Mohave County miner., 1916-10-14
BRITISH SET UP A
 BARRIER AGAINST
 INVASION BY TURKS

of the theatres ofwar furnishes more interesting features than the zone along the Suez canal, where the Brit ish have set up a barrier against in- vasion of this most important territory by the Turks. Official communiques have given but small idea of the won- derful military organization which has been built up here in the desert.
 When Lieut.. Gen. Sir Archibald Murray last January assumed charge as commander-in-chief of the British forces in Egypt they were occupying positions along the canal itself. Vir- tuaIly the only avenue of approach for the Turks was across the sandy wastes of the northern half of the peninsula, the lower part being mountainous and impracticable for movement of troops. Up to this time it had been thought that no military force could cross the desert during the hot season (from March until November) and that the canal therefore would be entirely safe from attack during the summer.
 General Murray, however, after looking over the ground, decided that while no army ever had crossed the waterless tracts in summer, yet it was possible. Accordingly, he began to thrust his defences out from the east bank of the canal until at present he has fortified line established at an average distance of about 10 miles from the waterway and some 90 miles in Iength-almost as long as the Brit ish front in France.
 General Murray's policy was vindi cated early last month when an army of 14,OOO Turks did succeed in cross ing the desert, engaging the British at Romani, where they met with dis astrous defeat. Had this fight been waged on the banks of the canal, even with the same result, shipping neces- sarily would have been greatly de- Iayed. As it was the canal was as quiet as a woodland stream.
 In the organization of his defences in the canal zone, General Murray has made use of the training he had early in the war in France, when, as chief of the general staff, under General French, he played a leading role in the skillful British retreat from Mons.
 An opportunity to study the organi- zation and to see every feature of the defences of the canal was given to a representative of the Associated Press just transferred from the British front in France to the blistering heat and the shifting sands of the Sinai desert.
 General Murray is waging what might be called constructive war fare" In order to establish and main tain his troops in the desert it has been necessary to construct highways and railways, many miles of which will be of inestimable value to Egypt after the war, for wherever possible he is building with the idea of perma- nency. For example, within a com paratively short time, should the op- erations continue, Port Said, Ismailia and Cairo will be linked by rock ballasted highway which would do credit to any country. All told, the commander has built (deleted by cen sor) miles of highway and railroad, and the work is being pushed steadily forward in many places.
 The outer line of defence consists of a series of fortified positions among the sand dunes. The same type of trenches as are found in Europe have been used, excepting that there are few dugouts. The soldiers live mainly under canvas or in wooden buildings. Beyond these, extending the entire length of the canal, is an almost solid line of barbed wire entanglements. The correspondent covered many miles of this territory on horseback, and everywhere was seen the same de- tailed preparedness for both offensive and defensive warfare.
 The establishment of the outposts has been a difficult matter. All the ex- eavations have been made in a sand which shifts and slides at the slight est touch, involving a vast amount of digging and snoring. Worst of all has been Day after day the soldiers have Iabored under a scorching sun thrown back from the sands with the fierce ness of a furnace blast. A tempera- ture of 12O or 130 degrees, Fahren- heit, in the shade, has not been un- common and in the sun the thermo- meter has registered perhaps 50 to 60 degrees more. Added discomfort has Loo,, +ba aHac+ of +ba c11u 1-aheptad