Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-10-07

entered the SueA canal WHICH COnntett
tbs Rod sea with the Mediterranean aud
!. 81 miles long. For the first four miles
ihe canal is cut through the marshes
bordering the head Of the gulf OF Suez,
thea through the higher desert; mex, 1t
masses through the Bitter lakes, thence
through another narrow cut, and next
enters the smaller lake called Lake
T,msah on which the town oil Ismailia,
the canal halfway house Is located.
Here / broke my voyage In order to
visit Egypt and Palestine, and left the
ofoya by steam launch at 1850 p. m. /
shall always remember the Ofoya which
carried me safely over the pillows for a
distance Of nearly nine thousand miles.
/ certainly think more Of the ship than I
do Of some Of the officers and crew who
man IL.
on landing at lsmailia was politely
treated by the representative Of Thomas
Cook and son. the great tours, firm,
whose name is known all over the world.
and that believe for good. they are
doing an immense business, aud though
they do not get tourists through cheap
they make them very safe and comior.
table. aud those who are not used to
travel cannot in my opinion do better as
rule than TO engage their passages
through one OF the agencies Of Thomas
Cook and son.
The town Of lsmailia Is iorty.iour
miles from Sucz and iofty.thfee miles
from Port Laid. by rail via Zigazig and
Bcnha Il Is ninety seven miles from
Cairo. 1t is an artificial oasis In the
desert, and one OF the most charming
and prei,iest spots imaginable. II Is A..
80 an ideal French town, and It's ioun
defs predicted that II would soon be.
come one Of the important commercial
centres Of Egypt; bu, in this they were
at leas, temporary disappointed. The
location proved TO be an unhealthy
one. and consequently most OF is pco.
pie left 1t has now only population
Of about 1900. mostly Arabs; but may
sin have future. Before the town
could be possibility iresh.wa,ef
canal had to be dug from the Nile, which
for tina, purpose was tapped near Cairo.
This canal furnishes fresh water for both
ismailia and Port Laid aud some OF the
Intervening country. The former con.
s.sts OF two towns, TO wit the Ffcnch
oiiy and the native town The French
part Is laid out With regular streets, Trim
houses, and beautiful gardens form a
Characteristic picture oi French taste
aud ueainess, and stands out In bold
contrast TO the surrounding desert.
There Is also public lafk and several
long csplanades along the fresh water
canal As this was my frs, Introduction
10 Egyptian lie and scenery, everything
saw was new aud interesting. The
oriental dress OF the people, the long
caravans OF canels, the little donkcys,
the shepherds with their ilocks, the Airi.
can buflaloer. the artificial vegetation OF
the oasis. etc. etc were ~ so many
new features 20 me also found lew
people who could talk English, among
whom was Asiz Maraggi. the local difee.
TOT OF the American Mission school at
lsmailia. lie took great pains to tell
inc all he knew about the American
schools In Egypt, and said he laboftd
under the direction OF the white mission.
aries, Of whom there we're several IA
Egypt though none At present at lsmaila.
IN his own school, which Is kept IN the
native town, there ate at present %
students. AZ lsmailia drank Nile water
Tor the first time. also tasted Egyptian
coffee. got my eyes iull OF desert sand,
and was annoyed by Arabs who wanted
10 act as guides when did not want
or need any such-ali tor the first time.
BY way OF further explanation will
state that the town OF ismallia Is situa,.
cd on the lsthmus OF Suez, which per-
haps most OF the readers OF the NEWs
will know % neck Of land about "a
miles wide In is nauowest par, that
extends from the Mediterranean on the
north TO the gull OF Sutz on the south
and connects the continents Of Asia and
Africa. II Is desert OF sand and sand.
stone, whose dfearness l. occasionally
relieved by salt lake, or saline swamp
but which is almost entirely destitute OF
fresh water. The principal interest,
however. which from remote antiquity,
has attached TO the region. lies IN the
possibility OF opening up copimunica.
ton through Il by means OF a ship canal
so rs TO save the long and often dan.
gerous voyage round the Cape OF Good
Hope. The route to India, so far as
passengers, and to a moderate extent
merchandise, are concerned. had been
greatly shortened by the construction OF
a line OF rail from Chang to Suez; but II
was obvious TO every observer that
ship canal would be an Infinitely more
important boon TO commence.
II Is a well known fact that In ancient
times an indirect line OF canal did con.
meet the two seas, the Mediterranean
and the Red sea. According to the his |
iorian HerodOtus Il was partially exeeut.
ed by Pharaoh Necho OF Nechao about
600 years before Christ. but Il is not |
known who completed Il. II began al
about q mile and half north OF Suez
and struck la noTlhWestrrly direction,
availing itself OF series OF natural |
holloNs TO Bubastis, on the peusiac or /
eastern branch Of the Nile Its length |
was 90 miles, 90 OF which were excavat.
ed BY human hands; is width was from
los to i65 feet, and It's depth IS feet.
After while Il became silied up with
sand, was restored by TraIan; was again
ehoked and rendered useless; was re.
opened alter the Saracenlc conquest Of |
Egypt BY Amrou, the Arab geneial, and
named the Canal OF the Prince Of the
Faithful" and finally filled with the
never'iesiing sands In A. ID. 567. Up.
wards OF ten centuries passed before
any attempt was made TO renew a
communication between the two seas.
lhen The idea occurred to the ingenious