening sections
which previous to the operations OF the company,
consisted OF arid sandy treeess and almost traokess
wastes, with an occasional stratum OF caiCareous
biue Gay running through them-and TO build the
Jettes for the protection OF the entrance from either
sea, and which now form the harbors OF said and
Suez. was really all the company had to
needed, and steamers OF tho capacity Of those now
used by the Peninsuar and Oriental and Messa-
geries lmperiales companies, will, 1t Is believed he
able to pass through from sea to sea without dtfi-
Guilty or detention.
MECHANICAL APPLIANCES.
work OF SO vast and unique character as VIII
readily he conceived. mas called into requist0n APP
piances tor the construction OF similarly extensive
and original kind Indeed the machinery used on
ing features OF the work Nothing ike
1t Is to be found elsewhere. From the gigantic
and ro t dow 70 ne 20 Pne
smallest drill or hand machine everything 10 Of tho
most costly kind aud elaborate finish. Two hundred
to $4,000 horses, and consuming 20l9 tons OF coal
per month work day and night on tue canal.
These machines are divided INTO sixteen classes
These are the large dredges fdyu0@es long
couoh1 and the ercuraters The former are siIni.
dredging purposes III our own seapOrts and rivers
here, but they are larger and have an enormous
passage OF spons tau a 9ans SI ~
mounted water is mixed with the earth brought
up by the dredge and the semkhutd Is discharged
whatever spot may be selected. BY means OF this
machine the sand can be discharged to any distance
within 200 feet beyond tue edge Of the canal: by
ridge Of sand IL formed along the entire length
OF the canal, and this serves 10 keep
the frequent storms from the surrounding desert
would Otherwise be deposited In the canal and ut
tery preclude all Efforts to Keep 1t open. The ridge
thus formed IL IN some places FULLY fity feet high.
PORT SAID,
the northern entrance OF the canal, Is situated on
the eastern shore OF the Mediterranean ia miles
north OF Alexandria and twenty miles north OF
Damietta. Externally Its appearance Is not unlike
tnat OF tue majority OF mushroom american towns
Bounded nOrthward by the ocean and southwark by
the desert il IS equally The product Of both. Viewed
geOlOgicaly 1t Is the practical result or Strug-
gle between salt water and sand, commercially
possibly 1t Is compound OF modern commerce anu
aboriginal Arab ignorance and filth. Little moro
tnan half score years ago the site OF the present
town was dreary, arid waste Every necessary OF
life had to be brought by boat from Damietta and
now every comfort and many OF the luxuries OF life
are easily procurabeat all events IN much greater
abundance and with more facility than In the an.
cient town OF Damiefta. 1t contains nearly 1000
houses and population which, though like that
OF Cairo, not the Egyptian but the American
Cairo, largely floating, may DO fairly estimated ut
between 5000 and 10000. This population is tho.
roughly cosmopolitan in its character; for small as
the town is 1t numbers representatives from all parts
OF the world Every civlized and uncivilized coun-
try apparently sends its delegate TO the canal con-
gress. The activity and hustle OF the place. height
ened as they by the picturesque effect produced
a az s' En %aSy Sans
and Greeks working together tremendously
form It's principal, attraction On the e,o. &C.
1867, he counted twenty-five large sized vessels In
the ardnt port or basin. Most OF them were from
so% sha e nv @
larger number fully two-thrds, Of the inhabitants
are employed directly or indirectly by the Canal
Company or by the contractors, Messrs. Boril,
Lavalley Co.
One of the chief difficulties apprehendei by the
early surveyors and engineers Of the canal scheme
was the choking up OF Port SAID Ivy the Nile de-
posits and these jetties have been constructed main,
for purposes Of protection TO- the shipping seeking
transit through the canal They are two IN number.
length OF the latter viii be yards and Of the for
mer 1000 YARDS The distance between their respect
I've ENDS WI be a6ont four HUNDRED iSe metres
mated, basin or harbor 500 acres III extent, COM
petely protected from wind or Storm ana spacious
enough to accommodate all vessels seeking transit
through the canal. These jeties are constructed OF
what appear TO be immense blocks of stone. They
are not stone, however, but sand dredged mp from
cases or ar s% So Cd
canal, there ground and thence transported
to the works. Eight mills are kept constantly
grinding on this novel unique ana really Interesting
form and harden them the wooden castings are re-
moved and the suns rays, which III THIS latitude
are intensely hot, complete the process Of making
the block. Two or three months suffice to harden
them. They weigh twenty tons each and COST about
1000 francs apiece When sufficiently dry ana read!
for us they are lifted up by travelling steam crane
(g,7ie d rdpe,t11 on to trucks passed to tramway
and then pushed by locomotive down TO where the
take a short sea voyage. After being transferred
from the truck by another travelling crane, they are
deposited IN an inclined position Ia rows OF three
on another lighter whence they are taken out to tint
position they are destined 10 occupy on the ietty
and there sunk. The rate OF progress has been from
already submerged aud but little remains to be dom
to complete these magnificent PIERS The dimen
sons OF these piers, or Jeties are twentysx ysrdi
at the base, six yards at the summit, and twelve
yards IN height
situated at the head Of the gulf OF the same name
which is pro,oneation OF the Red Sea, and Scrip
turally famous as the scene OF the journey OF the
Israeitish hosts has come prominently Into notice
late years IN connection with the overland route TO
India and China, aud more recently as the southern
terminus Of the ship canal. 1t Is likewise
the place OF 1or the az p
Africa, on their way to the holy cities. The t0wl
is built on . low, sandy tract OF land, ant
was formerly Q most miserable looking place. The
canal works here as elsewhere, have already efecte
q wonderful revolution. The French may well ex
clatm, Nous auo's change tout cesai magniilcen
dry dock has been constructed and the most OK
tensive dredging aud jetty making operations are Il
progress. The dry dock Is upward OF 400 feet Il
length and nearly 100 feet broad, while com
modi0us basins, for the secure anchorage Q
ships and steamers are being formed Il
front Of It, The new piers are being c0nnecte
with the railway TO Cairo and the town Of Suez b.
branch lines OF railway The Egyptian govern
ment, shamed into activity by tho gigantic work
carried on by the canal company, IS constructing
piers and basins OF Its own at Suez, and what wa
twelve years ago Of the fthiest and most indQ
lent OF Eastern cities is now all life and energy.
PRACTICAL RESULTS
During 1868 205S vessels, aggregafing 874.otS ton