The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1913-10-12

B. G.. by another Egyptian ruler. Da
rius Hydaspis.
By the beginning OF the Christian
era, this canal too, had become III
navigable It was dredged aud re-
stored to usefulness in the course
Of the Trajan's reign. Teh las,
restoration OF the waterway was
made in the Seventh century by
Amru, the Mohammedan conqueror
OF Egypt, who established water
communication between Cairo and
/ the Red Sea And then the desert
sands drifted once more into the
historic ditch and II was permitted
to disappear.
I England sneered at the Plan.
As soon AS ED Lesseps had obtain
ed permission to build a canal. a
| commission OF civil engineers Cf
different nationalities explored the
proposed route Most of these en-
gineers believed that the project
was feasible, and they urged sea
level canal from Port Said TO Sue,
abandoning the system of indirect
routes through the delta OF the Nile
which the early builders OF canals
In the region had used The Eng
lish member OF the commission, how
ever, was opposed 10 the building
OF any sort Of canal. and said
The only feasible way OF spanning the
isthmus was by railruad an Opin
ion which is not hard to under
stand when We know that this same
English engineer was Robert Steph.
cnson, son oil the inventor OF the
locomotive
England followed Stephenson's lead
enthusiastically and almost up 10
the day when the Suez Canal was
opened TO the traffic OF the workl.
it was the fashion In England 10
ieer at the canal. Newspapers, mag
azines and statesmen were agreed
that II the Pharaohs and imperial
Rome had been unable to keep
canal across the isthmus open, 1t was
not very likely that a trifIing peo
pie like the French would be able !
to accomplish anything.
Not only did we refuse cooper
alton" remarks Stephen Jeans, an
English waterways expert. but We
refused II with that species of in
civility of which we are occasion
ally guilty when We have our in
sular prejudices offended"
The builders OF the Suez Canal
had their difficulties, though they
were by no means such serious dit-
ficdlties as have been overcome in
the building of the Panama Canal.
The greatest elevation which the
Suez Canal had to be cut through |
was a ridge OF hills. six miles N
length. which varied in height from
thirty to sixty feet above sea level.
in Panama, the Culebra Cut has
had TO go down through five hun
dred feet OF rock and sliding soil
for long stretches The problem of
was not nearly so severe
in Suez as that which has been
solved ;r Panama. But for all tha:
The French had their troubles.
Ard Egypt Was the Goat
In the first place the canal cost
more than IL was originally estimat-
ID II would The optimistic De Les
,eps believed at first that he could
luild the canal for forty million
lOllars Eventually II cost more than
ninety millions. The Egyptian gov
rnmeut advanced a large sum as
oan and later subscribed for a big
block OF stock. II was unable to
Day for it's stock subscriptions and
IlS s'ttN was idttT SOlu III l-oilupn,
where the British government, I'll
lally convinced that the canal vas
! success, was glad 10 gobble it mp
The Pasha of Egypt had agreed,
TO supply fifteen thousand ,
o twenty thousand laborerj to dig
De Lesseps canal for very low
wages The French company guar
nteed these Egyptian workmen good
ood and sanitary care, and when {
hey failed to provide it, the PaShl |,
allied off his men, and it was nee
ssary to import laborers from Eu~
ope. The French company COM
lained of breach of contract. per-
uaded the Egyptians to accept Ma
oleon IL. as a good arbitrator, and $
'rung about twenty million dollars a
lcre out of exhausted Egypt. Di
actly and indirectly, the canal cost =
he land OF pyramids about eighty /
We million dollars, and in order 70 t
ct free of its financial difficulties,