Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-05

BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
AFLOAT ON THE RED SEA,
January 10, 1904.
Every vessel passing through the Sues
canal is compelled to take pilot, because
the shippers of ordinary vessels cannot be
trusted to navigate the narrow channel ior
the slightest deviation may cause damage
that will cost thousands Of dollars to re-
pair Each year, however. navigation Is
rendered easier by the widening OF the
channel and by the excavation of additional
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 ac-
cording to tonnage and draught.
Vessels cannot pass in motion. When
they meet the one which arrives first at
the signal station Is compelled to stop and
tie up in a basin until the other goes by.
These basins are found at Intervals or a
few miles, and at every basin is sare
or station in charge of a signal omcer, VINO
corresponds to a train dispatcher on one OF
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 interruptlon
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
bap huf fOr most of the tourney you
have a wide sweep on both sides back 10
the mountains that rise from the desert,
and at a certain point for a mile or TWO
Mount Sinai is visible th1rty-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 Ior
baksheesh and easily keep abreast or the
creeping vessel, grabbing at the pennies
which passengers throw them from the
deck. Half the coins roll down into the
water which Is exasperatlng to the young
sters. They do not like to stop ana owe
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 Ismalia, halfway
point, with a population Of 1900 It 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 a 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, a 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 It, Beyond
ISmalia, as before, are occasional GASES in
the desert-groves Of palms and luxuriant
gardens surrounding the stations Of the
canal officials-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.
Where the Caravans Gross.
The chief interest is found in the town
of Suez, because it Is the crossing place of
the great caravans of camels that furnish
transportation between the two continents
of Asia and Africa, and travel regularly
between Cairo, Damascus and Bagdad; also
because biblical historians believe that here
the waters of the Red sea opened 1850
years ago and allowed 5000, 600 of the chill
dren of Israel to cross over upon a dry bot
tom.
On the other side of the Red sea, which,
by the way, is not red, but blue-as blue as
the sky in June-you can see the purple
peaks of the Siniatic range, and few miles
from the shore, which you can reach In
three hours by donkey of those re-
markable GASES that are frequently found
in the desert This particular one is called
the Wells of Moses. There is a comfort
less hotel, kept by an Arab, where beds
and refreshments can be obtained, but it Is
better to start early in the morning so as
to get back the same day, and take a
luncheon In a basket from Suez The trip
can be easily made while the vessel is
coaling
The children of Israel, according to the
Bible, wandered three days in the Wilder
ness of Shur and found no water and when
they came to Marah they could not drink
the waters, for they were bitter, and the
people murmured against Moses, saying.
What shall We drink" and he cried unto
the Lord and the Lord showed him a free
which he cast into the waters and the
waters were made sweet. And they came
to Elm, where there were twelve wells of
water and three score and ten palm trees
and they encamped there by the wa tore
And Miriam, the prophecies the sister of
Aaron, took tfmbrel in her hand and
aii the women went out after her with tim
brels and with dances
mat beautiful scene, one of the most
| dramatic in the whole Bible il believed ~
nave taken place here, for these wells n re
| the wells of Elm. and three score and fen
palm trees still shelter collection of a
| dozen or more springs The village 10 rao
| pied with naked Arabs, sinewy. snringv en-
curing Fellows. whose flesh shines ike mol
ished mahogany. and who must resemble
the young men OF Israel when thew started
| on the journey that was not finished for
| forty years iof
IL Is difficult to understand wbv and how,
tney happened to be wandering about 90
long down here. If you will look at the
map you Will see that Suez is almost on q
me with Cairo and it was the most natu-
raj rendezvous for the tribes. who wero
scattered all along the Nile from Memnbis
| is just below Luxor "hich
Inc hed sea is 400 miles long and its
greatest width is 200 miles n is aha',.
the shape OF a sausage and tapers at both
ENDS. ON one side is Arabia. the most
mysterious and primitive of ali countries.
s ana on .ne other side are Egypt, Nubia and
the Sudan. At the north end what is
known as the Sianitic peninsula projects
| southwark and divides the sea into two
arms, and near the point Of the peninsula