The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-07-29
THE suEz CANAL.
A Colossal Werk-How it was Accom-
plished Expectations Of its Usefulness

A COLOSSAL W0Ik-hcW ~ WSs ASSoA~~~
plished Expectations Of its Usefulness.
The progress Of the great work Of the suez
Canal, under the charge Of II. de Lesseps, ma
tura.ly attracts large share OF public atten-
tion; and an interesting survey Of the enter
prise. by E. HeppIe Hall, has just been pub
lished as the Illustrated supplement Of Apple
toms Journal, from which We take the most
prominent facts:
+. The canal itself is Q vast ditch, one hundred
miles in length. three hundred feet wide at the
top. from ono hundred to one hundred and
fry feet wide at the bottom, with an average
depth Of twenty-four feet, connecting four
natural lakes, which are situated IT distances
from ten to fifteen miles nom each other. aud
dischargi1S at either end into great inland sess
Stupendous difficulties attend the construc.
tion OF the work. and threatened to make IT
when finished, ofno permanent utility. Proml-
uent amoDg these we're tho sand storms OF the
desert, which would fill up the ditch, and de-
posl OF the Nile, which would obstrnct the
entrance with bars. 70 avoid damage from
the sand storms great barriers OF sand nifty
feet high have been raised on either sIde OF
the canal. 10 provide against the gradual &C
cumulation OF bars, two enormous jetil:s or
breskwaters. have been, carried out into ths
Mediterranean, one two thousand yards and
the other Two thousand seven hunured yards
in length. The mechanical appliances, ex 'a
yatoas dredging machines, DC, DC, required
for these operations, were erected on the m osG
colossal ecale and at @ vast expenditure OF
money.
No locks are require along line from one
end to the other, tho whole ares OF the Bitter
Lakes, which are estimated to contain nine
hundred mllllon tcns Of water, suficing to
break the current and regulate tho flow OF the
water from sea to sea.
Port Said on the Mediterranean. and Suez
on tho Red Sea- are the terminl OF the canal.
Upder the stimulus Of fsolnportant an under
taking, necessitaung the employment OF 30
many artisans, artifcers and laborers, and 30
great an outlay OF m ,ney, these ports have
rapidly increased in population, and have been
greatly improved BY the company and The
Egyptian Government. When the canal shall
have been fully completed. h0wever, they will
be mere points OF temporary stoppage Or the
steamers OF the Peninsular and Oriental Com
pany and other lines. which will then saai di-
rectly from the ports Of Europe to the ports
OF India.
During ths year 1868, 1888 vessels, aggrega-
ting 674. .04s tons burIhen. arrived at Port SaId,
and 270 600 tickets were issued by the Transit
Service According 70 the estimate OF NJ. de
.Lesseps thls amount will be increased to S,OOO.-
600 tons per annum the first year after the
completion OF the canal, and that irlng sue
ceedpg years will be doubled.
representative OF the Suez Canal Company,
furnished some information supp emensaly 10
MIR, Hall's article. Mr.. Lange writes
1.-The rate for all kinds Of merchandise
locals exoepted) from Port Said to Suez is 25
francs per French ton; for Goals, 21 fcaucs per
French ton Of 1000 klogrammea, and 20 francs
per ton for carsoes of 300 French tone. To
n IA1 Al f,r ipor 0r
unlosd ng at Port Said. from snip iuto the
compauy's barges. aud u,ce ue, sa, Q francs Is
confines per ton, and further ! franc rs
centimes per ton on or from the quay at
Suez-in all francs so centimes per French
ton, to the rates above name for '0rdl.
nary merchsndiso cha and Goals. l may men
tion that 1000 tons OF Goals were beng coz
veyed.th.ough tho can from Port Said to
Suez for account OF the Peninsu!ar and Orlen-
tai Company. and arrangements entered mt
for the conveyance Of 5000 tons more.
The ofic al receipts arising from tolls
ending the 1st OF November last, amounted to
/ 050,22 trahos 81 centlrnes. There are thir-
teen steamers monthly plying between Port
Said and Alexandria, and sixteen between
Alexandra and Port Said; also s;x steamers
monthly between Suez. Hong Kong, sinra
pore, Penang. Bombay, Calcutta. Madras. Aus
trallo &c, thus forming chain OF corresoon-
ding links between Europe and the Ea t,
thrOugh the Suez Canal, OF which shippers can
avail themselves for out aud home shipments.
II is fully anticipated, C riding to the present
rate at which the excavations are being car
ried on. that the Suez Canal will be open tor
the unbrokeo passage OF large vessels on or
before the 1st OF October next year."
Although the fual opening Of 'he work for
ships Of the largest class cannot take place
for more than twelve months from the present
time, the formal ceremony Of the wedding OF
the oceans will be celebrated with Oriental
pomp on the 18th October OF the current year.
Silken cuts. gay with the q ,ss Of 6ll nations,
will be pitched under the shadow Of the Pyra-
mlds. and all the crowned heads Of Europe have
been invited to grace the august occasion with
their presence.
After all. grand as the work is, and worthy
OF the nineteenth century the caual is yet an
experiment. and it remains to b. seen whether
or not it will fully justify the prophesles Of It's
originators in revoiutionizing the commerce
Of Che world. Il has been the result OF Freaca
genius aud enterprise. and if 1t prove com
mercial success the peounlary returns WILL bs
chief y from British pockets