,transcriber's ,notes ,text printed in italics has been transcribed between underscores1 bold face text between equal signs1 and underlined text between tildes4 ,small capitals have been replaced with ,,all ,,capitals4 ,more ,notes may be found at the end of this text4 ,illustration3 ,,panama ,,canal ,,and ,,canal ,,zone ,,note3 ,from its ,atlantic end at ,colon1 the ,canal runs for #aj miles due south2 then its general course is to the eastward into the ,pacific4 ,this is quite contrary to the popular conception of its general direction and is due to the fact that the ,isthmus1 at the ,canal1 bends to the eastward1 so that the ,pacific ,ocean at this point is south and east of the ,atlantic1 as shown by the small insert map at lower left hand corner of the main map above4 ,,panama ,and the ,canal ,,in ,,picture ,,and ,,prose ,a complete story of ,panama1 as well as the history1 purpose and promise of its world-famous canal--the most gigantic engineering undertaking since the dawn of time ,approved by leading officials connected with the great enterprise ,by ,,willis ,j4 ,,abbot ,author of ,the ,story of ,our ,navy1 ,american ,merchant ,ships and ,sailors1 ,etc4 ,water-colors by ,e4 ,j4 ,,read and ,,gordon ,,grant ,profusely illustrated by over #fjj unique and attractive photographs taken expressly for this book by our special staff ,published in ,english and ,spanish by ,,syndicate ,,publishing ,,company ,,london ,,new ,,york ,,toronto ,,havana ,,buenos ,,aires #aiac ,copyright #aiac1 by ,f4 ,e4 ,wright ,,contents ,,page ,,introduction #e ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,front ,,door ,,to ,,panama #i ,antilla1 a ,new ,sugar ,port--,the ,island of ,jamaica--,kingston1 ,the ,colonial ,capital--,women as ,burden ,bearers--,characteristics of the ,native ,jamaican--,life of the ,negro ,woman4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,cristobal-,,colon2 ,,and ,,the ,,panama ,,railroad #bc ,the ,approach to ,colon--,the ,architecture and ,population of ,colon--,railroad ,building in a ,swamp--,the ,french ,come to ,colon--,the ,beautiful ,roosevelt ,avenue--,colon ,streets in the ,early ,days--,the ,varied ,population of ,colon--,san ,blas ,indians and ,their ,cayucas--,the ,ghastly ,story of the ,chinese--,cost and ,charges of the ,panama ,railroad4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,nombre ,,de ,,dios1 ,,porto ,,bello ,,and ,,san ,,lorenzo #de ,the ,harbor of ,porto ,bello--,the ,first ,appearance of ,balboa--,early ,indian ,life in ,panama--,the ,futile ,indian ,uprising--,the ,first ,sight of the ,pacific--,the ,beginning of ,balboa's ,downfall--,the ,traitor in ,balboa's ,camp--,the ,character of ,vasco ,nunez de ,balboa--,panama a ,link in ,philippine ,trade--,flush ,times in ,porto ,bello--,the ,piratical ,raid of ,sir ,francis ,drake--,the ,futile ,attack on the ,treasure ,train--,the ,appearance of ,morgan the ,buccaneer--,the ,pillage of ,porto ,bello4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,san ,,lorenzo ,,and ,,panama #ge ,the ,waterway to ,san ,lorenzo--,approach to ,san ,lorenzo ,castle--,a ,rip ,van ,winkle of a ,fortress--,the ,assault of the ,buccaneers--,the ,end of ,porto ,bello and ,san ,lorenzo4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,sack ,,of ,,old ,,panama #hg ,the ,advance of the ,buccaneers--,the ,banquet before ,panama--,the ,buccaneers ,triumphant in ,battle--,the ,pirates' ,orgy of ,plunder--,how ,morgan ,plundered ,his ,pirates--,the ,scene of ,morgan's ,great ,exploit4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,revolutions ,,and ,,the ,,french ,r,,gime #aja ,the ,scottish ,settlement in ,panama--,disasters ,beset the ,scotch ,colonists--,the ,repeated ,revolutions of ,panama--,early ,projectors of a ,panama ,canal--,sea ,level or ,lock ,canal--,a ,relic of the ,french ,days--,some of the ,finished ,work of the ,french--,the ,financial ,aberrations of ,de ,lesseps--,yellow ,fever's ,toll of ,french ,lives--,the ,value of the ,french ,work4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,begins ,,work #abc ,why ,panama ,wanted ,independence--,our ,share in the ,revolution--,a ,revolution ,without a ,single ,battle--,treaty ,rights of the ,united ,states--,illustrations of the ,magnitude of the ,canal ,work--,the ,passage of the ,canal ,locks--,spectacular ,features of ,gatun ,lake--,the ,abandonment of ,canal ,towns--,the ,pacific ,terminus of the ,canal--,the ,forts at the ,pacific ,entrance4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,formative ,,period #adg ,the ,beginning of ,work under ,wallace--,the ,absentee ,commissioners and the ,red ,tape--,the ,successful ,war with ,yellow ,fever--,the ,change from ,wallace to ,stevens--,the ,varying ,estimates of the ,canal ,cost--,the ,resignation of ,engineer ,stevens4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,col4 ,,goethals ,,at ,,the ,,throttle #afa ,what the ,colonel ,meant by ,orders--,the ,colonel's ,sunday ,morning ,court--,the ,autocratic ,power of ,col4 ,goethals--,the ,panama ,work ,shows ,governmental ,efficiency4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,gatun ,,dam ,,and ,,locks #aga ,atlantic ,beginning of the ,canal--,the ,plan of the ,gatun ,dam--,how the ,chagres ,current was ,blocked--,the ,spillway1 ,the ,nerve ,center of ,gatun ,lake--,the ,uses of the ,electric ,power of ,gatun--,the ,colossal ,concrete ,work at ,gatun--,the ,motive ,power of the ,lock ,gates4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,gatun ,,lake ,,and ,,the ,,chagres ,,river #ahg ,the ,native ,affection for the ,chagres--,the ,indispensable ,native ,cayuca--,keeping the ,record of the ,chagres--,cruces in ,its ,day of ,greatness--,animal ,life on the ,chagres ,river--,a ,typical ,foreign ,laborer on ,the ,zone4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,culebra ,,cut #bja ,the ,great ,problem of the ,slides--,the ,physical ,characteristics of the ,slide--,some ,peculiar ,features of the ,slides--,the ,explosive ,experience of ,miguel--,the ,gorgeous ,coloring of ,culebra--,the ,perilous ,passage of ,culebra ,cut--,the almost ,human ,work of the ,steam ,shovel--,the ,work of the ,steam ,shovellers--,the almost ,indispensable ,track ,shifter--,the ,industrious ,ants of ,panama--,the ,end of the ,canal at ,balboa4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,panama #bbd ,the ,first ,appearance of ,panama ,city--,the ,popular ,panama ,lottery--,panama's ,cost of ,living is ,high--,scenes in the ,panama ,market--,the ,prevalent ,temper of the ,panamanians--,why ,americans are not ,popular--,american ,sentiment on the ,isthmus--,the ,public ,buildings of ,panama--,the ,stout ,walls of ,panama ,city--,scenes of the ,mardi ,gras ,carnival--,cock-,fighting and the ,liquor ,trade--,in the ,ancient ,chiriqui ,prison--,the ,many ,churches of ,panama--,panama ,clubs and ,open ,air ,life4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,sanitation ,,of ,,the ,,zone #bec ,beginning the ,warfare on ,mosquitoes--,methods of the ,anti-,mosquito ,crusade--,some ,humors of the ,mosquito ,war--,how the ,streams are ,sterilized--,results of the ,war on ,mosquitoes--,the ,two ,great ,canal ,commission ,hospitals--,the ,system of ,free ,medical ,treatment--,the ,pleasant ,village of ,taboga--,the ,sanitarium and ,leper ,colony4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,republic ,,of ,,panama #bgc ,the ,doubtful ,soil of ,panama--,the ,simple ,study of ,native ,life--,the ,building of the ,bridegroom's ,house--,labor and ,land ,titles in ,panama--,agriculture and ,temperature in ,panama--,rubber and ,cocoanuts ,offer ,possibilities--,the ,sport of ,shooting ,alligators--,a ,colossal ,agricultural ,enterprise--,the ,banana as an ,empire ,builder--,why the ,american ,flag is ,rare--,getting the ,bananas to ,market--,david and the ,cattle ,country--,gold from the ,indian ,tombs--,efforts for a ,system of ,industrial ,education4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,indians ,,of ,,panama #cje ,marriage ,customs of the ,indians--,the ,many ,tribes of ,panama ,indians--,characteristics of the ,san ,blas ,tribe--,an ,exclusive ,aboriginal ,people--,family ,quarters of the ,san ,blas--,customs of the ,chocos and ,guaymies--,peculiarities of the ,darien ,indians4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,social ,,life ,,on ,,the ,,canal ,,zone #cbj ,the ,population of the ,canal ,zone--,the ,temptations to ,matrimony on the ,zone--,the ,gold and ,silver ,employees--,the ,object ,lesson of the ,canal ,zone--,why ,it is not at all 8,socialistic0--,in a ,typical ,canal ,zone ,dwelling--,some ,features of ,zone ,housekeeping--,prices of ,food at the ,commissary--,the ,complicated ,social ,life of the ,zone--,church ,work and the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,labor ,,and ,,the ,,government ,,of ,,the ,,zone #cda ,the ,colossal ,business of the ,commissary--,the ,task of ,feeding ,forty ,nationalities--,the ,stern ,suppression of the ,social ,class--,evil ,effect of the ,abolition of the ,canteen--,some ,figures ,concerning the ,commissary ,service--,the ,international ,agreement on the ,commissary--,the ,police ,system of the ,zone--,the ,school ,system of the ,zone--,agricultural ,possibilities on the ,zone--,future ,possibilities of the ,canal ,zone4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,fortifications1 ,,tolls1 ,,commerce ,,and ,,quarantine #cfc ,why ,fortify the ,canal at ,all8--,the ,suez ,canal no ,parallel--,some ,details of the ,fortifications--,the ,mobile ,force on the ,zone--,the ,sufficiency of ,fortifications ,planned--,effect of the ,canal on ,trade ,routes--,the ,railroad ,fight on the ,canal--,the ,canal and the ,flag--,the ,first ,immediate ,advantage of the ,canal--,the ,much-mooted ,question of ,tolls--,our ,trade with ,pacific-,latin ,america--,time ,saved by ,panama ,canal ,route--,the ,possible ,commerce of the ,canal--,some ,phases of ,our ,foreign ,trade--,the ,need of ,our ,own ,ships and ,banks--,what ,our ,merchant ,marine is--,the ,grave ,question of ,quarantine4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,diplomacy ,,and ,,politics ,,of ,,the ,,canal #cii ,our ,reckoning with ,colombia--,our ,commercial ,interests in ,south ,america--,mutual ,interests of the ,united ,states and ,great ,britain--,what the ,canal has and will ,cost--,new ,work for the ,interstate ,commerce ,commission--,the ,moral ,lesson of the ,panama ,canal4 ,,list ,,of ,,colored ,,illustrations #a ,,map ,,of ,,panama ,,canal ,,and ,,canal ,,zone ,facing title page ,,facing ,,page #b ,,duke ,,street1 ,,kingston1 ,,jamaica #af #c ,,going ,,to ,,market #dj #d ,a ,,native ,,village #gb #e ,,old ,,french ,,canal ,,at ,,mount ,,hope #ajd #f ,,ancon ,,hill ,,from ,,the ,,harbor ,,of ,,panama #abh #g ,,the ,,washing ,,place ,,at ,,taboga #aeb #h ,a ,,native ,,bakery #agf #i ,,the ,,river ,,and ,,village ,,of ,,chagres #aib #aj ,,the ,,culebra ,,cut #baf #aa ,,avenida ,b1 ,,panama ,,city #bcb #ab ,,panama ,,bay ,,from ,,ancon ,,hospital #bef #ac ,a ,,typical ,,native ,,hut #bhj #ad ,,vendor ,,of ,,fruit ,,and ,,pottery #cjd #ae ,,old ,,landing ,,at ,,taboga #ccf #af ,,swimming ,,pool ,,at ,,panama #cfh #ag ,,santa ,,ana ,,plaza1 ,,panama #cib ,,list ,,of ,,black ,,and ,,white ,,illustrations ,,page #a ,the ,sentinel ,tree #e #b ,scene on ,otoque ,island1 ,panama ,bay #f #c ,the ,rank1 ,lush ,growth of the ,jungle #g #d ,ruins of ,old ,panama #h #e ,tree ,growing out of a ,chimney in ,jamaica #i #f ,cane ,river ,falls #aj #g ,the ,road to ,market #aa #h ,sports on ,shipboard #ab #i ,the 8,oruba0 #ab #aj ,bog ,walk1 ,jamaica #ac #aa ,government ,buildings1 ,kingston #ad #ab ,king ,street1 ,kingston1 ,jamaica #ae #ac ,jamaica1 ,where ,motoring is ,good #af #ad ,women on the ,way to ,market #ag #ae ,a ,yard and its ,tenants #ah #af ,coaling ,steamships #ai #ag ,market ,women and their ,donkeys #bj #ah ,one ,way of ,carrying ,bananas #ba #ai 8,gwine to de ,big ,job0 #bb #bj ,toro ,point ,light #bc #ba ,toro ,point ,breakwater #bd #bb ,the ,new ,cristobal ,docks #bd #bc 8,palms ,which ,blend ,with the ,sea0 #be #bd ,colon in #ahhd #bf #be ,fire-,fighting ,force at ,cristobal #bg #bf ,the ,new ,washington ,hotel #bh #bg ,the ,only ,stone ,church in ,colon #bh #bh ,nature of ,country near ,colon #bi #bi ,panama ,pottery ,sellers #cj #cj ,hindoo ,laborers on the ,canal #cj #ca ,san ,blas ,boats at ,early ,dawn #ca #cb ,san ,blas ,indian ,boys #ca #cc ,san ,blas ,lugger ,putting ,out to ,sea #ca #cd ,the ,atlantic ,fleet ,visits the ,isthmus #cb #ce ,roosevelt ,avenue1 ,cristobal1 ,about to ,lose its ,beauty #cc #cf ,the ,de ,lesseps ,palace #cd #cg ,the ,national ,game--,cock-,fighting #cd #ch ,how the ,jungle ,works #ce #ci 8,bottle ,alley0 #cf #dj ,d ,street1 ,colon1 ,paved #cg #da ,bachelor ,quarters at ,toro ,point #ch #db ,a ,colon ,water ,carrier #ci #dc ,an ,open ,sewer in a ,colon ,street #ci #dd ,by a ,cocl ,brook #dj #de ,the ,mangroves ,marching on ,stilt-like ,roots #dj #df ,a ,picturesque ,inlet of the ,caribbean #da #dg ,childish ,beauty ,without ,art #db #dh ,a ,corner of ,mount ,hope ,cemetery #db #di ,the ,soulful ,eyes of the ,tropics #dc #ej ,market ,day at ,david #dc #ea ,scene on ,almirante ,bay #dd #eb ,modern ,porto ,bello from ,across the ,bay #de #ec ,typical ,native ,hut in ,porto ,bello ,district #df #ed ,entrance to ,porto ,bello ,harbor1 from ,spanish ,fort #dg #ee ,bullock ,cart on the ,savanna ,road #dg #ef ,modern ,indian1 ,darien ,region #dh #eg ,native ,family in ,chorrera #di #eh ,seventeenth ,century ,ruin at ,porto ,bello #ej #ei ,street in ,modern ,porto ,bello #ea #fj ,ancient ,trail from ,porto ,bello #eb #fa ,spanish ,fort at ,entrance to ,porto ,bello ,harbor #ec #fb ,a ,group of ,cholo ,indians #ed #fc ,natives ,grinding ,rice in a ,mortar ,owned by ,all #ee #fd ,family ,travel on the ,panama ,trail #ef #fe ,deserted ,native ,hut #eg #ff ,what ,they ,still ,call a ,road in ,panama #eh #fg ,outdoor ,life of the ,natives #ei #fh ,native ,hut and ,open-,air ,kitchen #fj #fi ,cocoanut ,grove on the ,caribbean ,coast #fa #gj ,canal ,commission ,stone ,crusher1 ,porto ,bello #fa #ga ,native ,huts near ,porto ,bello #fb #gb ,an ,indian ,family of the ,darien #fb #gc ,ruined ,spanish ,fort at ,porto ,bello #fc #gd ,san ,blas ,luggers at ,anchor #fd #ge ,the ,teeth of the ,tropics #fd #gf ,native ,bridge in the ,darien #fe #gg ,choco ,indian ,girls #ff #gh ,indian ,huts near ,porto ,bello #fg #gi ,country ,back of ,porto ,bello #fh #hj ,native ,women of the ,savannas ,bearing ,burdens #fh #ha ,camina ,reale1 or ,royal ,road near ,porto ,bello #fi #hb ,a ,lady of the ,savanna #gj #hc ,native ,children1 ,panama ,province #gj #hd ,bull-,rider and ,native ,car at ,bouquette1 ,chiriqui #ga #he ,the ,indians ,call ,her a ,witch #gb #hf ,a ,cuna ,cuna ,family near ,porto ,bello #gb #hg ,a ,trail near ,porto ,bello #gc #hh ,a ,cholo ,mother and ,daughter #gc #hi ,a ,group of ,cuepa ,trees #gd #ij ,mouth of the ,chagres ,river #ge #ia ,mouth of the ,chagres from the ,fort #gf #ib ,the ,sally-,port at ,san ,lorenzo #gg #ic ,church at ,chagres #gh #id ,old ,spanish ,magazine #gi #ie ,spanish ,ruins1 ,porto ,bello #gi #if ,our ,guide at ,san ,lorenzo #hj #ig ,the ,author at ,san ,lorenzo #hj #ih ,looking ,up the ,chagres from ,san ,lorenzo #ha #ii ,the ,true ,native ,social ,center #hb #ajj ,tropical ,foliage on the ,caribbean #hc #aja ,on the ,upper ,chagres #hd #ajb ,native ,panama ,woman #hd #ajc ,a ,character of ,colon #he #ajd ,woman of the ,chagres ,region #he #aje ,near a ,convent at ,old ,panama #hg #ajf ,casa ,reale or ,king's ,house #hh #ajg ,the ,ruined ,tower of ,san ,augustine #hi #ajh ,wayside ,shrine on the ,savanna ,road #ij #aji ,arched ,bridge at ,old ,panama1 ,almost #djj ,years ,old #ia #aaj ,foliage on the ,canal ,zone #ib #aaa ,the ,chagres ,above ,san ,lorenzo #ic #aab ,in the ,crypt of ,old ,san ,augustine #id #aac ,a ,woman of ,old ,panama #id #aad ,wash ,day at ,taboga #ie #aae ,a ,street in ,cruces #if #aaf ,breaking ,waves at ,old ,panama #if #aag ,old ,bell at ,remedios1 #afhb #ig #aah ,the ,beetling ,cliffs of the ,upper ,chagres #ig #aai ,the ,roots ,reach ,down ,seeking for ,soil #ih #abj ,bluff near ,toro ,point #ii #aba 8,whether the ,tree or the ,wall is ,stouter is a ,problem0 #ajj #abb ,san ,pablo ,lock in ,french ,days #aja #abc ,part of the ,sea ,wall at ,panama #ajb #abd ,the ,pelicans in the ,bay of ,panama #ajc #abe ,the ,road from ,panama to ,la ,boca #ajd #abf ,the ,city ,park of ,colon #aje #abg ,children in a ,native ,hut #aje #abh ,the ,water ,front of ,panama #ajf #abi ,the ,water ,gate of ,panama #ajf #acj ,entrance to ,mount ,hope ,cemetery #ajg #aca ,cathedral ,plaza1 ,panama #ajh #acb ,avenida ,centrale #aji #acc ,ancon ,hill at ,sunset #aaj #acd ,abandoned ,french ,machinery on the ,canal #aaj #ace ,overwhelmed by the ,jungle #aaa #acf ,a ,lottery ,ticket ,seller #aab #acg ,machinery ,seemingly as ,hopeless as this was ,recovered1 ,cleaned and set to ,work #aab #ach ,the ,power of the ,jungle #aac #aci ,la ,folie ,dingler #aad #adj ,near the ,pacific ,entrance to the ,canal #aad #ada ,where the ,french ,did ,their ,best ,work #aae #adb ,an ,old ,spanish ,church #aaf #adc ,juncture of ,french and ,american ,canals #aaf #add ,part of the ,toll of ,life #aag #ade ,the ,ancon ,hospital ,grounds #aah #adf ,a ,sunken ,railroad #aah #adg ,a ,zone ,working ,village #aai #adh ,negro ,quarters1 ,french ,town of ,empire #abj #adi ,filth that would ,drive a ,berkshire from his ,sty #aba #aej ,canal ,valley near ,pedro ,miguel #abb #aea ,panama ,soldiers ,going to ,church #abc #aeb ,the ,official ,umpire1 ,cocle #abd #aec ,the ,man and the ,machine #abe #aed ,landing ,pigs for ,market #abf #aee ,the ,trail near ,culebra #abf #aef ,in the ,banana ,country1 on the ,coast near ,bocas del ,toro #abg #aeg ,the ,best ,residence ,section1 ,colon #abh #aeh ,the ,old ,fire ,cistern1 ,panama #abi #aei ,the ,two ,presidents3 ,roosevelt and ,amador #acj #afj ,cholo ,chief and ,his ,third ,wife #aca #afa ,native ,house and ,group at ,puerta ,pinas #aca #afb ,what ,they ,call a ,street in ,taboga #acb #afc ,hindoo ,merchants on the ,zone #acb #afd ,cham ,beach1 ,pacific ,coast #acc #afe ,french ,dry ,dock1 ,cristobal #acc #aff ,what the ,work ,expended on the ,canal ,might ,have ,done #acd #afg ,a ,graphic ,comparison #acd #afh ,what the ,panama ,concrete ,would ,do #ace #afi ,proportions of ,some of the ,canal ,work #ace #agj ,the 8,spoil0 from ,culebra ,cut ,would ,do ,this #ace #aga ,in a ,typical ,lock #ace #agb ,lock at ,pedro ,miguel ,under ,construction #acg #agc ,range ,tower at ,pacific ,entrance #ach #agd ,bird's ,eye ,view of ,pedro ,miguel ,locks #ach #age ,the ,vegetable ,martyrs #aci #agf ,native ,street at ,taboga #adj #agg ,gamboa ,bridge with ,chagres at ,flood #ada #agh ,the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,club ,house at ,gatun #ada #agi ,working in ,culebra ,cut #adb #ahj ,miraflores ,lock in ,march1 #aiac #adc #aha ,naos1 ,perico and ,flamenco ,islands to be ,fortified #adc #ahb ,beginning of ,new ,balboa ,docks #add #ahc ,the ,old ,pacific ,mail ,docks at ,balboa #add #ahd ,the ,pacific ,gateway #ade #ahe ,completed ,canal at ,corozal #adf #ahf ,tunnel for the ,obispo ,diversion ,canal #adg #ahg ,the ,two ,colonels #adh #ahh ,a ,walk at ,ancon #adi #ahi ,in the ,hospital ,grounds #adi #aij ,french ,cottages on the ,water ,front1 ,cristobal #aej #aia ,pay ,day for the ,black ,labor #aea #aib ,in ,wallace's ,time #aeb #aic ,the ,fumigation ,brigade #aec #aid ,typical ,screened ,houses #aed #aie ,a ,street ,after ,paving #aed #aif ,stockade for ,petty ,canal ,zone ,offenders #aee #aig ,hospital ,buildings1 ,united ,fruit ,co4 #aee #aih ,beginning the ,new ,docks1 ,cristobal #aef #aii ,a ,back ,street in ,colon #aeg #bjj ,steam ,shovel at ,work #aeh #bja ,the ,balboa ,road #aeh #bjb ,a ,drill ,barge at ,work #aei #bjc ,pacific ,entrance to the ,canal #afj #bjd ,col4 ,goethals at ,his ,desk #afa #bje ,railway ,station at ,gatun #afb #bjf ,president ,taft ,arrives #afb #bjg ,col4 ,goethals ,reviewing the ,marines at ,camp ,elliott #afc #bjh ,president ,taft and 8the ,colonel0 #afd #bji ,big ,guns for ,canal ,defence #afd #baj ,col4 ,goethals ,encourages the ,national ,game #afe #baa ,old ,french ,ladder ,dredges ,still ,used #aff #bab ,the ,colonel's ,daily ,stroll #aff #bac ,a ,side ,drill ,crew at ,work #afg #bad ,the ,colonel's ,fireworks #afh #bae ,a ,heavy ,blast ,under ,water #afh #baf ,the ,colonel's ,daily ,meal #afi #bag 8,the ,goethals' ,own0 in ,action #afi #bah ,bas ,obispo ,end of ,culebra ,cut #agj #bai ,entrance to ,gatun ,locks #aga #bbj ,i4 ,colon3 ,these ,pictures in ,order form a ,panorama of the ,colon ,water ,front #agb #bba ,,ii4 ,colon3 ,part of the ,residential ,district on the ,water ,front #agc #bbb ,,iii4 ,colon3 ,panama ,railroad and ,royal ,mail ,docks #agc #bbc ,,iv4 ,colon3 ,the ,de ,lesseps ,house in the ,distance shows ,location of ,new ,docks #agc #bbd ,south ,approach ,wall1 ,gatun ,locks #agd #bbe ,gatun ,locks ,opening into the ,lake #agd #bbf ,gatun ,lake ,seen from the ,dam #age #bbg ,bird's ,eye ,view of ,gatun ,dam #age #bbh ,construction ,work on ,gatun ,dam #agf #bbi ,pumping ,mud into the ,core of ,gatun ,dam #agf #bcj ,gatun ,upper ,lock #agg #bca ,gatun ,center ,light #agg #bcb ,emergency ,gates #agg #bcc ,spillway ,under ,construction #agh #bcd ,partly ,completed ,spillway1 #aiac #agi #bce ,the ,giant ,penstocks of the ,spillway #ahj #bcf ,the ,spillway at ,high ,water #ahj #bcg ,lock ,gates ,approaching ,completion #aha #bch ,the ,water ,knocking at ,gatun ,gates #ahb #bci ,wall of ,gatun ,lock ,showing ,arched ,construction #ahb #bdj ,traveling ,cranes at ,work #ahc #bda ,building a ,monolith #ahc #bdb ,a ,culvert in the ,lock ,wall #ahd #bdc ,diagram of ,lock-,gate ,machinery #ahd #bdd ,towing ,locomotive ,climbing to ,upper ,lock #ahd #bde ,the ,heavy ,wheel ,shown is the 8,bull ,wheel0 #ahe #bdf ,the ,tangled ,maze of ,steel ,skeletons that are a ,lock in the ,making #ahf #bdg ,the ,chagres1 ,showing ,observer's ,car #ahg #bdh ,fluviograph at ,bohio1 now ,submerged #ahh #bdi ,automatic ,fluviograph on ,gatun ,lake #ahh #bej ,the ,village of ,bohio1 now ,submerged #ahi #bea ,steps ,leading to ,fluviograph ,station at ,alhajuela #aij #beb ,a ,light ,house in the ,jungle #aij #bec ,the ,riverside ,market at ,matachin #aia #bed ,railroad ,bridge ,over the ,chagres at ,gamboa #aib #bee ,a ,quiet ,beach on the ,chagres #aib #bef ,poling ,up the ,rapids #aic #beg ,construction ,work on the ,spillway #aic #beh ,water ,gates in ,lock ,wall #aid #bei ,the ,lake ,above ,gatun #aid #bfj ,how ,they ,gather at the ,river #aie #bfa ,washerwomen's ,shelters by the ,river #aif #bfb ,a ,ferry on the ,upper ,chagres #aif #bfc ,the ,much ,prized ,iguana #aig #bfd ,cruces--,a ,little ,town with a ,long ,history #aih #bfe ,a ,native ,charcoal ,burner #aih #bff ,the ,natives' ,afternoon ,tea #aii #bfg ,piers of the ,abandoned ,panama ,railway #bjj #bfh ,working on ,three ,levels #bja #bfi ,the ,original ,culebra ,slide #bjb #bgj ,slide on ,west ,bank of the ,canal near ,culebra #bjc #bga ,attacking the ,cucaracha ,slide #bjd #bgb ,diagram of ,culebra ,cut ,slides #bje #bgc ,a ,rock ,slide near ,empire #bje #bgd ,the ,author at ,culebra ,cut #bjf #bge ,cutting at ,base of ,contractors ,hill #bjf #bgf ,a ,rock ,slide at ,las ,cascades #bjg #bgg ,slicing ,off the ,chief ,engineer's ,office #bjh #bgh ,how ,tourists see the ,cut #bjh #bgi ,jamaicans ,operating a ,compressed ,air ,drill #bji #bhj ,handling ,rock in ,ancon ,quarry #bji #bha ,in the ,cucaracha ,slide #baj #bhb ,brow of ,gold ,hill1 ,culebra ,cut #baa #bhc ,a ,dirt-,spreader at ,work #bab #bhd 8,every ,bite ,recorded at ,headquarters0 #bab #bhe ,a ,lidgerwood ,unloader at ,work #bac #bhf ,the ,track ,shifter in ,action #bac #bhg ,one of the ,colonel's ,troubles #bad #bhh ,the ,sliced-off ,hill at ,ancon #bad #bhi ,a ,lock-,chamber from ,above #bae #bij ,when the ,obispo ,broke in #bae #bia ,ungainly ,monsters of ,steel ,working with ,human ,skill #baf #bib ,building an ,upper ,tier of ,locks #bag #bic ,traveling ,cranes that ,bear the ,brunt of ,burden ,carrying #bag #bid ,the ,floor of a ,lock #bah #bie ,excavating with a ,monitor as ,californians ,dig ,gold #bah #bif ,a ,steam ,shovel in ,operation #bai #big ,bird's ,eye ,view of the ,miraflores ,locks #bbj #bih ,the ,rock-,break that ,admitted the ,bas ,obispo #bbj #bii ,an ,ant's ,nest on the ,savanna #bba #cjj ,a ,termite ,ant's ,nest #bba #cja ,deep ,sea ,dredge at ,balboa #bbb #cjb ,proportions of the ,locks #bbb #cjc ,the ,great ,fill at ,balboa ,where the ,culebra ,spoil is ,dumped #bbc #cjd ,panama ,bay from ,ancon ,hill #bbd #cje ,santa ,ana ,plaza #bbe #cjf ,panama from the ,sea ,wall2 ,cathedral ,towers in ,distance #bbf #cjg ,the ,bull ,ring2 ,bull ,fights are now ,prohibited #bbg #cjh ,the ,panama ,water ,front #bbg #cji ,the ,lottery ,office in the ,bishop's ,palace #bbh #caj ,san ,domingo ,church and the ,flat ,arch #bbh #caa ,chiriqui ,cattle at the ,abattoir #bbi #cab ,the ,president's ,house2 ,a ,fine ,type of ,panama ,residence #bbi #cac ,the ,fish ,market #bcj #cad ,san ,blas ,boats at the ,market ,place #bcj #cae ,the ,vegetable ,market #bcj #caf ,the ,market on the ,curb #bca #cag ,where the ,flies get ,busy #bca #cah ,cayucas on ,market ,day #bca #cai ,panama from the ,bay2 ,ancon ,hill in the ,background #bcb #cbj ,pottery ,vendors near the ,panama ,city ,market #bcc #cba ,from a ,panama ,balcony #bcd #cbb ,the ,first ,communion #bce #cbc ,marriage is an ,affair of ,some ,pomp #bce #cbd ,the ,manly ,art in the ,tropics #bcf #cbe ,a ,group of ,national ,police #bcf #cbf ,taboga1 the ,pleasure ,place of ,panama #bcg #cbg ,santa ,ana ,church1 #agfd #bcg #cbh ,the ,panama ,national ,institute #bch #cbi ,the ,municipal ,building #bci #ccj ,the ,national ,palace and ,theater #bci #cca ,salient ,angle of ,landward ,wall #bdj #ccb ,boys ,skating on ,sea ,wall #bdj #ccc ,vaults in the ,panama ,cemetery #bda #ccd ,ruins of ,san ,domingo ,church #bdb #cce ,some ,carnival ,floats #bdc #ccf ,the ,ancient ,cathedral #bdd #ccg ,the ,police ,station1 ,panama #bde #cch ,church of ,our ,lady of ,mercy 7,la ,merced7 #bde #cci ,young ,america on ,panama ,beach #bdf #cdj ,ready to ,control the ,pacific #bdf #cda ,the ,flowery ,chiriqui ,prison #bdg #cdb ,the ,market for ,shell ,fish #bdh #cdc ,the ,cathedral and ,plaza #bdi #cdd ,in a ,panama ,park #bej #cde ,salvation ,army in ,panama #bej #cdf ,costume de ,rigueur for ,february #bej #cdg ,bust of ,lieut4 ,napoleon ,b4 ,wyse #bea #cdh ,on ,panama's ,bathing ,beach #beb #cdi ,quarantine ,station at ,pacific ,entrance to ,canal #beb #cej ,col4 ,w4 ,c4 ,gorgas #bec #cea ,what ,col4 ,gorgas ,had to ,correct #bed #ceb ,administration ,building1 ,housing the ,sanitary ,department #bed #cec ,dredging a ,colon ,street #bee #ced ,the ,war on ,mosquitoes4 ,i #bef #cee ,the ,war on ,mosquitoes4 ,,ii #bef #cef ,the ,war on ,mosquitoes4 ,,iii #beg #ceg ,the ,war on ,mosquitoes4 ,,iv #beg #ceh ,sanitary ,work in a ,village #beh #cei ,the ,mosquito ,chloroformer's ,outfit #bei #cfj ,the ,mosquito ,chloroformer at ,work #bei #cfa ,ancon ,hospital as ,received from the ,french #bfj #cfb ,the ,canal ,commission ,hospital at ,colon ,built by the ,french #bfa #cfc ,french ,village of ,empire after ,cleaning up by ,americans #bfb #cfd ,the ,bay of ,taboga from the ,sanitarium #bfb #cfe ,the ,little ,pango ,boats ,come to ,meet ,you #bfc #cff ,old ,church at ,taboga #bfc #cfg ,the ,rio ,grande ,reservoir #bfc #cfh ,in ,picturesque ,taboga #bfd #cfi ,in the ,grounds of ,ancon ,hospital #bfe #cgj ,the ,sanitarium at ,taboga ,inherited from the ,french #bff #cga ,a ,fte ,day at ,taboga #bff #cgb ,feather ,palm at ,ancon #bfg #cgc ,taboga from the ,bathing ,beach #bfg #cgd ,taboga is ,furthermore the ,coney ,island of ,panama #bfh #cge ,burden ,bearers on the ,savanna #bfi #cgf ,hotel at ,bouquette1 ,chiriqui #bgj #cgg ,a ,bit of ,ancon ,hospital ,grounds #bgj #cgh ,the ,chief ,industry of the ,natives is ,fishing #bga #cgi ,nurses' ,quarters at ,ancon #bga #chj ,the ,leper ,settlement on ,panama ,bay #bgb #cha ,the ,gorge of ,salamanca #bgc #chb ,native ,family in ,chorrera #bgd #chc ,a ,street in ,penemone #bge #chd ,the ,hotel at ,david #bge #che ,view of ,bocas del ,toro #bgf #chf ,vista on the ,rio ,grande #bgf #chg ,at the ,cattle ,port of ,aguadulce #bgg #chh ,the ,royal ,road near ,panama #bgg #chi ,the ,meeting ,place of the ,cayucas #bgh #cij ,banana ,market at ,matachin #bgi #cia ,in the ,chiriqui ,country #bhj #cib ,banana ,plant2 ,note ,size of ,man #bhj #cic ,construction of ,roof of a ,native ,house #bha #cid ,a ,native ,living ,room and ,stairway #bha #cie ,rubber ,plantation near ,cocle #bhb #cif ,bolivar ,park at ,bocas del ,toro #bhb #cig ,a ,ford near ,ancon #bhc #cih ,old ,banana ,trees #bhd #cii ,pineapples in the ,field #bhd #djj ,waiting for the ,boat #bhe #dja ,country ,house of a ,cacao ,planter at ,choria #bhe #djb ,started for ,market #bhf #djc ,loading ,cattle at ,aguadulce #bhf #djd ,dolega in the ,chiriqui ,province #bhg #dje ,mahogany ,trees with ,orchids #bhg #djf ,bayano ,cedar1 ,eight ,feet ,diameter #bhh #djg ,the ,cacao ,tree #bhh #djh ,street in ,david #bhh #dji ,in the ,banana ,country #bhi #daj ,market ,place at ,ancon #bij #daa ,fruit ,company ,steamer at ,wharf #bia #dab ,united ,fruit ,company ,train #bia #dac ,sanitary ,office1 ,bocas del ,toro #bia #dad ,a ,pile of ,rejected ,bananas #bib #dae ,a ,perfect ,bunch of ,bananas #bib #daf ,the ,astor ,yacht at ,cristobal #bic #dag ,the ,bay of ,bocas #bic #dah ,bringing ,home the ,crocodile #bid #dai ,a ,morning's ,shooting #bid #dbj ,on ,crocodile ,creek #bie #dba ,the ,end of the ,crocodile #bie #dbb ,above the ,clouds1 ,chiriqui ,volcano #bif #dbc ,the ,chiriqui ,volcano #bif #dbd ,native ,market ,boat at ,chorrera #big #dbe ,in ,bouquette ,valley1 the ,most ,fertile ,part of ,chiriqui #big #dbf ,coffee ,plant at ,bouquette #bih #dbg ,drying the ,coffee ,beans #bih #dbh ,drying ,cloths for ,coffee #bii #dbi ,breadfruit ,tree #bii #dcj ,primitive ,sugar ,mill #cjj #dca ,chiriqui ,natives in an ,ox-,cart #cjj #dcb ,proclaiming a ,law at ,david #cja #dcc ,the ,cattle ,range near ,david #cja #dcd ,despoiling ,old ,guaymi ,graves #cjb #dce ,a ,day's ,shooting1 ,game ,mostly ,monkeys #cjb #dcf ,the ,government ,school of ,hat ,making #cjc #dcg ,beginning a ,panama ,hat #cjc #dch ,coffee ,plantation at ,bouquette #cjd #dci ,work of ,indian ,students in the ,national ,institute #cjd #ddj ,the ,crater of the ,chiriqui ,volcano #cjd #dda ,trapping an ,aborigine #cje #ddb ,native ,village on ,panama ,bay #cjf #ddc ,a ,river ,landing ,place #cjf #ddd ,the ,falls at ,chorrera #cjg #dde ,on the ,rio ,grande #cjg #ddf ,old ,spanish ,church1 ,chorrera #cjh #ddg ,the ,church at ,ancon #cjh #ddh ,the ,pearl ,island ,village of ,taboga #cji #ddi ,native ,village at ,capera #cji #dej ,a ,choco ,indian in ,full ,costume #caj #dea ,some ,san ,blas ,girls #caa #deb ,chief ,don ,carlos of the ,chocoes and ,his ,son #cab #dec ,the ,village of ,playon ,grand1 ,eighty-five ,miles ,east of the ,canal #cab #ded ,san ,blas ,woman in ,daily ,garb #cac #dee ,a ,girl of the ,choco ,tribe #cac #def ,daughter of ,chief ,don ,carlos #cac #deg ,native ,bridge over the ,caldera ,river #cad #deh ,guaymi ,indian ,man #cae #dei ,indian ,girl of the ,darien #caf #dfj ,choco ,indian of ,sambu ,valley #cag #dfa ,panamanian ,father and ,child #cah #dfb ,choco ,indian in ,every-day ,dress #cai #dfc ,a ,squad of ,canal ,zone ,police ,officers #cbj #dfd ,a ,primitive ,sugar ,mill #cba #dfe ,vine-clad ,family ,quarters #cba #dff ,quarters of a ,bachelor ,teacher #cba #dfg ,main ,street at ,gorgona #cbb #dfh ,in the ,lobby of a ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,club #cbc #dfi ,street ,scene in ,culebra #cbd #dgj ,young ,america at ,play #cbd #dga ,hindoo ,merchants at a ,zone ,town #cbe #dgb ,the ,native ,mills ,grind ,slowly #cbe #dgc ,commission ,road near ,empire #cbf #dgd ,the ,fire ,force of ,cristobal #cbg #dge ,orchids on ,gov4 ,thatcher's ,porch #cbh #dgf ,the ,catasetum ,scurra #cbi #dgg ,married ,quarters at ,corozal #ccj #dgh ,fighting the ,industrious ,ant #ccj #dgi ,foliage on the ,zone #cca #dhj ,the ,chief ,commissary at ,cristobal #ccb #dha ,what the ,slide ,did to the ,railroad #ccc #dhb ,not from ,jamaica but the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 #ccd #dhc ,a ,bachelor's ,quarters #ccd #dhd ,the ,tivoli ,hotel #cce #dhe ,the ,grapefruit of ,panama #cce #dhf ,pure ,panama1 ,pure ,indian and all ,between #ccf #dhg ,interior of ,gatun ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,club #ccg #dhh ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,club at ,gatun #ccg #dhi ,marine ,post at ,camp ,elliott #cch #dij ,tourists in the ,culebra ,cut #cch #dia ,lobby in ,tivoli ,hotel #cci #dib ,altar in ,gatun ,catholic ,church #cdj #dic ,la ,boca from the ,city #cda #did ,at ,los ,angosturas #cdb #die ,the ,water ,front at ,colon #cdb #dif ,negro ,quarters at ,cristobal #cdc #dig ,labor ,train at ,ancon #cdd #dih ,negro ,sleeping ,quarters #cdd #dii ,a ,workmen's ,sleeping ,car #cde #ejj ,a ,workmen's ,dining ,car #cde #eja ,old ,french ,bucket ,dredges #cdf #ejb ,old ,french ,bridge at ,bas ,obispo #cdf #ejc ,the ,relaxation of ,pay ,day #cdg #ejd ,bas ,obispo as the ,french ,left it #cdg #eje ,convicts ,building a ,commission ,road #cdh #ejf ,construction ,work ,showing ,concrete ,carriers and ,moulds #cdi #ejg ,how the ,natives ,gather ,cocoanuts #cej #ejh ,looking ,down ,miraflores ,locks #cej #eji ,hospital at ,bocas #cea #eaj ,new ,american ,docks at ,cristobal #cea #eaa ,ox ,method of ,transportation #ceb #eab ,road ,making by ,convicts #ceb #eac ,entrance to ,bouquette ,valley #cec #ead ,cocoanut ,palms near ,ancon #cec #eae ,native ,religious ,procession at ,chorrera #ced #eaf ,opening the ,cocoanut #ced #eag ,rice ,stacked for ,drying #cee #eah ,bullock ,cart in ,chorrera #cee #eai ,sun ,setting in the ,atlantic at ,lighthouse ,point #cef #ebj ,the ,fruitful ,mango ,tree #ceg #eba ,completed ,canal near ,gatun #ceh #ebb ,traveling ,cranes at ,miraflores #ceh #ebc ,the ,review at ,one of the ,roosevelt ,receptions #cei #ebd ,pacific ,flats ,left by ,receding ,tide #cei #ebe ,a ,whaler at ,pearl ,island #cfj #ebf ,an ,old ,well at ,chiriqui #cfj #ebg ,a ,good ,yield of ,cocoanuts #cfa #ebh ,cholo ,girls at the ,stream #cfa #ebi ,shipping at ,balboa ,docks #cfb #ecj ,explaining it to the ,boss #cfc #eca ,spanish ,monastery at ,panama #cfd #ecb ,choco ,indian of ,sanbu ,valley #cfd #ecc ,the ,rising ,generation #cfe #ecd ,ancon ,hill1 ,where ,americans ,live in ,comfort #cfe #ece ,gatun ,lake1 ,showing ,small ,floating ,islands #cff #ecf ,a ,spectacular ,blast #cfg #ecg ,the ,first ,view of ,colon #cfg #ech ,a ,porch at ,culebra #cfh #eci ,avenida ,centrale1 ,panama1 near the ,station #cfh #edj ,in a ,chiriqui ,town #cfi #eda ,a ,mountain ,river in ,chiriqui #cfi #edb ,biting ,through a ,slide3 ,five ,cubic ,yards per ,bite #cgj #edc ,commissary ,building and ,front ,street1 ,colon #cga #edd ,pedro ,miguel ,locks #cgb #ede ,detail ,construction of a ,lock #cgc #edf ,a ,group of ,guaymi ,girls #cgd #edg ,a ,zone ,sign of ,civilization #cgd #edh ,part of the ,completed ,canal #cge #edi ,his ,morning ,tub #cge #eej ,native ,girl1 ,chorrera ,province #cgf #eea ,native ,boy1 ,chorrera ,province #cgf #eeb ,park at ,david #cgg #eec ,main ,street1 ,chorrera #cgg #eed ,a ,placid ,back ,water in ,chiriqui #cgh #eee ,gatun ,lake4 ,floating ,islands ,massed ,against ,trestle #cgi #eef ,guide ,wall at ,miraflores #chj #eeg ,poling ,over the ,shallows #cha #eeh ,the ,spillway ,almost ,complete #cha #eei ,san ,blas ,lugger in ,port #chb #efj ,the ,beginning of a ,slide #chb #efa 8,making the ,dirt ,fly0 #chc #efb ,the ,happy ,children of the ,zone #chc #efc ,map of the ,panama ,cutoff #che #efd ,an ,eruption of the ,canal ,bed #chf #efe ,culebra ,cut on a ,hazy ,day #chh #eff ,bird's-,eye ,view of ,miraflores ,lock #chi #efg ,handling ,broken ,rock #cij #efh ,lock ,construction ,showing ,conduits #cij #efi ,traveling ,crane ,handling ,concrete in ,lock-,building #cia #egj ,tivoli ,hotel from ,hospital ,grounds #cib #ega ,mestizo ,girl of ,chorrera #cib #egb ,how ,corn is ,ground #cic #egc ,they ,used to do ,this in ,new ,england #cic #egd ,pile-,driver and ,dredge at ,balboa ,dock #cid #ege ,giant ,cement ,carriers at ,work #cie #egf ,tracks ,ascending from ,lower to ,upper ,lock #cif #egg ,col4 ,goethals' ,house at ,culebra #cig #egh ,electric ,towing ,locomotives on a ,lock #cih #egi ,a ,church in ,chorrera #cii #ehj ,a ,native ,kitchen #djj #eha ,native ,house in ,penomene #djj #ehb ,giant ,cacti ,often ,used for ,hedging #dja #ehc ,a ,street in ,chorrera #dja #ehd ,the ,town of ,empire1 ,soon to be ,abandoned #djb #ehe ,the ,panama ,railroad ,bridge at ,gamboa #djc #ehf ,a ,street in ,chorrera #djd #ehg ,a ,pearl ,island ,village #djd #ehh ,diagram of ,comparative ,excavations by the ,french and ,americans in ,culebra ,cut #dje #ehi ,view of ,pedro ,miguel ,locks ,nearing ,completion #dje #eij ,native ,woman1 ,cocle #djf #eia ,river ,village in ,chiriqui #djf #eib ,the ,pearl ,island ,village of ,saboga #djf #eic ,the ,tug ,bohio with ,barges in ,middle ,gatun ,lock #djh #eid ,looking ,down ,canal from ,miraflores ,lock to the ,pacific #djh #eie ,culebra ,cut ,partially ,filled with ,water #dji #eif ,floating ,islands in ,gatun ,lock ,entrance #daj #eig ,the ,first ,boat ,through4 ,i4 #daa #eih ,the ,flag in ,two ,oceans #dab #eii ,the ,continent's ,backbone ,broken #dac #fjj ,the ,first ,boat ,through4 ,,ii4 #dad ,,copyright1 #aiad1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright1 8,,panama ,,and ,,the ,,canal0 ,,introduction ,panama4 ,they say the word means 8a place of many fishes10 but there is some dissension about the exact derivation of the name of the now severed ,isthmus4 ,indeed dissension1 quarrels1 wars and massacres have been the prime characteristics of ,panama for four hundred years4 8,a place of many battles0 would be a more fitting significance for the name of this tiny spot where man has been doing ceaseless battle with man since history rose to record the conflicts4 ,as deadly as the wars between men of hostile races1 has been the unceasing struggle between man and nature4 ,you will get some faint idea of the toll of life taken in this conflict if from ,cristobal you will drive out to the picturesque cemetery at ,mount ,hope and look upon the almost interminable vista of little white headstones4 ,each marks the last resting place of some poor fellow fallen in the war with fever1 malaria and all of tropic nature's fierce and fatal allies against all conquering man4 ,that war is never ended4 ,the ,english and the ,spaniards have laid down their arms4 ,cimmaroon and conquistadore1 pirate and buccaneer no longer steal stealthily along the narrow jungle trails4 ,but let man forget for a while his vigilance and the rank1 lush growth of the jungle creeps over his clearings1 his roads1 his machinery1 enveloping all in morphic arms of vivid green1 delicate and beautiful to look upon1 but tough1 stubborn and fiercely resistant when attacked4 ,poisoned spines guard the slender tendrils that cling so tenaciously to every vantage point4 ,insects innumerable are sheltered by the vegetable chevaux-de-frise and in turn protect it from the assaults of any human enemy4 ,given a few months to restablish itself and the jungle1 once subdued1 presents to man again a defiant and an almost impenetrable front4 ,we boast that we have conquered nature on the ,isthmus1 but we have merely won a truce along a comparatively narrow strip between the oceans4 ,eternal vigilance will be the price of safety even there4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier4 ,courtesy ,american ,geographic ,magazine4 ,washington4 ,,the ,,sentinel ,,tree ,if that country alone is happy whose history is uninteresting1 then sorrow must have been the ordained lot of ,panama4 ,visited first by ,columbus in #aejb1 at which time the great navigator put forth every effort to find a strait leading through to the ,east ,indies1 it has figured largely in the pages of history ever since4 ,considerable cities of ,spanish foundation rose there while our own ,jamestown and ,plymouth were still unimagined4 ,the ,spaniards were building massive walls1 erecting masonry churches1 and paving royal roads down there in the jungle long before the palisades and log huts of ,plymouth rose on the sandy shores of ,cape ,cod ,bay4 ,if the ruins of the first city of ,panama1 draped with tropical vines1 are all that remain of that once royal city1 its successor founded in #afgc still stands with parts of the original walls sturdily resisting the onslaught of time4 ,it appears there are certain advantages about geographical littleness4 ,if ,panama had been big the eyes of the world would never have been fastened upon it4 ,instinctively ,columbus sought in each of its bays1 opening from the ,caribbean that strait which should lead to far ,cathay4 ,seeking the same mythical passage ,balboa there climbed a hill where 8--with eagle eyes1 ,he star'd at the ,pacific--and all his men ,look'd at each other with a wild surmise ,silent upon a peak in ,darien40 ,hope of a natural strait abandoned1 the narrowness of the ,isthmus made it the shortest route for ,cortez1 ,pizarro and other famous ,spanish robbers and murderers to follow in their quest for the gold of the ,incas4 ,as the ,spaniards spoiled ,peru1 so the buccaneers and other pirates1 belonging to foreign nations1 robbed and murdered the ,spaniards4 ,the gold fever filled the narrow ,isthmus full of graves1 and of moldering bodies for which there was not even hasty sepulture4 ,in time the ,peruvian hoards were exhausted1 ,spaniards and ,englishmen1 buccaneers and pirates vanished4 ,then came a new invasion--this time by a nation unknown in the days of the ,great ,trade and the ,royal ,road4 ,gold had been discovered in ,california1 and now troops of ,americans fought their way through the jungle1 and breasted the rapids of the ,chagres ,river4 ,they sought gold as had ,pizarro and ,cortez1 but they sought it with spade and pan1 not with sword and musket4 ,in their wake came the ,panama ,railroad1 a true pioneer of international trade4 ,then sprung up once more the demand for the waterway across the neck which ,columbus had sought in vain4 ,the story of the inception and completion of the canal is the truly great chapter in the history of ,panama4 ,not all the gold from poor ,peru that ,pizarro sent across the ,isthmus to fatten the coffers of kings or to awaken the cupidity and cunning of the buccaneers equals what the ,united ,states alone has expended to give to the trade of the world the highway so long and so fruitlessly sought4 ,an act of unselfish bounty1 freely given to all the peoples of the earth1 comes to obliterate at last the long record of international perfidy1 piracy and plunder which is the history of ,panama4 ,illustration3 ,,scene ,,on ,,otoque ,,island1 ,,panama ,,bay ,this book is being written in the last days of constructive work on the ,panama ,canal4 ,the tens of thousands of workmen1 the hundreds of officers are preparing to scatter to their homes in all parts of the world4 ,the pleasant and hospitable society of the ,zone of which ,i have written is breaking up4 ,villages are being abandoned1 and the water of ,gatun ,lake is silently creeping up and the green advance guard of the jungle swiftly stealing over the forsaken ground4 ,while this book is yet new much that ,i have written of as part of the program of the future will indeed have become part of the record of the past4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,rank1 ,,lush ,,growth ,,of ,,the ,,jungle ,i think that anyone who visited the ,canal ,zone during the latter years of construction work will have carried away with him a very pleasant and lively recollection of a social life and hospitality that was quite ideal4 ,the official centers at ,culebra and ,ancon1 the quarters of the army at ,camp ,otis and the navy and marine corps at ,camp ,elliott were ever ready to entertain the visitor from the states and his enjoyment was necessarily tinged with regret that the charming homes thrown open to him were but ephemeral1 and that the passage of the first ship through the canal would mark the beginning of their dismantling and abandonment4 ,the practiced traveler in every clime will find this eagerness of those who hold national outposts1 whether ours in the ,philippines1 or the ,british in ,india and ,hong ,kong1 to extend the glad hand of welcome to one from home1 but nowhere have ,i found it so thoroughly the custom as on the ,canal ,zone4 ,no ,american need fear loneliness who goes there4 ,in the chapter on 8,social ,life on the ,canal ,zone0 ,i have tried to depict this colonial existence1 so different from the life of the same people when in 8the states0 and yet so full of a certain 8hominess0 after all4 ,it does not seem to me that we ,americans cling to our home customs when on foreign stations quite so tenaciously as do the ,british--though ,i observed that the ,americans on the ,zone played baseball quite as religiously as the ,british played cricket4 ,perhaps we are less tenacious of afternoon tea than they1 but women's clubs flourish on the ,zone as they do in ,kansas1 while as for bridge it proceeds as uninterruptedly as the flow of the dirt out of the ,culebra ,cut4 ,nobody could return from the ,zone without a desire to express thanks for the hospitalities shown him and the author is fortunate in possessing the opportunity to do so publicly4 ,particularly do ,i wish to acknowledge indebtedness or aid in the preparation of this book to ,col4 ,george ,w4 ,goethals1 ,chairman and ,engineer in ,chief1 and to ,col4 ,w4 ,c4 ,gorgas1 ,commissioner and ,chief ,sanitary ,officer4 ,it goes without saying that without the friendly aid and coperation of ,col4 ,goethals no adequate description of the canal work and the life of the workers could ever be written4 ,to the then ,secretary of ,war1 ,hon4 ,henry ,l4 ,stimson1 under whose able administration of the ,department of ,war much of the canal progress noted in this book was made1 the author is indebted for personal and official introductions1 and to ,hon4 ,john ,barrett1 one time ,united ,states ,minister to ,colombia and now ,director ,general of the ,pan ,american ,union1 much is owed for advice and suggestion from a mind richly stored with ,latin-,american facts4 ,on the ,canal ,zone ,hon4 ,joseph ,b4 ,bishop1 ,secretary of the ,isthmian ,canal ,commission1 ,hon4 ,maurice ,h4 ,thatcher1 ,civil ,governor1 and ,mr4 ,h4 ,h4 ,rousseau1 the naval member of the ,commission1 were particularly helpful4 ,thanks are cordially extended to ,prof4 ,f4 ,a4 ,gause1 the superintendent of schools1 who has built up on the ,canal ,zone an educational system that cannot fail to affect favorably the schools of the surrounding ,republic of ,panama2 to ,mr4 ,walter ,j4 ,beyer1 the engineer in charge of lighthouse construction1 and to ,mr4 ,a4 ,b4 ,dickson who1 by his active and devoted work in the development of the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 clubs on the ,zone1 has created a feature of its social life which is absolutely indispensable4 ,the illustration of a book of this nature would be far from complete were the work of professional photographers alone relied upon4 ,of the army of amateurs who have kindly contributed to its pages ,i wish to thank ,prof4 ,h4 ,pittier of the ,department of ,agriculture1 ,prof4 ,otto ,lutz1 ,department of ,natural ,science1 ,panama ,national ,institute2 ,mr4 ,w4 ,ryall ,burtis1 of ,freehold1 ,n4 ,j42 ,mr4 ,stewart ,hancock ,elliott1 of ,norwalk1 ,conn42 ,mr4 ,a4 ,w4 ,french1 and ,dr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,orenstein of the ,department of ,sanitation4 ,the opening of the ,panama ,canal does not merely portend a new era in trade1 or the end of the epoch of trial and struggle on the ,isthmus4 ,it has a finality such as have few of the great works of man4 ,nowhere on this globe are there left two continents to be severed2 two oceans to be united4 ,canals are yet to be dug1 arms of the sea brought together4 ,we may yet see inland channels from ,boston to ,galveston1 and from ,chicago to ,new ,york navigable by large steamships4 ,but the union of the ,mediterranean and the ,red ,sea at ,suez1 and the ,atlantic and ,pacific at ,panama stand as man's crowning achievements in remodeling ,god's world4 ,as ,ambassador ,james ,bryce1 speaking of the ,panama ,canal1 put it1 8,it is the greatest liberty ,man has ever taken with ,nature40 ,illustration3 ,,ruins ,,of ,,old ,,panama ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,front ,,door ,,to ,,panama ,the gray sun of a bitter ,february day was sinking in a swirling sea as the ship doggedly plowed its way southward along the ,new ,jersey coast4 ,one after another the beacons that guard that perilous strip of sand twinkled out1 and one after another voyagers unused to ocean's stormiest moods silently disappeared into secretive cabins4 8,it may be a stern and rockbound coast10 said one lady with poetic reminiscence1 8but ,i wish ,i was on it60 ,for it must be set down as a melancholy truth that the voyage from ,new ,york to ,colon is as a rule tempestuous4 ,most who seek the ,canal ,zone as mere sightseers will choose winter for the trip1 at which time wintry gales are the rule as far south as the ,bahamas--after which the long smooth rollers of the tropical ocean will sufficiently try the unaccustomed stomach even though the breezes which accompany them be as mild as those of ,araby the blest4 ,in brief1 to reach in winter our newest possession you must brave the ordinary discomforts of a rough voyage1 and three days of biting cold weather as well1 unless you sail from ,new ,orleans1 or the terminus of ,mr4 ,flagler's new over-sea railroad at ,key ,west4 ,despite its isthmian character1 the ,canal ,zone1 ,uncle ,sam's most southerly outpost1 may be called an island1 for the travelers' purpose4 ,true it is bordered on but two sides by water1 and thus far violates the definition of an island4 ,but it is only to be reached by water4 ,the other two sides are walled in by the tangled jungle where vegetation grows so rank and lush that animal life is stunted and beaten in the struggle for existence by the towering palms1 clustering ferns and creeping vines4 ,only things that crawl on their bellies like the serpent accursed in ,eden grow to their fullest estate in this network of rustling green4 ,lions there are1 by the talk of the natives at least1 but when you encounter them they turn out to be mere stunted specimens of our northern wild cat4 ,the deer1 rarely met1 are dwarfed but are the largest animals to be found in the jungle1 though one hears reports of giant boas4 ,indeed the remnants of the age of reptiles are large to our eyes1 though puny in comparison with the giants that scientists christened1 long centuries after they were extinct and unable to protest1 with such names as ichthyosaurus4 ,you will still find lizards or iguana1 three to five feet long1 if your search of the jungle be thorough4 ,the tapir1 or ant eater1 too1 grows to huge size4 ,but it is not dread of wild animals that keeps man from penetrating the jungle4 ,the swift growing and impenetrable vegetation blocks the paths as fast as cut1 and he who would seek the ,canal ,zone must follow the oldest of highways1 the sea4 ,illustration3 ,,tree ,,growing ,,out ,,of ,a ,,chimney ,,in ,,jamaica ,if ,new ,york be the port of departure1 several lines offer themselves to the traveler1 and soon after the canal is opened their number will be increased4 ,at present the ,panama ,railroad ,company1 owned by the government1 maintains a line of ships mainly for the carriage of supplies and employes of the ,canal ,commission4 ,there is already discussion of the wisdom of abandoning this line after the construction work is over1 on the ground that the ,united ,states government has no right to enter into the business of water transportation in competition with private parties4 ,if sold by the government1 however1 the line will doubtless be maintained under private ownership4 ,the ,united ,fruit ,company1 an ,american corporation with an impressive fleet of ships all flying the ,british flag1 also carries passengers to the ,isthmus from ,new ,york and ,new ,orleans1 as does the ,hamburg-,american ,line1 from ,new ,york only4 ,my own voyage was by the ,royal ,mail ,steam ,packet line1 an historic organization chartered in #ahci for the express purpose of bringing ,england into closer touch with its ,west ,indian colonies4 ,the excellent ships of this line1 sailing fortnightly from ,new ,york1 touch at the little port of ,antilla on the northern shore of ,cuba1 spend twenty-four hours at ,jamaica and reach ,colon on the eighth day of the voyage4 ,thence the ship plows along through our ,american ,mediterranean1 touching at ,trinidad1 ,st4 ,kitts1 ,barbadoes and other ,british colonial outposts until at last she turns into the open ocean1 buffeting her way eastward to ,gibraltar and ,southampton1 her home port4 ,illustration3 ,,cane ,,river ,,falls ,a real bit of ,england afloat is the 8,oruba0 with officers clad on festive occasions in full dress uniforms closely resembling those of the ,royal ,navy1 and stewards who never dropped dishes in a storm but dropped their h's on the slightest provocation4 8',e's in the 'old1 mum10 explained one when a lady inquired for the whereabouts of a missing dog4 ,it is wonderful after all how persistent are the ,british manners and customs in the places the ,english frequent4 ,from the breakfast tea1 bloaters and marmalade1 to the fish knives sensibly served with that course at dinner1 but which finicky ,americans abjure1 all about the table on these ships is typically ,english4 ,in the colonies you find drivers all turning to the left1 things are done 8directly0 and not 8right away10 every villa has its tennis court1 and ,piccadilly1 ,bond ,st41 and ,regent ,street are never missing from the smallest colonial towns4 ,but to return to the voyage4 ,for four days we steamed south along a course as straight as though drawn by a ruler4 ,for three days the wind blew bitter and cutting1 the seas buffeted the weather side of the ship with resounding blows1 and the big dining saloon displayed a beggarly array of empty seats4 ,betwixt us and ,africa was nothing but a clear course for wind and wave1 and both seemed to suffer from speed mania4 ,strange noises rose from the cabins2 stewardesses looked business-like and all-compelling as they glided along the narrow corridors4 ,hardened men in the smoke room kept their spirits up by pouring spirits down1 and agreed that the first leg of a voyage to ,colon was always a beastly one4 ,but by the morning of the fourth day a change comes over the spirit of our dreams4 ,the wind still blows1 but it is soft1 tempered to the shorn lamb4 ,the ship still rolls1 but the mysterious organ called the stomach has become attuned to the motion and ladies begin to reappear on the deck4 ,the deck chairs so blithely rented at ,new ,york are no longer untenanted1 and we cease to look upon the deck steward who took our money as a confidence man4 ,a glance at the chart at noon shows us off the northern coast of ,florida and the deep blue of the water betokens the ,gulf ,stream4 ,next morning men begin to don their white suits1 and the sailors wander about barefooted4 ,a bright girl suggests that a voyage from ,new ,york to the tropics is like a shower bath taken backwards1 and we all are glad that the warm water faucet is at last turned on4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,road ,,to ,,market ,a typical highway of ,jamaica1 followed by natives going to ,kingston ,the first land we sight after the ,jersey coast has faded away is ,watling ,island1 in the ,bahamas4 ,everybody looks at it eagerly--a long1 low-lying coast with a slender lighthouse1 a fishing village and the wreck of a square rigged vessel plainly visible--for this is believed to be the first land sighted by ,columbus4 ,of that there is some debate1 but there is always debate on shipboard and any event that will furnish a topic is welcome4 ,everything about the ship now has turned tropical4 ,the shady deck becomes popular1 and the #bdj pound ship's doctor in immaculate white linen with the cutest little shell jacket after the ,royal ,navy pattern becomes a subject for wonder and admiration4 ,antilla1 the first stopping place on the way south1 is a cluster of houses on a spacious bay on the northern side of ,cuba1 connected with ,santiago and ,havana4 ,doubtless some day it may become a notable shipping point1 and indeed the shores of the bay are dotted with great sugar houses and carpeted with fields of shimmering green cane4 ,but today only a lighter load of timber and a few tropical products are shipped--that is if we except a bunch of tourists who have come this far on the way to ,colon by rail and the short sea trip from ,florida to ,cuba4 ,most of them were in doubt whether they had improved upon the discomfort of four rough days at sea by electing twenty-four hours of rough riding on the ,cuban railway instead4 ,illustration3 ,,sports ,,on ,,shipboard ,,the 8,,oruba0 ,past the quarantine station which1 with its red-topped hospital1 looks like a seashore resort1 we steam1 and the boat's prow is again turned southward4 ,jamaica1 our next port of call1 is thirty-six hours away1 and at last we have placid blue water from which the flying fish break in little clouds1 and a breeze suggestive of the isles of spice4 ,the ship's company which two days back was largely content with cots1 and the innumerable worthless remedies for seasickness1 always recommended by people who don't get sick1 now pines for exercise and entertainment4 ,young men normally sane1 bestride an horizontal boom and belabor each other with pillows until one or both fall to the hospitable mattress below4 ,other youths1 greatly encouraged by the plaudits of fair ones1 permit themselves to be trussed up like fowls exposed for sale1 and1 with ungainly hops and lurches1 bunt into each other until one is toppled to the deck4 ,the human cockfight brings loud applause which attains its apogee when some spectator at the critical moment with a shrill cock-a-doodle-doo displays an egg4 ,a ship in the tropics is the truest of playgrounds4 ,we are beginning to feel the content of just living which characterizes the native of the tropics4 ,indeed when the deck is cleared and waxed1 and the weather cloths and colored lights brought forth for the ball1 most of the men who left ,new ,york full of energy find themselves too languid to participate4 ,i don't know whether the ,royal ,mail exacts of its officers an aptitude for the dance1 but their trim white uniforms were always much in evidence when the two-step was in progress4 ,illustration3 ,,bog ,,walk1 ,,jamaica ,there are no bogs along this beautiful drive4 ,the name was originally 8,bocas del ,agua10 and has been corrupted to its present form ,early on the second day out from ,cuba a heavy gray mass showed clear on the horizon to the southwest4 ,it is reported by the historians that when ,queen ,isabella once asked ,columbus what ,jamaica looked like he crumpled up a sheet of stiff paper in his palm1 then partly smoothing it displayed it to the ,queen4 ,the illustration was apt4 ,nowhere does a more crinkly island rise from the sea4 ,up to a height of #gjjj feet and more the mountains rise sheer from the sea with only here and there the narrowest strip of white beach at the base4 ,for the most part the tropical foliage comes unthinned down to the water4 ,in early morn the crests of the hills are draped with clouds1 and from the valleys betwixt them masses of white mist come rolling out as the rays of the sun heat the atmosphere4 ,for forty miles or so you steam along this coast with scarce an acre of level land between the mountains and the deep until in the distance you descry the hollow in which ,kingston lies embedded4 ,a low lying sand bar runs parallel to the shore and perhaps a mile out1 forming the barrier for the harbor which is indeed a noble bay well fit to shelter navies4 ,but the barrier1 though but a few feet above high water now1 is sinking gradually1 and the future of ,kingston's harbor is somewhat