New Britain herald., 1927-03-11
PORT FUAD IS NEW BUT IS IMPORTANT
Becomes Principal Seaport Town Of Palestine


 'uad.
 Search the maps, run through the e'lases, sift the gazetteers and you will not find Port Fuad. It is q newly matched city. February 21, was two months old.
 But Port F'uad has prospects. Its proud and very new city fathers
 expect that within few years, when railroad comes to town, Fort Fuad will be the chief port of Palestine.
 They hope for this fortunate day despite the fact that Port F'uad is in Egypt, not Palestine. The new city S at the Mediterranean end of the Suez Canal. But that is the location bf Port Said, nearly everyone will other side. Port Euad and Port Said are twin cities. like Fl Paso and luarez, San Diego and Tiajuana, Detroit and Windsor, Canada, and Minneapolis and St. Paul.
 Lcsseps Had Dream
 On December 21, the godfather bs the new city, King Fuad of Egypt, a portly Moslem in q fez, walked down the gangplank of the royal Egyptian yacht 10 inspect and ehristen the city. With him were he diplomatic representatives of all he major powers including the
 nited States.
 The official proclaimers of Port Fuad did not have to dedicate a Eand waste to future hopes. They landed, drove through green lawns knd parks, passed five hundred or nore newly occupied homes, some Tor laborers, some for skilled work ers viewed playgrounds, schools, ktores, wharves and all the essen- kials for a town. There is much epace to grow, to be sure, but that is the reason why Port Fuad is a Eity.
 Until Ferdinand dc Lesseps, then h French vice consul at Alexandria, had a dream of a ship canal be- tween the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the present sites of Port tuad and Port Said were buried under blue water. Examination of a detailed map reveals that the Suez Canal passes for 20 miles Trough the eastern end of Lake of hlenzala, which is a huge lagoon of he Nile delta. The lake is sprinkled Mith sand cays or islands. Before he construction Of the canal a line rf narrow islands provided a thin hike between the Mediterranean and the lake.
 Makes Real Estate
 On one of these islands and on eand thrown up by dredges was built Port Said from which a long breakwater of concrete blocks stretches straight out into the Medl- terranean. Port Said Is small but growing island. It looks out on the Mediterranean and looks back on bake of Mcnzala. Nearest maln- hand Is about 20 miles away. The .t1rea kwater has pocketed sand dis Irhargcd by the Nile and so the shore Is growing steadily in the di- |rection of Gibraltar. The statue Of le Lessaps, his arms spread wide ln welcome to ships Of all nations, .stands on an lengthoning Ibrea kwater.
 In spite of the seas real estate activities Port Said is too small. Therefore the Canal Company de- cided 20 years ago to develop an- .other port on the opposite bank. A |companion hreakwater and the |lredges have manufactured the Foundations of Port Fuad although there was always more sand there 'than at Port Said. Having put into practice the newest principles of city planning, the Canal Company began moving their people over. Four days befor Christmas they called in the King of Egypt to de- |clare Port Fuad incorporated and |full fledged.
 At present the railroad which Iconnects Palestine and Cairo crosses the canal at Kantara which lis 30 miles south of Port Said. None |of the 5000 steamers which carried nearly 3o0,0 passengers last year stops at kantara but they all stop lat Port Said to take on or drop a pilot. Many coal there. Since the steamers halt anyway citizens Of l Port Fuad now hope that branch railroad will come to give quick ac- |cess 10 Palestine. Then the easiest way to Jerusalem would be through Port Tuad instead of Jaffa, which is | off the ship lanes.