FART ONE
CANAL MARINO
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TItE (tI,ÇMIIUS SIOSEMEXT At CIUSTOUAL
CHAPTER. 1
TBK BT}I OP TItE PRO)CT
Wszw Columbus, eearching for a new route te
tbe Orient, obanoed te latid in the Weat Indies, the
natives there told him etrange etories about a strait
througb which one might travel westward late
watere that led directly te the latid for which he
was eeeking. His belief in these stories increased as
bis later voyagee took him closer and closer te the
western continent aud finaily te the mainland ¡tael!.
Li thoee days mapa were based on beliefs as well
as on facta. The faith Columbus liad la this secret
strait which he had never seen is shown ja the rnap
that was inspired by 1dm, although not published
until two ycare site bis deatb. This map has no
lsthmus o! PatialBa, but shows ¡a ita place a strait
permitting direet paasage froto Europe te India.
Foliowing Columbus carne Balboa with bis exploration of the Iathmus and bis disoovery of the
Paciñc Oceas. Curiously enough, the legead of a
strait stifl persisted. The Indiana toid Balboa that
acreas the newly discovered isthmus there was an
all-water connection between the Atlantic Ocean
and the "South Sea." Balboa believed this story
1
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ta
BTORY or
pnjua
just as Columbus liad believed the legend toid blm
by other Indian tribes.
Geographers and explorera accepted the exist.ence
of tbis unseen strait., and the discovery of t.he elusive
and myst.erious stream becante the chief incentive
to moat of the exploration up aud down the coaat.
The explorera never found the strait, but out of
their failure grew the idea of digging a wat.erway te
connect the two oeeans.
Aud so the Panasna Canal is not a project of the
twcntieth century; nor yet of the nineteenth.
The conception dates back te 1523. The project
was firat propoaed to Charles V of Spain fuily two
hundred asid fiíty years before the birth of the
nation destined te construct the canal.
It was Hernando Corte; thc Spanish conqueror
of Mexico, who first proposed making the great
waterway. Corta was sent by bis monarch, CharIt8
V, to find the strait wbich was said te conneet the
Atlantic and the Pacifie oeeans. He searched diiigently along the SpaSh Main, witb an expenditure
of much time, energy and money.
Failing te find this inythical streain, the aten oid
conq-aistador determined upon the brilliant expedient
of nrnking a strait. His plana were cut short by
the treachery of bis followers, but he deservee mention as the pioneer in a movement which men were
destined te exploit lot four centuries. He en-
TEZ Bfl OF PifE PnOSÉCT
:3::
couraged lila consin, Alvaro de Saavedra Ceron, te
follow up bis work; and Saavedra finaily drew
plans for four traasisthmian water routes, intending
to submit these plans to the king of Spain.
The routes which Saavedra had in mmd were the
four tbat hayo received most attention in later
years - Dañen, Nicaragua, Tehuantepeo and Panama; but he did not Uve long enough to develop
any ene of theae plans. 'lien Charles V encouraged
other explorers to continuo the 8earcb for a natural
water route. It waa not until the abdication of
Charles V and the accession of Philip II that the
Spanih ceased tite attempt either te find an aHwater passage or Lo pierce the Isthmus.
Philip U introduced a reactionary policy wbich
put a» end to Spanish enterprise along tbat une
for almost a hundred years. ASter a» uníavorable
report frorn Antonelli, who liad been sent out by
the king te survey the Nicaragua» route, Phuip
laid the matter before bis Dominican friars, who in
reply quoted from tite Bible, "What God hat.h
joined together, lot no man put asunder." Deciding that this passage referred directly te Panazna,
tite Spanih king forbade any íurther attempta at
canal rnalcing as sacrilegious.
From the time that Cortez conceived the idea of
making a straitt, te tite ñrst attempt at ita actual
accomplishment, titree and a hall centuries later, tite
'St8TORT OF PANAMA
Iathmus of Panama was the center of stirring evento.
The conqut of Peru, the pirate raids of Drake and
of Morgan, tite diptomatic skirznishes of England
and Spain, sil contributed te keep Panazna in the
eye of the world.
The tJnited States liad been elow to recognize the
comxnercia,l neeeesity for a transisthrnian canal, but
tite subject was frequently conaidered ja Congresa
during the first hall of tite nineteenth century.
One comjnSioner aSter another was Bent te inveetigate possible routes and to approaeh the atates of
Central America whoae coóperation was esaential to
any Buch project. Variou8 plans were ¡nade, and at
severa¡ different times a canal under American control seemed to be assured; but always aome insuperable difficulty was encountered.
While canal building was still under discusaion,
tinte enterprising Aniericans built the Panama railroad, which for a time served to relieve the imperative demand for transcontinental tranaportation.
During the late flfties asid early 8irtiee tite United
States was too deeply engroesed with the vital
issuea of tite Civil War te consider canal construetion; and before the country was prepared to take
tite matter up lo all carnesinesa tite Frencb were
ready te engineer asid te finance a canal. Tina was
not, however, their first Isthmian Canal project, for
they liad previously ¡nade several attempts.
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CHIAPTER U
fl FRENQi ATTEMPT
In March, 1876, at the suggestion of Count Ferdinand de Leesepe, the Society of Comniercial
Geography at Paris organized a couimittee to go
into the subject of the projected Isthmian Canal.
De Leesepe, whoee succees in engineering the operations at Suez conmended hizo to the Society, was
chosen te preside at the deliberations of t.his body.
The Cominittee heid ite first meeting at Paris lo
May, 1879. It at once took upen itself an international character, as the name under wbich it
worked implied— "The International Scientific Congrees." Representatives from nearly all the civiiized
nations of the world were prcsent. The discusaion
lasted for several months, but the conclusions ol
the Committee may be su m zoed up in these words:
"The Conrees thinks that the construction of an
interoceanic waterway oit a const&flt level is pos ,
-sible;thaxnrofcmeadnvigtion a eea level canal is desirable; that the moet
practicable mute lies between the Gui! of Limon
axid the Bay of Paxiarna." The Committee believed
the cost would approximate $240,000,000.
7
8
TEL SPORT OF PANAMÁ
Hero, then, were the three paramount questiona:
(1)Whatkindof canal wastobebujlt? (2)What
waa Lo be ¡te location? (3) What would it coet?
The wiadom of the conclusiona of the Cominittee
has been confirmed on only one point, that of location. A sea leve! canal ¡a now belicved te be out
of the question, even with preeent-day machinery
sad methods. It ¡a estijnated that the lock canal
will coat $375,000,000, and it ¡a certain t.hat a sea
level canal would cost several times that amount,
ifindeedjtcoujdbebuiltatajl.
As the plans of De Leesepe liad been incorporated
in the ComLmittee's report (againat the vote of a
xnajority of the engineers on the Committee) and as
the Count had demonstrated bis ability te build
canaiR, he was given the direction of the project.
Qn tite I7th of August, 1879, a coxnpany was
organized under tite significant titie, Compagnie Uní-.
reselle du Cario! Interoceanique (Tbe Universal Interoceanic Canal Company). M. de Leseepe' conñdence
in tite success of tite project ¡a indicated ¡it an addrees
he inade at the time. He asid, "II a general who
has won lila first battle ¡a aaked whether he desiree
tite chance Lo win another, he yannot Suso." Witile
De Lesaepe appears Lo have lad no doubt about the
succesaf u! isaue of the undertaking, the project was
viewed with misgiving by more deliberate men, many
TRE TEZZ4CH ATFSMPT
9
of whom looked upon it at th.at time as altogether
impracticable.
