The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-07-20
Alexandria.

ALEXANDRIA, July 10.
Modern Alexandria occupies only part of
the site of its predecessors, being chiefly built
on the isthmus that connects what was once
the classic island of Pharos with the mainland
on which the old city stood. Successive al
luvial deposits have widened this mole-the
ancient Heptastadium-into broad neck of
land, the seaward end of which is occupied by
the palace Of Ras-el-Teen, the arsenal, and
several other Government buildings, after
which, mainlandwards, comes the modern
town. East and west of this peninsula lie the
two harbors, called the new and old ports.
The former of these. being completely exposed
to the north winds and incumbered with rocks
and shoals, has long been disused except by
small native craft, though it was not till the
beginning of the present century that the
much larger and safer western harbor was
thrown open to Christian vessels. This latter
is situated at the northeast end of the bay, ad-
joining the southern and western sides of the
city in nearly semi-circular form, and ex-
tending from the palace of Ras-el-teen, by the
arsenal dock, to the terminus of the Cairo
Railway at Gabari.
The old lighthouse still occupies the site of
the ancient Pharos, on a rocky projection
stretching northeast into the entrance of
the new port; but in 1912, after the opening of
the old harbor to Christian shipping, its dis
tance from the latter and the lowness of its
light induced Mehemet Ali to build new
tower on Eunostus NOW called Ras-elTeen)
Point at the southwestern extremity of the
peninsula, whence 20-second revolving light
of the first class, since erected by the Khe-
dive, flashes its friendly warning twenty miles
out to sea. Nearly mile behind this
stands the viceregal palace built by
Mehemet Ali, to whose ambition is also
due the fine arsenal that forms the next prin-
cipal object of interest between the peninsula
and the modern town. The development of
this last has been mainly eastward, towards
the Ramleh Railway station, which only seven
years ago lay far outside the city, but is now
connected with it by fine rows of boulevard
like houses, let out in shops below and flats
above, at rents little below the average
of similar buildings in Paris. In this
direction, too, an admirable road along
the Mahmoudieh Canal attracts on Fridays
and other fete days crowds of private
carriages, many of which might fifty figure in
the Bois of Hyde Park. OF the whole city, in
deed, it may be said that, although still "pie-
bald" as Eliot Warburton found it a quarter
of a century ago" one-half Europe with its
regular houses, tall, and white, and stiff; the
other half Oriental, with its mud-colored
buildings and terraced roofs, varied with fat
mosques and lean minarets"-the municipal
improvements effected by the Khedive have
in respect of lighting, paving, police and
| cleanliness raised the large Frank quarter es-
peoally to a level with most second-class
French and English towns, and placed it half
century ahead of even the Christian faubourg
OF Constantinople.
THE HARBOR.
The modern harbor of Alexandria, in which
the trade Of the. port is now carried on, lies
within the upper curve of a bay formed by
the two projecting headlands of Ras-el-Teen
on the northeast and Cape Adjemi and Mara
bout Island on the southwest, and measuring
six miles in length by an average of two in
width. 1t is landlocked on every side except
one-the southwest. The wind from this di-
rection is, however, the prevailing one during
eight or nine months of the year, and
from time immemorial the "sea" thus occa-
stoned has seriously impeded the loading and
discharge of vessels in the roadstead by stone
| lighters as the custom has hitherto been. The
Importance Of remedying this great draw back
on the convenience of his chief port has been
felt by the Khedive from soon after his acces-
sion, but it was not till the threatened rivalry
of the Suez Canal had emphasized the necessi-
ty that he finally decided on carrying out a
work of such magnitude and cost.
Commencing at a point fifty meters SOUTH
west of the Ras-el-Teen Lighthouse, the orGer
breakwater extends first in this latter direc-