distressing4 ,once this low sandbar bore the most riotous and wicked town of history1 for here stood ,port ,royal to which flocked the pirates and buccaneers of the ,spanish ,main1 with their booty--doubloons1 pieces of eight1 beauteous ,spanish seoritas and all the other attractive plunder with which the dime novels of our youth made us familiar4 ,a right merry spot was ,port ,royal in those days and a pistol bullet or a swift stab in the back1 though common enough1 only halted the merriment for one man at a time4 ,but fire purged ,port ,royal1 and the pleasant pursuit of piracy began to fall into disrepute4 ,instead of treating the gallants who sailed under the ,jolly ,roger as gentlemen adventurers1 civilized governments began to hang them--,england being the last to countenance them in making ,henry ,morgan1 wildest of the reckless lot1 a baronet1 and appointed him governor of ,jamaica4 ,now ,port ,royal has shrunken to a fishing village1 bordering upon the abandoned ,british naval station at the very harbor's mouth4 ,illustration3 ,,government ,,buildings1 ,,kingston ,the special type of renforced concrete buildings with broad arcades is well adapted to the tropics ,one sees there the emplacements for guns1 but no guns2 the barracks for marines1 but no men4 ,even the flagstaff rises dismally destitute of bunting4 ,no sign of military or naval life appears about the harbor4 ,the first time ,i visited it a small ,british gunboat about the size of our 8,dolphin0 dropped anchor and sent four boatloads of jackies ashore for a frolic1 but on my second visit the new ,governor of the colony arrived on a ,royal ,mail ship1 unescorted by any armed vessel1 and was received without military pomp or the thunder of cannon4 ,the fact of the matter is that the ties uniting ,jamaica to the mother country are of the very slenderest1 and it is said that not a few ,jamaicans would welcome a change in allegiance to the ,united ,states4 ,the greatest product of the island is sugar4 ,our tariff policy denies it entrance to our market1 though as ,i write ,congress is debating a lower tariff4 ,the ,british policy of a 8free breakfast table0 gives it no advantage in the ,english markets over the bounty-fed sugar of ,germany4 ,hence the island is today in a state of commercial depression almost mortuary4 ,an appeal to ,canada resulted in that country giving in its tariff a #bj per cent advantage to the sugar and fruit of the ,british ,west ,indies4 ,thus far1 however1 ,jamaica has refused this half a loaf1 wishing the preferential limited to her products alone4 ,illustration3 ,,king ,,street1 ,,kingston1 ,,jamaica ,meanwhile ,english writers of authority are openly discussing the likelihood of ,jamaica reverting to the ,united ,states4 ,in its ,south ,american supplement the ,london ,times said in #aiaa1 speaking of the ,united ,states3 8,its supremacy in the ,gulf of ,mexico and in the ,caribbean ,sea is today practically undisputed2 there can be little doubt1 therefore1 that the islands of the ,west ,indies and the outlying units of ,spanish ,america will1 upon the completion of the ,panama ,canal1 gravitate in due course to amalgamation with the ,great ,republic of the ,north40 ,and ,mr4 ,archibald ,colquhoun1 an authoritative writer on ,british ,west ,indian policy1 said about the same time3 8,it is certain that ,jamaica1 and other ,west ,indian ,islands1 in view of the local geographical and economic conditions--and especially in view of the change which will be wrought in those conditions by the opening of the ,panama ,canal--must sooner or later decide between ,canada and the ,united ,states40 ,this situation may lead the ,imperial ,government to throw ,jamaica a sop in the shape of heavy expenditures for fortifications1 a large resident garrison and a permanent naval station4 ,but it is unlikely4 ,if ,kingston is within easy striking distance of the ,canal1 it is within easier striking distance of our powerful naval base at ,guantanamo4 ,the monopoly of striking is not conferred on any one power1 and the advantage of striking first would be open to either4 ,not impressive as viewed from the water1 the town is even less so when considered in the intimacy of its streets4 ,an air of gray melancholy pervades it all4 ,in #aijg an earthquake rent the town into fragments1 and the work of rebuilding is but begun4 ,ruins confront you on every hand1 the ruins of edifices that in their prime could have been nothing but commonplace1 and in this day of their disaster have none of the dignity which we like to discover in mute memorials of a vanished past4 ,over all broods a dull1 drab mantle of dust4 ,the glorious trees1 unexcelled in variety and vigor1 have their richly varying hues dulled by the dust1 so that you may not know how superb indeed is the coloring of leaf and flower except after one of the short sharp tropical rains that washes away the pall and sets the gutters roaring with a chocolate colored flood4 ,illustration3 ,,jamaica1 ,,where ,,motoring ,,is ,,good ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,,duke ,,street1 ,,kingston1 ,,jamaica ,beauty1 dignity and pathos abide in the residence streets of the ancient colonial town4 ,hard times for sugar planters1 even more than the earthquake1 have cast a gloom over the community4 ,making due allowance for the tropical vegetation and the multitudinous negro1 there is much that is characteristically ,english about ,kingston4 ,the houses of the better class of people1 however fragile in construction1 stand somewhat back from the street1 guarded by ponderous brick walls in order that the theory 8every ,englishman's house is his castle0 may be literally maintained4 ,and each house has its name painted conspicuously on its gate posts4 ,the names are emphatically ,english and their grandeur bears no apparent relation to the size of the edifice4 ,sometimes they reach into literature4 ,i saw one six-room cottage labeled 8,birnamwood10 but looked in vain about the neighborhood for ,dunsinane4 ,illustration3 ,,women ,,on ,,the ,,way ,,to ,,market 8,the woman or the donkey furnishes transportation0 ,the town boasts a race course1 and the triple pillars of ,english social life1 cricket1 lawn tennis and afternoon tea1 are much in evidence4 ,the ,governor is always an ,englishman and his home government1 which never does things by halves1 furnishes him with a stately official residence and a salary of #ejjj a year4 ,the ,episcopal ,archbishop of the ,west ,indies resident there is an ,englishman4 ,but most of the heads of official departments are ,jamaicans1 which is quite as it should be1 for out of the #hej1jjj people in the island only about #affj1 according to the census of #aiaa1 were born in ,england1 ,scotland or ,ireland4 ,furthermore the number of 8men from home0 is relatively decreasing1 although their influence is still potent4 ,even the native ,jamaican of the more cultivated class speaks of ,england as home1 and as a rule he spends his holidays there4 ,yet the keenest observers declare that the individual ,englishman in ,jamaica always remains much of a stranger to the native people4 ,he is not as adaptable even as the ,american1 and it is asserted that ,american influence in the island grows even as ,british domination is weakened4 ,one home feature which the ,english have impressed upon the islands is good roads4 ,the highways leading from ,kingston up into the hills and across the island to ,port ,antonio and other places are models of road making4 ,they are of the highest economic value1 too1 for in marketing farm products the one railroad is but little used4 ,nearly everything is brought from farm to market on the heads of the striding women1 or in straw panniers slung over the backs of patient donkeys4 ,amazing are the loads these two patient beasts of burden--biped and quadruped--bear4 ,once in a while a yoke of oxen1 or a one horse cart is seen1 but in the main the woman or the donkey furnishes transportation4 ,to the ,jamaican there is nothing wrong with the verbiage of the ,tenth ,commandment to which our progressive women take violent exception4 ,to him there is nothing anomalous in lumping in his or his neighbor's wife with 8his ox or his ass40 ,so the country roads on a market day are an unending panorama of human life1 of women plodding to market--often a two days' journey--with a long swinging stride1 burden firmly poised on head1 or returning with smaller loads gossiping and laughing with much gleaming of white teeth as the stranger passes4 ,the roads are a paradise for automobilists--smooth1 of gentle grade1 with easy curves and winding through the most beautiful scenery of tropic hillsides and rushing waters4 ,only the all-pervading dust mars the motorists' pleasure4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,yard ,,and ,,its ,,tenants 8,the huts are inconceivably small1 a trifle larger than billiard tables0 ,if the air is dusty1 the prevailing complexion is dusky4 ,for in this island of about #hej1jjj people only about #ae1jjj are listed in the census as 8white10 and the whiteness of a good many of these is admittedly tarnished by a 8touch of the tarbrush40 ,as in every country in which any social relation between the races is not remorselessly tabooed--as it is in our southern states--the number of 8colored0 people increases more rapidly than that of either black or white4 ,there were in #ahcd1 #ae1jjj whites out of the population of #cga1jjj2 there are today #ae1fje1 but the blacks and mongrels have increased to more than #hjj1jjj4 ,the gradations in color in any street group run from the very palest yellow to the blackest of ,congo black4 ,that is hardly the sort of population which the ,united ,states desires to take to its bosom4 ,illustration3 ,,coaling ,,transatlantic ,,steamships ,the ,jamaica negro is a natural loafer4 ,of course he works when he must1 but betwixt the mild climate1 the kindly fruits of the earth and the industry of his wife or wives1 that dire necessity is seldom forced upon him4 ,my first glimpse of industrial conditions in ,jamaica was taken from the deck of a ship warping into dock at ,kingston4 ,another ship1 lying at the same dock1 was being coaled4 ,down and up the #ajjj feet or so of dock tramped long files of indescribably ragged1 black and dirty figures4 ,those going down bore on their heads baskets piled high with coal1 going back they bore the baskets empty4 ,of the marching figures fully two-thirds were women4 ,with tattered skirts tucked up to the knees and the merest semblance of waists1 barefooted1 they plodded along4 ,the baskets carried about #fe pounds of coal each1 and for taking one from the pile and emptying it into the ship's bunkers these women received half a cent4 ,there was no merriment about the work1 no singing as among our negro roustabouts on the ,mississippi4 ,silently with shoulders squared1 hands swinging in rhythm and basket poised firmly on the head1 the women strode along1 working thus for perhaps eight or nine hours and then flocking home chatting noisily as they darkened the streets and forced the white-clad tourists to shrink aside from grimy contact4 ,on the country roads you find lines of women carrying fruit and vegetables to market1 but seldom a man4 ,yet thus far that weaker sex has not developed a suffragette1 although they support the colony4 ,there is much head work in ,jamaica1 even if there be little brain work4 ,the negroes carry everything on their heads4 ,the only hat ,i saw on a man's kinky poll was an old derby1 reversed1 filled with yams and thus borne steadily along4 ,a negro given a letter to deliver will usually seek a stone to weight it down1 deposit it thus ballasted amidst his wool and do the errand4 ,in ,panama an engineer told me of ordering a group of ,jamaicans to load a wheel-barrow with stones and take it to a certain spot4 8,would you believe it10 he said1 8when they had filled that wheel-barrow1 two of the niggers lifted it to their companion's head1 balanced it and he walked off with it as contented as you please40 ,the huts in which the negroes live are as a rule inconceivably small4 ,they are just a trifle larger than a billiard table1 built of wattled cane1 and plastered over with clay4 ,the roof is usually a thatch of palm branches1 though sometimes ragged strips of corrugated iron are employed with much less artistic effect4 ,in what corresponds to our tenements1 the rooming places of day laborers1 the yard rather than the house is the unit4 ,so you will see on a tiny shack about the size of a playhouse for children the sign1 8,rooms for ,rent10 which applies not to the pigmy edifice bearing it1 but to the cluster of huts set down helter skelter in the yard4 ,the people sleep in the huts1 incidentally barring them so far as the flimsy construction permits against any possible entrance of fresh air4 ,all the other activities of life are conducted in the open--cooking1 eating1 sewing1 gossiping4 ,a yard is the most social place imaginable1 and the system not only contributes to health by keeping people in the open air1 adds to the gayety of life by grouping so many black families in one corral1 reduces the high cost of living as our model tenements never can hope to1 but makes one black landlord independent1 for the possession of a yard with its rooms all rented leaves nothing needed for enjoyment except a phonograph and an ample supply of the rum for which the island is famous4 ,illustration3 ,,market ,,women ,,and ,,their ,,donkeys ,the true industrial forces of ,jamaica4 ,men are seldom seen as carriers or sellers of produce ,racially the ,jamaica peasant is a negro1 with varying admixtures of white blood4 ,the mongrel breed is steadily increasing and the pure white population relatively decreasing4 ,economically the peasant is either a day laborer or a servant1 and as #dj1jjj are classed as servants in a population where the employing class is limited1 it follows that employers keep many servants and the supply always exceeds the demand4 ,children come rapidly to the ,jamaicans4 ,marriage is easy and to dispense with it easier still1 so that #fb per cent of the births are illegitimate4 8,my people are very religious10 said a missionary proudly1 8but1 dear me1 how immoral they are60 ,when girls are about twelve years old the mothers1 tired of supporting them1 for that task is seldom assumed by the fathers1 take them to town on the first market day4 ,the little produce being sold1 the pair proceed from house to house seeking some 8kine missus0 who will take a school girl4 ,in the end the child becomes the property of whoever will clothe1 feed and shelter her4 ,pay is not expected1 though when she grows helpful she is sometimes given an occasional gift of silver4 ,the rights of the mistress are patriarchal1 and whether or not she spoils the child the rod is seldom spared4 ,when she gets to be seventeen or so the girl suddenly disappears in the night1 with a bundle of her clothing4 ,the inevitable man has crossed her path and she has gone to be his companion and slave4 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,way ,,of ,,carrying ,,bananas ,at the docks of the ,united ,fruit ,co41 mechanical carriers1 so perfected as not to bruise the fruit1 have replaced the leisurely negro ,when you think of it there is not much economic change in her situation4 ,she worked for her mistress for nothing--she does the same for her husband1 or more commonly for her 8friend40 ,he may work spasmodically for her when the need of actual money compels1 but as a rule she is the wage earner4 ,always she tends the little garden and takes its slender produce to market4 ,sometimes she joins the coal-bearing ,amazons down at the steamship docks4 ,often she goes back to the family which brought her up and offers her services anew--this time for a wage4 ,every house has two or three boxes a few feet away serving for servants' quarters1 but a girl of this type will decline these1 renting instead a shack in a 8yard10 taking there daily the materials for her dinner usually provided by her mistress4 ,at its door1 in a brazier1 or a tiny stove1 she will cook the meal for the idle 8husband0 and the children who arrive with mechanical regularity4 ,after supper there is the gossip of the dozen or more women in the yard4 ,the rebuilding of ,kingston1 compelled by the earthquake1 is proceeding apace4 ,the town will lose much in quaintness1 one can see that by the ruins of some of the older structures in which stately colonial outlines can be traced4 ,but it will gain in adaptation to the climate and the ever-present earthquake menace4 ,the main business street--,king ,street1 of course1 being a ,british colony--is lined on either side with arcaded concrete buildings of a uniform type4 ,ceilings are high1 windows large and one may walk the three long blocks of the busiest business section without emerging from the shady arcades4 ,the government buildings1 occupying two full squares and setting well back from the street1 are of a type that suggests the streets of ,india1 and are also of reinforced concrete4 ,it is the belief of the authorities that the comparative lightness of this material coupled with its resistant powers will enable it to survive any earthquake4 ,the whole period of the shock of #aijg barely exceeded ten seconds1 but its wreckage will not be repaired in ten years4 ,illustration3 8,,gwine ,,to ,,de ,,big ,,job0 ,the cargo that we have taken on from the spice-scented dock is technically called a 8cargo of black ivory10 made up of negroes sailing for ,colon to work on the 8big job40 ,good-natured1 grinning negroes these1 though ,i have heard that1 on the smaller ships that carry them by hundreds for the #ejj miles for five dollars each1 they sometimes riot and make trouble4 ,with us they were inoffensive1 though it is perhaps as well that the passenger quarters are to windward of them4 ,the religious sentiment is strong upon them and as the sun goes down in the waste of waters the wail of hymn tunes sung to the accompaniment of a fiddle and divers mouth organs rises over the whistle of the wind and the rumble of the machinery4 ,one can but reflect that ten years ago1 before the coming of ,col4 ,gorgas and his sanitation system1 three out of five of these happy1 cheerful blacks would never return alive from the ,canal ,zone4 ,today they invite no more risk than a business man in ,chicago going to his office1 and when their service is ended the ,united ,states government is obligated to return them to ,jamaica where for a time their money will make them the idols of the markets1 lanes and yards4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,cristobal-,,colon2 ,,and ,,the ,,panama ,,railroad ,colon is the most considerable town on the ,caribbean ,coast north and west of ,cartagena4 ,it is in fact two towns1 the older one which is still subject to the jurisdiction of the ,republic of ,panama and which is properly called ,colon2 and the new or ,american town which is in the ,canal ,zone and is called ,cristobal4 ,the two are separated only by an imaginary line1 though if you want to mail a letter in ,colon you must use a ,panama stamp1 while if you get into trouble--civil or criminal--in that camp of banditti you will have meted out to you the particular form of justice which ,panamanian judges keep expressly for unlucky ,gringoes who fall into their clutches4 ,the combined towns are called ,cristobal-,colon1 or in our vernacular ,christopher ,columbus4 ,the name is half ,french1 half ,spanish1 and the town is a medley of all nations4 ,for half a century there has been trouble of various sorts about the name of the spot--which is a sort of caldron of trouble any way4 ,the ,united ,states wanted to call the port ,aspinwall1 after the principal promoter of the ,panama ,railroad which had its terminus there1 but ,colombia1 which at that time controlled the ,isthmus1 insisted on the name ,colon1 and finally enforced its contention by refusing to receive at its post office letters addressed to 8,aspinwall40 ,this vigorous action was effective and the ,united ,states postal authorities were obliged to notify users of the mails that there was no longer any such place on the world's map as ,aspinwall4 ,illustration3 ,,toro ,,point ,,light ,the dignity of our outraged nation had to be maintained1 however1 and when1 a little later1 the commission of our ,consul at ,colon expired1 the ,state ,department refused to replace him because it ignored the existence of such a place as ,colon1 while ,colombia would not admit the existence of an ,aspinwall within its borders4 ,thus for some time a good democrat was kept out of a job--it was the period of democratic ascendancy4 ,perhaps it was pressure for this job that led our government to yield4 ,when the ,french began digging the canal they chose ,limon ,bay1 the inlet on which ,colon stands1 as its ,atlantic terminus and established a town of their own which they called ,cristobal1 being the ,french form of ,christopher4 ,hence ,cristobal-,colon1 the official name which appears on all accurate maps of the present day4 ,illustration3 ,,toro ,,point ,,breakwater ,before its construction northers often made the harbor of ,colon untenable for ships ,illustration3 ,,the ,,new ,,cristobal ,,docks ,it is one of the traditions of the town that a tramp steamer1 commanded by a ,german1 came plowing in from the sea one morning and1 passing without attention the docks of ,colon1 went gaily on up ,limon ,bay until she ran smack into the land4 ,being jeered at for his unusual method of navigation the captain produced his charts4 8,that town is ,colon8 ,no8 ,is it not so8 ,vell dere are two towns4 ,my port is ,colon4 ,cristobal comes first4 ,i pass it4 ,i go on to ,colon and by thunder dere is no ,colon4 ,nothing but mud40 ,it is recorded that the skipper's explanation was accepted and that he was acquitted of wilfully casting away his vessel4 ,illustration3 8,,palms ,,which ,,blend ,,with ,,the ,,sea0 ,we reach ,colon where lie the docks of the ,royal ,mail in the early morning4 ,to the right as we steam into ,limon ,bay is the long breakwater of ,toro ,point extending three miles into the ,caribbean1 the very first ,atlantic outpost of the canal4 ,for it was necessary to create here a largely artificial harbor1 as ,limon ,bay affords no safe anchorage when the fierce northers sweep down along the coast4 ,in the early days of ,colon1 when it was the starting point of the gold seekers' trail to ,panama1 ships in its harbor were compelled to cut and run for the safer1 though now abandoned1 harbor of ,porto ,bello some twenty miles down the coast4 ,that condition the great breakwater corrects4 ,from the ship one sees a line of low hills forming the horizon with no break or indentation to suggest that here man is cutting the narrow gate between the oceans for the commerce of the nations to pass4 ,the town at a distance is not unprepossessing4 ,white houses with red roofs cluster together on a flat island scarcely above the water1 and along the sea front lines of cocoanut palms bend before the breeze4 ,no other tree seems so fitly to blend with a white beach and blue sea as this palm4 ,its natural curves are graceful and characteristic and in a stiff breeze it bows and sways and rustles with a grace and a music all its own4 ,but the picturesqueness of ,colon does not long survive a closer approach4 ,the white houses are seen to be mere frame buildings of the lightest construction which along the seafront stand out over the water on stilts4 ,no building of any distinction meets the eye1 unless it be the new ,washington ,hotel1 a good bit of ,moorish architecture1 owned and conducted by the ,panama ,railroad which in turn is owned by the ,united ,states4 ,the activities of ,uncle ,sam as a hotel keeper on the ,isthmus will be worth further attention4 ,illustration3 ,,colon ,,in #ahhd ,the author counted twelve ocean liners one day at the docks now standing at this spot ,as we warp into the dock we observe that ,colon is a seaport of some importance already4 ,the day ,i reached there last ,i counted six ,british1 two ,german1 one ,french and three ,american steamships4 ,the preponderance of ,british flags was the first thing to catch the eye2 and somehow the feeling that1 except for the ,royal ,mail ship1 all the vessels over which they were waving were owned by ,american capital was not a little humiliating4 ,it is quite probable that in the course of the year every foreign flag appears at ,cristobal-,colon1 for the ocean tramp ships are ever coming and going4 ,in time1 too1 the docks1 which are now rather rickety1 will be worthy of the port1 for the government is building modern and massive docks on the ,cristobal side of the line4 ,at present however one lands at ,colon1 which has the disadvantage of depositing you in a foreign country with all the annoyances of a custom house examination to endure4 ,though your destination is the ,canal ,zone1 only a stone's throw away1 every piece of baggage must be opened and inspected4 ,the search is not very thorough1 and ,i fancy the ,panama tariff is not very comprehensive1 but the formality is an irritating one4 ,protective tariffs will never be wholly popular with travelers4 ,the town which greets the voyager emerging from the cool recesses of the steamship freight house looks something like the landward side of ,atlantic ,city's famous board walk with the upper stories of the hotels sliced off4 ,the buildings are almost without exception wood1 two stories high1 and with wooden galleries reaching to the curb and there supported by slender posts4 ,it does not look foreign--merely cheap and tawdry4 ,block after block the lines of business follow each other in almost unvarying sequence4 ,a saloon1 a ,chinese shop selling dry goods and curios1 a kodak shop with curios1 a saloon1 a lottery agency1 another saloon1 a money-changer's booth1 another saloon and so on for what seems about the hottest and smelliest half mile one ever walked4 ,there is no 8other side0 to the street1 for there run the tracks of the ,panama railroad1 beyond them the bay1 and further along lies the ,american town of ,cristobal where there are no stores1 but only the residences and work shops of ,canal workers4 ,between ,cristobal and tinder box ,colon is a wide space kept clear of houses as a fire guard4 ,colon's population is as mixed as the complexions of its people4 ,it must be admitted with regret that pure ,american names are most in evidence on the signboards of its saloons1 and well-equipped students of the social life of the town remark that the ,american vernacular is the one usually proceeding from the lips of the professional gamblers4 ,merchandising is in the main in the hands of the ,chinese1 who compel one's admiration in the tropics by the intelligent way in which they have taken advantage of the laziness of the natives to capture for themselves the best places in the business community4 ,illustration3 ,,fire-,,fighting ,,force ,,at ,,cristobal ,most of the people in ,colon live over their stores and other places of business1 though back from the business section are a few comfortable looking residences1 and ,i noticed others being built on made land1 as though the beginnings of a mild 8boom0 were apparent4 ,the newer houses are of concrete1 as is the municipal building and chief public school4 ,the ,panama ,railroad owns most of the land on which the town stands1 and to which it is practically limited1 and the road is said to be encouraging the use of cement or concrete by builders--an exceedingly wise policy1 as the town has suffered from repeated fires1 in one of which1 in #aiaa1 ten blocks were swept away and #abjj people left homeless4 ,the ,isthmian ,canal ,commission maintains excellent fire-fighting forces both in ,cristobal and ,ancon1 and when the local fire departments proved impotent to cope with the flames both of these forces were called into play1 the ,ancon engines and men being rushed by special train over the forty-five miles of railroad4 ,of course the fire was in foreign territory1 but the ,republic of ,panama did not resent the invasion4 ,since that day many of the new buildings have been of concrete1 but the prevailing type of architecture may be described as a modified renaissance of the mining shack4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,new ,,washington ,,hotel ,it is idle to look for points of interest in ,colon proper4 ,there are none4 ,but the history of the town though running over but sixty years is full of human interest4 ,it did not share with ,panama the life of the ,spanish domination and aggression4 ,columbus1 ,balboa and the other navigators sailed by its site without heed1 making for ,porto ,bello or ,nombre de ,dios1 the better harbors4 ,san ,lorenzo1 whose ruins stand at the mouth of the ,chagres ,river1 looked down upon busy fleets1 and fell before the assaults of ,sir ,henry ,morgan and his buccaneers while the coral island that now upholds ,colon was tenanted only by pelicans1 alligators and serpents4 ,the life of man touched it when in #ahej the ,american railroad builders determined to make it the ,atlantic terminus of the ,panama road4 ,since then it never has lost nor will it lose a true international importance4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,only ,,stone ,,church ,,in ,,colon ,the ritual is of the ,church of ,england2 the congregation almost wholly ,jamaica negroes ,manzanilla ,island1 on which the greater part of ,colon now stands1 was originally a coral reef1 on which tropical vegetation had taken root1 and died down to furnish soil for a new jungle until by the repetition of this process through the ages a foot or two of soil raised itself above the surface of the water and supported a swampy jungle4 ,when the engineers first came to locate there the beginnings of the ,panama railroad1 they were compelled to make their quarters in an old sailing ship in danger at all times of being carried out to sea by a norther4 ,in his 8,history of the ,panama ,railroad10 published in #ahfb1 ,f4 ,n4 ,otis describes the site of the present city when first fixed thus3 ,illustration3 ,,nature ,,of ,,country ,,near ,,colon ,through this water-logged region the ,panama railroad was built at heavy cost in money and