But the romaatic nature of tite undertsking appealed te the Ftench people, and tite eiglity million
dollaru' worth of stock offered for sale was taken
within a short time. Tite enthuaiaatic De Leeeepa,
encouraged by tite readinesa with which this etock
was purchaaed, believed that sil was over except a
little work sad much shouting. However, it la not
atrange that a man who liad juat built the Suez
Canal - a man endowed with tite optimistic temperament of tite beat blood of France - should declare, "Thoee who have counted only on a lock canal
have committed a serious blunder; a sea level canal
la not only the moet desirable, but is easily poesible."
Prior te the organization of the Interoceaaic Canal
Company, a French 8yndieate liad secured from
Colombia a coneeion for the construction of a
canal. Thia conceeaion was transferred te tite De
Lempo company. The Burveys authorized made
it neoessary that tite canal company invade the
territory titat liad previously been ceded te tite
Psiwna Railroad Company. This, and tite fact
that the control of tite railroad facilities would be
valuable during tite conatruction of tite canal,
rendered it advisable te take over tite etock of the
railroad company, which was purchased st a higit
figure, $18,000,000.
10
TEL SPORT OF PANAMÁ
Ile actual work of digging the canal began in
May, 1882. Traey Robinson thus describes the
occasion: "Tbe oompany was assembled to witness
the formal opening of tite great. work. Ile Bishop
of Pan,tnia was to giste it bis bleeaing. A tremendous
charge of dynainite was to be exploded.... Aa
eyewitnees has deecribed tite scene for us: 'The
blesaing 1wd been pronounced. There the crowd
stood, breathless, esra stopped, oyes blinking, hall
in terror lest this artificial eartbquake might involve
general deetruction. But there was no explosion 1
It wouldn't gol" This is a beginning typical of
the long, sad attempt of the French. It aiinply
would not go.
Tite canal was te be of the sea level type, thirt.y
feet deep and seventy-two feet nhinirnum width st
the bottom. The continental divide was te be
pierced by a tunnel. This last seheme, however,
was soon abandoned and the preeent open cut gui»
atituted for tite tunnel.
De Leseepa pushed the work vigorously, but very
early in tbe course of operationa there began to
aSe those serious obstacles foreseen by tite trained
engineezs, who liad voted againat the great director
almost te a man. The floods of tbe Chagres, di»case, distrust - a thousand obstados unloreseen by
the bravo Frenchman, crowded upon blm te di».
courage, thwart and finaily te overwhclni biza.
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TKZ YBENCU ATTEMFP
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The early confidence in De Leeps' ability te
accomplish this great task soon began te nne.
Subeeriptions for stock dwindled te such en extent
tbat by tIte middie of tIte year 1887 it became evident tbat if tIte work was to centinue there must
be a change both in tIte organization of tite company
sad in the original plan of tic canal. De Le€sepe
relinquiahed the directorahip of the enterprise and
returned borne to be tried and disgraced in tIte
courta of bis native land. Though exonerated of tite
charge of znisappropriation of tite funda intnisted te
bim, he became insane as a result of bis failure, and
died in 1894, not knowing that bis countrymen,
grateful for the services he had rendered tIte world
by bis achievement at Suez, would oxte doy erect an
appropriate monwnent te bis memory oit tIte site of
bis succeesefi.
In 1887, thc sea level type of canal was abandoned
for tite lock type. But tite change carne toe late,
asid ¡si 1889 the cornpany went into the banda of a
receiver. The story of the French att.empt ny
be sumined up ¡u one staternent: Eighty miffion
cubic yarda of earth bad been exoavated st a coet
of $260,000,000.
When this story la impartially written, it will teli
bow breve men sufiered, despaired, died in an unsuecesaful though none the leas hernie effort te advance
tite world's interesta. Everywhere along the canal
14
TB 8TOaT OF PANaS
lina in the eszly days of American operationa were
sad evidencee of the French faijure. Rusty, brokendown, jungla-covered locomotives, cara, cranes, excavatora; stacks of bent, twisted steel rafia; sunken
dredges, tugs and anchora, xnarked the path of the
French failure from Panama te Colon, and tesfified
to the eyee of the traveler in no iinmitajbIe tetina
of the aerioua mindedneea of those men wito were
boid ¡11 conception but erring in their ectimate of
the magnitude oí the undertaking.
The diagram on pago 16 shows the cornparative
amounta of excavation accompliahed by the French
in their aoven years' trisl and by the Americana
in the years tap te July, 1909. It gives convino¡ng proof of the seriouaneea with which t.he French
eompany attacked the Herculean taak. Saya Mr.
Rousseau, "When we conaider tho handicape in
the way of unsanitary oonditiona under which the
French worked, we have inc~ admiration for
what they acoomplished."
In 1894 Brunet, the receiver of the Ftench company, transfened ita rigiste sad property te "The
NeW Panazna Canal Company," which prosecuted
the work in a desultory eort of ny until 1904,
when the canal properties were purchased by the
American government for $40,000,000.
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CUAPTER III
PANAMÁ ~MM A REPUBUC
tHz taking over by the United States of tite
French pmperties and couceeaiona was of greater
moment in tite history of Central American politica
titan even the wiseat statearnen anticipated. Tite
Frencb company heid ¡te conceesion from the United
States of Colombia, of wbich Panamn was a dependency. Tite negotiationa incident te American
occupation of tite canal site precipit.at.ed a brief
but eventful diplomatic dispute which ci,lminated
in tite succcSul revolt of Panama, and in tite speedy
recognition of her independence by tite United States
and by tite otber great powers.
Following tite Hay-Pauncefote treaty, which gaye
the United St.ates the right te build tite canal, Congresa and the country engaged in a long discuseion sato which route should be chosen, Nicaragua
or Panan. Tite Spooner BlM, wbich finaily became
a 1aw mi Juno 28, 1902, authorized the President te
offer the Ftench cornpany st Pananaa $40,000,000
for ita righte, provided that the government of the
United States could siso sequire from Colombia,
OD reasonable terins, a strip of texritory for a canal
17
18
TSE SPORT
or
PANAMÁ
tone. Should the Admi& g tratjon be unable to aocomplish this, aher waiting a reasonable time for
action by Colombia, it was te open negotiationa with
Nicaragua for a canal route.
Despite the favor with whieh Americana looked on
Panama, it waa very soon evident that theRepublio
of Colombia had little disposition te make what the
United States deemed a reasonable treaty. Civil
nr was in progresa in Colombia and had extended
to the I2thmua of Panaxna—that very part of her
possessiona through which the governinent of the
LJnited St.ates desired a canal zone.
Despit.e the very favorable ternas of the preliminsry protocol, lxi which Colombia was offered
a bonus of *7,000,000 and an annuity of *250,000
al ter fourteen yeara, tbM country informed the
Secretary of State, John Hay, that ehe would not
accept the proposition. The capital, Bogota, was
at that time controlled by politiciana who were prono
te consider only the imxnediat.e future, and were
wil]ing te sacrifico the vital intereste of Pnnama,
1f necessary te secure their ends. fle Colombian
government claimed that the Freneb company's
franchise could only last, at the utmoat, until Octeber, 1910, wb.ile the Colombian Congreas had never
ratifled ita extension beyond 1904. Now II the
politicians at Bogota could (orce Colombia te "sit
tight" br a year and a hall, until 1904, poib1y the
PANAMÁ BECO3Lt8 .S REPtTBLIC
19
$40,000,000 that the United States was to pay the
French company would go, not te that concern, bat
into the Colombian treasury.
