Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-17
Through the Suez Canal.
81. Louis Republican.

After coaling at Malta we steamed down
ne Mediterranean, over the smoothest sea
and beneath the Dluest sky 1t was ever nv
happy portion to see. 1t was about 5
O'Clock one morning when we first saw the
lighthouse at Port Said, and about we en-
tered between the two piers which guard
the entrance TO the canal and stretch far out
into the Mediterranean. Passing a Turkish
frtgate and French ram, we slowly
steamed close to the left hand shore and
made fast to buoy. No sooner were we
fast than the Arabs swarmed on board, and
soon coal was coming over the side and into
the bunkers at rapid rate from the barges
alongside. On the left hand, for q long dis
tance, stretched coal sheds, for this is the
great cosling port Of steamers bound
eastward, there being quite a S'Fer-
ence in the price here and at other
end OF the canal. On the right was
the town Of Port Said, while in front, lost
far in the desert, appeared the canal, the
grsndest engineering feat of the age Just
fancy the amount of labor, when it was
necessary to carry the sand a mile off into
the desert, and az the same time prevent the
surrounding sand from drifting and rolling
into its place. just take handful of sand
out from a pile and see how quickly the
hollow is filed up, and you can then form
some idea OF the undertaking. l was fold
out there that the English abandoned the
work through inability TO obtain lsborers at
any price, and that the French only sue
ceeded by convict laborI that the soldiers
stood guard and a refusal to work was In
stantly followed by a shot, and that every
foot of the canal Ia q monument 10 some
poor devil, sent In short order to the Arab
ian paradise. However this was, the canal
was finished and is to-day the only route
for steamers to the East. About O'Clock
fHa lof
utes we left our mooring and steamed into
the canal. The channel has about 26 feet of
water In it and which is only kept at that
depth by constant work at the dred0es and
by strengthening the sides by sinking rock
and walling up the sides where they are the
most threatening. On both .sides the en-
bankments rise up to height of ten or if-
teen feet and are composed OF the dull
brown sands which stretch away on both
sides as Tar as the eye can see, the horizon
shrouded 10 the binding glare OF the heated
air rising from the burning sands I'm the
eyes ache and the heart sickens at the dis
mai scene. With what relief we turn to the
canal stretching like blue sparkling ribbon
and feast our eyes at the sight of q sta
tion looming up q half mile ahead
with its little cottage, its shruhhery and
trees planted right In the midst of a
desert and drawing life from soil which
naO DeeB Drought hundred niles to make
life endurable TO the station master, banish
ed away out here, hundreds OF miles from
his own fair France, for who else hut
Frenchman would ever think Of bringing
his garden with him, With its bowers and
trees, out here in this wilderness of sandsY
We tied Up few seconds to let one OF the
large r. and 0. steamers pass MS. for
every vessel must give way to the
Royal MAIL" except men of.war.
which have the right of wav eve,
rYwhere. The ''canal'' is not wide
enough for vessels to pass each other. 40
every quarter Of mile or so there is a wider
place for tying ups and the vessel reaching
there fFst makes fast to the bank and Allows
the other one to pass except In the case of
vessel carrying the mail or man-of war,
Dotn OF which 20 right through without
stopping, except during the night,
On the right hand side runs a track. and I
was startled by the familiar sound of The en-.
gine whistle, and the next minute train
swept on by at the rate Of forty miles An
hour, while overhead,
H.