Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1917-01-15
PUSHED HARD TASK.
Really Wonderful Work Accomplished
In the Faes Of Almost Incredible
Difficulties, Though success
Was Not % Be-.

In writing Of q recent TIP 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
snort to force q crossing Of the canal,
- an English ofiicer told him.
"'We1l be at Kantarah soon,' said
. young gray-eyed onicsr Of the In
dian marine.
II looked forward. The canal wound
gracefully away to the southwark,
fringed on the Egyptian side BY Q 70.
ffeshing growth Of green palms and
drab acacias, broken at long intervals
By uny bungalows, where employees Of
the canal company kept eternal watch
over the company's interests, much a.
the armed sentries across the way
stood guard for the empire. On the
Arabian side was nothing but the BIZ.
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 prowi
up and down, sucking at the invading
streams like monstrous anteaters fac
Ing q migratory tide Of insects.
Kantarahr
"Yes. There It IL now His face BE-
came animated Leaning far forward,
be 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. I was in
charge Of couple of armed tugs.
We kept running up and down from
here to Ismailia, banging away In the
lark"
but they reached the canalr
"'0h. yes. They launched some
pontoons-two. There's one now. The
others down at IsmaIlla.'
There. just swinging into the Kan
tarah bank at the end Of q cable, for
al the world like a Chinese ferry on
the Grand canal. loaded with Indian
troops. horses and fodder. was a barge
IKE iron pontoon. ! recognized Its Ger
man origin; for had seen such be-
fore. But this was the first vessel
had ever known to cross q desert that
tries the stamina Of BedouIns and the
endurance Of dromedaries. II was not |
the last. There was another ut Is
MALTA. And at Pork Tewfik there
was long row Of them. punctured b.
shrapnel and bullets. filed with saod !
and used a. q causeway.
ut was In my heart to feel sympathy
Tor the wasted efforts OF these surpris-
Ing Turks. II win be n long while
before we understand the organiza.
lion Of the army that crossed the des-
srt, dragging pontoons and heavy guns
tffectIng simultaneous attacks at three
main points on a front extending a
hundred miles along a barren shore
Sith salt desert ms base; and per- |
listing In the attacks to the point Of |,
launching several pontoons-six Of
which. probably, could have support |
ID bridge and afforded sufficient &C
sommodation for n strong advance
yuard. There was one thing. however.
that aroused equal admiration; II was
The appalling neatness with which the
attack was smashed. II was rs though !
three serpcnts. having crawled across
the desert. reared their heads stimuli. !
laneously only to hsse them complete
" crushed by several very large and
sery determined hobnailed boots.
ut was all explained to me In de- |
tail. but cannot explain II TO you.
Nevertheless. I should like to have
picked Kantarah camp up bodily
and deposited II somewhere near
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