Then Concha, tite Colombian ~ter, was re .placed by Dr. Herran; and en January 22, 1903, the
Hay-Herran treaty was drawn up. Under lis terms,
Colombia was te authorize the French company te
seli ita property te the Tinited St.ates, te give tite
United States a strip thirty miles wide for a canal
tone, te retain sovereignty over this strip but te give
the United States pollee control. In return Colombia
waa te get $10,000,000 at once and $100,000 yearly
aher the ninth year. This treaty tite Colombian
Congrese failed Lo ratiíy, and en October 31, 1903,
negotiationa were finaily given up. The Parntmft
proposition looked hopelesa tmles8 something speedily
happened.
Something did happen. On November 3, 1903,
Panama revolted and severed aconnection of eightytwo years with tite South American republie. Bfore discussing tite incidente of this momentous
change lev tas examine, briefly, tite history of Fanama
as a province of the Republic of Colombia.
When in 1819 that part of South America known
as New Granada revolted from Spain under the patriot Simon Bolivar, it was soon joined by Panama,
which tbrew off tite Spanish yoke in 1821. Thii
union proved irksome for Panarna. Mucb of tite
20
ras atoar o, pnjsus
time i Was nothing more titan a province of Colombia,
wbicb did not heeit.ate to exploit it for her own advantage. Aher repeated revotutiona mi the part of
Lhe citizeus of Panama, Colombia in 1858 formed
the Confederación Granadina, by which Pann.ma was
made one of severa! "states," self-governjng as to
interna! a.ffairt This autonomy proved a shadow
aM waa foUowed in two yeara by another revolution. Again in 1884 followed still another revolution, resulting lii the formation by Colombia of a
higily centraiized state. From this time mi, as one
writer expressee it, Panana was the "milch cow for
a coterie of politiciana at Bogota."
Tite government at Bogota was never able te
maint.ain effective local governxnent Oil tite Isthmus.
One disturbance after another followed in rapid succeesion through tite ycars. Iii fifty-eeven years there
had been ftfty-three uprisings. Six times tfnited
States marines liad laMed to protect tite property
of tite Panama Railroad, four times Colombia had
requested tite United Statee to protect her Isthmian
interesta aM restore order. The memorable Night
of Honor ja 1855, when 8ixteen American lives wne
bat in a pitehed batt.le st tite railroad station in
Panama, is an exainple. Colombia finslly paid the
American intereete $100000 for property deetroyed
in tbia riot.
Let tite people of Pannnia relate a few of their
PANAMÁ BECOME8 £ BZPUBWC
21
grievances againat Colombia as they have Mt them ¡a
enduring form ¡a their Declaration oí Independence:
• . the peopie (oí Panama) and tite Isthniian
territory were a source oí fiscal revenue to Colombia
and nothing more. Tite contracta and tite negotiationa oí the railroad and tite canal in Pansma and
tite national revenues collected mi tite Istitmus have
produced for Colombia inunense suma . .; and
from Uña immenze total tite Isthmua oí
has not received tite benefit oí a bridge for any ¡te many
rivera, nor that oí the construhion oí a road between
¡te towna, flor that oí a publio building, nor tbat oí a
echool, nor oí any interest in promoting any oí ita
industries, nor has the leset pan oí thst vast mio
been employed in promoting ita prosperity." Now
oit top oí titese grievancee tite Isthmisn people
saw Colombia willing to sacriñee tite whole future
oí PMnAXnA by riaking the trander oí tite canal route
to Nicaragua!
That tite citizens oí Panama did not break away
from Colombia with rankling hatred ¡e evidenced
by tite closing words oí their declaration: "In
separating ourselves from our brothers oí Colombia,
we do it without rancor sud without joy. As a
ehild that separat.es itaelí from tite paternal home,
the Isthmian peopla, ¡u adopting tite Efe they hayo
chosen, hayo done it with eorrow, but in tite accomplishment oí their supreme sud ixnperioua duty.
22
'YaZ 8TORT OF PANAMA
Let u commence, then, to fon» ourselves arnong
the free nations of the world, considering Colombia
as a Ster nation, with whom we ahail alwaya be
what the cireunztances demand and for whose
proaperity we have t.he moet fervent and sincere
wishes."
Jo this rétumé of the revolution itaelf the nanee of
the many illustrious Panaznanian citizena who accoxoplished it are omitted, because of lixnited epate.
Colombia muat have known that there existed
a revolutionary junta composed of the beat citizena
of Panama. Indeed, ehe liad not been without
warning from the Panamanians themselvea that,
ehould ehe fail te ratify the canal treaty, Panarna
wou.Id declare her independence. Unable to effevt
the change alone, the Psnsma junta eougbt outside
aid by sending Dr. Amador to the United States.
Thiz distinguished Pansananian could secure no
promisea of help fron the Washington government.
Bowever, he soen en a way in which that goverument cou.ld be so placed that it would be under the
necesaity of helping to defend the independence of
Panssna. II Panama. couid, by a sudden coup,
break away fron Colombia and declare her indepeodence, then the United States would, perforce, protect ita property in Panazna [ron any aiien, even it
that alien were Colombia itself. With this plan
worked out, Dr. Amador returned te Panama. He
i
PA.NAMA BECOMZS A. BEPUBLXO
25
had the support of Philippe Bunau-Varilla, a prominent French engineer, who had bis heart set en seeing the Panama Canal bUIIt by the tJnited Statet
Bunau-Varilla lent bis aid te tbe revolutionaxy
junta, sud was selected by it te represent Panama in
frsming a canal treaty witb the Iiuited St.ates.
Upen Amador's retura the wheels of revolution were
set in motion.
November 4, 1903, was set for the date of
the coup, but it was precipitated a day earlier by
Colombia heraelf. Alarmed at last, the goveroment
st Bogota sent aix "army" te PÑn%trna. This army,
wbicb was representative of the disorganized con• dition of Colombia st t.he time, consisted of four
bundred sud fifty soldiers. They arrived in Colon,
but found that the Pananxa Railroad would not
transport them without cariare - a thing they did
not have. The fiíteen officers succeeded in getting
together the price of transportation te Panca City;
they had te leave LbS forces bivouacked ja tus atreete
of Colon.
The officers were metwith all courteey by General
Huertas, a Panainanian patriot, who was heart sud
sonl in the revolutionary movement. They were
entertained st dinner, but wben they asked te see
tbe sea wafl they were an-ested by General Huertas,
st a prearranged rngnal, sud were inforined that they
were prisoners of war; Panca was independent.
26
TEZ SPORT OF PANAMÁ
Proteetation availing nothing, tIte Colombiana oould
get out of tb& plight only by acquiescing gracefully.
Meanwhile their soldiers in Colon were being Iooked
after by the citizena ami by the Panams Railrosd;
they were prevented from doing any daznage. Five
days later tIte whole Colombian force departed fron
tIte latitinus.
TIte revolution, effected in & day, was practicaily
bloodless - the only life bat was that of a Chinese
coolie who was kii.led in P arían-di when one of tite
three Colombian gunboata fired 1 t only shot luto tite
city. The other two bosta raised tite Pans.niania
fiag, Tite local officors of Colombia were arreeted
as a matter of form; but moat of them, like Governor
Obaldia, were glad to enroil theznselves later as citizens of Panama.