lives 8,this island cut off from the mainland by a narrow frith contained an area of a little more than one square mile4 ,it was a virgin swamp1 covered with a dense growth of the tortuous1 water-loving mangrove1 and interlaced with huge vines and thorny shrubs defying entrance even to the wild beasts common to the country4 ,in the black slimy mud of its surface alligators and other reptiles abounded1 while the air was laden with pestilential vapors and swarming with sandflies and mosquitoes4 ,these last proved so annoying to the laborers that unless their faces were protected by gauze veils no work could be done even at midday4 ,residence on the island was impossible4 ,the party had their headquarters in an old brig which brought down materials for building1 tools1 provisions1 etc41 and was anchored in the bay40 ,that was in ,may1 #ahej4 ,in ,march1 #aiac1 the author spent some time in ,colon4 ,excellent meals were enjoyed in a somewhat old-fashioned frame hotel1 while directly across the way the finishing touches were being put to a new hotel1 of reinforced concrete which for architectural taste and beauty of position compares well with any seashore house in the world4 ,at the docks were ships of every nation2 cables kept us in communication with all civilized capitals4 ,not an insect of any sort was seen1 and to discover an alligator a considerable journey was necessary4 ,the completed ,panama ,railroad would carry us in three hours to the ,pacific1 where the great water routes spread out again like a fan4 ,in half a century man had wrought this change1 and with his great canal will doubtless do more marvelous deeds in the time to come4 ,illustration3 ,,panama ,,pottery ,,sellers ,once construction of the road was begun shacks rose on piles amid the swampy vegetation of the island4 ,at certain points land was filled in and a solid foundation made for machine shops4 ,the settlement took a sudden start forward in #ahea when a storm prevented two ,new ,york ships from landing their passengers at the mouth of the ,chagres ,river4 ,the delayed travelers were instead landed at ,colon1 and the rails having been laid as far as ,gatun1 where the great locks now rise1 they were carried thither by the railroad4 ,this route proving the more expeditious the news quickly reached ,new ,york and the ships began making ,colon their port4 ,as a result the town grew as fast and as unsubstantially as a mushroom4 ,illustration3 ,,hindoo ,,laborers ,,on ,,the ,,canal ,at one time several hundred were employed but they are disappearing ,it was a floating population of people from every land and largely lawless4 ,the bard of the ,isthmus has a poem too long to quote which depicts a wayfarer at the gate of ,heaven confessing to high crimes1 misdemeanors and all the sinful lusts of the flesh4 ,at the close of the damning confession he whispered something in the ear of the ,saint1 whose brow cleared1 and beaming welcome took the place of stern rejection4 ,the keeper of the keys according to the poet cried3 8,climb up1 ,oh1 weary one1 climb up6 ,climb high6 ,climb higher yet ,until you reach the plush-lined seats ,that only martyrs get4 ,then sit you down and rest yourself ,while years of bliss roll on4 ,then to the angels he remarked1 #8,he's been living in ,colon6'0 ,illustration3 ,,san ,,blas ,,boats ,,at ,,early ,,dawn ,with the completion of the ,pacific railroads in the ,united ,states the prosperity of ,colon for a time waned4 ,there was still business for the railroad1 as there has been to the present day1 and as it is believed there will be in the future despite the ,canal4 ,but the great rush was ended4 ,the eager men hurrying to be early at the place where gold was to be found1 and the men who had 8made their pile0 hastening home to spend it1 took the road across the plains4 ,colon settled down to a period of lethargy for which its people were constitutionally well fitted4 ,once in a while they were stirred up by reports of the projected ,canal1 and the annual revolutions--,president ,roosevelt in a message to ,congress noted #ec in #eg years--prevented life from becoming wholly monotonous4 ,but there was no sign of a renewal of the flush times of the gold rush until late in the '#gj's the ,french engineers arrived to begin the surveys for the ,canal4 ,by the way1 that ,isthmus from ,darien to ,nicaragua is probably the most thoroughly surveyed bit of wild land in the world4 ,even on our own ,canal ,zone where the general line of the ,canal was early determined each chief engineer had his own survey made1 and most of the division engineers prudently resurveyed the lines of their chiefs4 ,illustration3 ,,san ,,blas ,,indian ,,boys ,with the coming of the ,french1 flush times began again on the ,isthmus and the golden flood poured most into ,colon1 as the ,canal diggers made their main base of operations there1 unlike the ,americans who struck at nature's fortifications all along the line1 making their headquarters at ,culebra about the center of the ,isthmus4 ,but though the ,french failed to dig the ,canal they did win popularity on the ,isthmus1 and there are regretful and uncomplimentary comparisons drawn in the cafs and other meeting-places between the thrift and calculation of the ,americans1 and the lavish prodigality of the ,french4 ,everything they bought was at mining-camp prices and they adopted no such plan as the commissary system now in vogue to save their workers from the rapacity of native shopkeepers of all sorts4 ,illustration3 ,,san ,,blas ,,lugger ,,putting ,,out ,,to ,,sea ,at ,cristobal you are gravely taken to see the ,de ,lesseps ,palace1 a huge frame house with two wings1 now in the last stages of decrepitude and decay1 but which you learn cost fabulous sums1 was furnished and decorated like a royal chteau and was the scene of bacchanalian feasts that vied with those of the ,romans in the days of ,heliogabalus4 ,at least the native ,panamanian will tell you this1 and if you happen to enjoy his reminiscences in the environment of a caf you will conclude that in starting the ,canal the ,french consumed enough champagne to fill it4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,atlantic ,,fleet ,,visits ,,the ,,isthmus ,mr4 ,tracy ,robinson1 a charming chronicler of the events of a lifetime on the ,isthmus1 says of this period3 8,from the time that operations were well under way until the end1 the state of things was like the life at #8,red ,hoss ,mountain' described by ,eugene ,field3 #8,when the money flowed like likker4444 ,with the joints all throwed wide open1 and no sheriff to demur4' ,vice flourished4 ,gambling of every kind and every other form of wickedness were common day and night4 ,the blush of shame became practically unknown40 ,the ,de ,lesseps house stands at what has been the most picturesque point in the ,american town of ,cristobal4 ,before it stands a really admirable work of art1 ,columbus in the attitude of a protector toward a half-nude ,indian maiden who kneels at his side4 ,after the fashion of a world largely indifferent to art the name of the sculptor has been lost1 but the statue was cast in ,turin1 for ,empress ,eugnie1 who gave it to the ,republic of ,colombia when the ,french took up the ,canal work4 ,buffeted from site to site1 standing for awhile betwixt the tracks in a railroad freight yard1 the spot on which it stood when viewed by the writer is sentimentally ideal1 for it overlooks the entrance to the ,canal and under the eyes of the ,great ,navigator1 done in bronze1 the ships of all the world will pass and repass as they enter or leave the artificial strait which gives substance to the ,spaniard's dream4 ,illustration3 ,,roosevelt ,,avenue1 ,,cristobal1 ,,about ,,to ,,lose ,,its ,,beauty ,at one time the quarters of the ,canal employees--the gold employees as those above the grade of day laborers are called--were in one of the most beautiful streets imaginable4 ,in a long sweeping curve from the border line between the two towns1 they extended in an unbroken row facing the restless blue waters of the ,caribbean4 ,a broad white drive and a row of swaying cocoanut trees separated the houses from the water4 ,the sea here is always restless1 surging in long billows and breaking in white foam upon the shore1 unlike the ,pacific which is usually calm4 ,unlike the ,pacific1 too1 the tide is inconsiderable4 ,at ,panama it rises and falls from seventeen to twenty feet1 and1 retiring1 leaves long expanses of unsightly mud flats1 but the ,caribbean always plays its part in the landscape well4 ,unhappily this picturesque street--called ,roosevelt ,avenue--is about to lose its beauty1 for its water front is to be taken for the great new docks1 and already at some points one sees the yellow stacks of ocean liners mingling with the fronded tops of the palms4 ,cristobal is at the present time the site of the great cold storage plant of the ,canal ,zone1 the shops of the ,panama ,railroad and the storage warehouses in which are kept the supplies for the commissary stores at the different villages along the line of the ,canal4 ,it possesses a fine fire fighting force1 a ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 club1 a commissary hotel1 and along the water front of ,colon proper are the hospital buildings erected by the ,french but still maintained4 ,many of the edifices extend out over the water and the constant breeze ever blowing through their wide netted balconies would seem to be the most efficient of allies in the fight against disease4 ,one finds less distinct separation between the native and the ,american towns at this end of the railroad than at ,panama-,ancon4 ,this is largely due to the fact that a great part of the site of ,colon is owned by the ,panama ,railroad1 which in turn is owned by the ,united ,states1 so that the activities of our government extend into the native town more than at ,panama4 ,in the latter city the hotel1 the hospital and the commissary are all on ,american or ,canal ,zone soil--at ,colon they are within the sovereignty of the ,republic of ,panama4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,de ,,lesseps ,,palace ,illustration3 ,,the ,,national ,,game--,,cock-,,fighting ,at present sightseers tarry briefly at ,colon1 taking the first train for the show places along the ,canal line1 or for the more picturesque town of ,panama4 ,this will probably continue to be the case when the liners begin passing through the ,canal to the ,pacific4 ,many travelers will doubtless leave their ships at the ,atlantic side1 make a hasty drive about ,colon--it really can be seen in an hour--and then go by rail to ,panama1 anticipating the arrival of their ship there by seven hours and getting some idea of the country en route4 ,visitors with more time to spare will find one of the short drives that is worth while a trip to the cemetery of ,mount ,hope where from the very beginning of the town those who fell in the long battle with nature have been laid to rest4 ,the little white headstones multiplied fast in the gay and reckless ,french days before sanitation was thought of1 and when riot and dissipation were the rule and scarcely discouraged4 8,monkey ,hill0 was the original name of the place1 owing to the multitude of monkeys gamboling and chattering in the foliage1 but as the graves multiplied and the monkeys vanished the rude unfitness of the name became apparent and it gave place to 8,mount ,hope40 ,it is pitiful enough in any case2 but if you will study the dates on the headstones you will find the years after #aije show a rapid lessening in the number of tenants4 ,illustration3 ,,how ,,the ,,jungle ,,works ,silently but persistently the advance of nature enshrouds man's work in living green ,if you consider the pictures of certain streets of ,colon during two phases of their history1 you will have little trouble in understanding why the death rate in the town has been steadily decreasing4 ,in a town built upon a natural morass1 and on which more than eleven feet of water fell annually1 there was hardly a foot of paving except the narrow sidewalks4 ,in the wet season1 which extends over eight months of the year1 the mud in these filthy by-ways was almost waist deep4 ,into it was thrown indiscriminately all the household slops1 garbage and offal4 ,there was no sewage system2 no effort at drainage4 ,if one wished to cross a street there was nothing for it but to walk for blocks until reaching a floating board benevolently provided by some merchant who hoped to thus bring custom to his doors4 ,along the water front between the steamship piers and the railroad there was an effort to pave somewhat as there was heavy freight to be handled1 but even there the pavement would sink out of sight overnight1 and at no time could it be kept in good condition4 ,the agents of the ,panama ,railroad and the ,royal ,mail ,steam ,packet ,company1 whose freight houses adjoined1 dumped into the seemingly bottomless abyss everything heavy and solid that could be brought by land or water1 but for a long time without avail4 ,under the direction of the ,united ,states officers1 however1 the problem was solved1 and today the streets of ,colon are as well paved as those of any ,american city1 vitrified brick being the material chiefly used4 ,illustration3 8,,bottle ,,alley0 ,a typical ,colon street before the ,sanitary ,department concluded the work of cleaning up ,in the days when there was no pavement there were no sewers4 ,today the town is properly drained1 and the sewage problem1 a very serious one in a town with no natural slope and subject to heavy rains1 is efficiently handled4 ,there was no water supply4 ,drinking water was brought from the mainland and peddled from carts1 or great jars by water carriers4 ,today there is an aqueduct bringing clear cool water from the distant hills4 ,it affords a striking commentary upon the lethargy and laziness of the natives that for nearly half a century they should have tolerated conditions which for filth and squalor were practically unparalleled4 ,the ,indian in his palm-thatched hut was better housed and more healthfully surrounded than they4 ,even the ,french failed to correct the evil and so failing died like the flies that swarmed about their food and their garbage indiscriminately4 ,not until the ,americans declared war on filth and appointed ,col4 ,w4 ,c4 ,gorgas commander-in-chief of the forces of cleanliness and health did ,colon get cleaned up4 ,about the base of the ,toro light cluster the houses of the engineers employed on the harbor work1 and on the fortifications which are to guard the ,atlantic entrance of the canal on the west side--other defensive works are building about a mile north of ,colon4 ,to these and other forts in course of construction visitors are but grudgingly admitted and the camera is wholly taboo4 ,they are still laughing in ,col4 ,goethals' office at a newly elected ,congressman--not even yet sworn in--who wrote that in visiting the ,canal ,zone he desired particularly to make an exhaustive study of the fortifications1 and take many pictures1 in order that he might be peculiarly fit for membership on the ,military ,affairs ,committee1 to which he aspired4 ,toro ,point will1 after the completion of the ,canal work1 remain only as the camp for such a detachment of coast artillery as may be needed at the forts4 ,the village will be one of those surrendered to the jungle from which it was wrested4 ,cristobal will remain a large1 and ,i should judge1 a growing town4 ,colon which was created by the railroad will still have the road and the ,canal to support it4 ,illustration3 ,d ,,street1 ,,colon1 ,,paved ,before being sewered and paved this street was as bad as ,bottle ,alley on preceding page ,without an architectural adornment worthy of the name1 with streets of shanties1 and rows of shops in which the cheap and shoddy are the rule1 the town of ,colon does have a certain fascination to the idle stroller4 ,that arises from the throngs of its picturesque and parti-colored people who are always on the streets4 ,at one point you will encounter a group of children1 among whom even the casual observer will detect ,spanish1 ,chinese1 ,indian and negro types pure1 and varying amalgamations of all playing together in the childish good fellowship which obliterates all racial hostilities4 ,the ,chinese are the chief business people of the town1 and though they intermarry but little with the few families of the old ,spanish strain1 their unions both legalized and free1 with the mulattoes or negroes are innumerable4 ,you see on the streets many children whose negro complexion and kinky hair combine but comically with the almond eyes of the celestial4 ,luckily queues are going out of style with the ,chinese1 or the hair of their half-breed offspring would form an insurmountable problem4 ,public characters throng in ,colon4 ,a town with but sixty years of history naturally abounds in early inhabitants4 ,it is almost as bad as ,chicago was a few years ago when citizens who had reached the 8anecdotage0 would halt you at the ,lake ,front and pointing to that smoke-bedimmed cradle of the city's dreamed-of future beauty would assure you that they could have bought it all for a pair of boots--but didn't have the boots4 ,one of the figures long pointed out on the streets of ,colon was an old colored man--an 8ole nigger0 in the local phrase--who had been there from the days of the alligators and the monkeys4 ,he worked for the ,panama ,railroad surveyors1 the road when completed1 the ,french and the ,american ,canal builders4 ,a sense of long and veteran public service had invested him with an air of dignity rather out of harmony with his raiment4 8,john ,aspinwall0 they called him1 because ,aspinwall was for a time the name of the most regal significance on the island4 ,the ,poet of ,panama immortalized him in verse thus3 8,oh1 a quaint old moke1 is ,john ,aspinwall1 ,who lives by the ,dead ,house gate1 ,and quaint are his thoughts1 if thoughts at all ,ever lurk in his woolly pate1 ,for he's old as the hills is this coal-black man1 ,thrice doubled with age is he1 ,and the days when his wanderings first began ,are shrouded in mystery40 ,illustration3 ,,bachelor ,,quarters ,,at ,,toro ,,point ,if you keep a shrewd and watchful eye on the balconies above the cheap john stores you will now and again catch a little glimpse reminiscent of ,pekin4 ,for the ,chinese like to hang their balconies with artistic screens1 bedeck them with palms1 illuminate them with the gay lanterns of their home4 ,sometimes a woman of complexion of rather accentuated brunette will hang over the rail with a ,chinese--or at least a ,chinesque--baby in the parti-colored clothing of its paternal ancestors4 ,or as you stroll along the back or side streets more given over to residences1 an open door here and there gives a glimpse of an interior crowded with household goods--and household gods which are babies4 ,not precisely luring are these views4 ,they suggest rather that the daily efforts of ,col4 ,gorgas to make and keep the city clean might well have extended further behind the front doors of the house4 ,they did to a slight degree1 of course1 for there was fumigation unlimited in the first days of the great cleaning up1 and even now there is persistent sanitary inspection4 ,the ,canal ,zone authorities relinquished to the ,panama local officials the paving and sanitation work of the city1 but retained it in ,colon1 which serves to indicate the estimate put upon the comparative fitness for self government of the people of the two towns4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,colon ,,water ,,carrier ,down by the docks1 if one likes the savor of spices and the odor of tar1 you find the real society of the ,seven ,seas4 ,every variety of ship is there1 from the stately ocean liner just in from ,southampton or ,havre to the schooner-rigged cayuca with its crew of ,san ,blas ,indians1 down from their forbidden country with a cargo of cocoanuts1 yams and bananas4 ,a curious craft is the cayuca4 ,ranging in size from a slender canoe twelve feet long and barely wide enough to hold a man to a considerable craft of eight-foot beam and perhaps #ce to #dj feet on the water line1 its many varieties have one thing in common4 ,each is hewn out of a single log4 ,shaped to the form of a boat by the universal tool1 the machete1 and hollowed out partly by burning1 partly by chipping1 these great logs are transformed into craft that in any hands save those of the ,indians bred to their use1 would be peremptory invitations to a watery death4 ,but the ,san ,blas men pole them through rapids on the ,chagres that would puzzle a guide of our ,north ,woods1 or at sea take them out in northers that keep the liner tied to her dock4 ,some of these boats by the way are hollowed from mahogany logs that on the wharf at ,new ,york or ,boston would be worth #b1jjj4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,open ,,sewer ,,in ,a ,,colon ,,street ,the history of the ,panama ,railroad may well be briefly sketched here4 ,for its time it was the most audacious essay in railway building the world had known1 for be it known it was begun barely twenty years after the first railroad had been built in the ,united ,states and before either railroad engineers or railroad labor had a recognized place in industry4 ,the difficulties to be surmounted were of a sort that no men had grappled with before4 ,engineers had learned how to cut down hills1 tunnel mountains and bridge rivers1 but to build a road bed firm enough to support heavy trains in a bottomless swamp2 to run a line through a jungle that seemed to grow up again before the transit could follow the axe man2 to grapple with a river that had been known to rise forty feet in a day2 to eat lunch standing thigh deep in water with friendly alligators looking on from adjacent logs1 and to do all this amid the unceasing buzz of venomous insects whose sting1 as we learned half a century later1 carried the germs of malaria and yellow fever--this was a new draft upon engineering skill and endurance that might well stagger the best4 ,the demand was met4 ,the road was built1 but at a heavy cost of life4 ,it used to be said that a life was the price of every tie laid1 but this was a picturesque exaggeration4 ,about #fjjj men in all died during the construction period4 ,illustration3 ,,by ,a ,,cocl ,,brook ,henry ,clay justified his far-sightedness by securing in #ahce the creation of a commission to consider the practicability of a trans-isthmian railroad4 ,a commissioner was appointed1 secured a concession from what was then ,new ,granada1 died before getting home1 and the whole matter was forgotten for ten years4 ,in this interim the ,french1 for whom from the earliest days the ,isthmus had a fascination1 secured a concession but were unable to raise the money necessary for the road's construction4 ,in #ahdi three ,americans who deserve a place in history1 ,william ,h4 ,aspinwall1 ,john ,l4 ,stevens and ,henry ,chauncy1 secured a concession at ,bogota and straightway went to work4 ,difficulties beset them on every side4 ,the swamp had no bottom and for a time it seemed that their financial resources had a very apparent one4 ,but the rush for gold1 though it greatly increased the cost of their labor1 made their enterprise appear more promising to the investing public and their temporary need of funds was soon met4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,mangroves ,,marching ,,on ,,stilt-,,like ,,roots ,but the swamp and jungle were unrelenting in their toll of human life4 ,men working all day deep in slimy ooze composed of decaying tropical vegetation1 sleeping exposed to the bites of malaria-bearing insects1 speedily sickened and too often died4 ,the company took all possible care of its workmen1 but even that was not enough4 ,working men of every nationality were experimented with but none were immune4 ,the historian of the railroad reported that the ,african resisted longest1 next the coolie1 then the ,european1 and last the ,chinese4 ,the experience of the company with the last named class of labor was tragic in the extreme4 ,eight hundred were landed on the ,isthmus after a voyage on which sixteen had died4 ,thirty-two fell ill almost at the moment of landing and in less than a week eighty more were prostrated4 ,strangers in a strange land1 unable to express their complaints or make clear their symptoms1 they were almost as much the victims of homesickness as of any other ill4 ,the interpreters who accompanied them declared that much of their illness was due to their deprivation of their accustomed opium1 and for a time the authorities supplied them1 with the result that nearly two-thirds were again up and able to work4 ,then the exaggerated ,american moral sense1 which is so apt to ignore the customs of other lands and peoples1 caused the opium supply to be shut off4 ,perhaps the fact that the cost of opium daily per ,chinaman was #ae cents had something to do with it4 ,at any rate the whole body of ,chinamen were soon sick unto death and quite ready for it4 ,they made no effort to cling to the lives that had become hateful4 ,suicides were a daily occurrence and in all forms4 ,some with ,chinese stolidity would sit upon a rock on the ocean's bed and wait for the tide to submerge them4 ,many used their own queues as ropes and hanged themselves4 ,others persuaded or bribed their fellows to shoot them dead4 ,some thrust sharpened sticks through their throats1 or clutching great stones leaped into the river maintaining their hold until death made the grasp still more rigid4 ,some starved themselves and others died of mere brooding over their dismal state4 ,in a few weeks but #bjj were left alive1 and these were sent to ,jamaica where they were slowly absorbed by the native population4 ,on the line of the old ,panama ,railroad1 now abandoned and submerged by the waters of ,gatun ,lake1 was a village called ,matachin1 which local etymologists declare means 8dead ,chinaman10 and hold that it was the scene of this melancholy sacrifice of oriental life4 ,illustration3 ,copyright1 #aiac1 ,f4 ,e4 ,wright4 ,,going ,,to ,,market ,jamaica country roads are gay with women in brightly colored dresses1 carrying the products of their little farms to market4 ,the burden is always borne on the head with the result that peasant women have a graceful and even stately carriage4 ,the railroad builders soon found that the expense of the construction would vastly exceed their estimates4 ,the price of a principality went into the ,black ,swamp1 the road bed through which was practically floated on a monster pontoon4 ,it is not true1 as often asserted1 that engines were sunk there to make a foundation for the road1 but numbers of flat cars were thus employed to furnish a floating foundation4 ,the swamp which impeded the progress of the road was about five miles south of ,gatun and was still giving trouble in #aijh1 when the heavier ,american rolling stock was put upon the road4 ,soundings then made indicate that the solid bottom under the ooze is #ahe feet below the surface1 and somewhere between are the scores of dump cars and the thousands of tons of rock and earth with which the monster has been fed4 ,the ,americans conquered it1 apparently1 in #aijh1 by building a trestle and filling it with cinders and other light material4 ,but every engineer was glad when in #aiab the relocation of the road abandoned the ,black ,swamp to its original diabolical devices4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,picturesque ,,inlet ,,of ,,the ,,caribbean ,even in so great an affair as the building of railroads1 chance or good fortune plays a considerable part4 ,so it was the hurricane which first drove two ships bearing the ,california gold seekers from the mouth of the ,chagres down to ,colon that gave the railroad company just the stimulus necessary to carry it past the lowest ebb in its fortunes4 ,before that it had no income and could no longer borrow money4 ,thereafter it had a certain income and its credit was at the very best4 ,every additional mile finished added to its earnings1 for every mile was used since it lessened the river trip to the ,pacific4 ,in ,january1 #ahee1 the last rail was laid1 and on the #bhth of that month the first train crossed from ocean to ocean4 ,the road had then cost almost #g1jjj1jjj or more than #aej1jjj a mile1 but owing to the peculiar conditions of the time and place it had while building earned #b1abe1jjj or almost one-third its cost4 ,its length was #dg miles1 its highest point was #bfc feet above sea-level1 it crossed streams at #agj points--most of the crossings being of the ,chagres ,river4 ,as newly located by the ,american engineers a great number of these crossings are avoided4 ,illustration3 ,,childish ,,beauty ,,without ,,art ,illustration3 ,a ,,corner ,,of ,,mount ,,hope ,,cemetery ,names of forgotten ,french martyrs are carved in the stones ,traffic for the road grew faster than the road itself and when it was completed it was quite apparent that it was not equipped to handle the business that awaited it4 ,accordingly the managers determined to charge more than the traffic would bear--to fix such rates as would be prohibitive until they could get the road suitably equipped4 ,mr4 ,tracy ,robinson says that a few of the lesser officials at ,panama got up a sort of burlesque rate card and sent it on to the general offices in ,new ,york4 ,it charged #be for one fare across the ,isthmus one way1 or #aj second class4 ,personal baggage was charged five cents a pound1 express #a4hj a cubic foot1 second class freight fifty cents a cubic foot1 coal #e a ton1--all for a haul of forty-seven miles4 ,to the amazement of the ,panama jokers the rates were adopted and1 what was more amazing1 they remained unchanged for twenty years4 ,during that time the company paid dividends of #bd1 with an occasional stock dividend and liberal additions to the surplus4 ,its stock at one time went up to #cce and as in its darkest days it could have been bought for a song4 ,those who had bought it were more lucky than most of the prospectors who crowded its coaches on the journey to the gold fields4 ,too much prosperity brought indifference and lax management and the