Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-05-12
A Great Canal and Great Rail-
road.

The Suez Canal, intended when
complete to unite the waters of the
Mediterranean with those of the
| Red Sea, and thus to open new
aud shorter route to the East, bears
| much the same relation to the COM
merical Interests of Europe that our
Pacific Railroad bears to the CONNER
cial interests of America. 1t would
hardly he true to say that in prose-
cutting these two gigantic enterprises
Europe and America are running a
| race - secure the Asiatic carry
ing trade, yet a radical and perma-
| nent change in the lines of Eastern
travel and commerce is probably
impending. After the completion
of the Pacific Railroad, an event not
two months distant, passengers from
Eondonl and Paris can reach Can
ton or Pekin by way of New York
and San Francisco in ty-fiveSlays,
passing on their way through the
heart of the American Republic and
not once entering the intense heat of
the torrid zone. BY the principally
travelled route, from London round
the continent of Africa ,ipassengers
are several months at sea and two
thirds Of the time are sweltering
under tropical sun. Were the
American route to have no competit-
or but the one Just named Uia the
Cape of Good Hope, the question
would be already settled so far as
the Eastern passenger traffic is con-
cerned, and the Pacific Railroad
would certainly become the high
way of the nations. With a reason
able freight tariff between San Fran
cisco and New York, large por-
ION Of Ia. t.... 4
commodities that enter into the COM
merce of the East, would also be
shipped by the shorter American
line in preference to the slow, all
water route, and the great English
and French ships that have SO long
mOnopized the carrying trade of Asia
would either be confined to the trans
pOrtatiOn of coarse and heavy
freights ut low prices or compelled to
abandon the Eastern trade entirely.
That some such result as this is hop
ed for on this side of the Atlantic,
and feared by the European ship
ping interest, there is no doubt No
thing can prevent this change i'm the
| current of Eastern travel and trade
except the unqualified success of the
Suez Canal. and even that might
not he equal To the task. The pre-
sent ocean route is almost sure to
be abandoned in any event, and the
only question is, Shall Europe here
after reach Asia by way of Egypt or
| by way of America. AS the answer
| To this problem depends mainly upon
! the yet-to be demonstrated success
| or failure of the SueZ Canal, few
facts concerning that enterprise.
The idea of cutting the Isthmus of
SueZ and thus opening up.a new
| pathway for the commerce of the
world Was first conceived by the
great Napoleon while campaigning
in Egypt, in 1898, and although ne
| ordered n survey made with this end
IN view, more warlike enterprises
| filled up his life, and he left the canal
project as Il legacy to the French
| nation. During the first half of the
present century several thorough sur
veys of the isthmus were made under
the auspices of different nations, but
the French always kept jealous
eye on these movements, as thou gh
they threatened all invasion of their
| chartered rights. Finally, in 1874,
the Viceroy of Egypt conceded to
NJ Ferdinand De Lessers, an emf
nent French engineer Representing
the government of Louis Napoleon,
the exclusive privilege of construct
ing ship canal from the Mediter-
ranean to Suez, and engaged to
furnish material aid as the work pro-
gressed. 4 stock company was
formed and the stock holders, back
ed by the government of France and
Egypt, have never faltered in the
task OF supplying the means to carry
on the costly enterprise. Ground
Was broken in lS55, and from this
time To this, thousands of laborers,
chiefly native Egyptians, directed by
the mos skiIlful engineers of France,
have been engaged in the work of
excavation. The northern terminus
of the canal is at Port Said, on
the Mediterranean, a few miles
East of the Damietta or Eastern
mouth of the Nile. Its total length
is rather more than ninety miles,
and the canal opens into the Gulf OF
Suez, the Northern arm of the Red
Sea, near the old City of Suez, and
not far from where Moses, i'll fla
grant violation of the Egyptian
Fugitive Slave Law, led his people
through the divided waves. Fifty
nine miles South from Port Said
the canal enters what are known as
the Bitter Lakes, series OF salt
marshes lying below the level Of the
Mediterranean Sea and extending
twenty-three miles toward SueZ.
With some dredging the bed of
these Lakes will constitute q part of
the canal and save an immense out
lay. on the 18th of March last, the
waters of the Mediterranean were
successfully admitted in the Bitter
Lakes, the Niceroy of Egypt and
many prominent Frenchmen being
present on the occasion. This is re-
garded as triupr ph over one of the
gravest difficulties of the undertak
ing. Fortne remaining fourteen miles
between the Southern extremity of
the Bitter Lakes and SueZ, the eXca-
vation is nearly complete, and before
the close of the present year the
waters OF the Mediterranean will be
mingled with those of the He'd Sea,
and a frica will be an island The
canal is $50 feet wide at the water
line, the banks having All easy slope
10 the bottom. which is designed Ia
be twenty feet below low water level
of the Mediterranean. 1t Is hoped
that by constructing at the.Southern
terminus, and taking advantage of
the Red Sea tides three or four feet
more may be added Ia the depth of
water in the channel. But trench
having even ~ feet of water and
uniting the two seas will not, of it
self, constitute a ship canal, as.some
provision must be made for getting
ships into il and here lies the chief
obstacle To the entire success or this