On November 4, Panama was declared a free
and independent republic, and on November 7 tIte
TJnited States recognized tite Provisional Government. By .lanuary, 1904, prscticaiiy sil tIte nations
of tite world had recognized tite independence of
Panam&
Within three months fron the date of ¡te Declaration of Independence, Panama had become a sMfgoverning Republic. A constitut.ion was drawn up,
ami by February 13, 1904, it had been signed by tite
deputies to tite Constitutional Convention and by
nearly sil tite leading Panamaniana. Tite R.epublio
PANAMA DECOMSS A BEPDBUC 27
la centralized ja farra, though the municipal districte
in the various provinces bave almoet iinlirnited
powers of local governinent. The executive power
la v&ed in the prident, elected (it four years, with
the power of appointing not only bis own cs.binet,
but siso the governore of the different provincea. Bis
executive orden, bowever, must be countersigned
by the secretary of state ja the particular depart.nent to which the order appliee. He must be a
PRnAI'nanikn by birth and st Ieast thirty-five years
of age. He has a limited veto in legisiative mattera.
The Nationsi Assembiy consiste of one chanaber
t.o which deput.iee are elected for a terrn of four years,
one deputy for &rv 10,000 litabitants. The
deputy must be over twenty-five ye&s oid and a
citizen. The Ássexnbly meete every other year,
opening on September firet; there may be special
seesiona. Tite Supreme Court is composed of five
members who muat be over thirty years oid and must
have practiced law for ten years. For tite administration of local government there are the municipal
districta in the seven provincee of Bocas del Toro,
Cocle, Colon, Chiriqul, Loe Santos, Panama ami
Veraguas. There is no state church, but tite Republic has subaidized tite Itoman Catholio Church.
Prora tite firat there ha yo been two political
partiee in tite Republic, Liberal and Conservative,
tite sanie names as those applied to the parties which
28
n.z wroay os flZl&Ms
existed in Panfirna when it was a province of Colombia. The national flag represente tbe friendly rivairy
of these parti. It ¡a composed of four fielda, ono
of red and ene of blue, alternating with twa white
fielda. The red ¡a for the Uberala, the blue for the
Conservativee, whi)e the white fielda are for peace.
The moet important diplomatie matter in which
the new Republie engaged Was the corwurnmation of
the Hay-Bun.au-Varifla treaty wbich was signed st
Washington on November 18, 1903, and proclaizned
Februsry 26, 1904. Ita terma are, briefly : Firat, the United States guarantees te rnsdnt.ain
the independence of tIte R.epublic of Psnstrna.
Second, Pstnama granta te the linited States in
perpetuity a strip acroas the Isthmus extending five
miles on eaeb side of tIte canal, the cities of Colon
and Panaina excepted. Over this strip, called tIte
Canal Zone, the United St.atea ja conceded abeolute
jurisdiction.
Third, all railway and canal righte of the Zone are
ceded to the United States:
Fourth, tIte property of tIte United States in tbe
Zone ja exernpt from taxation.
Fifth, the United States ¡a te have the right te
use military force, te build fortificationa and te perfect transit.
SLxth, tIte United States ¡a te have sanitary jurisdiction over tIte cities of PanRma and Colon, sud tIte
PANAMÁ BECOKES A RZPUBUC
29
right to preserve order in the Republio shóuld the
Pansmanian governixient, in the judgment of the
United States, (sil to do so.
Seventh, tbe Tjnjted State8 agrens to pay Panana
*10,000,000 st once, asid to pay Sn azmuity of
*250,000, beginning witb tus ye& 1913.
CHAPTER rv
ON THE VORKS
Paz negotiations whicit ga ye us tite Canal Zona
were not consummated with more despatch sud
cifectivenees titan was tite work of orgsnizing tite
forces to construct tite canal. Tite treaty with
Panazna was ratiñed lii February, 1904, and from
that day tite work went rapidly forward. To appreciate tite magnitude of tite t.aak and theeffectivenew with whicit the American organisation went
st it, let us take a trip to tite Canal Zone. For the
salce of eeeing tUnga ea they looked at tite moet
interesting atage in the progrese of tite work sud just
as tite waters of Gatun Lake began to riso, we will
eppoee that tite time of ow visit ¡a back in tite year
1911.
We will etart from New York. On tite evening
of tite third day out we sight Watling's Island, tite
firet 1aM seen lii the New World by Christopher
Cotumbus. We crosa tite patit of tite Great Navigator, and on tite fourth day round tite eaatern point
of tite "Queen of tite Antilles." Just as tite aun ginks
hito tite Caribbean we sea against tite eaatern eky tite
blue mountain rangea of Haiti and Sañ Domingo;
30
7
E4
l * .II
'Vj E
¿.
t
•
1 t . Y
U , •Ç1 1
A911, •-.
,1
•t'
',
i
.
1
1
fr! ;. 1
'3FÉt
::!s:4
JtIi rI1 I
t1'i.
,
0W TEZ
woats
33
oit the morning of the sI.xth day out the captain who
has been scanning the horizon announces that the
end of our journey ¡a in sight.
That aceite ¡a one not soon to be forgotten. As the
8W1 bursts througli the clouds hanging over "Fair
Marguerita'a Hill" the whole world seema lit up
svith the giory that Keats describes as "wild and
celestial." The time and place are full of sentiment.
Upon those sanie hiJa the &eat Columbus looked
four centuries ago; over these sanie trackless waters
glided the swift cralt of the buccaneers, laden with
booty; and
"The waves are softly munnuring
Stories of the days of oid."
Far to the eaat of the !ow-lying, pahu-bedecked Island
of Manzanillo are the blue foothills of the Cordilleras,
just awakening (ron their heavy sleep; away to the
Bouth stretches the valley of the Chapee; whlle
thom beyond Toro's palma Lorenzo rises out of the
sea
"Guardiug the Chape& entrance still."
fo cayucas aM sailboate in the harbor belong to
San Blas Indiana, who ha y o come (ron don the
coast forty or fifty miles, with coconuts, bananas,
beada, beautifully woven textiles and other producta.
They hayo brought their children with them. The
voyage, in fact, has been a part of the manual train-
34
TEZ STORY OP PAN&M4.
ing of tite younten, and tite bertering done by
their patente has been a leeson En business metitoda
which they muat sorne ¿ay apply. Measured by
tite standards of tbe society En which theee children are to move as men, titere will be no failur
To tite cast, to tite wt, te tite e uth are primevai
junglee, etili the habitationa of prixnit.ive men and
savage beasta - undisturbed by the vands)ban of
civilization. After pasaing tite artificial land atension which is to form the breakwater for tite Atiantio
entrance te the canal, and which, by the way, is tite
firet evidence of tite work of tite canal builders, we
come hito Lirnon Bay, just off tite twin cities of Colon
and Cristobal. Soon we have a fuJi view of the
besutiful Cristobal, witose harbor we are about to
enter. 0w revenes are suddenly interrupted by tite
comtnRnd to "aemb1e En the saloon." Tite Quarsatine Officer la coniing aboard. fila work done ; we
laud.
Alter kispection sse are allowed te pass tite ropee.
Tite traEn standing there st our dock ja a "special"
waiting te take recruite for the service or thoee returning from leave. Pasaing out st tite north end
of Pier 11 we come En fuJi view of tite oid De
Leesepe buildinga, now used fon cifices by tite Ccmmissary, Subeistence and other departrnente.
We pasa out upon Roosevelt Avenue and titen
t
•, ••-;+
1.
o
oir jn wona
37
get a first glimpee of the quarters furnished white
employeea. They are not nnlike the coxnmodious
quarters te be seen everywhere along the canal lime.
