The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-01-27
Interesting Stop at Port Said-yesseI
Takes Coal.
THROUGH THE FAMOUS sUEz CANAL.
And Her Voyage Down on the Red Sea,
Across Which Moses Led the IsreIltes
A Good While Ago.
S. S. "INDIA," Dec. 11.-Be

Said. just few miles out of
port we saw the mail steamer
pass US on It's way home, and
knew our letters would have to
walt another week. The Pilot
came on board few miles out,
and by 6 p. m, we had cast anchor
within 300 yards of shore. No
sooner had we made fast than
dozens of native Egyptian boats
with merchants and conjares on
board came to the steamer, jab-
berlng and gesticulating like mad
The sea was as smooth as glass
and like silver, and there we're
French, German and English
troop ships anchored all around
us, ready to take on coal. That
process is most interesting: A
large coal barge comes up long
side, and dozens of natives with
colored shawls wrapped about
their heads, kind Of loose shirt,
with bare feet form in line and
carry the coal in large baskets on
their heads or shoulders up a
steep gang plank and dump it ln-
to the hole, all the while chanting
or yelling in al uncanny way
= This noise kept up for hours, till
all the vessels were coaled.
Col. Weir, the English Army
officer of whom l told you, took
his daughter Marie, and me on
shore in little boat. AS soon as
we had landed, big brown fell
low, finding the Col. could speak
Turkish, attached himself to us,
and undertook to guide us to all
the Interesting places. Port SAID
has about 4, 600 of Il population, is
very level and quite Oriental
We first had a cup of Turkish cof
fee with Turkish delight" a de.
lightful kind of confection; then
we walked all about the principal
streets, inspecting the shops,
which all opened their wares di-
rectly on the pavement. Marie
insisted on donkey ride, so l
had to go with her; then we had
two more cups of coffee, which is
as rich as our cocos. AS memen-
to the Col. gave me a napkin ring
curiously carved, and Marie re-
ceived a fan, with six boxes of
delight" between us. Next
morning they asked me to go
back again, and we had a train
ride out to the edge of the desert
where we saw tents, camels lad
en-, a herd of goats, and pic
turesque looking natives summing
themselves. 1t is all Oriental
from this on: Brown complex
IONS, baggy trousers, long top
garments, gay colored turbans,
and bare brown feet. Many of
them have more cloth about their
heads than about their bodies.
We left Port Said at ll:30
Wednesday night, and when l
awoke next morning, on looking
out of my port hole, | saw long
stretches of sand and black fig.
ure running wildly along the shore
catching oranges that the passen-
gers were throwing from The up
per deck; for we were now pass
ing through the Suez canal. The
canal was interesting the whole
way through, with lots of big
steamers passing us on tnelr way
home; little green oases with a
clump of date palms plantains,
and few neat, low, white houses
on shore, now aud then naked
native swimming near enough to
catch oranges and coins from the
passengers. The Suez Canal is
barely WIDE enough IN someplaces
for two steamers to pass. 1t was
wonderful TO think that there as
/ stood on deck was Egypt on my
right, and Arabia on my left side.
A sandy plain stretches from the
canal bank about mile to most
beautiful saud-hne stone noun
tain ridges. Just as we came out
Of the canal iuto the Red Sea at
Suez, the sun set, laaving an al