The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-07-15


Egypt might have been begun with
an account of our stay in quarantine,
but as this precautiOn against the
spread of Asiatic diseases is of mod
ern origin, | thought it best to speak
OF it in this article. -.-
The p & o. steamer Persia, which
brought us from Bombay TO Egypt,
was suspected of having four cases of
plague on board. One man having died
and been buried at sea just before we
reached Suez and three more being ill,
the international health board insisted
on taking charge of the ten passengers
bound for Egypt We were taken on
board a barge and towed couple of
mixes up the SueZ canal to the quaran-
tine station, which we reached about
midnight.
Besides the four in our family, there
were three Americans from Ohio, two
English merchants from Egypt and an
English lady engaged in missionary
work in Palestine. We were comfort
ably housed in One-StOry brick build
ings and were Informed that~w would
have to remain there five days unless
further investigation removed the sus-
pieion of the plague. While the mem
hers of the company proved to be very
eongenial, we were all anxious to have
| the stay shortened as much as possible
wi ACCOUNT of its interference with our
lans.f
PaAt the, end of two days we were nOti-
vi that a bubOnic germ had been dis
AfTered and ( at we must stay the full
/ Pne. The quarantine station is stu
4ed on the bank of the canal and is
! iurroGnded on three sides by as bar
rem desert as can be found The
buildings are enclosed by a double
fence. and the only exit is to the wharf
through a lane. We were permitted to
so TO the wharf and. under the escort
of guard were allowed to gather
shells OH the bank of the canal. Thus
occupied when not reading or writing,
the days passed much more pleasantly
than we had expected and we were
almost sorry when the time came for
us to separate. One day our quarters
were visited by a sirrOcO, and from
the dust and sand that filled the air
until the sun was darkened we were
able TO gain some idea OF desert life.
The canal itself is a little disap-
pointing. 1t is simply a huge ditch,
and with an eXpanse of sand on either
bank, seems narrower than ii is. TIE
sides are not walled as a rule, and tile
depth-30 feet-does not reveal itself
Several dredges are constantly at work
removing the sand which drifts in
with the wind or is washed in by the
tide. The canal is said to follow the
route laid out more than 1900 years
ago by Rameses II. About $500 ships
pass through the canal each year, an
average of nearly ten a day Some
+ what more than that passed during our
stay, some of the ships being loaded
with Russian soldiers from Japan. and
others crowded with pilgrims return
ing from Mecca.
On the afternoon of the fifth day
the head physician cames out and re-
ased us and at the same time con-
veyed- TO US the cheerful, but some
what belated information that the
three men taken from the ship did not
have the plague; we had however
been so courteOusly treated that we
did not complain Of the board bills or
quarantine fees, even though the de-
tention proved unnecessary. The
spread of the plague through Europe
would be such a calamity that we
realize it is better to err on the side of
over-caution. At any rate, we have
added TO our experience and are carry
ing the yellow flag uhe quarantine
signaD home as a trophy.
A few hours ride brought us To
Cairo. the metropolis and capital of
Egypt 1t is not an ancient city, as
they count time in Egypt having been
founded about 1000 years ago, but il
has in tire business portion the appear
ance of a European city and contains
a population of more than half a mil
lien. OF its inhabitants $4,000 are Eu-
ropean, the Greeks leading with about
10l00O and the ITALIANS, French. Eng
lish, Austrians and Germans following
1Y'the order named. The British would
! outnumber the French if the garrison
were included. but the city reminds
Zone much more of France than of
Ingland. Many of the buildings re-
all the streets of Paris, and the side
nlks adjacent to restaurants and
us looms are filled with tables and
llajrs as in continental Europe.
.CaFro IS city of mosques and min
aretS as one quickly discovers when
he takes a bird's-eye view of the city
FRONT the citadel, which stands upon
an eninence i'll the suburbs. While
the main streets are suggestive of Eu
rope, fhe native quarters and bazars
are distinctly oriental many of the
streets being too narrow for a car