Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-03
TIE sUEz CANAL.

was glad to see how much of the banks
are now cased with stone. Trees grow
with difficulty in the sand and their roots
suffer from the salt water. A sandy bank
is carried by the wash of the steamers into
the deep-water channel. But this stone
casing resists the wash, and when it is
complete the company will be able to in
crease without danger their regulation
speed. We met with no obstacle for two
hours. In this great highway of nations
we saw no life save the wild marsh birds
and the waste of water stretching away to
the yellow desert. There are cares or
passing places every few miles, where the
deep waterway is widened from twenty.
four to fifty yards and sometimes more
and q signalman system stops or allows to
pass The ships according as the next run is
free or occupied. We passed the first care
successfully, but at the second the ball was
hoisted above the flag, which, in canal Ian.
guage. means Ego into the siding" Moth
ing came by before sunrise, when all traffic
ceases, and we lay in the quiet moonlight
with every intention to proceed at sunrise.
But when l came up next morning to see
the start found feet of great ships, each
with it's noisy little tug and yellow
flag at the masthead, slipping along in
single file. 1t was grand way OF realizing
the work of the canal. Nineteen vessels
went by, averaging, our Captain told me,
l,5O0 tons burden. All save two carried
tie British flag. Three were crammed
with pilgrims-forecastle, main deck and
quarter deck one mass of life. Even the
boats were full Of them, and from under a
canvas awning peeped the vailed fees Of
women. One lot were Russian pilgrims
from the Caucasus-savage-lo looking fellows
in fur caps and black cloaks; the others were
Algeriaps and Moors in turbans and bur-
nous. The rest of the ships were cargo.
laden, twenty-five and twenty. three feet
in the water. All went by safely till the
seventeenth, the Scotch Grays, came. She
had passed us, but others had st. y to
come, and there was nothing for it but
to wait till the Scotch Greys got free.
Hawsers were made fast to stern and
bow on either bank, and, after an hours
shouting, and steaming, and wineinp,
the big ship swung into place again.
The rest came by without disaster, and
we got under way at IL o'clock. The
canal is no. big enough for the present
traffic. Shipping to the extent of over
5000, 600 tons passes through every year,
and it is steadily on the increase. Ships
have to wait their turn, and much valuable
time is wasted at either end and in
the passage. TIE accommodation NAV
be increased in two ways. The whole
length of the canal may be widened so as
to allow of ships passing each other every
where, Such work would not BE- difficult.
but it would be very costly. The deep.
water passage would have to be more than
doubled in width, as tie slow speed makes
steering difficult, and ships in passing
would require plenty of searoom to avoid
accidents. The present. width of twenty.
five yards would have to be raised to sixty
but it would rot be necessary to increase
the width or surface Of the whole water.
way, which is already 100 yards from bank
to bank. The second mode OF increasing
the facilities oil passage is more feasible.
and has much to recommend it. It consists
in considerable increase in the number of
cares or passing places, and in the length.
ening OF those already in existence. There
are at present thirteen, and they might
easily be increased to twenty. The same
precautions now practiced would be still
enforced in the passing of ships. The
block system would be carried out from
gare to gare. The buoyipg of the
passage is already excellent, and
there would be no increase in
the danger of fouling and lam.
ming. The consequence of such accidents
IL so narrow . waterway as the canal are
SO serious that l think, on the whole, the
Increase of the cares is most to be recon-
mended. Blu. one or other improvement
is necessary.jCairo letter to the London
Times.