They are the hornee of Americana who, because
they are happy and contented, are bringing to a
speedy conclusion titis reatest of human undertakjngs. Butifwe are teseethe canal inaday,we
must huny. As we are bound for Gatun, we will
t.ake a cab and drive to the pier. How ciesa the
paved Btreet8 arel Pasaing the post office, the poice
station, the Y. M. C. A. clubhouse, tite 1. C. O. hotel,
tite wh.it.e school building and tite fue st.ation, we
come out through tite West Indian section of Criatobal
to Pier 13. That boat at the wharf ja a dynamit.e
carrier, and tite men are just beginning te uxiload
one and one quarter million pounds of dynamite
for use in blasting. 'lila load of dynamite is a part
of the twelve milhion pounds brought annu.ally from
New York.
Tite boat unloading there te thoee asad cara has
carried asad don from Nombre de Dios for tite
concrete constniction at Gatun. The forty or flfty
other large and amail ves8els you see plying in tbe
hay are tbe dredgee and tuga ja tite aervioe of tite
Atiantic Division of the Department of Conatruction
and Engineering; and there ia a boat with rock
from tite quarries at Porto Bello, twenty miles don
tite coaat. This asad and rock will become a part
38
TUL WPORY 07 PANAMÁ
of the two rnillion cubio yards of concrete to be
molded ¡oto tbe great lockz at Gatun.
Just below us are the docka, and the huge buildinga you see beyond are thosc of the Mount Hope
storehouee - the clearing house for ali the departmenta on the canal. In them are stored stationery,
achool supplies, deaks, naila, svire, steel roa, Tope,
chain, household furniture, steam ahoveis, tocis and
equipment of every description. There is a stock
here at all times averaging about 14,000,000 worth of
material. As needed, tUs material is requisitioned
through the heads of departments and is shipped by
rail tothepoint.swhereitistobeused. Theplace
is in charge of the Depot Quartermaater.
But time is passing. To thc left of us ¡a Mount
Hope cernetery. It ¡a not difficult to imagine that
the place took ita name trozo the feeling back in the
French ¿aya that tUs was the ono hopo to wbich
the iil-fed, ili-quartered, fever-stricken eznpioyees
could look with any degree of satisfaetion - Mount
Hope, indeed 1
From Pier 13 we may talco a boat for Gatun.
We pasa fret jote the rnouth of the oid French canal.
The intent of ita original buildera was to make it
thirty feet deep and seventy feet wide at thc bottom.
For four miles we pasa up the channel of the French
canal, which crosaes the lime of the American canal
at Mmdi. The sunken boata and dredges which
a
t
ccQ
1z
w
z
r
x
'a
ON TEZ WORKS
41
we me on both sides were at one time considered
the best excavating machines lii the world. Leí t
te combat Sn, sun and the sea, they at last yielded
te their fate and he there at the bottom of the watery
grave they themselves helped te dig. These machines represent another source of enormaus loes to
the French company. Sorne of them survive aiad are
DIAOR*M OP A LADDLR DRXDOE
Dow doing good work for the Isthmian Canal Cernrnission. The ladder dredge you see at work is ene
of the survivors.
When we come to Mmdi we fiuid, riinning te
right and leí t at a.n angle of about forty-five degrees, the channel of the American canal. At
this point the oid and the new canais intersect.,
te converge again ira the Chagres River at Catun.
Te get te grade at this paint nearly forty feet
of solid rock blasting had te be done. Imagine
the expense of constructing a sea level canal when
42
TEZ STORY OP PS2(AMA
here, within aight of the sea, and yet thirty miles
from the continental divide, it becomes necesaary to
excavate through solid rock for a dept.h of more
thaa forty feet 1
While we are approaehing the great dam, we rnight
gs.ther sorne general information. The frontispiece
map indicates the extent of the Canal Zone, the une
of the Canal and the Zone boundaries, and the location of Catan Lake, formal from tite linpounding of
the Chagres by Gatun Dam.
In a bookiet compiled by Mr. Joseph Bucklin
Bishop, Secret.ary of tite Comrnk'ion, there is a condenaed table, which sununarises tite canal atatistice;
revised te October 1, 1912, they are: CANAL Snnen
Length froin deep water te deep water (miles) 50
Length from ehore Ene te ahore lime (miles) 40
Bottom width of channel, maximurn ((set)
1000
Bottom width of channel, minimuxu, 9 miles,
Culebra Cut (feet) .......300
Locks,inpairs ..........12
L.ocka, usable lengtb ((set) ......i000
Locica, usable width ((eet) ......110
Gatun Lake, ares (square miles) .
.
Catan Lake, channel deptb ((set) . .
85 te 45
Culebra Cut, channel deptb (feet)
.
45
Excavation, estimated total (cabio yarda) 200,000,000
ON TRE WORES
43
Exeavation, amount accomplished Octo1801000,000
bey 1, 1912 (cubic yarda)
78,146,960
Excavation by the Freneb (cubic yarda)
Excavation by Frencb, usef u] te prent
29,908,000
Canal (cubio yards)
Excavat.ion by French, estimated value te
$25,389,240
Canal
Value of sil French propert.y ..... $42,799,826
Concrete, total eatiinated ter Canal (cubio
5,000,000
..........
Time of trsnait tbrougb completed Canal
lOto 12
(hours) ...........
3
Time of pa&age througb Iocka (botan)
$9,000,000
Relocated Panama Raliroad, estimated cosi
47.1
Relocated Panama Balitead, Iength (miles)
448
Canal Zone, aiea (equare miles)
Canal and Panama Raitroad force actually
at work (about) ........
Canal and I½nama Railroad force, Ameri5000
cana (about) .........
$375,000,000
Cosi of Canal, estimated total
Work begun by Americana ...... May 4, 1904
Jan. 1, 1915
Anticipated date of completion
1» an article in the No1ionaZ Geographc Magazine
of February, 1911, Colonel Goethal8 gives the following condensed statement.: "The canal which lo now building consiste of a sea level
entrance channel from tbe sea through Limón Bay te Catun, about 7 miles long, 500 feet bottom widt.b, and 41
44
TSE STORY OP PANAMÁ
íeet deep st mean tide. At.,Oatun the 85-foot lake leve¡
¡a obtained 1»' a dam acro tite valley. Tite lake ja
confinad on tite Pacifio side by a dam between the hilis.
at Pedro Miguel, 32 miles away. Tite Lake thus formed
will have an arca of 164 sque muse and a ehanneli
deptit of not lees titan 45 feet st normal tage.
"At Gatun ahipe will Pass from tite sea te tite lake
leve], and rice ver, by three lock» in flight. On tite
Pscific side there 'will be one El of 30 feet st Pedro Miguel
te a amail lake held st 55 feet abo ye sea level by danza st
Miraflor, where two lilia overcome tite d ifierence of level
te tite sea. Tite channel between tite locks on tite Pacific
side tU be 500 feet wide st tite bottom sud 45 feet deep,
a.nd below tite Miraflores loeks tite sea level section, about
8 miles ¡u length, MIL be 500 feet wide st tite bottom and 45
feet deep st mead tide. Through tite lake tite bottom
widths are not lees titan 1000 feeL for about 16 miles, 800
feet for about 4 miles, 500 feet for about 3 miles, and
through tite continental divide, a distance of about 9 miles,
tite bottom widtb ¡a 300 feet.
