Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

THE SUEZ CANAL. 255 Further Improve- ments. central railway station. The remainder of the trip was of little interest, but as the sun rose we detected small caravans of camels making their way along the principal highways laden with, merchandise. The trip occupied exactly sixteen hours. Since 1896, £1,250,000 has been expended upon the widening and improvement of this great waterway. More than twenty stations have been provided at various points between the termini, nearly all the curves have been eased, and gares pro- vided at intervals of about 3 miles. During the same period vast improvements have been effected concerning the welfare of the numer- ous employees engaged in the maintenance of the Canal. The ravages of the mosquito- bred fever which formerly prevailed along the isthmus have been checked. A modern sani- tary system was evolved for Ismailia by the Egyptian Government in co-operation with the Canal Company, the results of which have been completely successful. At Ismailia stands a huge hospital, with, its dispensaries, where the sick of the surrounding country receive free medical assistance and advice. A compre- hensive idea of the natives’ estimation of this interest in their well-being is afforded by the fact that the dispensers of Ismailia and Port Thewfik, the Red Sea entrance to the Canal, have attended 120,000 cases and held over 500,000 consultations. Apart from the actual widening of the Canal, the improvements include many interesting enterprises. At Port Said, to the west of the railway station, a new dock is to be con- structed. The object of this is to encourage the building of warehouses, so that vessels may berth beside the piers, thus obviating the necessity for discharging into lighters and barges as at present. Should this first dock prove successful, a second and a third will be made upon similar lines, and connected by a navigable channel with the Canal proper. The opening of the Egyptian Government railway, which links Port Said with Cairo, has resulted in a heavy traffic, vessels stopping at Port Said to unload their cargoes intended for Egypt. Also, a number of basins and docks for colliers and oil-boats are in course of con- struction upon the eastern bank. When these are completed, the space at present occupied by this class of traffic will be available for vessels carrying general merchandise destined for the interior of Egypt. On the African bank of the Canal facilities are to be provided for the unloading of colliers and other vessels, and for the erection of depots along the line of the railway. The gare at Port Thewfik is to be deepened, and other improvements effected. Furthermore, a large tract of land has been reclaimed from Lake Menzaleh. A deep and wide channel lias been dredged across the shallow waters of this lake, and a ferry service established by the Menzaleh. Canal and Navigation Companies between Port Said and Matarieh, the eastern point of the fertile country of Mansourah. This channel is to be connected ultimately to the main waterway by means of a lock, the present fresh-water canal extending alongside the main Canal being siphoned under the channel. Some conception of the enormous traffic handled by the Canal Company may be gained from the following figures, which give the number of vessels, their tonnage, and the tolls paid, since 1902 :— Year. No. of Vessels. Gross Tonnage. Gross Receipts. 1902 3,708 11,248,413 £4,209,381 1903 3,761 11,907,288 4,205,934 1904 4,237 13,401,835 4,715,706 1905 4,116 13,134,105 4,609,370 1906 3,975 13,445,504 4,320,742 1907 4,267 14,728,434 4,700,137 Of the 4,267 ships which used the Canal in 1907, 2,651 flew the British flag, 580 the German, and 239 the French. The total number of passengers carried by the ships in this year through the waterway was 243,826.