St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-11-20
The Suez Canal.

! This canal has attracted much atten
tion in different parts of the world dur
ing the past twenty years. 1t is dug
across desert plain 81 miles from tn,
Mediterranean sea to the Red Sea, con
Meeting these two so as to open a roat
| for ships to all the east without th,
long voyage round the southern poin
of Africa. The country between the
seas was quite level, hence no lock,
are required, but ships sail directly
through. The canal is about 81 miles
long and an average of 100 feet wide
i'll its deep channel: beside the shallow
slanting sides every FIVE or six miles
there is a station, where the canal is
much wider, and "sidings" are arranged
where ships can be tied to the banks
to remain over night or for passing
each other. Steamers only pass al
these sidings and never until one of the
two meeting is tied fast to the bank
This meeting of steamers and being
constantly tied up is what causes delay
and hence a great deal of dissatisfac-
ton with the canal. For example
We arrived at the entrance of the canal
on Wednesday morning, expecting to
get well through by Thursday after
noon. We passed on five miles and
came to the first siding, where the sig
nal ordered us to tie up. The steam
ers coming in the opposite direction
were delayed little, and before they
were clear of us it was nearly dark and
we remained there for the night. The
next morning we started again, but
soon saw the tie-up signal again, and
we waited there until fourteen steam
crs passed us. These were from half Il
mile to mile apart. SO our day was
well nigh passed before we could start
again, and Thursday night found us
only half through the canal. Friday
morning we were delayed by fog and
were compelled to tie up again on the
way, so that night came OH again when
We were still seven miles from Suez.
SO we tied up to the bank of sand for
one more night. Thus instead of one
night in the canal we have had three,
and all the officers of our ship feel un-
happy over it, as it adds two whole
days to the length of their voyage.
This complaint is so great that the
company will be driven to make an
other channel, so that there will be a
track for going north and another for
steamers going sOuth-a double track.
Then there is a demand for electric
lights all along the shore, so that ships
can move on at night.
The profits of the canal are very
great, so that the company can afford
to make these changes. Our steamer
pays nearly $1,000 toll, and the pilot
told me that there were thirty-two
steamers in the canal the day he took
our ship, and that often they had as
many rs siXty-five in the canal in a
W = -OHt Sltitil-
ers going in the opposite direction on
our way through, so that it is evident
that from S25, 900 to 500, 900 are taken
daily in tolls. All the steamers for
Australia, India, China and all eastern
ports pass through here. SO that
within ten years there mu be great
improvements in this canal or England
will dig another of her own.
1t is now Saturday morning, October
l6, and we are just moving out Of the
canal into the gulf of Suez, the entrance
to the Red Sea, near the place where
Moses and the lsraelites crossed over
on dry land. Here we will mail our let
tiers. We are eighteen days from Liv-
erpOol to this point.
Il w