St. Landry democrat., 1882-07-29

| Of a century ago" one-half Europe, with its
regular houses, tall. and white and stiff; the
| other half Oriental, with its mud-colored
| buildings and terraced roofs, varied with fat
mosques and lean minaretS"-the municipal
| improvements effected by the khediye have
in respect of lighting, paving, police and
cleanliness raised the large Frank quarter es-
| pecialy to a level with most second-class
| French and English towns, and placed it half a
century ahead of even the Christian faubourg
| of Constantinople.
| +.t- THE HARBOR.
The modern harbor of Alex andria, in which
the trade of the port is now carried on, hes
within the upper curve of a bay formed by
the two projecting headlands of Ras-eETeen
on the northeast and Cape Adjemi and Mara
bout Island on the southwest, and measuring
six miles in length by an average OF two in
width. 1t is landlocked on every side except
one-the southwest. The wind from this di-
rection is, however, the prevailing one during
eight or nine months of the year, and
from time immemorial the "sea" thus occa-
stoned has seriously impeded the loading and
discharge of vessels in the roadstead by stone
lighters, as the custom has hitherto been. The
Importance of remedying this great drawback
on the convenience of his chief port has been
felt by the Khedive from soon after his Access
sion, but it was not till the threatened rivalry
OF the Suez Canal had emphasized the necessl-
ty that he finally decided on carrying out
work of such magnitude ard cost.
Commencing at a point fifty meters south
west Of the Ras-al-Teen Lighthouse, the outer
breakwater extends first in this latter direc-
ton for nearly ], 00) meters, and then, curging
to south-southwest, runs in a straight line 1850
meters further, or all above two miles across
the mouth of the harbor, inclosng an area of
more than l, 400 acres of still water deep enough
for vessels Of the largest class. The principal
entrance to the port is now, therefore, round
the southwestern end of the breakwater,
which is 1850 meters from the shore,
while the narrow passage off Ras-el-Teen
affords ingress and egress only to small craft
and shore boats. AS in the case Of the great
moles at Port Said, this outer sea-wall has
been constructed, up to the water level, of
huge blocks of concrete. manufactured at the
neighboring Mex quarries of sand and Theil
lime and deposited pell-mell on the seaside,
with an inner front OF rubble. The upper.
sportion Of the work, whichis of solid masonry,
rises ten feet above the lowest or seven feet
above the highest sea-level, and is of uni
form surface width of twenty feet. In all,
about %. 600 concrete blocks. weighing twenty
tons each, and 10000 tons of large and
small rubble 4 stones have been sunk
in the foundations of this great work. Shore
wards, the scheme, comprises broad mole,
stretching out 900 meters from the mouth of
the Mahmoudieh Canal and the harbor termi-
nus OF the Cairo Railroad toward Ras-ei-Teen,
and line of quays, LAO meters long, extend
ing from the came point along the Marina to
close upon the Admiralty Dock. Like the inner
mole, these quays are based upon a rubble
foundation, with superstructure of solid ma
sonry, and when completed will have abatting
iron jetties, alongside which ships may load
and discharge in all weathers.