The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-17
TODAY IN HISTORY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER II, 1910
Suez Canal Opened.


Today ls the anniversary OF the open
Ing OF the Suez canal In 1863. In those
days this ship canal WIS considered
wonderful undertaking. and II cost an
but much of the 100000 900 was spent
In bribes and excessive discounts. 1t
also cost the lives OF thousands of hu-
man beings in Its digging. The Egyptian
peasantry, or fellaheen, were obliged by
the khedive, to do the work without re-
muneratton. Every three months 25.-
600 men were drafted into the canal serv-
Ice. None Of the modern improvements
for the removal Of bodies OF dirt were
known in 1859, and the few that could
have been used to advantage were not
shovels now used at Panama. tho poor
Egyptians were compelled to dig with
their bare hands and carry the dirt In
palm-leaf baskets to the dumping
ground.
The great festival that was held to-
day forty-oue years ago In Cairo and
along the canal was the high tide OF eX-
travasant splendor of the reign of Ismail.
one fourth of the amount Of money re-
quired in the building OF the canal.
Although the waters OF the Medi-
terranean and the Red Sea had met In
on November II forty eight ships con-
veyed the kbedive and his distinguished
guests through the canal
The empress OF the French. tho un-
fortunate EugenIe. as the representative
Of Napoleon III. and sponsor for the
proud De Lesseps, was the chief guest,
The emperor and empress of Austria.
the prince and princess OF Wales and
score Of lesser royalties from continental
Europe with their complement Of EN-
bassadors. statesmen and celebrities
Cairo was ali but rebuilt In the prep
aratlon for the celebrations. The mar
vels Of the old myths OF Haround al
Raschid and Akbar were materialized
He had been the guest of the empress
OF tho French al the opera in Paris
II occurred TO him that he must return
the courtesy, Music is a stranger with
opera in Cairo. The splendid spcndthrlft
ordered the erection OF an opera house
and decreed the engagement Of the best
company Of singers TO be found in Eu
rope. He employed the great composer
Verdi to write an opera especially for
the occasion using an Egyptian theme.
The result was the first production OF
"Aida"-t most magnificent night OF
opera in the annals OF music.
Cairo was turned into fairy1and, and
money seemed TO grow on the trees
The guests OF the khedlvo were enter
tanned In palaces built for their use.
Imagination OF an Oriental prince with
Partisan training could suggest. And
all this was to celebrate the opening Of
canal which was constructed by scoop
Ing UP sand with human hands.
The Suez canal was not new in his
tory. ThrtyfIv centuries before SetI
J.. father Of Rameses H. had cut a
canal through the Isthmus OF Suez. con-
meeting the Mediterranean and the Red
Seas. But the nation decayed and the
desert sands filled up the canal. Eight
centuries later the Egyptian Necho at
tempted to restore the old canal, and a
century after his day the Persian Darius
began TO reconstruct it. Both stopped
work at the instance of magicians. who
predicted that the completion OF the
canal would spell disaster to Egypt.
Three hundred years before Christ
Ptolemy PhiladelphUs built lock and
dam canal across the isthmus, which
was used for many years. II was al
lowed to fall into decay, and In the day
OF Cleopatra it became cholsed with
sand, The Roman engineers later dug
It out and used it In navigation. Again
1t was filled up. to be again reconstruct
ed by Amrou. an Arab captain In A. d.
700, II soon filled up again and the
canal project slept until Napoleon Bona
parte came to Egypt. He was disssuaded
from attempting the work by the report
of an engineer. who declared that the
level OF the water In one sea was higher
than in the other. and a connection
would mean d cataclysm. Then came
De Lesseps
The canal, as opened in 1863. was
widened and deepened to accommodate
the largest ships OF the present genera
tion.