finances of the road were showing a decided deterioration when the ,french took up the ,canal problem4 ,one of the chief values of the franchise granted by ,new ,granada and afterward renewed by ,colombia was the stipulation that no canal should be built in the territory without the consent of the railroad corporation4 ,with this club the directors forced the ,french to buy them out1 and when the rights of the ,french ,canal company passed to the ,united ,states we acquired the railroad as well4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,soulful ,,eyes ,,of ,,the ,,tropics ,it is now ,uncle ,sam's first essay in the government ownership and operation of railroads4 ,extremists declare that his success as a manager is shown by the fact that he takes a passenger from the ,atlantic to the ,pacific in three hours for #b4dj1 while the privately owned ,pacific railroads take several days and charge about #ge to accomplish the same result4 ,there is a fallacy in this argument somewhere1 but there is none in the assertion that by government officials the ,panama ,railroad is run successfully both from the point of service and of profits4 ,its net earnings for the fiscal year of #aiab were #a1gfb1jjj1 of which about five-sixths was from commercial business4 ,but it must be remembered that in that year the road was conducted primarily for the purpose of ,canal building--everything was subordinated to the ,big ,job4 ,that brought it abnormal revenue1 and laid upon it abnormal burdens4 ,the record shows however that it was directed with a singular attention to detail and phenomenal success4 ,when passenger trains must be run so as never to interfere with dirt trains1 and when dirt trains must be so run that a few score steam-shovels dipping up five cubic yards of broken rock at a mouthful shall never lack for a flat car on which to dump the load1 it means some fine work for the traffic manager4 ,the superintendent of schools remarked to me that the question whether a passenger train should stop at a certain station to pick up school children depended on the convenience of certain steam-shovels and that the matter had to be decided by ,col4 ,goethals4 ,which goes to show that the ,colonel's responsibilities are varied--but of that more anon1 as the story-tellers say4 ,illustration3 ,,market ,,day ,,at ,,david ,within a few years forty miles of the ,panama ,railroad have been relocated1 the prime purpose of the change being to obviate the necessity of crossing the ,canal at any point4 ,one of the witticisms of the ,zone is that the ,panama is the only railroad that runs crosswise as well as lengthwise4 ,this jest is partly based on the fact that nine-tenths of the line has been moved to a new location1 but more on the practice of picking up every night or two some thousand feet of track in the ,canal bed and moving it bodily1 ties and all1 some feet to a new line4 ,this is made necessary when the steam-shovels have dug out all the rock and dirt that can be reached from the old line1 and it is accomplished by machines called track shifters1 each of which accomplishes the work of hundreds of men4 ,illustration3 ,,scene ,,on ,,almirante ,,bay ,the ,panama ,railroad is today what business men call a going concern4 ,but it is run with a singular indifference to private methods of railroad management4 ,it has a board of directors1 but they do little directing4 ,its shares do not figure in ,wall ,street1 and we do not hear of it floating loans1 scaling down debts or engaging in any of the stock-jobbing operations which in late years have resulted in railroad presidents being lawyers rather than railroad men4 ,the ,united ,states government came into possession of a railroad and had to run it4 ,well8 ,the government proved equal to the emergency and perhaps its experience will lead it to get possession of yet other railroads4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,nombre ,,de ,,dios1 ,,porto ,,bello ,,and ,,san ,,lorenzo ,within twenty miles1 at the very most1 east and west of ,colon lie the chief existing memorials of the bygone days of ,spanish discovery and colonization1 and ,english adventurous raids and destruction1 on the ,isthmus4 ,all that is picturesque and enthralling--that is to say1 all that is stirring1 bloody1 and lawless--in the history of the ,caribbean shore of the ,isthmus lies thus adjacent to the ,atlantic entrance of the ,canal4 ,to the east are ,nombre de ,dios and ,porto ,bello--the oldest ,european settlements on the ,north ,american continent1 the one being founded about #aeaj1 almost a century and a half before the landing at ,plymouth1 and the other in #afjg1 the very year of the planting of ,jamestown1 ,virginia4 ,to the west is the castle of ,san ,lorenzo at the mouth of the ,chagres1 the gateway to the ,pacific trade1 built in the latter years of the sixteenth century and repeatedly destroyed4 ,about these ,spanish outposts1 once thriving market towns and massive fortresses1 but now vine-covered ruins where 8the lion and the lizard keep their court0 clusters a wealth of historical lore4 ,let us for the time turn from the ,panama of today1 and from speculation as to its future1 and look back upon the ,panama of the past4 ,it is a past too full of incident1 too replete with stories of battle1 murder and sudden death for full justice to be done to it in a chapter4 ,volumes1 libraries almost1 have been written about it1 for ,panama is not one of the happy countries without a history4 ,of that history the survey here is necessarily the most cursory4 ,illustration3 ,,modern ,,porto ,,bello ,,prom ,,across ,,the ,,bay ,twenty miles from ,colon to the east is the spacious deep water harbor of ,porto ,bello1 visited and named by ,columbus in #aejb4 ,earlier still it had harbored the ships of ,roderigo de ,bastides who landed there in #aejj--probably the first ,european to touch ,panama soil4 ,he sought the strait to the ,indies1 and gold as well4 ,a few miles east and north of ,porto ,bello is ,nombre de ,dios1 one of the earliest ,spanish settlements but now a mere cluster of huts amidst which the ,canal workers were only recently dredging sand for use in construction4 ,few visit ,nombre de ,dios for purposes of curiosity and indeed it is little worth visiting1 for fires1 floods and the shifting sands of the rivers have obliterated all trace of the old town4 ,the native village consisted of about #bjj huts when the ,american invasion occurred1 but a spark from one of the engines set off the dry thatch of one of the huts and a general conflagration ensued4 ,the ,americans have since repaired the damages1 to the sanitary advantage of the place1 but at heavy cost to its picturesqueness4 ,illustration3 ,,typical ,,native ,,hut ,,in ,,porto ,,bello ,,district ,for that quality you must look to its past1 for it figured largely in the bloody life of the ,isthmus in the #afth century4 ,it was founded by one ,don ,diego de ,nicuesa1 who had held the high office of ,royal ,carver at ,madrid4 ,tired of supervising the carving of meats for his sovereign he sailed for the ,isthmus to carve out a fortune for himself4 ,hurricanes1 treachery1 jealousy1 hostile ,indians1 mutinous sailors and all the ills that jolly mariners have to face had somewhat abated his jollity and his spirit as well when he rounded ,manzanillo ,point and finding himself in a placid bay exclaimed3 8,detengamonos aqui1 en nombre de ,dios0 7,let us stop here in the name of ,god74 ,his crew1 superstitious and pious as ,spanish sailors were in those days1 though piety seldom interfered with their profanity or piracy1 seized on the devout invocation and ,nombre de ,dios became the name of the port4 ,the town thus named became for a time the principal ,spanish port on the ,caribbean coast and one of the two terminals of the royal road to ,old ,panama4 ,but the harbor was poor1 the climate sickly1 for the town was shut in on the landward side by mountains which excluded the breeze4 ,it came to be called the ,spanish ,graveyard4 ,children died in infancy1 and ,spanish mothers sent theirs to ,cruces to be reared4 ,difficult of defense by either land or sea it was menaced alternately by the ,cimmaroons and the ,english1 and in #aegb ,sir ,francis ,drake took it by assault but gained little profit by the adventure1 in which he nearly lost his life4 ,warned by this1 and by other attacks1 a distinguished ,spanish engineer was sent to examine ,nombre de ,dios with other ,caribbean ports4 ,illustration3 ,,entrance ,,to ,,porto ,,bello ,,harbor1 ,,from ,,spanish ,,fort ,he was impressed by ,porto ,bello and reported 8if it might please your ,majesty it were well that the city of ,nombre de ,dios be brought and builded in this harbor40 ,it was so graciously ordered and the 8city0 having been 8brought and builded0 at ,porto ,bello its old site gradually relapsed into wilderness save for the few huts found when the ,american engineers descended upon it seeking not gold but sand4 ,in the course of this quest they uncovered an old ,spanish galleon but did not report any pieces of eight1 ingots or doubloons4 ,indeed looking all over the ,canal work we may well say1 never was there so much digging for so little treasure1 for even in the great ,culebra cut no trace of precious metal was found4 ,nombre de ,dios then affords little encouragement for the visits of tourists1 but ,porto ,bello1 nearer ,colon1 is well worth a visit4 ,the visit however is not easily made4 ,the trip by sea is twenty miles steaming in the open ,caribbean which is always rough1 and which on this passage seems to any save the most hardened navigators tempestuous beyond all other oceans4 ,there are1 or rather were1 no regular lines of boats running from ,colon and one desiring to visit the historic spot must needs plead with the ,canal ,commission for a pass on the government tug which makes the voyage daily4 ,the visit is well worth the trouble however for the ruins are among the finest on the ,american continent1 while the bay itself is a noble inlet4 ,so at least ,columbus thought it when he first visited it in #aejb4 ,his son1 ,fernando1 who afterwards wrote of this fourth voyage of the ,genoese navigator1 tells of this visit thus3 ,illustration3 ,,bullock ,,cart ,,on ,,the ,,savanna ,,road ,illustration3 ,,modern ,,indian1 ,,darien ,,region ,note characteristic weapons--machete1 javelin and shot-gun 8,the ,admiral without making any stay went on till he put into ,puerto ,bello1 giving it that name because it is large1 well peopled and encompassed by a well cultivated country4 ,he entered the place on the #bnd of ,november 7#aejb71 passing between two small islands within which ships may lie close to the shore and turn it out 7sic7 if they have occasion4 ,the country about the harbor1 higher up1 is not very rough but tilled and full of houses1 a stone's throw or a bow shot one from the other2 and it looks like the finest landscape a man can imagine4 ,during seven days we continued there1 on account of the rain and ill weather1 there came continually canoes from all the country about to trade1 for provisions1 and bottoms of fine spun cotton which they gave for some trifles such as points and pins40 ,time changes1 and things and places change with it4 ,what are 8bottoms of fine spun cotton0 and 8trifles such as points08 ,as for the people whose houses then so plentifully besprinkled the landscape round about1 they have largely vanished4 ,slain in battle1 murdered in cold blood1 or enslaved and worked to death by the barbarous ,spaniards1 they have given place to a mongrel race mainly negro1 and of them even there are not enough to give to ,porto ,bello today the cheery1 well populated air which the younger ,columbus noticed more than #djj years ago4 ,the real foundation date of ,porto ,bello is fixed at #afjg1 though probably the moving thither of ,nombre de ,dios began earlier4 ,its full name in ,spanish was ,san ,felipe de ,puertovello1 for the pious ,spaniards were hard put to it to name a city1 a mountain1 a cape or a carouse without bringing in a saint4 ,typically enough ,san ,felipe was soon forgotten and the name became ,puerto ,bello or beautiful harbor4 ,it grew rapidly1 for1 as already noted1 the city of ,nombre de ,dios was rerected there4 ,by #afah there were #acj houses in the main town not counting the suburbs1 a cathedral1 governor's house1 kings' houses1 a monastery1 convent of mercy and hospital1 a plaza and a quay4 ,the main city was well-built1 partly of stone or brick1 but the suburbs1 one of which was set aside for free negroes1 were chiefly of wattled canes with palm thatch4 ,a few plantations and gardens bordered on the city1 but mainly the green jungle came down to the very edge as it does with ,chagres1 ,cruces or other native towns today4 ,it was the ,atlantic port of entry for not ,panama alone1 but for the entire west coast of ,south ,america and for merchandise intended for the ,philippines4 ,its great days were of course the times of the annual fairs which lasted from #dj to #fj days1 but even at other times there were #dj vessels and numbers of flat boats occupied in the trade of the port4 ,yet it was but an outpost in the jungle after all4 ,no man alone dared tread the royal road from the city's gate after nightfall4 ,in the streets snakes1 toads and the ugly iguana1 which the natives devour eagerly1 were frequently to be seen4 ,the native wild cat--called grandiloquently a lion or a tiger--prowled in the suburbs and1 besides carrying off fowls and pigs1 sometimes attacked human beings4 ,the climate was better than that of ,nombre de ,dios yet sufficiently unhealthful4 ,child-birth was so often fatal and the rearing of children attended with so much mortality that all mothers who were able resorted to ,panama or ,cruces at such a time4 ,it was for a time a considerable market place and for the privilege of trading there the brokers paid into the public coffer #b1jjj ducats a year4 ,another source of revenue was a tax of two reales on each head of cattle slaughtered in the shambles--a tax still retained in form in the ,republic of ,panama4 ,he who brought in a negro slave had to pay two pesos for the privilege and from this impost a revenue of some #a1jjj a year was obtained1 most of which was used in cutting down the jungle and in maintaining roads4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,family ,,in ,,chorrera ,before ,porto ,bello had even the beginnings of a town1 before even the settlement at ,nombre de ,dios had been begun1 there landed at the former port a ,spaniard to whom the ,isthmus gave immortality and a violent death--two gifts of fortune which not uncommonly go hand in hand4 ,vasco ,nunez de ,balboa was with ,bastides in the visit which preceded that of ,columbus4 ,thereby he gained a knowledge of the coast and a taste for seafaring adventure4 ,having tried to be a planter at ,santo ,domingo and failed therein1 he gave his creditors the slip by being carried in a barrel aboard a ship about to explore the ,panama coast under the ,bachelor ,encisco4 ,though they laughed at him for a time as 8el hombre de casco01 8the man in a cask01 his new companions in time came to accept his leadership and ultimately discarded that of ,encisco1 for besides gallantry ,balboa possessed a genius for intrigue4 ,except for his great achievement of the discovery of the ,pacific1 and his genius in making friends of the tribes he had subdued1 ,balboa's career does not differ greatly from that of the leaders of other remorseless ,spanish hordes who harried the hapless people of ,central ,america1 robbing1 enslaving and murdering them with brutal indifference to their rights and totally callous to their sufferings4 ,one can hardly read of the ,spaniards in ,central ,america and ,peru without sympathizing somewhat with the ,indian cacique who1 having captured two of the marauders1 fastened them to the ground1 propped open their jaws and poured molten gold down their throats saying the while3 8,here's gold1 ,spaniards6 ,here's gold4 ,take a plenty2 drink it down6 ,here's more gold40 ,illustration3 ,,seventeenth ,,century ,,ruin ,,at ,,porto ,,bello ,this edifice1 still well preserved1 is believed to be the ,casa ,real1 or ,custom ,house ,balboa was a pacifier as well as a fighter and it is recorded of him that even on the warpath he was not unnecessarily brutal4 ,indeed one cacique whom he overthrew was so impressed with his forbearance that he entered into alliance with the ,spaniard and gave him his favorite daughter4 ,though he never married the girl ,balboa 8always lov'd and cherish'd her very much01 according to ,herrera1 which is perhaps more than some wives get with a wedding ceremony4 ,to anyone who has seen the ,isthmian country as it is today1 when the stateliest native house is but a hut1 and when it would appear that the barest necessities of life are all that are sought by its people1 the story told by ,herrera1 the official historian of the ,spanish court1 suggests a pitiful deterioration in the standard of native life4 ,of the home and village of ,comagre1 the greatest cacique of the ,darien region1 he writes3 8,his palace was more remarkable and better built than any that had yet been seen either on the ,islands1 or the little that was known of the ,continent1 being #aej paces in length and eighty in breadth 444 so beautifully wrought that the ,spaniards were amaz'd at the sight of it and could not express the ,manner and ,curiosity of it4 ,there were in it several ,chambers and ,apartments and one that was like a ,buttery was full of such ,provisions as the ,country afforded1 as ,bread1 ,venison1 ,swine's ,flesh1 etc4 ,there was another large ,room like a ,cellar full of earthen ,vessels1 containing ,several sorts of white and red ,liquors made of ,indian ,wheat1 ,roots1 a kind of ,palm-,tree and other ,ingredients1 the which the ,spaniards commended when they drank them60 ,illustration3 ,canal ,commission ,photo4 ,,street ,,in ,,modern ,,porto ,,bello ,how ingenuous the historian's closing line6 ,doubtless the ,spaniards commended as lavishly as they drank4 ,the blood they shed1 the gold they stole1 the houses they burned1 the women they violated and the ,indians they foully tortured and murdered form a long count in the indictment of civilization against ,spain in ,central ,america and the ,west ,indies4 ,that today the ,spanish flag waves over not one foot of the territory ravaged by ,pizarro1 ,nicuesa1 ,cortez1 ,balboa1 and ,pedrarias is but the slenderest of justice--the visitation upon the children of the sins of their fathers4 ,it is fair to say that of all the ruffianly spoliators ,vasco ,nuez de ,balboa was the least criminal4 ,if he fought savagely to overthrow local caciques1 he neither tortured1 enslaved nor slew them after his victory1 but rather strove to make them his friends4 ,he left the provinces somewhat depleted of gold and pearls after his visits1 but one of the evidences of the complete lack of the cultivating grace of civilization among the ,indians was that they did not care so much for these gewgaws as they did for their lives1 the honor of their women and their liberty4 ,this would of course stamp them as sheer barbarians on ,fifth ,avenue or the ,rue de la ,paix4 ,illustration3 ,,ancient ,,trail ,,from ,,porto ,,bello ,over this trail ,balboa may have led his men on the march that led to the still unknown ,pacific ,as a matter of fact the ,indian scorn of the ,spanish greed for gold was the cause of ,balboa's first hearing of the ,pacific ,ocean4 ,he had made an alliance with ,careta1 a cacique of some power1 who gave his daughter to ,balboa1 together with #gj slaves and about #djjj ounces of gold4 ,as usual the ,spaniards were quarreling over the plunder1 when a son of the cacique1 one ,panciano1 strode amongst them and1 kicking the gold out of his way1 addressed them in language thus reported by the historian ,quintana3 8,christians6 why quarrel and make so much turmoil about a little gold1 which nevertheless you melt down from beautifully wrought work into rude bars8 ,is it for such a trifle that you banish yourselves from your country1 cross the seas1 endure hardships and disturb the peaceful nations of these lands8 ,cease your unseemly brawl and ,i will show you a country where you may obtain your fill of gold4 ,six days' march across yonder country will bring you to an ocean sea like this near which we dwell1 where there are ships a little less in size than yours1 with sails and oars1 and where the people eat out of vessels of gold and have large cities and wealth unbounded40 ,in the light of our later knowledge we know that he referred to the ,pacific and to ,peru4 ,at the conclusion of his address he volunteered to lead the ,spaniards to the unknown sea1 provided they first would aid him and his father in the overthrow of a hostile tribe1 and further that they increase their own numbers to #ajjj men1 for he foresaw hard fighting4 ,to recuperate his force and add to it ,balboa returned to his base at ,santa ,maria4 ,here he found trouble of divers kinds4 ,part of his men were mutinous4 ,letters from friends at ,madrid told that his enemies there were conspiring for his undoing--had even caused a new governor to be sent out to replace him1 with orders to send him home for trial4 ,but the most immediate danger was an ,indian plot to raid and wholly obliterate the ,spanish town--an enterprise which we can hardly blame the oppressed aborigines for cherishing4 ,an ,indian girl1 whom a cavalier had first converted to ,catholicism1 then baptized and then taken for his mistress1 revealed the plot to her lover4 ,it had been told her by her brother who1 knowing of the wrath to come1 in the quaint language of ,peter ,martyr1 8admonyshed her at the days appoynted by sume occasion to convey herselfe oute of the way leste shee shuld bee slayne in the confusion of bataile40 ,instead of doing this the faithless one1 8forgettinge her parentes1 her countrie and all her friendes1 yea and all the kinges into whose throates ,vaschus had thrust his sworde1 she opened uppe the matter unto hym1 and conceled none of those things which her undiscrete broother had declared unto her40 ,illustration3 ,canal ,commission ,photo ,,spanish ,,fort ,,at ,,entrance ,,to ,,porto ,,bello ,,harbor ,balboa was never accused of hesitation4 ,the girl was forced to reveal her brother's hiding place4 ,he was put to the torture and the information thus extorted enabled the ,spaniards to strike at once and strike hard4 ,with #aej men he went into the ,indian territory of ,darien1 surprised the natives and put them to total rout4 ,the almost invariable victories of the ,spaniards1 except when they were taken by surprise1 do not indicate superior valor on their part4 ,to begin with they carried fire arms which affrighted the ,indians as well as slaughtered them4 ,further1 they wore partial armor--leather jerkins1 helmets and cuirasses of steel--so that the unhappy aborigines were not only exposed to missiles1 the nature of which they could not comprehend1 but saw their own arrows and javelins fall useless from a fairly struck target4 ,in one battle the ,indians were even reduced to meeting their foes with wooden swords1 and1 after the inevitable victory1 one of the victors to further impress the vanquished with the futility of their defensive weapons ordered the fallen chief to stretch forth his right arm1 and with one blow struck it off4 ,the ,indians were superstitious4 ,anything out of the ordinary filled them with dread4 ,many refused to stand and fight because ,balboa rode into battle on a white horse4 ,some trained blood hounds that the ,spaniards took into battle with them also terrified them4 ,doing battle with them in the open was almost like slaughtering sheep4 ,only in ambush were they formidable4 ,it may be noted in passing that not all the barbarities were on the ,spanish side4 ,one of ,balboa's most trusted lieutenants1 ,valdivia1 was caught in a tempest and his ship wrecked4 ,those who escaped were captured by the natives1 penned up and fattened for a cannibal feast4 ,the day of festivity arriving ,valdivia and four of his companions were conducted to the temple and there offered up a sacrifice4 ,their hearts were cut out with knives of obsidian and offered to the gods while their bodies were roasted and devoured by the savages4 ,news from ,madrid convinced ,balboa that he was in disfavor at court4 ,some great exploit was needed to restablish his prestige4 ,he determined to seek without delay that new sea of which he had been told1 and to this end gathered an army of #aij ,spaniards and about #a1jjj ,indians4 ,a pack of the trained ,european war dogs were taken along4 ,the old chroniclers tell singular tales about these dogs4 ,because of the terror they inspired among the ,indians they were held more formidable than an equal number of soldiers4 ,one great red dog with a black muzzle and extraordinary strength was endowed with the rank of a captain and drew the pay of his rank4 ,in battle the brutes pursued the fleeing ,indians and tore their naked bodies with their fangs4 ,it is gravely reported that the ,captain could distinguish between a hostile and a friendly native4 ,illustration3 ,photo1 ,prof4 ,otto ,lutz ,a ,,group ,,of ,,cholo ,,indians ,it is practically impossible to trace now the exact line followed by ,balboa across the ,isthmus4 ,visitors to the ,canal ,zone are shown ,balboa ,hill1 named in honor of his achievement1 from which under proper climatic conditions one can see both oceans4 ,but it is wholly improbable that ,balboa ever saw this hill4 ,his route was farther to the eastward than the ,zone4 ,we do know however that he emerged from the jungle at some point on the ,gulf of ,san ,miguel4 ,what or where the hill was from which with 8eagle eyes he star'd at the ,pacific0 we can only guess4 ,it was one of the elevations in the province of ,quareque1 and before attaining it ,balboa fought a battle with the ,indians of that tribe who vastly outnumbered his force1 but were not armed to fight ,spaniards4 8,even as animals are cut up in the shambles10 according to the account of ,peter ,martyr1 8so our men1 following them1 hewed them in pieces2 from one an arm1 from another a leg1 here a buttock1 there a shoulder40 ,the chief ,porque and #fjj of his followers were slain and as usual dead and living were robbed of their golden jewelry4 ,illustration3 ,,natives ,,grinding ,,rice ,,in ,a ,,mortar ,,owned ,,by ,,all ,it never occurred to the ,indians to let one man own the mortar and charge all others for its use ,balboa's force of ,spaniards was now reduced to #fg men2 the rest were laid up by illness1 but notwithstanding the ghastly total of ,indian lives taken1 no ,spaniard had been slain4 ,with these he proceeded a day's journey1 coming to a hill whence his native guides told him the sought-for sea might be seen4 ,ordering his men to stay at the base he ascended the hill alone1 forcing his way through the dense underbrush under the glaring tropical sun of a ,september day4 ,pious chroniclers set down that he fell on his knees and gave thanks to his ,creator--an act of devotion which coming so soon after his slaughter of the ,quarequa ,indians irresistibly recalls the witticism at the expense of the ,pilgrim ,fathers1 that on landing they first fell upon their knees and then upon the aborigines4 ,whatever his spirit1 ,balboa never failed in the letter of piety4 ,his band of cut-throats being summoned to the hilltop joined the official priest in chanting the 8,te ,deum ,laudamus0 and 8,te ,dominum confitur40 ,crosses were erected buttressed with stones which captive ,indians1 still dazed by the slaughter of their people1 helped to heap4 ,the names of all the ,spaniards present were recorded4 ,in fact few historic exploits of so early a day are so well authenticated as the details of ,balboa's triumph4 ,illustration3 ,photo ,t4 ,j4 ,marine4 ,,family ,,travel ,,on ,,the ,,panama ,,trail ,descending the hill they proceeded with their march for they were then but half way to their goal4 ,once again they had to fight the jungle and its savage denizens4 ,later exploring parties1 even in our own day1 have found the jungle alone invincible4 ,steel1 gunpowder and the bloodhounds opened the way1 and the march continued while the burden of gold increased daily4 ,it is curious to read of the complete effrontery with which these land pirates commandeered all the gold there was in sight4 ,from ,comagre were received #djjj ounces--8a gift02 from ,panca1 ten pounds2 ,chiapes disgorged #ejj pounds to purchase favor2 from ,cocura #fej pesos worth of the yellow metal and from ,tumaco #fdj pesos besides two basins full of pearls of which #bdj were of extraordinary size4 ,the names of these dead and gone ,indian chiefs signify nothing today1 but this partial list of contributions shows that as a collector ,balboa was as efficient as the ,wiskinkie of ,tammany ,hall4 ,not counting pearls and girls--of both of which commodities large store was gathered up--the spoil of the expedition exceeded #dj1jjj pesos in value4 ,it was ,september #bi1 #aeac1 that at last ,balboa and his men reached the ,pacific4 ,being ,st4 ,michael's day they named the inlet of the sea they had attained the ,gulf of ,st4 ,michael4 ,on their first arrival they found they had reached the sea1 but not the water1 for the tide which at that point rises and falls twenty feet1 was out and a mile or more of muddy beach interspersed with boulders intervened between them and the water's edge4 ,so they sat down until the tide had returned when ,balboa waded in thigh deep and claimed land and sea1 all its islands and its boundaries for the ,king of ,spain4 ,after having thus performed the needful theatrical ceremonies1 he returned to the practical by leading his men to the slaughter of some neighboring ,indians whose gold went to swell the growing hoard4 ,the ,spaniards made their way along the ,pacific coast to a point that must have been near the present site of ,panama ,city1 for it is recorded that on a clear day they could see the ,pearl ,islands in the offing4 ,balboa wanted mightily to raid these islands1 but felt it more prudent to hasten back to the ,atlantic coast and send reports of his discovery and tribute of his gold to the ,king before