The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-28
rs THE WORK Il SUCCESS, AND nov
FIR?

| will do that. All have to say is, how Tar, from
what have seen OF the canal in IT'S present state,
| IL seems likely TO be practically useful, ana wnat
! still remains TO be done. Readers nave already,
in previous letters, the materials for forming IN
opinion OF their own, and are by no means oounti
| accept mine. $780,. ,,
The presumption OF success was very strong. IL
| was incredible that the company and the khedve
| should have asked three thousand guests 10 VIII
| the truth. have no doubt the opening was flNed
| for the 18th November, with certain good lalth
that NJ. de Lesseps believed that vessels OF large
| draft would be able TO go through from Port
| Said to SueZ That, however, IL not the precise
question The company stood pledged to the
public TO build canal OF certain specned dlmen-
sions If we are to hold them strictly 10 tier an
| nouncements, the question VIII De: now tney
| onened not a canal, but the canal they promised
And 1t is possible in this view TO heieve tlat tue
administration Of the company might nave rea-
sons for wishing public ceremony ana an enor-
| nous advertisement, even though they ald not
themselves expect that the canal, as projected
| would bc entirely completed on the day hXeu.
WAS THE ORIGINAL PLAN CARRIED OUT?
Stated in this way there can hardl be two an
swers to the question. suppose the company it.
self no longer pretends or expects anybody 10
believe that the canal Is finished according to It's
original scheme. Let US see what that scncmc
was | translate and alridge from book that
may be called official. NJ. Olivier Rtt's HtSt0re
de L'ISthnte de Stez, S vo., PIP. Nv, 49, Parls,
1862 published in fact so late as OctoDer last. II
is q book fun OF information, but II must be READ
with caution, since on some points, ana those
naturally the controyerted ones, 1t gives not SO
much facts as what the company wants taken
for facts. Deduction made for that anybody
who is concerned with the canal VIII iind Mr.
Rtt's account full OF interest. On question ike
that OF the original plan OF the canal II Is OF course
authoritative. There were two reports, from lhe
first OF which. drawn up in 1855 by French engi-
neers in the service OF Said Pacha, then Viceroy,
was sEetched the arant proiet. This was sub
mitted to an International commission IN the
same year, In which were represented nearly
all the countries OF Europe, and their con-
clusions were adopted by the company as pro-
jet deGnitiL and became the final plan OF opera
lions pursued, with one or two modihcalions
down TO the present time Briefly, then, tne
canal was 10 pierce the lsthmus from SueA 10
port Said; not on the shortest line, but touching
on the north the point where deep wafer came
nearest the Mediterranean shore. It's length was
10 be l60 kilometrcs-100 miles. lts hreadtn at
the water line so metres according to the report,
but subsequently enlarged to 100 metres where
the banks are low and reduced TO 60 metres
through the deep cuttings. The width at bottom
to be % metres The depth to he $ metres. / use
for accuracy the French metre, which Is one
English yard and three inches nearly For clear
ness sake omit all details, and pass over the
haroor at Port said.
TIE QcESTIoS ANSWERED..
The question we were summoned to Egypt 70
answer is whether or not from Port SAID To SueZ
there exists Il maritime canal SO 10 100 metres
wide nj the water.iine ~ metres wide at theb0t-
tom' and of q uniform depth OF eight metres.
There can be but one answer. There is no such
canal.
ali the most important TO the world. In st"an-
tic undertaking like this, we need not ho!j the
company 70 the strict letter OF the,r promises.
What the world wants TO know u Thcthcr from
Port Said 10 SueZ there Is In fact 4 pracllcAoic,
durable maritime canal, through which may r2ss
from south 10 north and from north TO south the
lcetS plying between the east and the west; leets
composed OF ships OF such draft and lc;;gh rs
arc suitable for that vast commerce. Again the
answer must be, there is no such canal.
Then let us test the work not by the earliest un-
deriaking OF the company, but by Its latest adj
vertisemcnt, placarded all over Europe and Amer
ica publishing its terms and regulations Tor The
passage Of the canal, and inviting all ships draw
ing not more than 20 feet of water to avail them
selves OF this route. Is there canal from Port
said to Suez through which ships diawing more
than 90 feet OF water can safely ana conveniently
mass or can pass at alg Again believe the an
swcr must be. there Is no such canal
WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.
