Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1917-04-20
PUSHED iAR HARD TASK Il
Turks, DESPERATE EFFORT TO
CROSS THE DESERT.
Really Wonderful Work Accomplished
In the Face Of Almost Incredible
Difficulties, Though Success
Was Not to Be.

Was Not 10 BE-
In writing Of n recent trip through
the Surz canal. In llnrprr's Magazine
William Ashley Anderson tells the
story of how ne Turks brought pom
tuon boats across the desert in Their
efr,r, to force u crossing al ia" canal,
AZ IN English officer told him.
".WrW he ut Kantarah S""n. said
a Young gruy-cycd officer Of the In
dian marine.
81 looked forward. The canal wound
gracefully away TO the southwark,
frinrrd on the Egyptian sid" 10y Il re-
frrShing growth Of green palms and
drah aciriaS. broken at long intervals
by HEY bungalows. where employees at
the canal company kept eternal "atrh
over the company's interests. much rs
the armed s,ntri"S ACROSS III" way
stood guard for the empire ON IN"
Arabian side WAS nothing but Ia" bill
lowing sand. crow,ling itself ~ III"
very waters edge, AMI Srcpin" int" tn"
channel. ,,.~pii" III" r"N"'m"ntS "f
stor,,. brought in ballast from far COM
tries t" bold the tiny particle. in "h'''A.
despite the great drrdgrS that prov
up and down. sucking at the invading
streams like monsrrous ant"at"rS fac
Ing q migratory tide Of insects.
'KantarahT
ayes. There il is now His face. he
came animated Leaning far forward,
he fixed his gaz, nn TIL" approaching;
spot. and there. sur" enough, WAS Kan
tarah. the point nearest Port Said.
where the Turks lad attempted 10
cross.
Mot far. He C-innrd. 4 Wa in
charge OF II couple Of armed tugs.
We kept running up and down from
here Ia I<mailia, banging away In the
dark
"'But they reached the ranal"
"'Oh. yes. They launched som"
pontnnnS-two. There's one now. TIL"
others down nj Ismailia.'
There. just swinging into The Kan
tarah bank nj the end If II cable. for
all the world like Chinese ferry on
the Grand canal. loaded with indian
troops horses and fodder. WIS Il barge
like iron puntOnn. ! recognized its ter
man origin: for | had seen such he
fore. But this was the first vessel
had eyer known tn cross desert that
tries the stamina At E"d"uIuS AMI n"
endurance uf druurhari-S. Il was not
th,. last Thrrr WIS another ~ Is
MALTA. And at Pork T"wiik there
WAS u l"n.; row Of them. puurrurrd hy
shrapnrl and bullets filled with sand
and used is Il cauScwny.
Il, WAS ia my heart tn feel sympathy
for the wasted efforts of th">r snrpri>-
iug Turks. II viii hr Il long while
before We understand the "rganiza-
ton If the army that crossed IA" dcS-
cr'. dragging pnnt"nnS and heavy guns.
encciinE simultaneous attacks ri three
main points On front extending n
hundred miles along barren shore
with salt desert aS Il base; ana per
SiStinC. in the attacks 10 ia" point of
launching several pnntnnnS-siN Of
which. probably. could hav" support
cd bridge and afforded sufficient ac-
Commodatinn for strong advance
guard. There was one thing however.
that aroused equal admiration: il WIS
the appalling nratncSs with which the
attack WAS smashed. II WIS rs though
tire" S"rpcntS. having craNlrh across
the desert. reared their beads Siuul-
tan""uSly only Ia have them complete
" crushed by several very lnr-" and
very determined hulnHilcd boots.
1T WAS all explained 10 me- IN DE-
tail. hut | cannot explain it I" you.
Nevertheless. I should Ike To- have
picked kanturah camp w bodily
and deposited II somewhere near