Show THE SUEZ SHIP CANAL bowtho truffle along alone tato waterway Is 1 managed enormous roes the number of ships in the canal at the same mine tune time is something very groat great dec 8 last for example fifteen steamers cleared the canal of which seven were outward bound the pre previous ious day nine ships cleared and tho the day before seven so that during tho the esth some thirty ships were probably at one time in the canal sometimes thero there are as many as forty and all are under the control of tho the french gentleman sitting at his desk in an upper chamber at Terro plein the method of working is excessively simple against the wall at one side of tho the room is a narrow shelf or platform along which runs a groove at intervals this trough or groove has deep recesses and at two places these recesses are of larger size this trough or groove represents the canal the recesses are arc tho the sidings the larger intervals are the great bitter lake and laka lahe Tim timson soll when a vessel about to enter the canal at say the suez end a small toy boat or model three or four inches long is chosen to represent her A group of these model ships stands ready beside the model canal each furnished with a flag about forty have the english flag ten or a dozen the rench french flag and so on with other nationalities ali ties As the steamer comes up and her name is known it is ia written on paper and placed on the toy boat the whole number of ships thus actually in the canal at any moment can be seen at a glance and as the telegraphic signals give notice the toy boats are moved along or placed in a siding or shown traversing one of the lakes at full speed signals are sent from the office to the various valious I 1 gares prescribing the siding at al which each ship must stop to let another meet and pass it the official who is on duty keeps the models moving as he receives notice taking care when perhaps two ships going in opposite directions are both nearing the same siding to give timely warning to the pilots in charge by means of the signal balls and flags at each station under his control from the office office and to direct which of the two is to lie up and which to proceed barring accidents the whole arrangement goes like liko clockwork the clerk can read oil oce in a moment the name tonnage nationality draught and actual situation of every steamer he be can tell what pilot pilo t s re has on board what is her breadth of beam what rato rate she is moving at and everyll everything ang else which has to be known about her and he is able without an effort to govern all her movements to pass the night and the hour at which she is to get under way in the morning although he does not see her and probably never saw raw her ingils in his life the fees which caves vessels pay for passing through the canal are often enormous some of the large liners of the peninsular and oriental or the orient service pay as much as 1800 in makin malang a single transit for every passenger nger half a napoleon or eight shillings and is charged three fourth of the ships that go through the tha canal are english saturday review |