The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-12-08
Suez Is Not First Canal to
Connect Red Mediterranean Sea


Washington, -. c.. Dec. s.-Thatl
the suez canal. nguring 80 prominent
~ Ia the military operations 10 which
Turkey is q party, h. not he FIRST
canal that joined the Red sea with
the Mediterranean is briehy told in a
statement prepared FOR the press to-
day by the National Geographic
society.
From the morning OF history. the
west has sought TO break ilto the
east by way al Suez Somewhere
during the years i350-i3Oo b. e.. the
Egyptians. under Set. , and Ramases
"a, Joined the Nile by way OF LAKE
Timsah TO the Red sea-, nus opening
"a waterway. the arcnetype Of the
present canal from the Mediierran-
can. over the Suez isthmus, TO tho
orient. This canal was choked by
sand iu the course OF ages Necho,
about 600 y. c., began a canal from
ancient BuDastis. and Darius Hystas-
pts. one hundred years later. com
pleted the WORK, once more bringing
the Red sea and Nile together. Al
though nearly ,hokcd up by the be-
ginning 81 the Christian era. IL was
nayigable 10 a. degree as late as the
battle OF Actlum, and some OF cleo
patras ships escaped this way 60 the
Red sea.
"Trajsn restored the canal n fell
into disuse and choked up again
Amru. the lslamic conquerOr ~
Egypt, restored II tor the last time
Doc the seventh centur connecting
afro With the Red sea Napoleon
caused the odd route Co bc surveyed.
bat was forced to drop she project.
After him N~,itctnich, The great re-
dictionary prime minister OF Austria
Hungary. 81 nu'7ted o Suez commits
sion lu iSi1. Nothing. however,
came of a..
a. the world well knows, the
suc canal was built oy the man who
failed 60 build the Panama canal
Count Ferdinand Dc Lesseps. Its orig
iral dcrth was 20 Ia feet, aud us
bottom width % feet II could ace
coumodate ships Of 2tT-i2 feet, hut
b. was in operation ~ years, 1csi1-
ming in 1859. he'ara vessels ~ such
draft sought passage. By 1880 rs
depth had been increased 29h feet.
ana when the United states %annou1c-
ed its intention 90 make Il canal a.
feet deep and 500 feet wide az its
I u-1rroWest bottom point. AT Panama
the work o. sucz was extended so as
Ultimately 10 give a bottom width OF
tais feet ana a depth 81 3sia feet.
n vas expected that this enlargement
would Dee complete by mex year. but
the War has interrupted operations.
How much larger than the aver
age demands for a canal the Panama
ID IL. fuHENnHN.
shown by "a statement from Suez 90
the effect that only one per cent OF
the ships seeking passage by that
route have "a draft Of % feet
I'm 1888. ten vessels passed through
the sucz canal In iel2. 5.312 ships
steamed through, OF 2J.2I5,i2e net
tonnage. and paying for This priv
lleg. around 815.00u.00 Seven cut
Of every ten OF these ships few the
British nag. England has dominat-
Cd the canal ever since the khediV".
ia 1875. sold his l76, 6Os canal shares
I Tor $50. zoo. 900, 20 h British gov
! eramcnt. These shares are nov
/ worth close 90 t20o, 00o. Q o
The society also save out the fol-
! lowing short Pen picture OF n city
! OF Rheims whilh has suffered -
heavily IN the many wars in which
| France has participated
The tourists Rheims was quiet
and peaceful even Industrial and
/ commercial peace and ~ueighborly for-
bearance seeming 60 reiEn there Tine
whole appearance Of the place made
lts Warllke history seem as distant
ana unreal as the romance Of tolk-
lore. Rheims was one az the most
sleepy OF an truly prosperous cities
IT preserved with tenaciiy an air
( reminiscent OF the middle ages. lts
homes were old-style, Us streets Nere
coobly. and its young men and women
regularly danced in the open night on
the naked sands and gravel of the
parks. as their forebears had done
under the Louise Rheims, despite
Hs more than proper shsrc a stir
ring. tumultuous history and the
wealth which H. commerce and In
dustry had brought 60 it. maintained
an attitude OF i~isiless reflection upon
the days when the kings af Franc
were crowned with all manner oi
proud show In its %wonderful cathe-
daL Rheims eut in,o "A calmly pro-
gressiye doze. II there gan be- such "a
thing. JUST after 10 Witnessed The most
THRILLING eIent in an its history The
crownlhn a charles va presided
over hy deathiess Joan ~ Arc.
This small French city has been