River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-09-07
Az THE PRONE
The Eastern BiliigerenIs Continue
to shed Blood-DescriptiOn or it's
Last Battie-Happenings OF the
Past Week and miscellaneous notes.
THE ENGAGEMENT

| from Gen. Sir Garnet w Olseley, dated
Ismailia, August 80, evening:-"I
pushed on again at daybreak. The
enemy had strongly intrenched po-
sition at Mahatta, and from the bold
way in which they attacked US yestcr Il
day / hoped they would stand their
! ground to-day. They withdrew their
guns, however, last night. They had
| twelve in action yesterday. The force
at my disposal this morning was the
I first division and all the English eaval-
| ry, with sixteen guns. My intentions
was to pivot on my left at the dam,
which we took yesterday, and swing
round my right to the enemy's posi-
ton in the flank and drive them into
the fresh water canal, sending the cav
airy completely round their position
TO occupy the railway in their rear,
and, if possible, capture their engines
and rolling stock. The operation was
very we'll carried out. All the heavy
work devoted on the cavalry and ar
| tillery, which were we'll handled by
Major General Drury Lowe. He at
| tackled the rear of the enemy, who had
large camp at the Mahsameh rail
way station, which he took, routing
/ luc tHtlnJ Will ICSS, TAN
| ing five Krupp guns, seventy-fve rail-
way carriages laden with provisions
and large quantity of ammunition
and rifles
SECURING THE CANAL.
Notwithstanding the fact of our
| horses being unfit for heavy work and
the long march which the reinforce
ments | ordered yesterday had to
make, have every reason to be salts
fed with what has been done. AL
though | did not intend advancing be-
yond Mahatta for some days, such has
| been the success of the cavalry tot day
that intend tomorrow to occupy the
Kassasin lock OF the fresh water canal.
1t is about two and one-half miles west
of Mahsameh station, and its position
will secure to us safe passage across
the desert lying between Ismailia and
the cultivated land of the Delta The
enemy seem so demoralized and so
averse to await the attack of our in
fantry that it is possible that they will
not make the determined stand | an
ticipated before we reach Zagazig.
The Guards under the Duke OF Con-
naught made a very trying march yes
terday across the desert. They were
well handled by him. The losses yes
terday were: The Household cavalry,
one private killed and FIVE wounded,
and ten horses killed.
PORT SAID.
Port said is distant by sea from Alex
andria about one hundred and forty
miles. The port is purely the recent
creation of human ingenuity and labor;
and the town which has sprung up be-
hind it, though numbering now at least
ten thousand inhabitants, is not less
the creation of the port. AS M. lie
Mason. the French engineer, observed,
it is port "contre nature" AT this
Mediterranean extremity of the canal,
indeed, the prospect might well have
daunted the heart of the most cour-
ageous of projectors. The problem
was to get depth upon com paratively
shallow, sandy coast; and this was
practically attained by commencing
the work on sand bank twenty-six
miles from the mainland This long
bank or belt Of sand, extending from
the mouth of the Damietta branch of
the Nile 20 the Gulf of Potassium, is
described in Mr.. Wyld's map as being
of fine gray sand, five feet only above
low water mark, and varying from 109
to 1874 yards in length. Behind this
irregular barrier is the shallow lake of
Menzaleh, through which it was, of
course, necessary to make an artificial
channel tor the canal. The first thing
to be accomplished, however, was to
construct the foundations for the future
town to be named after the then
| VIcerny, and then to project into tho
sea the two enormous breakwaters or
moles which form the outer port and
protect it against that constant tend
ency to the accumulation of sand,
which, even as it is, demands constant
dredging. The spot chosen on the
sand bank or strip of what is locally
known az "slob," is described as little
more than five hundred feet wide.
The plan of the engineers was sim
pie. At first light framing of piles
was run out, on which crane and
trucks laden with loose stones travelled,
and in a short time a fairly substantial
pier that served as landing stage for
materials and machinery was construct
ed. Here was, in fact, the great work
of the undertaking throughout the ten
years of its construction. Encouraged
by this success (ssys Mr.. Fitzgerald)
bolder work was ventured on. Out in
they bay, at nearly mile distant, huge
piles were screwed into the sands, and
an oblong island was then formed with
stones, the space between this island
and the wooden shore pier being gradu-
ally filled in. Every day the piles settled
firmly in their places in spite of the
storms of the bay. This temporary
structure was carried out to a distance
of abouut three hundred feet, and it
was not till three years before the canal
was complete and ready for opening
that the work was seriously resumed
and the breakwater joined to the pier.
Two officers employed by the British
government to examine the port de-
scribe it as formed by two rough, mar
row and low breakwaters, enclosing an
area of some four hundred and fifty
acres, with an average depth of only
thirteen or fourteen feet of water,
except in the ship channel (about three
hundred feet wide) leading to the inner
basins, where the depth is from twenty
five to twenty eight feet. The western
breakwater, which extends for 6,940
feet at right angles to the shore
and is slightly curved to the eastward
toward its extremity, was commenced
il 1850, and carried out about 1900
feet; beyond which point and at short
distance from it was deposited heap
of stones that was surrounded By iron
piles, and from its detached position
was called ''the island" The work was
then left untouched till 1866, when the
breakwater was joined to the island,
and it was continued TO its present
length and finished in 1858. From the
mainland to the island the breakwater
is formed on its inner side of bank Ct
rubble stones, surmounted by prom
enade, over which the spray breaks
with very moderate northwest wind,
and on the outer or sea front of con-
crcte blocks; but beyond the island to
its termination it is entirely construct
ed of large blocks of artificial stone,
composed of one part of French n.y.
draulic lime with two parts of sand,
some Of which were transferred to it
from the eastern breakwater The
latter, which is also constructed OF large
masses of concrete, is of more recent
construction, extending to about 6 ,020
feet, aud converging toward the west
ern harbor. Such is the harbor of
| Port Gafd aanpot oaof.rdipC fO