his enemies should wholly undo him4 ,so he made his way back1 fighting and plundering new tribes all the way and leaving the natives seemingly cowed1 but actually full of hatred4 ,they had learned the folly of standing against the white man's arms4 8,who that had any brains10 asked one chieftain touching ,balboa's sword1 8would contend against this macana which at one blow can cleave a man in two80 ,illustration3 ,,deserted ,,native ,,hut ,note the profusion of pineapples growing wild1 without further attention they will thrive and multiply ,the return was made to ,antigua where ,balboa was received with loud acclaim4 ,indeed he had accomplished the incredible4 ,not only had he discovered a new ocean1 not only had he brought home booty worth a dukedom1 but in the height of the rainy season he had marched #aij men through the unknown jungle1 fighting pitched battles almost every day1 taking food and drink where he could find it or going without1 and finally brought all back without losing a man4 ,no expedition since1 even the peaceful scientific or surveying ones of our own days1 has equaled this record4 ,he had left the ,indians pacified1 if resentful1 and the letter which he sent off to ,king ,ferdinand was a modest report of a most notable achievement4 8,in all his long letter10 says ,peter ,martyr1 8there is not a single leaf written which does not contain thanks to ,almighty ,god for deliverance from perils and preservation from many imminent dangers40 ,but ,vasco ,nunez de ,balboa now approached the unhappy and undeserved close of a glorious career4 ,as his letter went slowly across the seas in a clumsy galleon to ,spain1 one ,pedrarias with a commission to govern ,balboa's province and to deal out summary justice to ,balboa1 who had been represented to the ,king as a treacherous villain1 was on the ,atlantic making for the ,new ,world4 ,when ,ferdinand received ,balboa's letter he would have given much to recall his hasty commission to ,pedrarias1 but there was no wireless in those days1 and the new governor1 with power of life and death over ,balboa1 was now well out at sea4 ,the blow did not fall at once4 ,on arrival at ,santa ,maria de la ,antigua in ,june1 #aead1 ,pedrarias sent a courier to ,balboa to announce his coming and his authority4 ,the devoted followers of ,vasco ,nunez were for resisting the latter1 assuring him that the ,king could not have received the report of his notable discovery1 else he would not thus have been supplanted4 ,balboa however submitted gracefully1 promising the newcomer implicit obedience4 ,pedrarias1 though charged to try ,balboa for treason1 concealed his orders until he had gathered all the useful information that the old chieftain could impart and won many of his followers to his own personal support4 ,then he arrested ,balboa and put him on trial1 only to have him triumphantly acquitted4 ,pedrarias was disgusted4 ,he hated ,balboa and feared his influence in the colony4 ,for his own part he was tearing down the little kingdom his predecessor had erected4 ,illustration3 ,,what ,,they ,,still ,,call ,a ,,road ,,in ,,panama ,balboa had fought the ,indian tribes to their knees1 then placated them1 freed them without torture and made them his allies4 ,pedrarias applied the methods of the slave trader to the native population4 ,never was such misery heaped upon an almost helpless foe1 save when later his apt pupil ,pizarro invaded ,peru4 ,the natives were murdered1 enslaved1 robbed1 starved4 ,as ,bancroft says1 8in addition to gold there were always women for baptism1 lust and slavery40 ,the whole ,isthmus blazed with war1 and where ,balboa had conquered without losing a man ,pedrarias lost #gj in one campaign4 ,one of these raids was into the territory now known as the ,canal ,zone4 ,on one raid ,balboa complained to the ,king there 8was perpetrated the greatest cruelty ever heard of in ,arabian or ,christian country in any generation4 ,and it is this4 ,the captain and the surviving ,christians1 while on this journey1 took nearly #ajj ,indians of both sexes1 mostly women and children1 fastened them with chains and afterwards ordered them to be decapitated and scalped40 ,illustration3 ,,outdoor ,,life ,,of ,,the ,,natives ,the tree is a mango so loaded with fruit that the boughs droop4 ,the fruit is seldom liked by others than natives ,ill feeling rapidly increased between ,pedrarias and ,balboa4 ,the former with the jealousy and timidity of an old man continually suspected ,balboa of plotting against him4 ,his suspicion was not allayed when royal orders arrived from ,spain creating ,balboa adelantado and governor of the newly discovered ,pacific coast4 ,the title sounded well but he would have to fight to establish his government over the ,indians and even then ,pedrarias would be his superior4 ,but he determined to make the effort1 though with the whole ,isthmus in war-paint because of the cruelties of ,pedrarias he would have to fight every inch of his way4 ,moreover he tried to carry across the isthmus the hulls of four brigantines1 constructed on the ,atlantic coast and designed to be put together on the ,pacific4 ,just why he attempted this exploit is perplexing1 for there were as good timber and better harbors for shipyards on the ,pacific side4 ,nearly #bjjj ,indian lives were sacrificed in the heart-rending task of carrying these heavy burdens through the jungle1 and when the task was ended it was found that the timbers of two of the ships were useless1 having been honeycombed by worms4 ,two however were seaworthy and with them he put forth into the ,pacific1 but a great school of whales encountered near the ,pearl ,islands1 where even today they are frequently seen1 affrighted his men who made him turn back4 ,in his party was a man who had fallen in love with ,balboa's beautiful mistress1 the daughter of the ,indian cacique ,careta4 ,she had been annoyed by his advances and complained to ,vasco ,nunez1 who warned the man to desist1 accompanying the warning with remarks natural to the situation4 ,this man overheard a conversation1 really concerning some pitch and iron for the ships but which might be distorted to convey the impression that ,balboa was plotting the overthrow of ,pedrarias4 ,by an unlucky chance the eavesdropper was chosen as one of a party to carry dispatches to ,pedrarias1 and had no sooner reached the presence of that bloodthirsty old conquistadore than he denounced ,balboa as a traitor4 ,moreover he roused the old man's vanity by telling him that ,balboa was so infatuated with his mistress that he would never marry the governor's daughter--a marriage which had been arranged and announced as an affair of state4 ,in a rage ,pedrarias determined to put an end to ,balboa4 ,accordingly he wrote a pleasant letter1 beseeching him to come to ,santa ,maria for a conference4 ,that ,balboa came willingly is evidence enough that he had no guilty knowledge of any plot4 ,before he reached his destination however he was met by ,pizarro with an armed guard who arrested him4 ,no word of his could change the prearranged program4 ,he was tried but even the servile court which convicted him recommended mercy1 which the malignant ,pedrarias refused4 ,straightway1 upon the verdict the great explorer1 with four of his men condemned with him1 was marched to the scaffold in the ,plaza1 where stood the block4 ,in a neighboring hut1 pulling apart the wattled canes of which it was built that he might peer out while himself unseen ,pedrarias gloated at the sight of the blood of the man whom he hated with the insane hatred of a base and malignant soul4 ,there the heads of the four were stricken off1 and with the stroke died ,vasco ,nunez de ,balboa1 the man whose name more than any other man's deserves to be linked with that of ,columbus in the history of the ,isthmus of ,panama4 ,it was in #aeag1 and ,balboa was but forty-two years old4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,hut ,,and ,,open-,,air ,,kitchen ,had the bungling and cruel ,pedrarias never been sent to the ,isthmus that part of the country known as the ,darien might by now be as civilized as the ,chiriqui province4 ,as it was1 the thriving settlements of ,acla and ,antigua languished and disappeared1 and the legacy of hatred left by the ,indians of that day is so persistent that the white man has never been able to establish himself on the eastern end of the ,isthmus4 ,illustration3 ,,cocoanut ,,grove ,,on ,,the ,,caribbean ,,coast ,fate has dealt harshly with the memory of ,balboa4 ,keats1 in his best known and most quoted sonnet1 gives credit for his discovery to ,cortez4 ,local tradition has bestowed his name on a hill he never saw1 and ,panamanian financial legislation has given his name to a coin which is never coined--existing as a fictitious unit like our mill4 ,he did not himself realize the vastness of his discovery1 and gave the misleading name of the ,south ,sea to what was the ,pacific ,ocean4 ,but time is making its amends4 ,history will accord with the verdict of ,john ,fiske who said of him3 8,thus perished in the forty-second year of his age the man who1 but for that trifle of iron and pitch1 would probably have been the conqueror of ,peru4 ,it was a pity that such work should not have fallen into his hands1 for when at length it was done1 it was by men far inferior to him in character and caliber4 ,one cannot but wish that he might have gone on his way like ,cortez1 and worked out the rest of his contemplated career in accordance with the genius that was in him4 ,that bright attractive figure and its sad fate can never fail to arrest the attention and detain the steps of the historian as he passes by4 ,quite possibly the romantic character of the story may have thrown something of a glamour about the person of the victim1 so that unconsciously we tend to emphasize his merits while we touch lightly upon his faults4 ,but after all1 this effect is no more than that which his personality wrought upon the minds of contemporary witnesses1 who were unanimous in their expressions of esteem for ,balboa1 and of condemnation for the manner of his taking off40 ,illustration3 ,ramsay1 ,photo ,,canal ,,commission ,,stone ,,crusher1 ,,porto ,,bello ,and finally the ,united ,states government has acted wisely and justly when in decreeing a great port1 lined with massive docks1 the stopping place for all the argosies of trade entering or leaving the ,canal at its ,pacific end1 they conferred upon it the name ,balboa4 ,it will stand a fitting monument to the great soldier and explorer whose murder affected for the worse all ,central ,america and ,peru4 ,but to return to ,porto ,bello4 ,balboa's own association with that settlement was of the very briefest1 but the influence of his discovery was to it all important4 ,for the discovery of the ,pacific led to the conquest of ,peru under ,pizarro1 the founding of ,old ,panama and the development at ,porto ,bello of the port through which all the wealth wrung from that hapless land of the ,incas found its ,atlantic outlet4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,huts ,,near ,,porto ,,bello ,the ,indians of this region are fishermen and famous navigators4 ,they ship on vessels leaving ,colon for far distant ports ,illustration3 ,,an ,,indian ,,family ,,of ,,the ,,darien ,the story of ,old ,panama may be reserved for a later chapter1 even though the rise and fall of both ,nombre de ,dios and ,porto ,bello were chiefly dependent upon the chief ,spanish city of the ,pacific coast4 ,for great as was the store of gold1 silver and jewels torn from the ,isthmian ,indians and sent from these ,spanish ports back to ,spain1 it was a mere rivulet compared to the flood of gold that poured through the narrow trails across the ,isthmus after ,pizarro began his ravishment of ,peru4 ,with the conquest of the ,land of the ,incas1 and the plunder thereof that made of the ,isthmus a mighty treasure house attracting all the vampires and vultures of a predatory day1 we have little to do here4 ,enough to point out that all that was extorted from the ,peruvians was sent by ship to ,panama and thence by mule carriage either across the trail to ,nombre de ,dios or ,porto ,bello1 or else by land carriage to some point on the ,chagres ,river1 usually ,venta ,cruces1 and thence by the river to ,san ,lorenzo and down the coast to ,porto ,bello4 ,nor did the mules return with empty packs4 ,the ,peruvians bought from the bandits who robbed them1 and goods were brought from ,spain to be shipped from ,panama to ,south ,america and even to the ,philippines4 ,it seems odd to us today with 8the ,philippine problem0 engaging political attention1 and with ,american merchants hoping that the canal may stimulate a profitable ,philippine trade1 that three hundred years ago ,spanish merchants found profit in sending goods by galleons to ,porto ,bello1 by mule-pack across the ,isthmus and by sailing vessel again to ,manila4 ,perhaps to the 8efficiency experts0 of whom we are hearing so much these days1 it might be worth while to add some experts in enterprise4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood and ,underwood ,,ruined ,,spanish ,,fort ,,at ,,porto ,,bello ,now used as an ,american cemetery4 ,the site is one of infinite beauty1 but the cemetery is neglected ,as this ,spanish trade increased the corsairs or buccaneers sprung into being--plain pirates1 who preyed on ,spanish commerce alone1 finding excuse in the fact that the ,spanish were ,catholics1 or in the plea that ,spain had no right to monopolize ,american trade4 ,the excuses were mere subterfuges1 but served in a day when piracy was winked at4 ,the men offering them were not animated by religious convictions1 nor would they have engaged in the ,american trade if permitted4 ,for them the more exciting and profitable pursuit of piracy1 and this they pushed with such vigor that by #aebf the merchant vessels in the trade would sail together in one fleet guarded by men-of-war4 ,at times these fleets numbered as many as forty sail1 all carrying guns4 ,the system of trade--all regulated by royal decree--was for the ships to sail for ,cartagena on the coast of ,colombia1 a voyage occupying usually about two months4 ,arrived there1 a courier was sent to ,porto ,bello and on to ,panama with tidings of the approach of the fleet4 ,other couriers spread the tidings throughout the northern provinces of ,south ,america4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood and ,underwood ,,san ,,blas ,,luggers ,,at ,,anchor ,the fleet would commonly stay at ,cartagena a month1 though local merchants often bribed the general in command to delay it longer4 ,for with the arrival of the ships the town awoke to a brief and delirious period of trading4 ,merchants flocked to ,cartagena with indigo1 tobacco and cocoa from ,venezuela1 gold and emeralds from ,new ,granada1 pearls from ,margarita and products of divers sorts from the neighboring lands4 ,while this business was in progress1 and the newly laden galleons were creeping along the coast to ,nombre de ,dios and ,porto ,bello1 word had been sent to ,lima for the plate fleet to come to ,panama bearing the tribute to the ,king--gold stripped from the walls of temples1 pearls pried from the eyes of sacred images1 ornaments wrested from the arms and necks of native women by a rude and ribald soldiery4 ,with the plate fleet came also numerous vessels taking advantage of the convoy1 though indeed there was little danger from pirates on the ,pacific4 ,the ,atlantic1 being nearer ,european civilization1 swarmed with these gentry4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,teeth ,,oe ,,the ,,tropics ,skeletonized jaws of a ,bayano river crocodile ,at ,panama all was transferred to mules and started for the ,atlantic coast4 ,so great was the volume of treasure and of goods to be transported that the narrow trail along which the mules proceeded in single file1 usually #ajj in a caravan or train1 was occupied almost from one end to the other1 and the tinkling of the mule-bells1 and the cries of the muleteers were seldom stilled4 ,indians sometimes raided the trail and cut out a loaded mule or two1 and the buccaneers at one time1 finding robbery by sea monotonous1 landed and won rich booty by raiding a treasure caravan4 ,the bulkier articles of commerce were packed in carts at ,panama and sent to ,venta ,cruz where they were transferred to flat boats1 and taken down the river to ,san ,lorenzo and thence to ,porto ,bello by sea4 ,when the galleons had cast anchor at that port1 and the merchants and caravans were all arrived the little town took on an air of bustle and excitement astonishing to the visitor who had seen it in the hours of its normal life4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,bridge ,,in ,,the ,,darien ,illustration3 ,copyright1 #aiab1 ,national ,geographic ,magazine1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,photo by ,henry ,pittier ,,choco ,,indian ,,girls ,note the toes4 ,with them they pick up the smallest objects 8,the spectator10 says ,alcedo1 8who had just before been considering ,porto ,bello in a poor1 unpeopled state1 without a ship in the port and breathing nothing but misery and wretchedness1 would remain thunderstruck at beholding the strange alteration which takes place at the time of this fair4 ,now he would see the houses crowded with people1 the square and the streets crammed with chests of gold and silver1 and the port covered with vessels2 some of these having brought by the river ,chagres from ,panama the effects of ,peru1 such as cacao1 bark 7quina71 vicuna wool1 bezoar stone1 and other productions of these provinces4 ,he would see others bringing provisions from ,cartagena2 and he would reflect that1 however detestable might be its climate1 this city was the emporium of the riches of the two worlds1 and the most considerable commercial depot that was ever known40 ,the visitor to ,porto ,bello today may see still standing the long stone faade of the aduana1 or custom house1 facing the ancient plaza4 ,in that square the merchants erected cane booths and tents made of sails1 while all available space was filled with bales of goods drawn thither on sledges4 ,with the fleet came #ejjj or #fjjj soldiers1 who besides the sailors needful to man the vessels1 the merchants and their clerks1 the porters1 the buyers of all nationalities and the native sightseers crowded the little town of a few hundred houses so that it appeared to be in possession of a mob4 ,an itinerant preacher1 ,thomas ,gage1 who has left some entertaining reminiscences of his experiences on the ,isthmus1 tells quaintly of seeking lodgings during the fair3 8,when ,i came into the ,haven ,i was sorry to see that as yet the ,galeons were not come from ,spaine1 knowing that the longer ,i stayed in that place1 the greater would be my charges4 ,yet ,i comforted myselfe that the time of year was come1 and that they could not long delay their coming4 ,my first thoughts were of taking up a lodging1 which at that time were plentifull and cheape1 nay some were offered me for nothing with this caveat1 that when the ,galeons did come1 ,i must either leave them1 or pay a dear rate for them4 ,a kind ,gentleman1 who was the ,kings ,treasurer1 falling in discourse with me1 promised to help me1 that ,i might be cheaply lodged even when the ships came1 and lodgings were at the highest rate4 ,he1 interposing his authority1 went with me to seeke one1 which at the time of the fleets being there1 might continue to be mine4 ,it was no bigger than would containe a bed1 a table1 a stoole or two1 with roome enough beside to open and shut the doore1 and they demanded of me for it during the aforesaid time of the fleet1 sixscore ,crownes1 which commonly is a fortnight4 ,for the ,towne being little1 and the ,soldiers1 that come with the ,galeons for their defence at least four or five thousand2 besides merchants from ,peru1 from ,spain and many other places to buy and sell1 is causes that every roome though never so small1 be dear2 and sometimes all the lodgings in the ,towne are few enough for so many people1 which at that time doe meet at ,portobel4 ,i knew a ,merchant who gave a thousand ,crownes for a shop of reasonable bignesse1 to sell his wares and commodities that yeer ,i was there1 for fifteen daies only1 which the ,fleet continued to be in that ,haven4 ,i thought it much for me to give the sixscore ,crownes which were demanded of me for a room1 which was but as a mouse hole1 and began to be troubled1 and told the ,kings ,treasurer that ,i had been lately robbed at sea1 and was not able to give so much1 and bee besides at charges for my diet1 which ,i feared would prove as much more4 ,but not a farthing would be abated of what was asked2 where upon the good ,treasurer1 pitying me1 offered to the man of the house to pay him threescore ,crownes of it1 if so be that ,i was able to pay the rest1 which ,i must doe1 or else lie without in the street4 ,yet till the ,fleet did come ,i would not enter into this deare hole1 but accepted of another faire lodging which was offered me for nothing4 ,whilst ,i thus expected the ,fleets coming1 some money and offerings ,i got for ,masses1 and for two ,sermons which ,i preached at fifteen ,crownes a peece4 ,i visited the ,castles1 which indeed seemed unto me to be very strong2 but what most ,i wondered at was to see the requa's of ,mules which came thiether from ,panama1 laden with wedges of silver2 in one day ,i told two hundred mules laden with nothing else1 which were unladen in the publicke ,market-place1 so that there the heapes of silver wedges lay like heapes of stones in the street1 without any feare or suspition of being lost4 ,within ten daies the fleet came1 consisting of eight ,galeons and ten ,merchant ships1 which forced me to run to my hole4 ,it was a wonder then to see the multitude of people in those streets which the weeke before had been empty4 8,then began the price of all things to rise1 a fowl to be worth twelve ,rialls1 which in the mainland within ,i had often bought for one2 a pound of beefe then was worth two ,rialls1 whereas ,i had in other places thirteen pounds for half a ,riall1 and so of all other food and provisions1 which was so excessively dear1 that ,i knew not how to live but by fish and ,tortoises1 which were very many1 and though somewhat deare1 yet were the cheapest meat ,i could eate40 ,illustration3 ,,indian ,,huts ,,near ,,porto ,,bello ,on this annual fair1 and on trade with the back country1 both ,nombre de ,dios and ,porto ,bello waxed prosperous and luxurious4 ,prosperity was a dangerous quality for a town or a man to exhibit in those days when monarchs set the example of theft and extortion1 and private plunderers were quick to follow it4 ,so ,nombre de ,dios was early made the point of an audacious raid by ,sir ,francis ,drake4 ,though ,drake was a bold adventurer1 he is given a measure of immortality by a statue in ,baden1 the inscription on which celebrates him as the introducer of potatoes into ,europe4 ,but personal profit1 not potatoes1 had his chief attention1 though as a side issue he engaged in the slave trade4 ,july #bi1 #aegb1 he made a descent upon ,nombre de ,dios with #gc men armed1 according to a writer of the time1 with 8#f ,targets2 #f ,fire ,pikes2 #ab ,pikes2 #bd ,muskets and ,callivers2 #af ,bowes and #f ,partizans2 #b ,drums and #b ,trumpets40 ,his men landed from pinnaces and after encountering 8a jolly hot volley of shot0 in the plaza put the ,spaniards to flight4 ,at the point of a sword a captive was forced to lead the raiders to the ,governor's house where to his joy ,drake discovered a stack of silver ingots worth a million pounds sterling4 ,but 'twas an embarrassment of riches1 for the bars were of #dj pounds weight each and therefore hard to move1 so ,drake sought the ,king's ,treasure ,house where he hoped to find more movable wealth4 ,as the door was being broken down he fainted from loss of blood1 and as he lay speechless on the sill the ,spaniards rallied and attacked the invaders4 ,though ,drake reviving sought to hold his men up to the fight1 they had lost their dash1 and despite his protestations carried him bodily to the boats4 ,the men were wiser than their leader because it was the chance arrival of some soldiers from ,panama that had rallied the populace of the town1 and the ,english1 deprived of ,drake's leadership1 would certainly have been overwhelmed4 ,that leader however grieved sincerely when a ,spanish spy told him later that there were #cfj tons of silver in the town and many chests of gold in the treasure house4 ,illustration3 ,,country ,,back ,,of ,,porto ,,bello ,illustration3 ,,native ,,women ,,of ,,the ,,savannas ,,bearing ,,burdens ,with his appetite whetted for treasure ,drake retired to plan a more profitable raid4 ,this was to be nothing less than a land expedition to cut off one of the treasure caravans just outside of old ,panama on its way down the ,nombre de ,dios trail4 ,had the ,indian population been as hostile to the ,english then as they became in later days this would have been a more perilous task4 ,but at this time the men who lurked in the jungles1 or hunted on the broad savannas had one beast of prey they feared and hated more than the lion or the boa--the ,spaniard4 ,whether ,indian or ,cimmaroon--as the escaped slaves were called--every man out in that tropic wilderness had some good ground for hating the ,spaniards1 and so when ,drake and his men came1 professing themselves enemies of the ,spaniards likewise1 the country folk made no war upon them but aided them to creep down almost within sight of ,panama4 ,halting here1 at a point which must have been well within the ,canal ,zone and which it seems probable was near the spot where the ,pedro ,miguel locks now rise1 they sent a spy into the town who soon brought back information as to the time when the first mule-train would come out4 ,all seemed easy then4 ,most of the travel across the isthmus was by night to avoid the heat of the day4 ,drake disposed his men by the side of the trail--two ,indians or ,cimmaroons to each armored ,englishman4 ,the latter had put their shirts on outside of their breastplates so that they might be told in the dark by the white cloth--for the ancient chroniclers would have us believe them punctilious about their laundry work4 ,all were to lie silent in the jungle until the train had passed1 then closing in behind cut off all retreat to ,panama--when ho6 for the fat panniers crammed with gold and precious stones6 ,illustration3 ,,camina ,,reale1 ,,or ,,royal ,,road ,,near ,,porto ,,bello ,the plan was simplicity itself and was defeated by an equally simple mischance4 ,the drinks of the ,isthmus which1 as we have seen1 the ,spaniards commended mightily when they drank1 were treacherous in their workings upon the human mind--a quality which has not passed away with the buccaneers and cimmaroons1 but still persists4 ,one of ,drake's jolly cutthroats1 being over fortified with native rum for his nocturnal vigil1 heard the tinkle of mule bells and rose to his feet4 ,the leading muleteer turned his animal and fled1 crying to the saints to protect him from the sheeted specter in the path4 ,the captain in charge of the caravan was dubious about ghosts1 but1 there being a number of mules loaded with grain at hand1 concluded to send them on to see if there were anything about the ghosts which a proper prayer to the saint of the day would exorcise4 ,so the ,englishmen again heard the tinkling mule bells1 waited this time in low breathing silence to let the rich prize pass1 then with shouts of triumph dashed from the jungle1 cut down or shot the luckless muleteers1 and swarmed about the caravan eager to cut the bags and get at the booty--and were rewarded with sundry bushels of grain intended to feed the crowds at ,nombre de ,dios4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,lady ,,of ,,the ,,savanna ,the disaster was irreparable4 ,the true treasure train at the first uproar had fled back to the walls of ,panama4 ,nothing was left to ,drake and his men but to plod back empty handed to ,cruces1 where they had left their boats4 ,of course they raided the town before leaving but the season was off and the warehouses barren4 ,back they went to the coast and relieved their feelings by ransacking a few coastwise towns and hurling taunts at the governor of ,cartagena4 ,shortly thereafter they renewed their enterprise and did this time capture the treasure train1 getting perhaps #ajj1jjj worth of plunder1 with but little loss4 ,some ,french pirates under ,captain ,tetu1 who had joined in the adventure1 suffered more severely and their captain1 wounded and abandoned in the forest1 was put to death by the ,spaniards with certain of their favorite methods of torture4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,children1 ,,panama ,,province ,after a time in ,england ,drake returned to the ,caribbean with a considerable naval force1 harried the coast1 burned and sacked some towns1 including ,nombre de ,dios1 and obtained heavy ransom from others4 ,he put into the harbor of ,porto ,bello1 with the intent of taking it also1 but while hesitating before the formidable fortresses of the place was struck down by death4 ,his body1 encased in lead1 was sunk in the bay near perhaps to the ancient ships which our dredges have brought to light4 ,the ,english long revered him as a great sailor and commander1 which he was1 though a reckless adventurer4 ,his most permanent influence on the history of the ,isthmus was his demonstration that ,nombre de ,dios was incapable of defense1 and its consequent disappearance from the map4 ,such greatness as had pertained to ,nombre de ,dios was soon assumed by ,porto ,bello1 which soon grew far beyond the size attained by its predecessor4 ,it became indeed a substantially built town1 and its fortresses on the towering heights on either side of the beautiful bay seemed fit to repel any invader--notwithstanding which the town was repeatedly taken by the ,english4 ,even today the ruins of town and forts are impressive1 more so than any ruins readily accessible on the continent1 though to see them at their best you must be there when the jungle has been newly cut away1 else all is lost in a