The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-07-29
THE SUEZ CANAL.
Description of the Great Water Way

!
The lsthmus of Suez, through which
the canal runs, from the Medjterra-
mean to the Red Sea, is merely 4 neck
of sand some ninety-five miles in width.
At no point docs it rise more shan $50
feet above the level of the sea. Except
at one poinl, Scrapeum, there is not
rock, the soil consisting of loose and
shifting sand. There was, before the
building of the canal, the beds of seve-
raj lakes dried up and covered with
salt, indicating that at some time hun
dreds, perhaps thousands, of years ago
q canal had been in existence across the
isthmus, and by that means salt water
had been introduced and formed these
lakes. The great trade between Europe
and Asia, and particularly between En-
gland and her Indian possessions, SEEM
cd to necessitate shorter water route
between the two continents than that
around the Cape Of Good Hope, but it
was TO the efforts of a Frenchman that
the building Of the canal was largely
due. The project Of building the Suez
|
dc Lesseps to the 1<hedire, Said Pasha,
in 1851. Tho history of the building
of the canal is well known, but some
of tho details showing the immensely
Of the work may prove Of interest.
The entire length of the canal from
! Porte Said Iarbor to Suez Harbor is
nearly 100 miles. The canal itself,
from entrance to entrance, is 9G ITO
miles The established surface width
| is about 32S feet, except in difficult
cuttings, when it is not more than $50
to 100 feet. The bottom width is from
- to 100 feet, and the depth Of the cam
al is at no point less than twentysix
amount OF earth removed was about
100, 900, 900 cubic yards.
The canal runs either through marshy
| lakes or very low, sandy land, and at
only three points do the banks attain
to any considerable altitude. This is
an important point to consider in con-
nection With the defense of the canal
from an enemy approaching by lands,
as will be shown. This canal was COM
plctcd i'll 1869, and is owned and man.
; aged by the Suez Canal Company. The
company is Il French corporation, but
; Il large portion Of the stock is held in
i.ngland. The work of building the
canal occupied about fourteen years,
and the entire cost was S0,S93, 665,
averaging @SoS, 93G per mile. The work
ing cos: OF building the canal was
, nhout Sl3 800, 900. The rest was dove
ted to paying outside expenses in con.
t ucction with pushing the project
through.
: The points of danger on the canal
are those where the banks are high
: that is at III Guisc, Scrapcum and Cha
louf. Attack by water is simply out
of the question, AS the Egyptians, OF
: course, could do nothing on the N1edi.
, tirrancau side, where the fleets of Eu.
f rope are assembled i'll force, and in all
t probability nothing on the Red Sea
side, where, if the Egyptians should
be able TO produce anything that looked
I like ship to make an attack, the
, canal company could make Il very good
: defense. The only manner in which
; tho canal could be attacked would be
by \ land force, and even Il land force
would find it :, very difficult manner
, to approach it if properly defended.
About the most serious inconve-
nience that could be caused would be to
cut off the supply of fresh water, and