"Tite total lengtb of tite canal franz deep water ¡u tite
Caribbean, 41-foot deptit at mean tide, te deep water ¡u
tite Pacifie, 45-foot deptb st mean • tide, ¡a practically 50
mi!, 15 miles of which are st sea level. Tite variation
¡u tide OB tite Atlantic side ¡a 2.5 feet se a maximum, sud
on tite Pacific it ¡a 21.1 feet as a maximum.
"Provisiona are made te amply protect tite cntrancse
of the canal. During tite winter months occaaional
etorma occur on tite Atlantic side of stieb violenee that
vesaela cannot he with salety ¡u Colon Harbor, sud during
47
ON TRE WOBfl
tbe progrem of such storma entrance and egr frorn the
canal would be unsafe. 'Fo overtome tbis condition, a
breakwater will extend out about two miles (ron Toro
Faint in a northeaaterty direetion, which will not oniy
prot.ect the entrance, btu will provide a safe harbor.
"The Paeific entrance requires no protection (ram
atonus, but tbe set of dio silt-bearing current from the
east ¡a at right angles lo the channel, and dio silting
made constant dredging neceary. To prevent this
shoaling a dike ¡e being constructed from the mainland at
Balboa to Naos Island, a distance of about faur miles."
The foliowing tablo presents comparativo data: "'"
- Con
Con CinLa Kmm
com.u
Itas
Lock
Soo . . . . Lock
Su.. . . . . Sea
1825 303 *8,000.000'
Lake Erie .nd
Hudson Rjva
1865
level 1869
Krongta4tSea
. . ¡*ve¡¡ 1890
Cotinth. . .
CO~
Sea level 1893
Msnebatn .
Loa 1894
gaIanWIIhSin
Irak
1896
Dbe-Tr,,ve. . Lock
Pausas. . . Look 1900
1915
lake. Supetioe
sud Bureo
90 100,000,000 Mediknancsn
1.5 10.000.000
sud Red Scsi
16 10,000.000
St. Petonburg
sud Bay of
Kronatadt
6,000,000 Guita of Corioth
sud Xina
36 76,000,000 Liverpool sud
Msocbnt&
Rivet
60 40,000,000 Nietuen
sud thc Bøiltio
6,000.000 E)be sod Trave
41
50 376,000.000 MAtute sud Ps.
dfio Otean.
4
'Oriúnoc.t
48
TEZ 8IVRT OP PANAMÁ
While tite great daan is atili hall a mlle away we
may get a good conception oí ita general plan. Te
tite extreme left are masaive waile oí concrete. These
are the waile oí the Locke. The mound oí earth te
the right ¡a the dan proper, which ¡a pierced near the
middle by tite epillway. It may be said that the
construction oí the Panama Canal involves at once
tite greatest piece oí constructive work and the
greateat piece oí destructive work ever undertaken
by man - tite locke, darn and apillways, and the
Culebra Cut.
(3atun Dan ¡a about 7500 feet long, 2100 feet
wide at tite base and 100 feet wide at the mlmmit oí
the creet, 115 feeL abo ye sea leve!. lxi building tWa
mountain oí earth a huge artificial valley was left
lxi the middle, whieh la being fihled with a mixture oí
sand sud clay pumped in by dredges at work in tite
vicinity oí tite dan. Tite Bilt settles down into a
hard, rock-like mase which la imperviouz to water.
Tite waile or onter portiona oí tite dan are built
from dry excavation brougitt lxi from other poluta
along tite canal.
Our boat laude at the foot oí tite dain. Let tse
cimb the man-made mountain. There, right before
tse, ja the great water pipe pouring forth ita black
ame into what le te bethecore oí thedarn. Thia
sea oí mud the engineers term tite hydraulio €11.
The other cud oí tite pipe connecte with a auction
--
t;;!
724
e
TT,
FILL
(}J'V .\iH }1P? ZN rilE
L TI
U. I.QADG BUCKETi WItU CIMENT, .kT (IATtt
1!))
OH TEZ WORIB
51
dredge nearly a miJe distant. The excavation, wet
and dry, used in the construetion of (lic ¿am aggregates 21,000,000 cubic yarda.
Below ja a diagram of the entire work. Wc are
standing at tite point xnsrked X, facing to the southeast. To the Ieft are the great Iocks. In front of
us is the hydraulic fu; to the right, the spillway,
OATUN DLM, BFIILWAT AJq D LOCKe
with ¡te ruad, irresistible torrent of water. Clase
your eyes, and imagine, if you can, a cement.-lined,
wateriee8 depressiou 300 feet wide, 1200 (ea long,
with forty or fiíty huge cubicai concrete blocks di»persed at regular intervais near t .he upper end, tite
bottom Bioping upward (ram theee to the concrete
¿am, and you huy e the apiliway as it appeared en
the day before ±e Chagres was turned into ¡te new
concrete bed. Opon your eyes upan t.he foaming,
raging, aeetitg rapids, and you ha ya ±e contra8t
52
TEZ STOBY OF PA2qAMA
presented ja the twa pictures "Befare" and "Alter."
At the foot of the siope the channel of the overflow suddeniy Mdens to twice ita previous width.
This sudden widening, and the concrete blocke aboye
mentioned, provide t.wo very effeetive checks to the
velocity of tite current. These checks are necessary,
for withont them tite under suction which would be
j
i.:\
1
ci1..çLLd; !Iuul
r•
•' "$
-:-.
--------------
W
J/ -
DIAORAt OF SPXLLWÁY
caused as the waters leave tite concrete floor would
quickly undermine the floor itself.
Notice the semicircular constr-uction, made of
concrete, that is placed at tite head of the spiliway.
Against this fonn tite spillway dain La built.
At tite top of this dam sliding gatos will be constructed. Froin aboye, tite form presenta an appearance somethirig hice tite diagram.
II
'.•i.
•
4
•4
fr
t
x
. '•.
?5
ON TBm
wonia
55
By this device tite waters of tite Lake may be raised
OF lowered when reporte from tite Alhajuela flutograpb atation warn of floods, or when the approaebing dry season renders advisable a greater storage
supply. Tite matmum overflow st tite apiliway
mar thus always be kept within safe limite, whule
storage for tite dry season may likewise be pmvided.
Remember, wbile we wslk the nefl milo, thai vie
are atili waiking en tite dain. Ata artificial mountain,
indeed 1 Ribboned everywhere with railroad tracks,
over which ecoree of trains run daily, carrying their
mites te contribute te the ever growing dam. Wc
again pasa around the north sido of tite hydraulic fu,
atad approach tite faetones where the composition
that la te go into tite Lot and into the dam ¡a rnade.
A moat interesting feature la tite rnaking, handling
and plscing of tite concrete. The maebines with the
funnel-ehaped nozzles are tite concrete mixera. (Seo
second cut, pago 49.) The cara standing st tite side
are nan by tite third-rail 8ystem, so have a caro. Ono
of tite mixers la new tilted a.nd la filling tite bucket
witb concrete. In a very few minutes all tite bucketa will be filled, ami tite little can will go spinning
down tbe track witb their loada of saud, water, stone
arad cement. Wc ahail see later 1mw tbis material ¡a
deposited in tite buge molds ¡u which tite lot are
being caat. Titere are faur of tite big mixera en each
sido of tite ahed. We will now waik over te the
56
nz
B'rORY OP P&NAMA
great concrete locka, where we esa see one of them
in procese of construction. Note the middle wall
rising to a height of ninety feet, between the east sad
weet chambas of the locks. (See page 63.) The
great cylinder at the base of tAxis wall is one of the
three delivery and drainage culverts. This, as you
will note, is duplicated in size by culverta in the side
wails. fle tbree culverta are eighteen feet minimum
dianeter and extend tbe entire length of the walis,
or more than three thousand feet..
