Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-10-19

canal 10 was the afternoon when our
ship loft Port said, and az night ION
we were Boo the heart OF the Libyau des-
crt The Hlr was clear. and the scenes
were weird but beautiful The stars OF
che tropics brighter By far than our
stars at home. made The heavens ro-
.ufru1put. and o. great round moon OF
burning copper turned the famous
waterway .ut. q stream or molten sil-
ver We could Innk out over the silent
desert as ve r'aVel our way through
and now and then see caravan OF
long uuealuly cgmOIe. with their ghost
Iko riders iohh.ng up and down under
tho moon. Our own pathway was made
brighter by the light of electricity.
We had one blazing eI1hc at our mast
hcHd, .ed by dynamo ou deck. and
another at our brow. Tho latter threw
Sc rays this way and that acroa the
channel ln front of The steamer turn-
lnE the waters Co an opaIcscpnt blue re-
minding one OF the Blue Grotto %
Canri We paFsed many ships. I'm the
distance they appeared only as two
blazing eyes shown Toy The rehcctors
which Az vessels ar" required 10 Keen
lighted as they pass through. As the
ships came nearer they rose ghost-liko
up from the water. the masses N hulls
aud rigging with the fiery eyes makina
one think Of demons about % attack
him.
Tho trip through the canal is slow.
The ships are allowed % GO only Ave
or six miles 8u hour. and now and then
thoy naVo TO Gle un 90 posts which have
been scr into the banks OF the canal to
allow other steamers 20 pass. These
posts are 90 be seen everywhere along
both sides Of the waterway from Port
Said 90 Sucz. I'm most places they are
about 100 feet apart and are so ar
ranged that ships can be made station
airy as others 60 by.
Parts of the banks arc walled with
stones 20 prevent Dye sand falling iu
and fning up the canal but notwith-
standing This the dredgcs have 70 be
Kept al work all tho year round. Not
FAR from Port said I saw great pumps
operated by steam sucking the sand
from the bottom OF the channel and
carrying O. through pipes Tar out over
the desert. ] am ;old that the process
Of cleaning and deepening the water
way Is always going on.
THE IMPROVEMENTS AT sUEz.
The sucz canal Of 1907 rs far different
from that which was opened in 1853, AS
originally planned the channel was less
than 20 feet deep and so constructed
that 81 could not have accommodated
the shipping which goes through today,
II is now about 30 feet deep, and there
are improvements under way TO make
lbs depth 35 feet. Since the beginning
of last year ships with a draft of q
feet have been allowed 20 pass through.
and the day will come when ships Of
33 and 80 feet draft viii be admitted.
The canal has been widened so that its
average width at the surface Is about
300 feet, and the curves In Il have been
rounded OF so as 20 shorten the time OF
transit and enable ships 10 pass the
more easily. Within the past year or
so more than p 100000 tons Of earth,
mud and sand have been taken out OF
It, and the shipping facilities have been
greatly Improved both at Port Tewfik
and al Port said. Here at the south
crn end OF the canal they are now
dredging out basins which are intend
ed 20 accommodate the GOLFERS and
tank steamers carrying coal oil, and at
Port said the coaliug arrangements
have been so improved that the largest
steamers can load thousands OF tons Of
coal IN a very few hours
WILL A NEW CANAL BE BUILT?
These improvements have been
made on account Of the crowded condi-
ton az the canal and the imperative
/ necessity OF deepening 10 IN order to
| accommodate the big steamers now
building As &c IS it is q question
whether s. feet will long be deep
! enough, for ships grow bigger and big
ger and their draft deeper and deeper
from year 10 year. There has been a
demand for a second canal on account