Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-05
DITCH IN THE DESERT
Great Care Needed to Navi-
gate Suez Canal
RULES OF THE ROAD
TWO SHIPS IN MOTION CANNOT
PASS.
The Country on Each Side Of the
Famous Waterway Tho
People Of Arabia.
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS
Special Correspondence Of The Evening star ana
Chicago Record Herald.
AFIOAT ON THE RED SEA,

BY WILLIAM q. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
AFLOAT ON THE RED SEA,
January IS, 1904.
Every vessel passing through the Sues
canal is compelled to take pilot, because
the shippers of ordinary vessels cannot De
trusted to navigate the narrow channel. TOT
the slightest deviation may cause damage
that will cost thousands Of dollars 10 re-
pair. Each year, however. navigation IL
rendered easier by the widening or the
channel and by the excavation of addltlonai
sidings or basins where vessels can pass
From the moment the pilot goes on the
bridge he takes charge of the movements
of the ship and is responsible for what
ever may happen, regulating the speed &C
cording to tonnage and draught.
Vessels cannot pass in motion. Wnen
they meet the one which arrives first at
the signal station Is compelled to stop ana
tie up in a basin until the other goes py.
These basins are found at intervals or a
few miles, and at every basin is gare
or station in charge of signal officer, VINO
corresponds to a train dispatcher on one oa
our railroads, and the block system Is useo
to regulate the movement Of vessels. For
merly no traffic was allowed at night. but
it is now carried on without interruption
by the aid of electric lights on the shore
and searchlights on the vessels.
A Ditch Through Desert.
The canal looks exactly what it is-a big
ditch through a desert Of sand on which
foxes, jackals, hyenas and occasionally
lions are seen by the watchmen in the
signal towers. At some places the banks
of earth on either side are so high that
passengers on the steamer cannot see over
them, but for most of the journey you
have a wide sweep on both sides pack 10
the mountains that rise from the oesei.,
and at a certain point for mile or two
Mount Sinai is visible thirty-seven miles 10
the southeast, and is pointed out to you by
the captain or the deck steward. Naked
Arab boys run along the banks crying Tor
baksheesh and easily keep abreast of the
creeping vessel, grabbing at the pennies
which passengers throw them from the
deck. Half the coins roll down into the
water, which is eXasperating to the young
sters They do not like to stop and dive
for them while there is a chance Of getting
more, but I imagine they mark the spots
and come back to recover lost baksheesh
when they have left the vessel.
There are only two towns of any account
on the canal One is Isnalia, halfway
point with a population of 4,O0O. 1t is the
only monument in honor of the knedive
Ismail, who did the most and spent the
most to carry out the enterprise and lost
his throne thereby. 1t is rather pretty
town, abundantly irrigated, and hence has
lovely gardens and groves of palms and
other trees. Here reside most of the en-
gineers and other officers of the canal, be-
cause 1t is preferable to Port Said. There
are a hospital for sick employees, club for
the benefit of the officers and several good
houses, including one erected especially for
the entertainment of M. de Lesseps when
he should be pleased to use 1t. Beyond
Ismalia as before, are occasional GASES in
the desert-groves Of palms and luxuriant
gardens surrounding the stations Of the
canal oficials-for wherever you can turn
water upon that lonely desert everything
will grow with wild luxuriance. 1t seems
as If the earth suddenly released germinat-
ing power that had been accommodating dur
ing centuries of suppression.