New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-18
DANGER MENACING THE SUEz CANAL.
EGYPTIAN PREPARATIONS FOR DESTROYING THE
BANKS WITH DYNAMITE.

EGYPTIAN PREPARATIONS FOR DESTROYING THE
BANKS WITH DYNAMITE.
Letter 10 The London Telegraph From alexandria, June o.
Egyptians understand exactly what damage
might be inflicted upon the canal, aud how IL might best
be done For long while this matter has had their
careful attention They have had the ana OF strangers
not otherwise have mastered 1t IL not very long
that one these Europeans received orders prepare
aIout two hundred aud hfy tin canisers each capable
of holding probably twentyfour pounds OF dynamite, and
10 IN them with illuminate OF mercury fuses. The tins
were made and saw them. The fuses were not
facture 80 quickly Tor Egyptian wOrkncn are not very
clever and when il came TO hitting two electrical wires
INTO fnse three inches long and an inch in diameter
such way that illuminate might oe safely fired from
n distance the ARAB tailed to do the work properly.
This failure delay, and. in the meantime,
there arose the disturbances In Egypt winch nave led TO
the existing state OF affairs The EngIshman who had
been commits stoned TO make the apparatus meanwhile
thought the matter over. The electrical battery which
was 10 be used working tue whoe machinery mad ar
rived al the Custom House. IL would not be long before
the dynamite would be ready, aud he might be called
upon al any moment to ut the illuminate OF mercury fuses
into Il tina At this juncture le went % Sir Edward
Maet, / believe, and fod hin wndt he was doing, and
how suspected that the tins we're To Oe used Tor blow
ing down portion OF the canal banks Inc COnsuGen-
sr4l naturally advised mat the work should be sus-
pended, aud. his counsel being aken te ils remain
empty and the fuses unnade But though these paruc-
ulsr cansters have never been used DINERS nave 1een
10 old Cairo and stua Just before the bdge over the
river.
Lea me draw your attention for moment to the plan
Of the suez Canal Port Said to lsmaila the
sage is comparatively open and large III would be- per
hans possbe 10 stop it by sending in an innOcentOOk
Ing ship and scutng her IN the nldde Oh te way, but
IRON dynamite except IN very large quantities IL would
suffer no great Injury. After you have passed lsmai,
however on the route for suez you come. when about
twenty-five miles from the iastnamed place, to Geneeh
where a spectacle your eyes that You not
likely 10 forget There both sides OF the canal rise
ligh weakly banks on which, to guard the sand and
keen il from falling In. thoughtful people have planted
reeds and grasses IT, however you inspect these banks
You Will see that they might be easily upset into
The canal and glance at their volume shows You that
they would altogether block IL up so upset suppose
then that tins Of dynamite, which could be fired
10y illuminate OF mercury fuse connected
with an electrical battery some distance away,
were 'gnited Away would go these frail but
Obstructive banks into the canal, and the road
OF England to India would be stopped at Nothing
could pass through dredges could get the canal clear
for A long while; the injury, for time AT least,
would be rreparabe. Again. suppose the traveller sur
veys Shcbin about twelve miles fTom Suez Here again
a similar spectacle meets the eye-high banks easily TO
be oyerthrown with the power OF utterly obstructng
the canal and these banks at this moment IN the
possession OF a Unaffected Arab sodiery Such Is the
position of affairs the SueZ Canal Remember that
once this great work Is stopped ali direct intercourse
with India ceases Bear In mind also that according 10
Information received ere the natives OF certain Ma
honetan states in India interesting themselves
greatly in the struggle going here, and you then have