Aboye the side tUs te tbe right are the buckete
which come fron the concrete mixers we visited.
Tbeee buckets, with their tena of concrete, are hoisted
te wire cables attached te steel derricks on either
eMe of the works, and ron out on pulleys te the
point where tho concrete Le te be used. They are
then lowered, their contente ¡a dumped, and spread
by hand. Tite whole proceso delivery involvee
tite labor of a very kw men. A daily average of
more than twenty-four hundred cubie yarda of concrete Le thus laid.
A glance at the railroad tracks, regular width,
riinning up Luto tite chambers on either side of the
rniddle wall, will indicate te sorne ertent t]xe proportions of tite structure.
Tite view of the rnonolith on page 59 shows the colvert with a projecting steel tube. Titia tubo Ls removed and replaced for anotiter length when the
ON
ni wonxa
57
concrete about it becomee set. Tite steel framework
againet the leIt sido of tite middle wall ¡a supporting
a part of tite mold into which tite concrete form has
been cast.
Looking from tite eaat wall one geta a goed view
of the upper locke, the concrete gate silla, and in
tite diatance tite waters of tite Chapee backed up
by tite elevation of the spillway. Tite Lake will Se
almoet te the elevation of tite wall when tite dam ¡a
completad.
Again, one gota a fair conception of tite proportione
of this work by a glance st tite opening through the
gato silla. Tbrough tWa opening a railway locotnotive may pasa. Over these gata silla will swing tite
heavy steel gatee. Had you visitad the place in
March, 1910, you would have seen tite found.ation
work of this mountain of concrete as reproduced on
page W.
The general plan of tite locke and their operation
¡a shown in tite croes section diagram, page 58. Tite
¡asido surfacee of tite side walis are perpendicular,
while tite outaide surface Sea by steps. At tite base
titese walls are fil ty feet thick; at the top, eight feet
tbick. Tite middle wali ¡a slightly more titan sixty
feet thick. As already indicated, tite openinga at
tite base of the walis are for delivery and drainage.
Tite culverte are cigliteen feet in diameter, and connect by lateral culverts wíth openinga ¡a the floor,
58
TEE STOBY OF PANAMÁ
Y F F F. Tite second chamber lii tite middle waJl,
marked C in tite cut, ja tite drainage gailery; tito
third, B, will be usod for the electrical connections,
whiie t.he upper chamber, A, will furnisli working
spaee for tite operatore of tite machinery used in
C3OSa srcrxon OP WCK CESILBtS Mi» WALLA
A. — Psgmy fW opra~
t—Co1vn qu4cr Lb. lek 80a alta.
V—O.JIny fa, .lectne wbm
nitisj viti, tbo.c frv,, .de villa
DnIcsn Rilen,.
1'.— Wcfls opemug (Foin lalsil culvfl
D.—Cijiven m oøW niL
nL. Ioá chMnbn.
G.—Culrvru &n.Id, 1b.
fi. — Lateesi culvcets.
nisnipuiating the gatee and the valves and in propelling bosta through the locks.
A ship passing south wili enter the firet lock st
sea leve!; the gato bebind it will titen be closed and
the firet lock fihled with water. This svill raise tite
boat to a water level witit tite second lock, and so
oit. Tu pasaing north tbrough the Mt series tite
arder is reversed.
Tbe danger of a boat's raznming the gatee eitber by
forward or by backward ¡notion ¡a guarded against
in severa] ways. Firat, the boat will be drawn
through tite locka by electric locomotives running
oit the side walls. The stern of the boat will be controlled by two cables with power attachments, so
L
:
-
-
:4
y
l %pn
1. Ml\i tU
II. OATIT
1'
IIOI)Lt- V '1.1 • t PI'}U
II\, J I\ • 1010
PVI.J1 LOCKrI. oH)' t%u (.AIE '.JL.LS (23)
62
TBK STORY OP PARA"
there being one locomotive mi each side of the lock
forward and astern, or four in sil, veeseis not being
allowed to move their propellera meanwhile."
The gate8 are hollow steel atructures seven feet
thick ami sixty.-five feet long, and they vary in height
ami weight from forty-five te eighty-two feetand from
three hundred te six hundred tena, reapectively.
Jntamediate gatee cut the locks into chambera four
hundred and aix hundred feet long. As over 90 per
cent of the merchant ships of the world are under
aix hundred feet in Iength, this arrangement makes
poasible a great saving of water.
Adequate water supply ¡a a aubject of great iniportance and interest. The November visitor te the
Zone who has seen the ficoda of the Chagree carrying
before them traes, houses ami bridges, submerging
aten ehovela, destroying miles of railroad, will
never queetion the sdequacy of the water supply.
Somebody has asid that lii the Canal Zona there are
two seasona of the year, the rainy and the wet. StiII,
it raine only occaaionally during the months of January, February and March, and during the dry
season of 1911-1912 there was very little rain from
December firat te May first. Decidedly there is a
dry season bate, ami during tWa period of three
months or more the average üow of the Chagras for
the past twenty ye&s has been something like aix
hundred cubie feet per second; while at one time
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1. WKtI T CIIAMBEIi, CATUN V?PEA UflKO. flRe):MI,Ei,
It. ?OREBAY A?iI) Ufl t31I.L, UATCN LUCKÓ, %IARCII, IUiI
Pij4)
OX TEZ WOEXB 65
during that penad it reached the very low figure ef
three hundred feet pez second.
Besides the use of water for electrical power, the
water supply will be drawn on in three ways - leakage, lockage and evaporation. It la estimated that
the loes ¡it these ways will be about tbree thousand
feet per second. When the Chagres fiow ¡a at ita
minimuni of tbree hundred feet per eecond there ¡a a
dinparity betweeo lose and supply of 2700 feet pez
second. The posaible net loes 1» ono day would be
over 130,000,000 cubic feet, and in ant month about
4,000,000,000 cubie feet. It must be remembered,
however, ¡xi this connection that three hundred feet
ja the ininimum flow of the river iteelf, aM that
theee figures have not taken ¡ato account Uit diacharge of ¡te tributaries below Boldo. ¶lle slope of
the land on tbe Isthmus ¡a very sharp, aM as a result
the niinimum flow la reached early in the dry season,
aud as that season laste at times for over three months,
it ¡a obvious that in an enterprise of suck magnitude
as the Panama Canal involvingso largo apartof the
world's commerce, provision must be maño againat
the poesibility of any interruption from a shortage
of water supply. This coutingency ¡a met by the
largo arta, 164 square miles, of Gatun Lake. It provides ample st.orage capacity—loasee from sil sources
are not likely to Lower the lake more tItan three feet while tIte canal will be usable afta the Lake has been
66
'rut
STORY OF PANAMÁ
Iowered by fin feet. In the very improbable event
tbat future commerce should make demanda oit the
lake beyond ita estiznated capacit.y, a dam which
might be constructed at Alhajuela would 1 urnish additionjsl atorage to be drawn upon in time oí need.
Oit our way to lunch we ahail pasa the Aniinitration Building oí tite Atiantie Division, the Comrnissary and Panaina Railroad Depot, and the Y. M.
C. A. Clubhouse. We will visit the Isthinian Canal
Commisaion hotel lot luncheon. The Jamaican
waiter firet serves un with soup oí & choice variety,
then with an A 1 steak, baked beana, mashed patatoes, salad, good bread, genuine butter, apple pie,
oí the variety mother makes, coifee aixd ce eream.
