Evening journal., 1914-12-09
National Geographic Sociefy's War Primer
No. IS.

WASHINGTON. d. c.. Dec. 9.-That
the Suez Canal. figuring so prominent
ly in the military operations TO which
Turkey is a party. is not the first canal
that joined the Red Sea with the Medi-
terranean, is briefly told in a state
ment prepared for the press today by
the National Geographic Society
From the morning history. the
West has sought to break into the East
by way of Suez. Somewhere during
the years 1350-1300 b. c.. the Egyp-
tians. under Seu / and Rameses III,
Joined the Nile by way of Lake Timsah
TO the Red Sea. thus opening a water
way. the archetype of the present
canal. from the Mediterranean. over
the Suez Isthmus. TO the Orient This
canal was choked by sand IN the
course OF ages. NcchO. about 600 g.
c. began a canal from ancient Bubas-
tbs, and Darius Hystaspis. one hun
dred years later, completed the work.
once more bringing the Red Sea and
Nile together. Although nearly chok-
ed up by the beginning of the Chris
tian era, IL was navigable to a degree
as late as the Battle Of Actium, and
some OF Cleopaira's ships escaped this
way TO the Red Sea
"Trajan restored the canal Il fell
into disuse and choked up again
Amru. the Islamic conQueror OF
Egypt. restored It for the last time in
the seventh century. connecting Cairo
with the Red Sea Napoleon caused
the old route TO be surveyed. but was
forced 10 drop the project After him
Metternich. the great reactionary
Prime Minister OF Austria-Hungary
stimulated a Suez Commission In 1S47
Nothing, however. came of II.
'As the world we'll knows. the Sueg
Canal was built by the man who fail
ed TO build the Panama Canal-Couni
Ferdinand de Lesseps It's original
depth was 26 Ia feet. and its bottom
width ~ feet. Il could accommodate
ships of "a 7-12 feet. but it was in op.
Grafton II years, beginning in 1869
before vessels OF such draft soughl
passage. BY 1890 its depth had beer
increased % IL feet. and when tn,
United States announced its intention
TO make canal II feet deep and BOO
feet wide at its narrowest bottom
point, at Panama, the work at Sues
was extended so as ultimately to Civ,
a bottom width of 1874 1-2 feet and 4
depth of 36 1-2 feet II was expectee
that this enlargement would be com.
plete by next year but the war has
interrupted operations.
How much larger than the aver.
age demands for a canal the Panama
waterway has been made is strikinply
SHOWN by statement from Suez Ia
the enect that only one per cent OF
the ships seeking passage by that
route have a draft of 2S feet.
In 1863, ten vessels passed through
the Suez Canal. In 1912, 5.373 shin.
steamed through. of 20,275,12O mel
tonnage. and paying for this privilege
around s25.OOO.00O. Seven out ot
every ten Of these ships flew the Brit
ish nag. England has dominated tn,
canal ever since the Khedive. in 1875
sold his 176.602 canal shares for 500,
100000, to the Bristish Government
These shares are now worth close I,
S2OO,OO0OOO.
The Society also gave out the fol
lowing short pen picture Of the cit,
of Rheims, which has suffered 81
heavily in the many wars in whicl
France has participates
The tourists Rheims was cuie
and peaceful, even industrial an
commercial peace and neighborl
forebearance seeming to reign theri
The whole appearance of the plac
made its warlike history seem as dis
tant and unreal as the romance O
folklore. Rheims was one Of tn
most sleepy Of all truly prosperou
cities.
1T preserved with tenacIty an al
reminiscent of the Middle Ages. Iii
homes were old-style. its streets weri
cobbly, and its young men and womeI
regularly danced in the open nigh
on the naked sands and gravel of tn,
parks, as their forebears had don,
under the Louiss. Rheims. despit,
its more than proper share of stirring
tumultuous history and the wealth
which its commerce and industry haC
brought to 1t, maintained an attitud,
of listless reflection upon tho days