canopy of green4 ,across the bay from the town1 about a mile and a half1 stand still the remnants of the 8,iron ,castle0 on a towering bluff1 ,castle ,gloria and ,fort ,geronimo4 ,these defensive works were built of stone1 cut from reefs under the water found all along the coast4 ,almost as light as pumice stone and soft and easily worked when first cut1 this stone hardens on exposure so that it will stop a ball without splitting or chipping4 ,when ,admiral ,vernon1 of the ,british navy1 had captured the town in #agci1 he tried to demolish the fort and found trouble enough4 8,the walls of the lower battery10 he recorded1 8consisting of #bb guns1 were nine foot thick and of a hard stone cemented with such fine mortar that it was a long work to make any impression in it1 to come to mine at all1 so that the blowing up took sixteen or eighteen days40 ,even today the relics of the ,iron ,fort present an air of bygone power and the rusty cannon still lying by the embrasures bring back vividly the days of the buccaneers4 ,inheriting the greatness and prosperity of ,nombre de ,dios1 ,porto ,bello inherited also its unpleasant prominence as a target for the sea rover4 ,french filibusters and various buccaneers raided it at their fancy1 while the black ,cimmaroons of the mainland lay in wait for caravans entering or leaving its gates4 ,to describe1 or even to enumerate1 all the raids upon the town would be wearisome to the reader4 ,most savage1 however1 of the pests that attacked the place was ,sir ,henry ,morgan1 the ,welsh buccaneer1 whose exploits are so fully and admiringly related by ,esquemeling that we may follow his narrative1 both of the sack of ,porto ,bello1 and the later destruction of the ,castle of ,san ,lorenzo4 ,illustration3 ,,bull-,,rider ,,and ,,native ,,car ,,at ,,bouquette1 ,,chiriqui ,it was in #affh that ,morgan made his first attack upon ,porto ,bello4 8,here10 wrote ,esquemeling1 8are the castles1 almost inexpugnable1 that defend the city1 being situated at the entry of the port2 so that no ship or boat can pass without permission4 ,the garrison consists of three hundred soldiers1 and the town is constantly inhabited by four hundred families1 more or less4 ,the merchants dwell not here1 but only reside for awhile1 when the galleons come or go from ,spain2 by reason of the unhealthiness of the air1 occasioned by certain vapors that exhale from the mountains4 ,notwithstanding their chief warehouses are at ,porto ,bello1 howbeit their habitations be all the year long at ,panama2 whence they bring the plate upon mules at such times as the fair begins1 and when the ships1 belonging to the ,company of ,negroes1 arrive here to sell slaves40 ,morgan's expedition consisted of nine ships and about #dfj men1 nearly all ,british--too small a force to venture against such a stronghold4 ,but the intrepid commander would listen to no opposition4 ,his ships he anchored near ,manzanillo ,island where now stands ,colon4 ,thence by small boats he conveyed all save a few of his men to a point near the landward side of the town1 for he feared to attack by sea because of the great strength of the forts4 ,having taken the ,castle of ,triana he resolved to shock and horrify the inhabitants of the town by a deed of cold-blooded and wholesale murder1 and accordingly drove all the defenders into a single part of the castle and with a great charge of gunpowder demolished it and them together4 ,if horrified1 the ,spaniards were not terrified1 but continued bravely the defense of the works they still held4 ,for a time the issue of the battle looked dark for ,morgan1 when to his callous and brutal mind there occurred an idea worthy of him alone4 ,let us follow ,esquemeling's narrative again3 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,indians ,,call ,,her ,a ,,witch 8,to this effect1 therefore1 he ordered ten or twelve ladders to be made1 in all possible haste1 so broad that three or four men at once might ascend them4 ,these being finished1 he commanded all the religious men and women whom he had taken prisoners to fix them against the walls of the castle4 ,thus much he had beforehand threatened the governor to perform1 in case he delivered not the castle4 ,but his answer was3 #8,i will never surrender myself alive4' ,captain ,morgan was much persuaded that the governor would not employ his utmost forces1 seeing religious women and ecclesiastical persons exposed in the front of the soldiers to the greatest dangers4 ,thus the ladders1 as ,i have said1 were put into the hands of religious persons of both sexes2 and these were forced at the head of the companies1 to raise and apply them to the walls4 ,but ,captain ,morgan was deceived in his judgment of this design4 ,for the governor1 who acted like a brave and courageous soldier1 refused not1 in performance of his duty1 to use his utmost endeavors to destroy whosoever came near the walls4 ,the religious men and women ceased not to cry unto him and beg of him by all the ,saints of ,heaven he would deliver the castle1 and hereby spare both his and their own lives4 ,but nothing could prevail with the obstinacy and fierceness that had possessed the governor's mind4 ,thus many of the religious men and nuns were killed before they could fix the ladders4 ,which at last being done1 though with great loss of the said religious people1 the pirates mounted them in great numbers1 and with no less valour2 having fireballs in their hands and earthen pots full of powder4 ,all which things1 being now at the top of the walls1 they kindled and cast in among the ,spaniards4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,cuna-,,cuna ,,family ,,near ,,porto ,,bello ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,a ,,native ,,village ,these villages are now scattered throughout the ,canal ,zone but will disappear as the order expelling natives from the ,zone is more thoroughly enforced4 8,this effort of the pirates was very great1 insomuch as the ,spaniards could no longer resist nor defend the castle1 which was now entered4 ,hereupon they all threw down their arms1 and craved quarter for their lives4 ,only the governor of the city would admit or crave no mercy2 but rather killed many of the pirates with his own hands1 and not a few of his own soldiers because they did not stand to their arms4 ,and although the pirates asked him if he would have quarter1 yet he constantly answered3 #8,by no means2 ,i had rather die as a valiant soldier1 than be hanged as a coward'4 ,they endeavored as much as they could to take him prisoner4 ,but he defended himself so obstinately that they were forced to kill him2 notwithstanding all the cries and tears of his own wife and daughter1 who begged him upon their knees he would demand quarter and save his life4 ,when the pirates had possessed themselves of the castle1 which was about night1 they enclosed therein all the prisoners they had taken1 placing the women and men by themselves1 with some guards upon them4 ,all the wounded were put into a certain apartment by itself1 to the intent their own complaints might be the cure of their disease2 for no other was afforded them40 ,illustration3 ,a ,,trail ,,near ,,porto ,,bello ,for fifteen days the buccaneers held high carnival in ,porto ,bello4 ,drunk most of the time1 weakened with debauchery and riot1 with discipline thrown to the winds1 and captains and fighting men scattered all over the town in pursuit of women and wine1 the outlaws were at the mercy of any determined assailant4 ,esquemeling said1 8,if there could have been found #ej determined men they could have retaken the city and killed all the pirates4 ,less than fifty miles away was ,panama with a heavy garrison and a thousand or more citizens capable of bearing arms4 ,its governor must have known that the success of the raid on ,porto ,bello would but arouse the pirates' lust for a sack of his richer town4 ,but instead of seizing the opportunity to crush them when they were sodden and stupefied by debauchery he sent puerile messages asking to be informed with what manner of weapons they could have overcome such strong defenses4 ,morgan naturally replied with an insult and a threat to do likewise to ,panama within a twelvemonth4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,cholo ,,mother ,,and ,,daughter 8,for fifteen days the revel was maintained1 every citizen who looked as if he had money being put to the torture to compel him to confess where he had hidden it4 ,when all had been extorted that seemed possible the buccaneers made ready to depart4 ,but first ,morgan demanded #ajj1jjj pieces of eight1 in default of which he would burn the city and blow up the castles4 ,the wretched citizens sought aid of the ,president of ,panama who was as unwilling to help them with gold as with powder and lead4 ,in some miraculous way they raised it1 and ,morgan and his men departed1 making their way to that town of revelry1 ,port ,royal1 of which ,i have already spoken1 at the entrance to ,kingston harbor4 ,perhaps it is fair to contrast with ,esquemeling's story of the exploit ,morgan's official report--for this worthy had a royal commission for his deeds4 ,the ,captain reported that he had left ,porto ,bello in as good condition as he found it1 that its people had been well treated1 so much so that 8several ladies of great quality and other prisoners who were offered their liberty to go to the ,president's camp refused1 saying they were now prisoners to a person of quality who was more tender of their honors than they doubted to find in the ,president's camp2 and so voluntarily continued with him40 ,illustration3 ,a ,,group ,,of ,,cuepa ,,trees ,captain ,morgan's own testimony to his kindness to prisoners and his regard for female honor impresses one as quite as novel and audacious as his brilliant idea of forcing priests and nuns to carry the scaling ladders with which to assault a fortress defended by devout ,catholics4 ,yet except for little incidents of this sort the whole crew--,spanish conquistadores1 ,french filibusters and ,british buccaneers--were very tenacious of the forms of religion and ostentatious piety4 ,the ,spaniards were always singing ,te ,deums1 and naming their engines of war after the saints2 ,captain ,daniels1 a ,french filibuster1 shot dead a sailor for irreverent behavior during mass2 the ,english ships had divine service every ,sunday and profanity and gambling were sometimes prohibited in the enlistment articles4 ,all of which goes to show that people may be very religious and still a pest to humanity--nor is it necessary to turn to the buccaneers for instances of this fact4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,san ,,lorenzo ,,and ,,panama ,two years of the joys of ,port ,royal emptied the pockets of the buccaneers4 ,the money that passed from hand to hand over the gambling tables went thence into the pockets of the hordes of women from ,spain1 ,france and even ,england who flocked to that den of thieves1 and from them into the coffers of merchants who took it back to ,europe4 ,as the money slowly disappeared the men clamored to be led on another raid4 ,so great a reputation had ,captain ,morgan won that desperadoes from all corners of the world flocked to ,jamaica seeking enrollment in his service4 ,he had but to give out the tidings that he planned a new raid to have as fine an assortment of picturesque cutthroats begging for enlistment as ever appeared outside the pages of a dime novel4 ,designating the south side of the island of ,tortuga as a rendezvous1 he wrote certain gentry whom ,esquemeling in a matter of fact way calls 8the ancient and expert ,pirates there abiding01 asking their coperation4 ,by the #bdth of ,october1 #afgj1 he had gathered together #cg ships fully armed and victualled1 with #bjjj fighting men besides mariners and boys4 ,the chief ship mounted #bb great guns and six small brass cannon4 ,illustration3 ,,mouth ,,of ,,the ,,chagres ,,river ,san ,lorenzo stands on the brow of the cliff4 ,the watch tower may be seen faintly uplifted ,with this force ,morgan first attacked the island of ,san ,caterina1 expecting to capture there some ,indian or ,spaniard who would guide him to ,panama1 for the sack of that city had been determined upon in preference to either ,vera ,cruz or ,cartagena1 because it was richer4 ,the people of the island were in no condition to resist the overwhelming force of the ,english1 but the governor begged ,morgan to make a sham attack in order that his credit and that of his officers might be maintained at home1 and accordingly much powder was ineffectively burned4 ,it sounds like a cheap device1 but it has been frequently employed in war when resistance was obviously futile1 and some deference to uninformed home opinion was prudent4 ,having secured his guides1 by the easy process of putting on the rack all the ,indians captured until one was found willing to lead the raiders through his native land1 ,morgan determined to move on ,panama by the ,chagres ,river route1 probably in order to take with him heavy artillery which could scarcely be dragged through the jungle4 ,the first step toward the navigation of the river was the capture of ,fort ,lorenzo which stood on a high bluff at its mouth4 ,against this famous fortress1 therefore1 he sent ,col4 ,bradley 7or ,brodley as he is sometimes called7 with four ships and about #djj men1 while he himself remained at ,st4 ,catherine to conceal from the ,spaniards his ultimate design against ,panama4 ,illustration3 ,,mouth ,,of ,,the ,,chagres ,,from ,,the ,,fort ,the upper picture shows the sea beach on the ,pacific ,coast littered with drift-wood ,the visitor to ,colon should not fail1 before crossing to the ,pacific side of the ,isthmus1 to visit the ruins of the ,castle of ,san ,lorenzo4 ,the trip is not an easy one1 and must usually be arranged for in advance1 but the end well repays the exertion4 ,the easiest way1 when the weather permits1 is to charter a tug or motor boat and make the journey by sea--a trip of two or three hours at most4 ,but the ,caribbean is a tempestuous and a treacherous sea4 ,one may wait days for weather permitting the trip to be made in comfort1 and even then may find a stormy afternoon succeed to a calm morning4 ,for this reason it is essential that a seaworthy boat be procured and1 if not essential1 very desirable that the company be not subject to the qualms of seasickness4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,t4 ,j4 ,marine ,,the ,,sally-,,port ,,at ,,san ,,lorenzo ,an unusual picture because of the clearing away of the jungle4 ,ordinarily the walls are hidden ,to my mind the more interesting way to visit the ruins is to take the railroad out to ,gatun1 and there at the very base of the roaring spillway1 board a power boat and chug down the sluggish ,chagres to the river's mouth where stands the ancient fort4 ,the boats obtainable are not of the most modern model and would stand a slender chance in speed contests4 ,but in one1 however slow1 you are lost to all appearance of civilization five minutes after you cast off from the clay bank4 ,at ,gatun1 the canal which has been carried through the artificial lake made by damming the ,chagres ,river1 turns sharply away from that water course on the way to the new port of ,balboa4 ,the six or eight miles of the tropical river which we are to traverse have been untouched by the activities of the canal builders4 ,the sluggish stream flows between walls of dense green jungle1 as silent as though behind their barrier only a mile or two away there were not men by the thousands making great flights of aquatic steps to lift the world's ocean carriers over the hills4 ,once in awhile through the silent air comes the distant boom of a blast in ,culebra1 only an infrequent reminder of the presence of civilized man and his explosive activities4 ,infrequent though it is1 however1 it has been sufficient to frighten away the more timid inhabitants of the waterside--the alligators1 the boas and the monkeys4 ,only at rare intervals are any of these seen now1 though in the earlier days of the ,american invasion the alligators and monkeys were plentiful4 ,today the chief signs of animal life are the birds--herons1 white and blue1 flying from pool to pool or posing artistically on logs or in shallows2 great cormorant ducks that fly up and down midstream1 apparently unacquainted with the terrors of the shotgun2 kingfishers in bright blue and paroquets in gaudy colors4 ,the river is said to be full of fish1 including sharks1 for the water is saline clear up to the ,gatun locks4 ,i know of no spot1 easy of access1 on the ,isthmus where an idea of the beauty and the terror of the jungle can be better gained than on the lower ,chagres4 ,the stout green barrier comes flush to the water's edge1 the mangroves at places wading out on their stilt-like roots into the stream like a line of deployed skirmishers4 ,that green wall looks light1 beautiful1 ethereal even1 but lay your boat alongside it and essay to land4 ,you will find it yielding indeed1 but as impenetrable as a wall of adamant4 ,it will receive you as gently as the liquid amber welcomes the fly1 and hold you as inexorably in its beautiful embrace when you are once entrapped4 ,the tender fern1 the shrinking sensitive plant1 the flowering shrub1 the bending sapling1 the sturdy and towering tree are all tied together by lithe1 serpentine1 gnarled and unbreakable vines which seem to spring from the ground and hang from the highest branches as well4 ,there are not enough inches of ground to support the vegetation so it grows from the trees living literally on the air4 ,every green thing that can bear a thorn seems to have spines and prickers to tear the flesh1 and to catch the clothing and hold the prisoner fast4 ,try it and you will see why no large mammals roam in the jungle2 only the snakes and the lizards creeping down below the green tangle can attain large size and move4 ,illustration3 ,,church ,,at ,,chagres ,up the steep path in the foreground the buccaneers charged upon ,fort ,lorenzo ,and how beautiful it all is6 ,the green alone would be enough1 but it is varied by the glowing orange poll of a lignum vit tree1 the bright scarlet of the hibiscus1 the purple of some lordly tree whose name the botanist will know but not the wayfarer4 ,color is in splotches on every side1 from the wild flowers close to the river's brink to great yellow blossoms on the tops of trees so tall that they tower over the forests like light-houses visible for miles around4 ,orchids in more delicate shades1 orchids that would set ,fifth ,avenue agog1 are here to be had for a few blows of a machete4 ,it is a riot and a revel of color--as gay as the decorations of some ancient arena before the gladiatorial combats began4 ,for life here is a steady battle too1 a struggle between man and the jungle and woe to the man who invades the enemy's country alone or strays far from the trail1 shadowy and indistinct as that may be4 8,a man ought to be able to live quite a while lost in the jungle10 said a distinguished magazine writer who was with me on the upper ,chagres once4 ,we had been listening to our guide's description of the game1 and edible fruits in the forest4 8,live about two days if he couldn't find the trail or the river's bank10 was the response of the ,man ,who ,knew4 8,if he lived longer he'd live crazy4 ,torn by thorns1 often poisoned1 bitten by venomous insects1 blistered by thirst1 with the chances against his finding any fruit that was safe eating1 he would probably die of the pain and of jungle madness before starvation brought a more merciful death4 ,the jungle is a cat that tortures its captives2 a python that embraces them in its graceful folds and hugs them to death2 a siren whose beauty lured them to perdition4 ,look out for it40 ,the native ,indian knows it and avoids it by doing most of his traveling by canoe4 ,on our trip to the river's mouth we passed many in their slender cayucas1 some tied by a vine to the bank patiently fishing1 others on their way to or from market with craft well loaded with bananas on the way up1 but light coming back1 holding gay converse with each other across the dark and sullen stream4 ,here and there through breaks in the foliage we see a native house1 or a cluster of huts1 not many however1 for the jungle is too thick and the land too low here for the ,indians who prefer the bluffs and occasional broad savannas of the upper waters4 ,as we approach its outlet the river1 about fifty or sixty yards wide thus far1 broadens into a considerable estuary1 and rounding a point we see before us the blue ,atlantic breaking into white foam on a bar which effectually closes the river to all save the smallest boats1 and which you may be sure the ,united ,states will never dredge away1 to open a ready water-way to the base of the ,gatun locks4 ,to the left covering a low point1 level as if artificially graded1 is a beautiful cocoanut grove1 to the right1 across a bay perhaps a quarter of a mile wide is a native village of about fifty huts with an iron roofed church in the center--beyond the village rises a steep hill densely covered with verdure1 so that it is only by the keenest searching that you can pick out here a stone sentry tower1 there the angle of a massive wall--the ruins of the ,castle of ,san ,lorenzo4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,spanish ,,magazine 8,cloud crested ,san ,lorenzo guards ,the ,chagres entrance still1 ,though o'er each stone the moss hath grown ,and earth his moat doth fill4 ,his bastions feeble with decay ,steadfastly view the sea1 ,and sternly wait the certain fate ,the ages shall decree40 ,illustration3 ,,spanish ,,ruins1 ,,porto ,,bello ,we land in the cocoanut grove across the river from the ruins we have come to see and the uninitiated among us wonder why4 ,it appears however that the descendants of the natives who so readily surrendered dominion of the land to the ,spaniards are made of sterner stuff than their ancestors4 ,or perhaps it was because we had neither swords or breastplates that they reversed the #afth century practice and extorted tribute of silver from us for ferrying us across the stream in cayucas when our own boats and boat-men would have given us a greater sense of security4 ,landed in the village we were convoyed with great ceremony to the alcalde's hut where it was demanded that we register our names and places of residence4 ,perhaps that gave us a vote in the ,republic of ,panama1 but we saw no political evidences about unless a small saloon1 in a hut thatched with palmetto leaves and with a mud floor and basket work sides might be taken for a 8headquarters04 ,indeed the saloon and a frame church were about the only signs of civilization about the town if we except a bill posted in the alcalde's office setting forth the mysterious occult powers of a wizard and soothsayer who1 among other services to mankind1 recounted a number of rich marriages which had been made by the aid of his philters and spells4 ,illustration3 ,,our ,,guide ,,at ,,san ,,lorenzo ,we made our way from the village attended by volunteer guides in the scantiest of clothing1 across a little runway at the bottom of a ravine1 and so into the path that leads up the height crowned by the castle4 ,it was two hundred and fifty years ago1 almost1 that the little hollow ran with a crimson fluid1 and the bodies of dead ,spaniards lay in the rivulet where now the little native boys are cooling their feet4 ,the path is steep1 rugged and narrow4 ,branches arch overhead and as the trail has served as a runway for the downpour of innumerable tropical rains the soil is largely washed away from between the stones1 and the climbing is hard4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,author ,,at ,,san ,,lorenzo 8,not much fun carrying a steel helmet1 a heavy leather jacket and a twenty-pound blunderbuss up this road on a hot day1 with bullets and arrows whistling past10 remarks a heavy man in the van1 and the picture he conjures up of the ,spanish assailants on that hot afternoon in #aghj seems very vivid4 ,although the fort1 the remains of which are now standing1 is not the one which ,morgan destroyed1 the site1 the natural defenses and the plan of the works are identical4 ,there was more wood in the original fort than in that of which the remains are now discernible--to which fact its capture was due4 ,illustration3 ,,looking ,,up ,,the ,,chagres ,,from ,,san ,,lorenzo ,the villagers every now and then cut away the dense underbrush which grows in the ancient fosse and traverses and conceals effectually the general plan of the fortress from the visitor4 ,this cleaning up process unveils to the eye the massive masonry1 and the towering battlements as shown by some of the illustrations here printed4 ,but1 except to the scientific student of archaeology and of fortification1 the ruins are more picturesque as they were when ,i saw them1 overgrown with creeping vines and shrubs jutting out from every cornice and crevice1 with the walls so masked by the green curtain that when some sharp salient angle boldly juts out before you1 you start as you would if rounding the corner of the ,flatiron ,building you should come upon a cocoanut palm bending in the breeze4 ,here you come to great vaulted chambers1 dungeons lighted by but one barred casemate where on the muddy ground you see rusty iron fetters weighing forty pounds or more to clamp about a prisoner's ankle or1 for that matter1 his neck4 ,the vaulted brick ceiling above is as perfect as the day ,spanish builders shaped it and the mortar betwixt the great stones forming the walls is too hard to be picked away with a stout knife4 ,pushing through the thicket which covers every open space you stumble over a dismounted cannon1 or a neat conical pile of rusty cannon balls1 carefully prepared for the shock of battle perhaps two hundred years ago and lying in peaceful slumber ever since--a real ,rip ,van ,winkle of a fortress it is1 with no likelihood of any rude awakening4 ,in one spot seems to have been a sort of central square4 ,in the very heart of the citadel is a great masonry tank to hold drinking water for the besieged4 ,it was built before the #aith century had made its entrance upon the procession of the centuries1 but the day ,i saw it the still water that it held reflected the fleecy clouds in the blue sky1 and no drop trickled through the joints of the honest and ancient masonry4 ,back and forth through narrow gates1 in and out of vaulted chambers1 down dark passages behind twenty-foot walls you wander1 with but little idea of the topography of the place until you come to a little watch tower jutting out at one corner of the wall4 ,here the land falls away sharply a hundred feet or more to the sea and you understand why the buccaneers were forced to attack from the landward side1 though as you were scaling that toilsome slope you wondered that any race of humans ever dared attack it at all4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,true ,,native ,,social ,,center ,in their story of the assault on ,fort ,lorenzo1 as indeed in the narrative of all the doings of the buccaneers1 the historians have followed the narrative of ,esquemeling1 a young ,dutch apothecary who joined the sea rovers as a sort of assistant surgeon1 and wrote a book which has kept his memory alive1 whatever may have been the effect of his surgery on his patients4 ,news of the advance of the ,english had reached the ,governor of ,panama so that when the assailants reached the battlefield they found the garrison renforced until it nearly equaled the ,english4 ,so slight was the disparity in numbers that it seems amazing that the ,english could have sustained the rigors of the assault4 ,it was1 of course1 impossible to attack the castle on its sea front1 and the invaders accordingly left their boats about a league from the castle1 making their way painfully through the jungle toward the place of action4 ,esquemeling describes the fortification which they were to overthrow thus3 8,this castle is built upon a high mountain1 at the entry of the river1 and surrounded on all sides with strong palisades1 or wooden walls2 being very well terrepleined1 and filled with earth2 which renders them as secure as the best walls made of stone or brick4 ,the top of this mountain is in a manner divided into two parts1 between which lies a ditch of the depth of thirty feet4 ,the castle itself has but one entry1 and that by a drawbridge which passes over the ditch aforementioned4 ,on the land side it has four bastions1 that of the sea containing only two more4 ,that part thereof which looks towards the ,south is totally inaccessible and impossible to be climbed1 through the infinite asperity of the mountain4 8,the ,north side is surrounded by the river1 which hereabouts runs very broad4 ,at the foot of the said castle1 or rather mountain1 is seated a strong fort1 with eight great guns1 which commands and impedes the entry of the river4 ,not much lower are to be seen two other batteries1 whereof each hath six pieces of cannon to defend likewise the mouth of the said river4 ,at one side of the castle are built two great store-houses1 in which are deposited all sorts of war-like ammunition and merchandise1 which are brought hither from the inner parts of the country4 8,near these houses is a high pair of stairs1 hewed out of the rock1 which serves to mount to the top of the castle4 ,on the ,west side of the said fortress lies a small port1 which is not above seven or eight fathoms deep1 being very fit for small vessels and of very good anchorage4 ,besides this1 there lies before the castle1 at the entry of the river1 a great rock1 scarce to be perceived above water1 unless at low tide40 ,illustration3 ,photo1 by ,duperly ,son ,,tropical ,,foliage ,,on ,,the ,,caribbean ,if the ,english had hoped to take the garrison by surprise they were speedily undeceived4 ,hardly had they emerged from the thicket into the open space on which stands now the village of ,chagres than they were welcomed with so hot a volley of musketry and artillery from the castle walls that many fell dead at the first fire4 ,to assault they had to cross a ravine1 charge up a bare hillside1 and pass through a ditch thirty feet deep at the