Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-07-27
Journeyfr from Alexandria
to Cairo.
BY MINISTER TERRELL.
An Interesting Letter About Egypt
from a Resident Of the
Lone Star State.

So many have published what they
saw In Egypt that / can hardly nope
10 write much of new Interest," yet
comparlson OF what one sees here ana
what he has seen In Texas Is not FOUND
In books, and may help to instruct
Tourists usually 80 TO Egypt IN win,
ter. fearing the heat OF spring ana
summer. but here | am. the 18th OF
May, with the room temperature at 90
degrees Fahrenheit In the shade and
for five days the weather has been IKE
a Texas April.
The appearance of Alexandria is dis
appointing, when approaching 1t from
the sea. low fiat coast line Ike th9t
on the mainland In Galveston bay ~
seen, nor Ia there anything special to
attract attention AS we enter the
artificial harbor.
This Pharos or great lighthouse,
which was built by Ptolemy Phlln-
delphlus. and was one of the seven
wonders OF the world. has long since
disappeared. II IL said by Strnho, |
believe, to have been nearly COO feet
high. How strangely time destroys
realities ms well MS our Illusions. The
Island OF Pharos. on which this won
der once stood, now forms part OF
the main land.
Long before reaching the city the
waterA of the Nile have changed the
greenlsh color As you enter the
hnrbor u few monuments attract the
eye, nnd thORe seen ARE OF modern
date ON the north side NJ the h0r-
Dor and rising from the wnterS edge,
Is the summer palace Of the khedive,
The streets and architecture all pro-
claim n modern city, but the iurhnncl
population, with their long white, blue
or yellow robes their Hnlluw faces and
ln2y methods remind ug that nclther
Roman. French or English civilization
ever made much Impression In chang
ing the habits OF the Egyptians.
From 4 IN the afternoon unill dark
the sidewalk In front OF their coffee
houses ~ crowded with a multitude ~
men, sitting by small tables and laIlly
slipping their coffee; no noise, no rN-
element but In dguhod silence that
contrasts wen with the whisky. tu
multi and nnlse one hears around tho
American saloon. Here society IN seen
in It's perfection, but with an apparent
coutentment that promises no progress
The palace IN which Cleopatra en-
tcrtalned the great Julius Caesar aud
afterwards Mark Antony, and In which
she preferred death 10 captivity, has
long ago disappeared aud even lis
locality Is unknown Even the hArbur
In which Caesars fleet vontcndrd for
empire and across which he swan
from his sinking ship, has been hllrd
up until its former shupc cannot be
defined. The city Itself does not uc-
cupy the same ground covered hy
ancient Alexandria which stood to the
south and southeast nf II. and border
Ing on the ancient hnrhur which " no
longer used FOR deep sra-goinE vessels,
impatient To behold something that
would suggest the remote past. | has
tened over q fine carriage road to Pom
pcy's pillar which stands one mile
from the modern city and beyond the
Arab burial ground. The pillar ia NJ
dark red granite, Identical with that
Of our capitol, and n over fcpt In
diameter at the base and over 20 feet
high. being nearly feet thick at the
top II IN a solid block. aH is also us
pedestal, which seems, measured by
the eye, 10 be about 30 feet high nul
20 feet square at the hagr, hnul-
somoly' shapcd Corlnthian capitol sur.
mounts the shaft ana Silly tn1t ut
that time some Erent statute adorned
the top. as that of The1dosus once
did his column above the scragllu pt
Conatautluople. and which h 0run-
mcnted ON top with the Same sort of
Cnrlnthinn capitol,
The erection OF this pillar ls agcribe1
10 pumpcy, q Roman project, whose
name II bears, and who livpl here In
the reign Of ThcOluslus \. ~ gO2.
That man may have placed statue on
top of the shaft In honor of pioclrtlau:
he may even have erected IT, though
| don't believe IT, There la something