THE FINISHING OF THE CANAL.
The canal was finished in the latter part of 1869, and opened for traffic on the 17th of November of that year. Forty-eight ships went from Port Said to Suez, on that day and the next, carrying guests who had been invited to the ceremonies. All nations of the world may be said to have taken part in the affair, which was on a magnificent scale, and cost many thousands of dollars to the Khedive of Egypt and the canal company. When the ceremonies were over, the canal was formally opened for business, and has been open ever since.
The canal is a hundred miles long from Suez to Port Said. The following figures of its dimensions will be found interesting:
| FEET | |
|---|---|
| Width at water line, where banks are low, | 328 |
| Width at water line, where banks are high, | 190 |
| Width at bottom, | 72 |
| Depth, | 26 |
| Slope of bank near water line, one foot in five. |
At frequent intervals there are wide spaces where ships may pass, and there are three lakes which were formed by the filling of depressions in the desert. These lakes are pretty sheets of water, and one of them—Lake Timsah—has become a pleasure resort where the people of Cairo go to enjoy salt-water bathing.
The advantages of the canal to the commerce of the world are very great. The old routes have been partially abandoned for the new one, and at present the movement of steamers through the canal averages more than a hundred a month each way, not to speak of sailing ships and smaller craft. The saving of distance by the canal may be shown by the following table.
| Via Cape of Good Hope. | Via Suez Canal. | Distance Saved. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England to Bombay (nautical miles), | 10,860 | 6,020 | 4,840 |
| New York to Bombay, | 11,520 | 7,920 | 3,600 |
| St. Petersburg to Bombay, | 11,610 | 6,770 | 4,840 |
| Marseilles to Bombay, | 10,560 | 4,620 | 5,940 |