Then what is there? 1t is difficult TO answer
evnn thls question in q precise and positive way.
Opinions are not perfectly agreed, !acts cannot
be ascertained with perfect accuracy Bnt ludg'
inc as best can from all have seen ard heard,
this Is what believe: That there Is q canal from
Port said 10 SueZ varying IN Width from GO TO 100
metres at the water line, varying In width from
II to 22metrcs at the bottom, varying In depth
3
which steam vessels drawing not more than y feet
NAV pass with perfect safety and ease; through
which steam vessels drawing not more than IA
feet, aud not more than $50 feet long, may pass
without serious Inconvenience; thr0ugh Wnicn
steam vessels drawing 16 feet. possibly IL, anu
200 feet or little more in length, may pass Win
difficulty at the risk OF frequent groundilgs ana
with much uncertainty and delay, above al III
the curves OF FL Guisr and Toussoum-in word,
the Peluse that was such nuisance TO The lleet,
has done us the service OF measuring the extreme
present capacity OF the canal. And the refuse
drew 10 feet inches, and is 3l5 feet long. IL
should be added that the passage Is much more
ditJlcult and dangerous for side.wheel steamships
than for screws OF equal draft ana lenGtn. 10
that extent the canal is success, and Is capaCle
OF being used, If the company stlli 'hihk peS', 1T
once.
Is TIE CANAL a SUCCESS
OF course, it must be added, that this Goes not
constitute 4 success in the commercial sense. As
il stands TO day, the canal IL triumph al enGi-
neerlng the canal which the world wants rs i
means oi safe ami speedy transit through lhe
| Isthmus remains TO be completed. The coin
| mercc between East and West cannot be prollia-
by carried on in such ships us can now pass safe
| " through the canal rake the Scnhar as an
| illustration. She drew IL feet inches. Put Goals
| into her for II three weeks or even TWO Weeks
VOYAGE she would have room left Tor not more
than 900 tons OF cargo and she would draw al
least IA feet. That Is she would approach The eX-
| IRENE limit beyond which vessels cannot easily
| and safely pasS-;lnd shipowncrS viii no, 30 be-
yOud lhat-while she sti!l could lot carry
| cargo enough 10 make her voyage prohtable.
| Such vessels rs the peninsular and Oriental
| Company and the MeSSagerics lmpcriaics
| own and are building. will still transac.
| the commerce Of Europe ana ASIA. When
| they can pass through the canal iull ilden 'Hc
| caual will have become Il practlcahlc route IL
the commercial Scnse not before. TIC advcrtlst'
ment for ships drawing not more than - lcGt Ia;
| done no great harm. Commerce lS AWAY
| timid Shipowncrs waited to see what happened
| on the nth OF November before they dispatched
steamers on q voyage sti! doubtful But IL nap,
| mems that the Spanish governmental Is ca!lcd
| = government by courtcsy--waS more "redulOus
or less cautious There lies i'll the harbnr ot Port
| Said n Spanish corvette, Oh her way 10 station
| I'm the Indian Ocean, drawing her due ~ or "
| feet sent there to pass through tie canal, which
| she cannot enter ] suppose there can be it
| doubt that the canal company, on the iaith o.
whose pledges the ship came, Is name IN lam dan
| aces for the cost OF her voyage ana her de,eh
| .i,n. Ii people had believed them tney mi2hl
have had half the Indian fleets Of Europe ant
| America dancing attendance at the mouth o. th'
| canal: which would not have been all auSplciou'
opening
| OTHER DEFECTS
| OF the canal are yet TO he mentioned. In my
narrative OF the voyage l have spoken often q
| the curves and they are probably the Wors
engineering fault that has been committed. INT
double curve at FL Guisr will have TO hc straight
cned before the passage is safe fora long snip
| Another in the ToussOum section must likewlS'
| give way There are others which 1t might O
possible to tolerate, but which IT Will prove th'
tluest economy in the end to abolish. One placll
cal English or American seaman among all ll'
French engineers and savans would have saVc'
them much perplcXity and cost. No sailor woul'
have been satisfied with 4 mathematical demon
stratiOn that ship ola given length cuul'i -