| 1 |
I am looking for business partners to take part in my project. My plan is to connect the Mediterranean and the Red Sea to make a fast route to India. It will be called the Suez Canal. |
| 2 |
It took some effort but the new ruler of Egypt, Said Pasha, has authorized me to build the Suez Canal. Now I am raising money and looking for partners to found the Suez Canal Company. |
| 3 |
The canal will make the travel between Europe and Asia much faster by avoiding the route around the Cape of Good Hope controlled by the British. Let me tell you more about it at lunch. |
| 4 |
I have two French engineers working on the construction plans. They will still need to be approved but I am feeling optimistic. We can start collecting materials for the construction. |
| 5 |
I may be getting ahead of myself, but there was this fine deal for workers’ uniforms. So I have already purchased them. We will need to provide some helmets too. |
| 6 |
The schematics have been approved so we are ready to begin the construction. I have already put up an ad that we are looking for workers. Might be faster if you help with that too. |
| 7 |
Of course, there is some criticism. Especially the British don’t like our plans. Lord Palmerston, the head of the British government, is very vocal about it. But I have no time to worry about it. |
| 8 |
There is also a worry that the sea around Port Said is full of mud and will obstruct the entrance to the canal. We will try to remove as much mud as we can to reach rock bottom. |
| 9 |
We need two hundred million francs to found the Suez Canal Company which will be taking care of the construction. I have raised almost half of it from investors in France but other countries are reluctant. |
| 10 |
Your contribution was helpful too but in the end, Said Pasha and the Egyptian Government saved us with their investment. They also promised to provide us with the explosives for the construction. |
| 11 |
I must visit the representatives of other countries that have interests in the Suez Canal. I need the approval of the Ottoman Empire. We will discuss it with the Grand Vizier at lunch. |
| 12 |
The Ottoman Empire is under the influence of the British. So I must travel to Britain and speak to Lord Palmerston too. That man is hard to deal with. Can your sailors take me to London? |
| 13 |
The talk with Lord Palmerston was fruitless. I will find a way how to proceed even without his approval. Meanwhile, I have secured mining rights in Egypt and tax-free imports for other materials. |
| 14 |
I have agreed to hire most workers here in Egypt. Still, I would like to hire some French engineers to work on the schematics. Their work will be more costly but necessary. |
| 15 |
We will start the construction soon. We have Said Pasha’s approval and I am waiting no more. There are still some preparations before we can start the excavation of the canal itself. |
| 16 |
We must build housing for the workers before the construction begins. Small wooden houses will be sufficient. We should be able to easily dismantle them and move them along the canal. |
| 17 |
An issue could be access to fresh water. It’s desert all around here. There was a plan to built water distilleries but that’s expensive. We will have to build a canal to bring fresh water from the Nile. |
| 18 |
The first workers arrive tomorrow. Then we can start the construction of the canal. They have housing and freshwater. But we still need to provide some food for them. |
| 19 |
We are starting today. Let’s give out helmets to the workers to provide some safety for them. It will also shield them from the scorching sun. You can get heatstroke in no time here. |
| 20 |
I have made a deal to purchase old dredging equipment from the Nile. It will serve for now. If we can get more money for new machines we will get those too. Now go pick up the equipment. |
| Final |
My dream has come true and the Suez Canal is open. Take these artifacts that were found during the excavations as a reward for your help. |
FERDINAND DE LESSEPS
6,800
4,100
2,900
3,000
500
840
20
20
40
30
30
30