Evening star., 1898-07-16
How the Ships Are Sent Through
That Great Waterway.
A SIMPLE SYSTEM OF SIGNALING
Can Now Be Used by Night as
Well as by Day.
SOME FACTS AND FIGURES

type or construction. While IL Is a mag
nioent piece OF engineering work, It seems
almost an error to call it a canal. since Il
mas no locks. gates reservoirs or pumping
engines-in short. it has nothing IN common
with other canals except that 1t afforIs q
snort cut for vessels passing from one bcdy
of water to another. 1t is an artificial
strait connecting the Mediterranean and
Red seas, and because these two seas are
on nearly the same level the particular
kind of construction of the Suez canal be-
came possible.
The entire length OF the canal is eighty.
eight geographical or about one hundred
statute miles. or these eighty-eight geo.
graphical miles. sixty-six are actual canal,
having been formed by cuttings: fourteen
miles consist of dredging through the VAR
ious lakes which lay in the path OF the
work, and eight miles required no labor at
all, since the natural depth was equal TO
that Of the canal This depth was at first
twenty-six feet, but the canal was widened
and deepened about ten years ago. so that
now vessels of twenty-six feet draught can
pass through it easily, with something 10
spare. The surface width is 325 feet for
most of the way, but in the deeper cuttings
this width decreases to ig5 feet. The lakes
which the canal traverses-Lake Menza-
leh, next to the Mediterranean; Lake Tim
san, about halfway across, and the Great
Bitter lakes, near the Red sea-were merely
canal, but the inflow OF water at once con-
verted them into large inland lakes.
Along the Canal.
The ground in the isthmus along the
canal is generally very low. and the only
rock encountered was soft gypsum. In the
lakes channel of sufficient depth and
breadth to admit traffic has been dredged
out, and the surface Of the water extends
on each side beyond this to the natural
Hn ncrAG nf lob
by iron beacons $50 feet apart. At every
five or six miles along the canal there is
a siding, or passing place. so that large
vessels may moor for the night or stop to
allow others to pass.
Everything along the entire length az
the canal is controlled from the maia Of
fee. in place locally known as TerrepleIn
a part of the old town of Suez No such
name as Terreplein appears on most maps
of the canal. but to those who live in Suez
the made land, the filled-up marshes and
the chains of islands which project into
the gulf nearly two miles from the main
part OF the city are known not by their
orf1cial names, as Port Tewfik or Port ID.
rahim. but as Terreplein. A long narrow
embankment connects Terreplein with
Suez, and from the train which runs he.
tween the two places beautiful views are
obtained of the lofty range Of Attaka on
the right; and on the left, across the sir-
nal posts of the canal. the sharp and
Jagged ridge of the Gebel el Raha.
Inc Si&nat system.
In the large office at Terreplein there is
almost perfect silence, though the en-
ployes are working steadily, each at his
especial task. Sometimes there are as
many as forty ships in the canal at one
time, and the slightest mistake in signalling
between the stations might lead to serious
consequences. All these vessels, whether
they are In the narrowest cutting, whether
they are moving along at full steam
through the tWeQty-thfNe rniaS af
water in the Great Bitter Lakes or
whether they are leaving the canal at Port
Said, are under the direction of the man
who sits at his desk In the office at Terre-
plein.
The method of working the canal is in
genlous, yet comparatively simple. At one
side of the room against the wall is a mar
low shelf, along which runs groove. At
Intervals this groove has deep recesses
which IN two places are much larger than
they are elsewhere. The groove represents
the canal and the recesses the sdings the
two large ones being the Great Bitter
Lakes ard Lake Timsah. When a vessel
has been signalled and is about to enter
the canal-at the Suez end for example
toy boat or model about four inches long
is chosen to represent her. a group OF
these little models stands ready near the
model canal and each one is furnished
with a flag to denote its nationality. The
English flag is naturally the predominating
ensign, though all countries are provided
for. AS the real steamer approaches and
her name becomes known il is written on a
slip of paper and placed on the toy boat
The number of ships actually in the canal
can thus be seen at glance, and also the
exact positions in which they are situated
for, the telegraphic signals give notice
of each vessels progress, ner toy represen-
tative Is moved along, placed in a siding,
or shown crossing one Of the lakes.
Keeping Track of Ships.
Signals sent from this Office to the
~+or n
siding at which each ship must stop and
wait to let another pass It, The official on
duty moves the models according to his
dispatches, and when two vessels going in
opposite directions are both nearing the
same siding he warns their pilots by means
of the signal balls and flags at each station,
which he controls from the office and in
dicates which of the two is to give way to
the other.
The arrangement, except In the case Of
occasional accidents works perfectly. The
clerk can tell in moment the name. ma
tionality, tonnage draught and precise
position of every ship in the canal: he
knows who her pilot is, how fast she Is
moving her breadth of beam and various
other details, and he has absolute control
of her every movement. Most of the Suez
pilots are of Greek origin, though English
men ard men Of other nationalities are oo-
casioually met. The pilots chief duty is to
prescribe the rate of speed, as the officers
of q vessel would have really no difficulty
IN taxing Def through lne CANAL
guidance. In the narrow cuts the speed Is
limited to six miles an hour but vessels
may proceed much faster In the lake sec
tions. Two pilots are always employed, for
one goes on and a second comes on at Is
MALTA, on Lake Timsah-
Canal Tolls.
The average time Of transit for the 3.40o
ships which passed through the canal in
the year ending in June, 1897, was Is hours
and 80 minutes. About two-thrds Of these
ships were English. the remainder being d.
vfded among the other European nations
The canal tolls at this time were francs q
ton for laden passenger or cargo vessels
and for ships Of war; francs 90 cent,mes
q ton for ships IN ballast and without pas
sengers; 10 francs for each adult passenger
and francs for each child. Mail steamers
and warships are generally able to secure
some reductions from these rates By-a
convention signed on October 20, 1885, tina
Suez canal was exempted from blockade.
It was agreed that 1t should be neutral at
oil times, and that no part Of IL should be
fortified. Vessels of all nations, whether
armed or not and whether belonging to ma