You ny top aif the meal with a Gatun cocktail
froto that amber bottle iT you like. Bitt.er? Well,
yes, but you didn't give as time to explain. The
cocktail ja a solution oí liquid quinine! You will
find such a cocktail as this at every I. C. C. hotel.
Alter lunch let as talca a epecial train acroes the
lina oí the canal. From Gatun the oid lime, which
long ago was talcen ap but oit which we are to take
0w linaginary trip, winds ita anaky way out through
the jwigles oí the great Black Swaxnp. To right
and left the hnpounded waters oí the Chagras
already apread out befare us lar miles. The cleared
passage in the jungles to the right la the lime oí the
canal. Little excavation la necessax-y here, for the
ON TEZ WORIS
69
land tú Bobio is practically all below the grade lime
oí the canal.
Take a look st nature now, while we are out oí
sight oí tbe canal. Over there is a twcnty-foot
alligator, baaking Ma huge bulk in the sun. Just
beyond him are forty or Wty white cranes; wheeling abo ye the water, now high, now low, are many
varieties oí sea biÑs, for we can still scent the salt
sea. The train dashes into tbe jungles and we see
"fronded palma," ferns, canebrakes, bamboo, wild
bananas, lignum-vite with ita gaudy dress, and
myriada oí botanical species garbed in purpie, pink,
red, white and gold. You may not see them, but
these jungles teem with snakes, lizarda, deer, jaguars,
monkeys, wildcata, armadillos, tapira, wild hoge,
sioths and countless varietice oí plant ami animal
life. Here ami there a stream penetrates the otherwise impenetrable network oí vegetable life to break
the monotony oí the fast moving panorama. Only
st such intervais does one get an adequate notion oí
the graos and beauty oí the tropies oí Panama.
Bobio is called, and as our train siows dowu, the
voice oí the evcr-present vender oí bananas ja heard,
luring the hungry pasaenger to inveat. Just as we
puil out from the atation, on the right sido oí the
track, there ja a funny little atrueture with a cylindrical brick foundation supporting a ¡niniature
house, reached by a Long flight oí stairs. This ¡a
70
TEM STORY OF PANAMÁ
the Betilo fluviogrsph station, and the river le the
fa: fained Chagres. This is one of severa¡ stations
along the river where reeorda are ¡nade of the volume
of water diacharged by it. TIñe one was installed
by the French iii 1890, asid has ben iii use for
more tban twenty years. The fluviograph work
comes under the Division of Rivr Hydraulica,
Meteorology and Surveys. The other three st.ations
along the Chagres are aL Gatun, Gamboa asid Albajuela. The importance of measuring the river's di»charge has already been indicated. The other work
of this division, as ita name indicates, la the det.ermination of the amount of rainfail asid evaporation,
and obsenrationa of seismological disturbances.
The table on page 71 stimniarizes the resulte of the
obeervations of the Subdivision of Meteorology on
the distribution of rainfali on the Canal Zone, showing hourly periods of maximum asid rninimum ramfall during en average year.
Tiñe table will help ono to appreciate one of the
greatest ditficultiee with which the CommiRaion has
had Lo contend, as well as the mathematical precision asid the scientific method brought te bew' on
this great engineering proposition.
Tbe etation just called la Tabernilla. To the Ieft
la thc Tabernifla dump. Here milliona of cubic
yarda of dirt from Culebra Cut have ben piled up.
liad we paesed tIñe point in 1910 we should have
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rm
STOUT OP PANAMÁ
seen dirt train aher dirt train going out on this
dump with ita cargo froin the Out, unloading with
ita great plow. This plow will unload a dix-t train
of twenty-one cara, carrying more than aix hundred
tons of material, in lesa than flEteen minutes. Tbe
train just pulling out from the siding there is a
typical labor train, which will carry out en the works
sorne aix hundred of the thirty-five thousand employees of the Commission.
Another very interesting place of work which you
could hay a seen here a little while ago ¡a that of
track shi.fting. Special rnachinery for this purpose
has been put hito service. As the track quickly
geta out of reach of the edge of the dump, it becomes necesaary to shift it. This ¡a not done by
taking it te places, for not a spike ¡a lifted, not a
bolt removed. The machine by which the procese
is performed la a track shifter. It lays hoid of a
section of track, picks it np bodily, and puta it in
position again with very little ceremony. One of
theae machines la said te be capable of moving from
one to two miles of track a day. It la manipuiated
by nine men and will do the work of aix hundred
laborera. There are ten of theee big machines in
the service of the Commi'sion.
The man you see there with the queer Little machine atrapped on lila back, aud the two others juat
beyond hin, are membera of the amail aruiy whoae
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75
business it is to guard the large arrny of canal
diggers against a fiank attaek of the enemy most
dreaded in Panama - the mosquito. One man is
spraying the sides of the ditch With larvacide; tite
other two are burning the graes along an open ditch
to prevent the hatching of eggs deposited in these
moist places by mosquitoes.
MOSQUITOZa
Figures a aud bhowtbo lamo la water. Atcisshowntho
podtion ssswnod by tho hsrmloas type (Culor) upon slighting,
sud aL d Lbe position of the dngerous ono. ¿st e is ahown tho
Auopholes witb spotted wings and O y e hair-liko fookn in Cront;
al f tho Culez with pialo wingt. sud Lhreo foelen.
76
TSE BTORY OP PANÁM.&
You will note by thia time tbat we are following
the valley of the C)hagres. The conductor calla San
Pablo just as we croes the bridge over tUs river.
To the right there are aigns of excavation. We are
fast approaching the continental divide, aM the
shallow excavation obaerved ¡a really t.he beginning
of the great Cut. Just beiow San Pablo the railtoad croases the Une of the canal aM follows that
Une almost to the Pacific. II you will watch closely,
you ti! seo Borne oid French dredges, long ago
sunk te the bottom of the channel - silent rernindera
of the French fallare. Bach part of the oid French
znachinery as is no longer of use te the Commkv4on
is soid te the highest bidder, as so mach junk.
Bat remember t.hat this fiat part of our trip ¡a
aix imaginary ono. For the route we bave covered
toe leaving Gatun has ben submerged for sorne
time, and the peopie of the little towus we hayo
passed fiS long ago te the lila bordering the manmade Gatun Lake. Had we traveraed the relocateci
lino from Gatun te Gorgona, we should have seen
many of them in their new hornos. When warned
of the rising fioods, one oid lady who liad lived at
Bohio for a hall oentury, so the story goes, expre&*d,
with a reigious fervor te be envied by more enlightened Christiana, lcr faith in the promise, "And
the waters ahail no more become a ftood." SIc
was, however, doomed te disappointment, for lot
OH TEZ WORAS 77
little homestead, like thousands of othera in the
lake district, ¡a new fathorns tmder water. The
government has reimbursed her f or the losase ahe
austained.
As we pasa Gorgona Matachin, Bas Obispo a»d
Las Cascadas, we are rapidly coming te the crest of
the continental divide. At Matachin the Chagree
breaks off to the esat., and we now leave ¡te valley.
In sorne remete geological age this river found ita
way through the divide somewhere near Culebra
azid poured ita floods into the Pacific. The final
upheaval which gay e the Isthmus ¡te present contour diverted the course of the Chagres to the north.
Were it not Lo minimize the work of man, we might
compare the present artificial diversion of this river
with nature's diversion on the divide.