The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-15

hours. In this and in each other division of the
work, basin has been formed in the lake, where
the surplus sand and earth are dumped by light
ers.
Lake BnIInh.
Eight miles south of Kantara the canal enters
Lake Ballah, and, soon after passing the little
Arab village El-Ferdane, we reach El-Guisr.
The plateau upon which this village (El-Gusr)
stands is the most elevated point, and the cut
tings the deepest upon the whole canal The
labor of twenty thousand Arab felldhs was re-
quired for two years IN cutting a channel deep
enough to float the steam dredges from the
Mediterranean to this point, and in filling the
shallow basin of Timsah, formerly fed by the
overfowings of the Nile only. At El-Guisr Mr..
Hall found excayators hard at work widening
the canal, with construction trains and locomo-
tives drawn up on the bank for removing the
earth more rapidly than IL could be done by
lighters in the canal There is yet mere to be
done in this division before it is fit for the pas
sage of large vessels.
Ismailia-Lake TImsaIi.
Ismailia, next to Port Said, is the most inn
portant point on the canal. 1t is not only the
official headquarters of the company, but the
residence of the principal officials. Until within
a recent period, the offices of the contractors,
NM. Boril and Lavalley were also located here,
town is pleasantly situated near the northern
shore of Lake Timsah and is named after the
reigning Viceroy, Ismail Pacha, who sue
eeeded his uncle, Said Pacha, in January,
1868. Though, like Port Said, it owes its origin
and growth entirely to the canal, the contrast
between the two towns is very marked. The
fresh-water canal, from the Damietta branch of
the Nile, originally extended as far as q town
called Zagazig, about fifty miles to the westward
of Ismailia, which was then looked upon as the
limit of civilization and habitable villages
towards the east. All beyond was sand, desert,
and desolation, with wandering tribes of Be-
douins to make the desolation dangerous One
of the first operations of the company was to
continue the fresh water canal to the cast, and
from point two or three miles west from the
present town. then bowling wilderness, its
fertilizing waters now flow through the desert to
the sea. 1t has played an essential part in the
construction of the ship, canal. Indeed without
it the latter could hardly have been built. Be-
fore it was finished, three thousand camels and
donlleys were required to transport the Nile
water necessary for the sustenance of the la
borers. When finished, the Egyptian Govern
ment purchased it for two million dollars. 1t
runs nearly at right angles to the Maritime
Canal Its width is twenty-six feet, and its aver
age depth about four feet.
Division of IsuaiIia.
From Ismailia, southward, we enter upon the
third grand division of the canal This
extends through Lake Timsah and the Bitter
Lakes to Kilometre One Hundred and Fifteen
The northern end of the Bitter Lakes is sixty
miles from Port Said The lakes themselves are
twenty-three and one-half miles long. Up to
within few months past the navigation of the
maritime canal did not extend beyond Ismailia;
but on the 18th of March last the waters of the
Mediterranean werC Omitted into the Bitter
Lakes, and there is now uninterrupted naviga-
tion to the head of these lakes, and within fif-
| teen miles of Suez for vessels of ordinary ton
mage. The cuttings at Toussoum and Serapeum,
passed between Lake Timsah and the Bitter
Lakes, are deep, and, next to those already seen
| at El-Gusr the most difficult the whole
| length of the canal.
The Bitter Lakes constitute the most interest
ing feature of this division. They are estimated
| to contain nine hundred million tons of water,
and it is expected, from their size and situation,
they will obviate the necessity of locks to break
| the current, which would otherwise exist in the
| canal between the two seas. Through these
lakes the canal flows, between banks of the
entire width of three hundred and twenty-eigbt
feet, until it enters the last cutting. about five
miles from Chalouf, whence it follows the course
of the ancient canal to Seuz.
| Division of Suez.
| This division is twenty-eight miles in length
The principal points are Chalouf (El-Terraba)
and Little Chalouf, or ''Eighty-three, on the
| Fresh-water Canal, where there is ferry estab-
lished for the transit of the caravans and trains
Ito and from Mecca.
The number of dredges at work on this divi.
sion is small compared with that engaged upon
the preceding sections, the nature of the work
requiring preponderance of hand-labor. Up
wards of thirteen thousand men and one thou
sand donkeys are engaged upon this division
The majority of this large force are native Arabs
felldhS), and they work hard. In close and
curious contrast to these simple carriers the
Titanic engines toll and puff as they drag theil
ponderous claws along through this vast ditch
Nowhere perhaps in the world is the contrast
between steam and mau-power more viyidly
presented than on this great work.
Suez,
situate at the head of the gulf of the same name
which is prolongation of the Red Sea, ant
Scripturally famous as the scene of the journey
of the Israelitish hosts, has come prominently
into notice of late years IN connection with the
overland route to India and China, and more re-
Gently as the southern terminus of the shiI
canal 1t is likewise the place of embarkatior
for the Mohammedan pilgrims from Egypt, ant
the countries of Northern Africa, on their way
to the holy cities. The town is built on a low
sandy tract of land.
The works at Suez are not on so large scale
as on the Mediterranean side, as no new Venice
had to be made there on mud or sand instead o.
piles, Suez having long been used as the Rec
Sea port of the ''P. and o." steamers, and thu