Gilpin observer., 1916-12-28
PUSHED HARD TASK
TURKS DESPERATE EFFORT TO
CROSS THE DESERT.
Really Wonderful Work Accomplished
In the Face Of Almost Incredible
Difficulties, Though Success
Was Not to Be.

In writing OF q recent trip through
the Suez canal, in Harper's Magazine,
William Ashley Anderson tells the
story of how the Turks brought pom
toon boats across the desert in their
effort to force a crossing of the canal,
as an English officer told him.
"'We'll be at Kantarah sOon,' said
a young gray-eyed officer Of the In
dian marine.
II looked forward. The canal wound
gracefully away to the southwark,
fringed on the Egyptian side by re-
freshing growth of green palms and
drab acacias, broken at long intervals
by tiny bungalows, where employees of
the canal company kept eternal watch
over the company's interests, much as
the armed sentries across the way
stood guard for the empire. On the
Arabian side was nothing but the bill
lowing sand, crOwding itself to the
very waters edge, and seeping into the
channel, despite the revetments of
stone brought in ballast from far coun-
tries to hold the tiny particles in check,
despite the great dredges that prowl
up and down, sucking at the invading
streams like mOnstrOus anteaters fac
ing migratory tide of insects.
"'KantarahY
ayes. There it is now.' His face be-
came animated. Leaning far forward,
he fixed his gaze on the approaching
spot, and there, sure enough, was Kan
tarah, the point nearest Port Said,
where the Turks had attempted to
cross.
"'Not far He grinned. 4 was in
charge of couple of armed tugs.
We kept running up and down from
here to Ismailia, banging away in the
dark"
"'But they reached the canal?'
"Oh, yes. They launched some
pontOons-two. There's one now. The
others down at Ismailia.'
"There, just swinging into the Kan
tarah bank at the end of cable, for
all the world like Chinese ferry on
the Grand canal, loaded with Indian
troops, horses and fodder, was barge
like iron pontOon. recognized it's Ger
man origin; for had seen such be-
fore. But this was the first vessel I
tries the stamina of BedOuins and the
endurance of dromedaries. 1t was not
the last. There was another at Is
MALTA. And at Pork Tewfik there
was long row Of them. punctured by
shrapnel and bullets, filled with sand
and used as a causeway.
1T was in my heart to feel sympathy
for the wasted efforts of these surpris-
ing Turks. 1t will be a long while
before we understand the Organiza-
ton Of the army that crossed the des-
ert, dragging pontOOns and heavy guns,
effecting simultaneous attacks at three
main points on front extending q
hundred miles along a barren shore
with a salt desert as base; and per-
sisting In the attacks to the point Of
launching several pOntOOns-six Of
which, probably, could have support
ed = bridge and afforded sufficient &C.
cOmmOdatiOn for strong advance
guard. There was one thing, however.
that aroused equal admiration; it was
the appalling neatness with which the
attack was smashed. 1t was as though
three serpents, having crawled across
the desert, reared their heads stimuli
taneOusly only to have them complete
ly crushed by several very large and
very determined hobnailed boots.
ut was all explained to me in de-
tail, but I cannot explain 1t to you.
Nevertheless, I should like to have
picked Kantarah camp up bodily
and deposited 1t somewhere near