Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-09-11
Through the Suez Canal.

Alter coaling at Malta we steamed down
the Mediterranean over the smoothcst sea
and beneath the bluest sky it ever was nv
happy portion to see. 1t was about 5 O'Clock
one morning when we first saw the lirht
mousse at Port Said and about S we entered
between the two piers which guard the en-
trance to the canal and stretch far out into
the Mediterranean. Passing Turkish frig-
ute ana French ram, we slowly steamed
close to the lett-hand shore and made fast
10 Duoy. NO sooner were we fast than
the Arabs swarmed Oh board and soon coal
was coming over the sides and into the
dunkers at u rapid rate from barges along
side. On the left hand fora long distanc,
stretched coal sheds for this is the great
coaling port Of steamers bound eastward,
there being quite Il difference in the price
here and at the other end of the canal. On
the right was the town of Port Said, while
III front lost far in the desert. appeared the
canal, the grandcst engineering feat OF the
age. Just fancy the amount of labor. when
II was necessary to carly the sand mile OIL
into the DESERT and ut the same time pre-
vent the surrounding sand from drifting and
rolling into its place. Just take u handful
OF sand out from Il pile and sec how quickly
the hollow is filled up and you can then
form some idea of the undertaking.
/ was told out there that the Eng
lish abandoned the work through ina
bility to obtain aborers at any price. and
that the French only succeeded by convict
labor; that the soldiers stood guard and n
refusal to work was instantly followed by Il
shot and that every foot of the canal is u
monument to some poor devil, sent in short
orucr to the Arabian paradise. However
THIS was, the canal was finished and is to-
day the only route for steamers to the
East. About O'Clock the pilot came on
board, and in Il few minutes VIC left our
moorlngs and steamed into the canal The
CHANNEL has about twenty-siX feet Of water
in it and which is only kept at that depth
by constant work ut the dredgcs and bv
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 a height of ten or lif-
teen feet and are composed of dull brown
sands, which stretch away on both sides rs
far as the eye can see, the horizon shrouded
IN the binding glare Of the heated air rising
from the burning sands till the eyes ache
and the heart sickenS ut the dismal scene.
With what Il relief we turn to the canal
stretching like blue sparkling ribbon and
feast our eyes at the sight of Il station loom
ing up half mile ahead with its little cot
tage, its shrubbery and trees planted right
III the midst OF q desert and drawing life
from soil which has been brought a
hundred miles to make life cndurable TO the
station master, banished away out here.
hundreds of miles from his own fair France
for who else but q Frenchman would ever
think Of bringing his garden with him, with
its flowers aud trees out here in this wilder
ness of sand?
We tied up for Il few second to let one of
the large p. and O. steamers pass us: for
every vessel must give way to the "Royal
Mail, except men-of-war, which have the
right of way everywhere The canal is not
wide enough for vessels to pass each other,
so every quarter of a mile or so there is 4
wide place fortying up, and the vessel reach
ing there first makes fast to the bauk and
allows the other one to pass, except i'll the
case of IL vessel carrying the mail or Il man
of-war, both of which go right OH through
without stopping, except during the night.
On the right hand side runs track, and
was startled by the familiar sound of the
engine whistle, and the next minute train
swept Oh by at the rate of forty miles an
hour, while overhead.
Like strings Of ghosts
The telegraph posts
Came quickly trooPinS by.
noticed on the other bank veritabe
caravan, such as one reads about aud sees
so much in pictures of the greet desert
horses and camels and the old man all
wrapped up in his white clothes, with the
same long rifle with its crooked stock, which
have seen duplicated on canvas till felt
an inclination to extend a hand and say,
"How are yeu, old boy" for-old acquain-
tance sake. And then 1 thought what diff
| ference between the two banks. Here the
railroad. the telegraph-and there the old
Arab travelling as his father and his grand
father and his great-grandfathe did a hun
dred years ago; a century separated by this
narrow stream.
| At dusk we tied up, having made about thin :
| miles, Us we were only allowed to 90 "slow;
| through the canal for fear of injuring the banks
| The next morning found us on our way, and soon
! we were threading the crooked channel through
| the lake, with the town of ISnailia broad oil the
port beam. After about two hours steaming at
full speed we again slowed down and entered the
other part of the canal, and again passed through
| between the same broad banks with disgust, and
only enlvencd by the stations, with their few feet
of surrounding verdure, and occasional Steamers
bound to the westward-too few and far between
which we passed which passed US, until we
finally steamed into the Gulf o. Suezabout D in the
| afternoon.
OFF on our left cleaned the houses of Sucz, and
here We left our French pilot and took up native
Red Sea pilot black as coal and mute one Of the
| Sphynxes which adorn his native deserts.
TTEST POCKET DYsPEP Gu