further bank of which stood the outer walls of the fort made of timber and clay4 ,it was two in the afternoon when the fighting began4 ,the assailants charged with their usual daredevil valor1 carrying fire-balls along with their swords and muskets4 ,the ,spaniards met them with no less determination1 crying out3 8,come on1 ye ,englishmen1 enemies to ,god and our ,king2 let your other companions that are behind come too2 ye shall not go to ,panama this bout40 ,illustration3 ,,on ,,the ,,upper ,,chagres ,illustration3 ,,native ,,panama ,,woman ,all the afternoon and into the night the battle raged and the assailants might well have despaired of success except for an event which ,esquemeling thus describes3 8,one of the ,pirates was wounded with an arrow in his back which pierced his body to the other side4 ,this instantly he pulled out with great valor at the side of his breast2 then taking a little cotton that he had about him1 he wound it about the said arrow1 and putting it into his musket1 he shot it back into the castle4 ,but the cotton being kindled by the powder occasioned two or three houses that were within the castle1 being thatched with palm leaves1 to take fire1 which the ,spaniards perceived not so soon as was necessary4 ,for this fire meeting with a parcel of powder blew it up1 and hereby caused great ruin1 and no less consternation to the ,spaniards1 who were not able to account for this accident1 not having seen the beginning thereof40 ,illustration3 ,a ,,character ,,of ,,colon ,the fire within the fort not only disconcerted its defenders but greatly aided the assailants1 for by its flames the ,spaniards could be seen working their guns and were picked off by the ,english sharpshooters4 ,the artillery of the invaders made breaches in the walls and the debris thus occasioned dropped into the ditch making its crossing practicable for a storming party4 ,though the gallant governor of the castle threw himself into the breach and fought with the greatest desperation1 he was forced back and into his citadel4 ,there a musket shot pierced his brain and the defense which was becoming a defeat became in fact a rout4 ,spaniards flung themselves from the lofty cliffs upon the rocks below or into the sea rather than trust to the mercy of their conquerors4 ,all but thirty of the garrison of #cad were slain1 not one officer escaping1 and only a few escaped to steal up the river and through the jungle carrying to ,panama the dismal tale of the fall of its chief outpost4 ,nor did the ,english win their triumph easily4 ,their force was in the neighborhood of #djj1 of whom more than #ajj were killed and #gj wounded4 ,a round shot took off both legs of ,colonel ,bradley and from the wound he died a few days later4 ,the church of the castle was turned into a hospital1 the ,spaniards were made to bury their own dead1 which was done by dropping them over the cliff into the sea1 and word was sent to ,morgan that the way was clear for his march upon ,panama4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we may for a time turn aside from ,buccaneer ,morgan and his ravenous raid to consider the later history of the two strongholds--,porto ,bello and ,san ,lorenzo--which lie to the east and west of ,colon4 ,it was not the rude shock of war which reduced them to the state of desolation and ruin in which visitors now find them--though of such shocks they certainly experienced enough4 ,morgan on his return from ,panama blew up ,san ,lorenzo and left it a wreck1 but the ,spaniards rebuilt it stronger than ever and it long continued to mount guard over the entrance to the ,chagres4 ,so too with the forts at ,porto ,bello4 ,but about #agch one ,edward ,vernon1 after whom it is said ,mount ,vernon1 the home of ,washington1 was named1 rose in the ,english parliament and declared that he could take ,porto ,bello with only six ships4 ,parliament took him at his word1 commissioned him admiral1 gave him seven ships and dispatched him on the enterprise4 ,being a gentleman of spirit and a true sport1 ,admiral ,vernon1 on approaching the ,isthmus1 sent one of his ships into other waters1 8disdaining to appear before ,porto ,bello with one ship more than he had engaged to take it with40 ,success came to him with ease4 ,only four of his ships were engaged and the only considerable loss was among a landing party which stormed the lower battery of the ,iron ,fort4 ,the ,spaniards showed but little stomach for the fight1 and it is worth noting that in the recurrent affrays in the ,west ,indies and ,central ,america the ,english whipped them with the same monotonous certainty with which the latter had beaten the ,indians4 ,any one desiring to draw broad generalizations as to the comparative courage of nations is welcome to this fact4 ,illustration3 ,,woman ,,of ,,the ,,chagres ,,region ,after refitting at ,jamaica1 ,admiral ,vernon1 with a somewhat larger fleet1 proceeded against ,san ,lorenzo4 ,again his triumph was easy1 for after a leisurely bombardment to which the ,spaniards replied but languidly1 the white flag was displayed and the ,english entered into possession4 ,the warehouses in ,chagres were plundered and the fort blown up4 ,the spluttering war between ,england and ,spain in which these actions occurred became known as 8the war of ,jenkins' ear40 ,a too zealous guarda costa lopped off the ear of a certain ,captain ,jenkins who1 though unknown to fame prior to that outrage1 so made the welkin ring in ,england1 even exhibiting the mummified member from which he had been thus rudely divorced1 that ,parliament was forced to declare a war in retaliation for his ear or have its own talked off4 ,the buccaneers and pirates really caused the final abandonment of ,porto ,bello and ,san ,lorenzo1 though not by direct attack4 ,they made trade by the ,caribbean and along the ,spanish ,main so perilous that the people of the ,pacific coast found it more profitable in the long run to make the voyage around the ,horn or through the ,straits of ,magellan4 ,the economics of trade are unvarying4 ,it seeks the cheapest before the shortest routes1 and one of the studies of our canal authorities will be to so fix their tolls that they will not1 like ,morgan1 ,l',olonais and others1 frighten trade away from the ,isthmus4 ,though the forts were rebuilt to their original strength in #agea1 they never regained importance4 ,porto ,bello disappeared when the ,royal ,road to ,panama lost its traffic1 and the ,chagres only resumed a brief importance in #ahdd when the ,royal ,mail ,steampacket ,co4 made ,san ,lorenzo a port of call4 ,when ,colon1 however1 appeared as a port and the terminus of the ,panama railroad1 the fate of all other ports on the ,atlantic side of the ,isthmus was sealed4 ,left to brood over the days of their greatness--though indeed they never repelled any serious attack--the ,iron ,fort and ,san ,lorenzo were abandoned by their ,colombian garrisons and given over to the insidious and irresistible conquest of the jungle4 ,picturesque and dignified1 they well repay the visit of the tourist4 ---------------------------------------- 8,still standeth ,san ,lorenzo there1 ,aye1 faithful at his post1 ,though scoffing trees in every breeze ,their prime and vigor boast2 ,his garrison is but the shades ,of soldiers of the past1 ,but it pleaseth him1 alone and grim1 ,to watch unto the last40 ---------------------------------------- ,,chapter ,v ,,the ,,sack ,,of ,,old ,,panama ,the week after the fall of ,san ,lorenzo1 ,morgan with his full force appeared at the mouth of the ,chagres ,river4 ,before leaving ,st4 ,catherine he had dismantled the forts and burned all the houses for no particular reason except the seemingly instinctive desire of a buccaneer to destroy all that he could not steal4 ,at once he began his preparations for the ascent of the ,chagres to its head of navigation1 where1 disembarking1 he would take the trail for ,old ,panama4 ,cruces1 which was the point of debarkation1 had grown to a considerable town at this time1 being the point of transshipment of goods destined for ,nombre de ,dios1 or ,porto ,bello1 from the mules that had brought them thus far1 to the boats that would float them down to tide water4 ,the town1 an inconsiderable hamlet of thatched huts1 remained in #aiac1 but the rise of ,gatun ,lake was expected to practically blot it out of existence4 ,old ,panama1 for which ,morgan was preparing the grim experience of a battle and a sack1 had been founded in #aeai by that ,pedrarias of whom we have told as the executioner of ,balboa4 ,it had grown rapidly1 built up by the trade resulting from the invasion of ,peru4 ,at the time of ,morgan's raid ,esquemeling writes of the city3 ,illustration3 ,,near ,a ,,convent ,,at ,,old ,,panama 8,there belonged to this city 7which is also the head of a bishopric7 eight monasteries1 whereof seven were for men and one for women2 two stately churches and one hospital4 ,the churches and monasteries were all richly adorned with altar-pieces and paintings1 huge quantity of gold and silver1 with other precious things4444 ,besides which ornaments1 here were to be seen two thousand houses of magnificent and prodigious building1 being all of the greatest part inhabited by merchants of that country1 who are vastly rich4 ,for the rest of the inhabitants of lesser quality and tradesmen1 this city contained five thousand houses more4 ,here were also great numbers of stables1 which served for the horses and mules1 that carry all the plate1 belonging as well unto the ,king of ,spain as to private men1 towards the coast of the ,north ,sea4 ,the neighboring fields belonging to this city are all cultivated and fertile plantations1 and pleasant gardens1 which afford delicious prospects unto the inhabitants the whole year long40 ,correal fixes the number of private houses as between seven and eight thousand4 ,the pious ,thomas ,gage whom we have seen haggling for rooms at ,porto ,bello visited ,panama about #aech and even then credits it with five thousand inhabitants1 and at least eight cloisters of nuns and friars4 ,unfortunately the good evangelist found that 8the ,spaniards are in this city much given to sinne1 looseness and venery10 for which reason1 or perhaps because he 8feared much the heats10 he made haste to leave the town and left us none of those graphic descriptions of which his pen was capable4 ,illustration3 ,,casa ,,reale ,,or ,,king',s ,,house ,its heavy walls show that it was planned for defense but the ,spaniards abandoned it ,illustration3 ,photo by ,burtis ,elliott ,,the ,,ruined ,,tower ,,of ,,san ,,augustine ,the country round about ,panama was then1 and still is1 arable and well-fitted for grazing4 ,the rural population was but small1 more meager indeed than one would think would have been necessary for raising vegetables for so considerable a town4 ,in the back country were great numbers of ,cimmaroons1 or escaped slaves who are described as living in communities1 ruled over by a black king4 ,they went naked and were armed with bows and arrows1 spears1 darts and machetes4 ,they lived on plunder and as when captured were they killed1 or1 at the best1 enslaved anew1 they fought with great desperation4 ,merchandise trains were their chief victims1 though they often raided cattle ranches1 or cut off individuals in the outskirts of the city4 ,the ,english supplied them with weapons and could always be sure of their aid against the ,spaniards1 who had been their masters and whom they hated4 ,the harbor was wretched1 useful only for small vessels which at high tide could come straight to the seawall1 being left there by the receding tide1 high and dry1 so that by quick action they could be unloaded before the waters returned4 ,a very considerable part of the food of the town was fish brought thither by ,indians from ,taboga and nearby islands4 ,such was the town which ,morgan raided4 ,because of the colossal disaster which befell it1 a disaster without parallel since the days when the ,goths and ,vandals swept down over the pleasant plains of ,italy1 there has been a tendency to magnify the size1 wealth and refinement of ,panama at the time of its fall4 ,but studied calmly1 with no desire to exaggerate the qualities which made it so rich a prize1 ,panama may fairly be described as a city of about #cj1jjj people1 with massive churches1 convents and official buildings of masonry1 with many stately houses of the type esteemed luxurious in the tropics1 and peopled largely by pure-blooded ,spaniards of the better type4 ,it was too early a date for the amalgamation of races now so much in evidence on the ,isthmus to have proceeded far1 and the ancient records show that the ,spaniards of substance in the town had mainly come thither from ,seville4 ,morgan started up the river from ,san ,lorenzo1 where he left #ejj men to serve as a garrison1 on the #ahth of ,january1 #agfa4 ,his force comprised #abjj men in five boats with artillery and thirty-two canoes4 ,the raiders planned to live on the country and hence took small store of provisions--an error which nearly wrecked the expedition4 ,the first day they covered about eighteen miles4 ,this was by nature made the easiest part of their journey1 for this stretch of the ,chagres is deep1 with but a slow current and much of the way they may have been aided by the incoming tide4 ,if the chronicler who fixed their distance covered at eighteen miles was correct1 they must have pitched their camp the first night not very far from where ,gatun ,dam now rears its mighty bulk across the valley and makes of the ,chagres a broad lake4 ,their troubles however came with their first nightfall4 ,leaving their boats and scattering about the surrounding country they found that the ,spaniards had raked it clean of provisions of every sort4 ,the ,indian villages were either smoking ruins or clusters of empty huts1 the cattle ranches were bare of cattle1 and even the banana and yam patches were stripped4 ,by noon on the second day1 according to ,esquemeling1 8they were compelled to leave their boats and canoes by reason the river was very dry for want of rain1 and the many trees that were fallen into it40 ,henceforth at that point the ,chagres ,river transformed into a lake will be in the neighborhood of forty feet deep the year round4 ,apparently1 however1 the abandonment of the boats was only partial1 the main body of troops marching through the woods while others waded1 pushing the boats over the shallows as is done today4 ,the advance was continued in this fashion1 partly by water and partly through the jungle1 all with the greatest difficulty1 at a snail's pace and on stomachs daily growing emptier4 ,twice they came upon signs that the ,spaniards had prepared an ambuscade for them1 but becoming faint-hearted had fled4 ,thereat the buccaneers grumbled mightily4 ,they were better at fighting than at chopping paths through the jungle1 and were so hungry that if they had slain a few ,spaniards they would quite probably have cooked and eaten them4 ,for six days they struggled with the jungle without finding any food whatsoever1 then they discovered a granary stored with maize which they ate exultingly4 ,leather scraps became a much prized article of food1 just as in a very different climate ,greely's men in the ,arctic circle kept alive on shreds cut from their sealskin boots4 ,of leather as an article of diet ,esquemeling writes3 ,illustration3 ,,wayside ,,shrine ,,on ,,the ,,savanna ,,road 8,here again he was happy1 that had reserved since noon any small piece of leather whereof to make his supper1 drinking after it a good draught of water for his greatest comfort4 ,some persons1 who never were out of their mothers' kitchens1 may ask how these pirates could eat1 swallow and digest those pieces of leather1 so hard and dry4 ,to whom ,i only answer3 ,that could they once experiment what hunger1 or rather famine1 is1 they would certainly find the manner1 by their own necessity1 as the pirates did4 ,for these first took the leather and sliced it in pieces4 ,then did they beat it between two stones1 and rub it1 often dipping it in the water of the river to render it by these means supple and tender4 ,lastly they scraped off the hair1 and roasted or broiled it upon the fire4 ,and1 being thus cooked1 they cut it into small morsels1 and eat it1 helping it down with frequent gulps of water1 which by good fortune they had near at hand40 ,once only did they meet with any resistance2 that was near ,cruces where several hundred ,indians ambushed them in the jungle1 and while avoiding any direct combat1 killed several with arrows4 ,as the ,indians fled they cried out in ,spanish1 8,ho1 ye dogs6 ,go to the savanna2 to the savanna10 from which1 as from like warnings uttered by stragglers1 the invaders concluded that battle was to be given them on the broad plain before the city4 ,it had taken six days for the expedition to reach ,cruces--a trip which could readily be made today by train to ,gamboa and thence by cayuca in five or six hours4 ,arrived there they prepared for the last stage of the journey1 for there they finally left their boats and took up the ,royal ,road4 ,cruces is eight miles from ,panama1 and at the moment of ,morgan's descent upon it1 was at the period of its greatest prosperity4 ,of its rise to greatness and its final disappearance under the rising waters of ,gatun ,lake ,i shall have more to say in the chapter concerning the ,chagres ,river4 ,the ,english found the frame houses already ablaze1 and the larders swept clean1 the ,spaniards having followed their invariable custom of leaving no food for the invaders4 ,some wretched dogs and cats which hung about the deserted dwellings were killed and eaten1 and in the storehouses a number of jars of wine were found1 upon drinking which the buccaneers became deathly sick4 ,they claimed it was poisoned1 but more probably their stomachs1 which had been struggling to digest leather scraps1 were in no condition for the strong wines of the tropics4 ,from this point onward the invaders saw many of their enemies1 but the ,indians only offered active resistance1 firing upon the advancing column from ambuscades1 and at one or two made a determined stand4 ,as the invaders were strung out in single file along a narrow road 7,esquemeling complains that only ten or twelve men could walk in a file7 it would have been easy to so impede their progress1 and harass them with attacks from the bush1 as to defeat their purpose wholly4 ,for it is to be remembered that the ,english were almost starved1 footsore and weary1 dragging cannon along the rocky roads and bearing heavy equipment under the scorching sun4 ,but the ,spaniards contented themselves with shouting defiance and daring the invaders to meet them 8a la savanna40 ,at the first danger of a fight they ran away4 ,gaining on the ninth day of their march the top of a hill1 still known as 8,el ,cerro de los ,buccaneeros0 7,the ,hill of the ,buccaneers71 the pirates had the joy of seeing for the first time the ,pacific1 and thus knowing that ,panama must be at hand4 ,upon the plain below they came upon a great body of cattle4 ,some historians say that the ,spaniards had gathered a great herd of savage bulls to be driven upon the ,english lines in expectation of putting them to rout4 ,the tradition seems doubtful1 and to any one who has seen the mild and docile bulls of the ,panama savannas it is merely ridiculous4 ,however the cattle came there it was an ill chance for the ,spaniards1 for they furnished the hearty food necessary to put fight again into the famished bodies of the buccaneers4 ,esquemeling's description of the banquet on the plains is hardly appetizing3 ,illustration3 ,,arched ,,bridge ,,at ,,old ,,panama1 ,,almost #djj ,,years ,,old ,there was no ,horatius to hold this strait path against the invaders 8,here while some were employed in killing and flaying cows1 horses1 bulls and chiefly asses1 of which there was greatest number1 others busied themselves in kindling of fires and getting wood wherewith to roast them4 ,thus cutting the flesh of these animals into pieces1 or gobbets1 they threw them into the fire1 and half carbonadoed or roasted1 they devoured them with incredible haste and appetite4 ,for such was their hunger that they more resembled cannibals than ,europeans at this banquet1 the blood many times running down from their beards to the middle of their bodies40 ,gorged to their gullets1 the cutthroats lay down to rest4 ,morgan had a sharp watch kept1 and sounded at least one false alarm that the men might not sleep too securely4 ,but the ,spaniards on the eve of their crushing disaster left their foes to rest in peace except for a noisy cannonade which did no damage1 and shouts of 8,corros6 ,nos ,veremos0--8,dogs6 ,we will see you again10 which they certainly did1 finding the meeting most unpleasant4 ,on the morrow1 the tenth day after leaving ,san ,lorenzo1 and either the #ahth or #bgth of ,january1 #afga1 for contemporary writers differ about the date1 the attack on the city began4 ,the buccaneers disappointed the ,spanish at the very outset by not taking the road which lay plain and open to them and which was well commanded by the ,spanish batteries and ambuscades1 but came upon them through the woods4 ,this violation of the rules of the game embarrassed the ,spaniards from the very first4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,prof4 ,otto ,lutz ,,foliage ,,on ,,the ,,canal ,,zone ,but even so1 they had every advantage on their side--except courage4 ,they largely outnumbered the assailants1 though the estimate of the hostile generals differ greatly1 as they always have in history4 ,we must reasonably suppose that in a battle on the issue of which directly depended their lives1 the lives and honor of their womenfolk1 their homes1 their fortunes1 their liberty and the continued existence of their city the people of ,panama would have turned out to a man4 ,yet the ,president of ,panama reported to the ,spanish court that he had but #abjj men1 mostly negroes1 mulattoes and ,indians1 armed with fowling pieces and his only artillery three wooden cannon bound with rawhide4 ,dr4 ,c4 ,l4 ,g4 ,anderson1 to whose painstaking study of the old ,spanish chroniclers all present-day students of ,panama history must be largely indebted1 says1 and reasonably1 8,the ,spanish army was made up not merely of merchants1 planters and servants1 but contained besides many regular troops2 veterans of the wars in ,flanders1 ,sicily and other countries of ,europe40 ,whatever the precise figures may have been there is no question that the assailants were largely outnumbered by the defenders who1 fighting for wives1 and children1 homes and firesides1 might have been expected to show desperate valor4 ,instead of which the buccaneers put the ,spaniards to rout in two hours' fighting on the plain to which the pirates had been so scornfully invited4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,chagres ,,above ,,san ,,lorenzo ,the ,spanish plan of battle savored largely of the theatrical4 ,as the circus opens its performance with a grand entry of mounted performers1 so the ,spaniards ushered in the fight with a grand charge of cavalry4 ,admirable cavalrymen1 they are said to have been1 well mounted on trained cattle ponies and in all about #djj strong4 ,unhappily there appeared to have been no preliminary study of the ,english position1 and a morass impenetrable by horsemen guarded its flanks4 ,only in front could the ,english line be reached and there the trained marksmen of the buccaneers1 or cattle hunters1 dropping on one knee1 picked off the ,spanish horsemen before they could close4 ,the cavalry hardly reached the buccaneers' first line though they charged twice with the utmost gallantry4 ,an infantry charge that followed was beaten back with like slaughter4 ,seeing this the ,spaniards are said to have resorted to a device as ridiculous in its outcome as it was in its conception4 ,this was the driving against the buccaneers' lines of a herd of a thousand bulls driven by fifty vaqueros4 ,with great shouting and cracking of whips the herd was urged against the invaders4 ,but the ,central ,american bull as a ferocious beast is a disappointment--which perhaps explains the placidity with which ,panama agreed to the request of the ,united ,states that it abolish bull fighting4 ,if not vicious1 however1 they can be obstinate1 and about as many bulls charged into the already shattered ,spanish lines as upon the buccaneers4 ,morgan showed quick wit by ordering his men to let the bulls pass1 but kill the vaqueros1 and so1 with the exception of a few bovines who lingered to rend the ,british flags1 being enraged by their scarlet hue1 the greater part of the herd trotted off to a quieter part of the savanna where they might placidly graze while the foolish men who had sought to drag them into the quarrel went on killing each other4 ,this virtually ended the ,spanish defense4 ,after another charge the defenders of the city gave up any effort at organized opposition to the invaders and fled into the city1 or to the shelter of the neighboring jungle4 ,the ,english1 exhausted with their long march and the shock of the battle1 did not immediately follow up their advantage but rested for some hours4 ,there is much conflict of authority on the question of loss in the battle4 ,morgan claimed to have lost only five men killed and ten wounded1 and fixed the ,spanish loss at about #djj4 ,esquemeling says there were #fjj ,spaniards dead upon the field beside the wounded and prisoners4 ,whatever the comparative losses the ,spanish defeat was decisive1 nor did the survivors regain sufficient morale to offer any effective opposition to the buccaneers as they moved upon the city4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,crypt ,,of ,,old ,,san ,,augustine ,illustration3 ,a ,,woman ,,of ,,old ,,panama ,one would think that the final defense would have been dogged and desperate in the extreme4 ,the ,spaniards knew what to expect in the way of murder1 rapine1 plunder and enslavement4 ,they had the story of ,porto ,bello fresh in their memories1 and1 for that matter1 they had enjoyed such fruits of victory themselves too often to hug the delusion that these victors would forego them4 ,nor even after the decisive thrashing they had sustained on the plain need they have despaired4 ,on three sides ,panama was defended by the sea and its inlets1 and on the fourth could only be approached along a single road and over an arched bridge1 the sturdy masonry of which still stands1 and forms a favorite background for photographic groups of tourists4 ,though not walled1 as was its successor1 ,old ,panama had a great plenty of heavy masonry buildings1 the ruins of which show them to have been constructed with a view to defense4 ,the churches1 the eight convents1 the official buildings and many of the private residences were built of stone with heavy barred windows and1 if stoutly defended in conjunction with barricades in the streets1 might well have balked the invaders of their prey4 ,but the ,spanish spirit seemed crushed by the defeat of their choice cavalry on the savanna1 and three hours sufficed for the ,english to make themselves masters of the whole city4 ,during the fighting flames broke out in several quarters of the town1 some think set purposely by the assailants1 which was denied by ,morgan4 ,however caused1 the fires raged for days1 were still smoldering when the buccaneers left three weeks later1 and consumed nearly all except the masonry edifices in the city4 ,imagination balks at the effort to conceive the wretched plight of the #cj1jjj people of this city1 subjected for three weeks to the cruelty1 cupidity and lust of the 8experienced and ancient pyrates0 and the cutthroats of all nationalities that made up the command of ,morgan4 ,little more than a thousand of the raiders could have remained alive1 but all the fighting men of the city were slain1 wounded or cowed into unmanly subjection4 ,after the first riotous orgy of drunkenness and rapine--though indeed ,morgan shrewdly strove to keep his men sober by spreading the report that all the wine had been poisoned--the business of looting was taken up seriously4 ,first the churches and government houses had to be ransacked for precious ornaments and treasure1 and herein the robbers met with their first serious disappointment1 for on the news of their coming much of the plate had been put on ships and sent out to sea4 ,a brig aground in the harbor was seized by ,morgan and sent in pursuit1 but the delights of the ,island of ,taboga1 then as now a pleasure resort1 proved superior even to the avariciousness of the ,spaniards1 and they lingered there over wine cups until the treasure ships had vanished4 ,rumors still linger that much of the treasure had been buried at ,taboga1 and that one richly freighted ship had been sunk some place nearby4 ,but frequent treasure-hunting expeditions have come home empty handed4 ,illustration3 ,,wash ,,day ,,at ,,taboga ,after raking the government buildings from garret to vaults the pirates turned to the private houses4 ,from ceremonial plate to the seamstress's thimble2 from the glittering necklace to the wedding ring1 everything was raked together into the great common store of plunder4 ,what was easily found was not enough4 ,wells were searched1 floors torn up1 walls ripped open and1 after all other devices had been employed1 prisoners were put to the torture to make them reveal the hiding places of their own and others' valuables4 ,capt4 ,morgan led in this activity1 as indeed he appears to have been the most villainous of all his crew in the mistreatment of women4 ,after all that could be gathered by these devices had been taken the several thousand prisoners were informed that if they wanted to retain their lives and regain their liberty they must pay ransom1 fixed in amount according to the standing in the community and the wealth of the captive4 ,of course the community was gone and the buccaneers had taken all of the wealth1 but the luckless prisoner was expected to pay nevertheless and a surprising number of them did so4 ,with all these expedients for the extraction of wealth from a subjugated town1 the buccaneers were fain to be satisfied1 and1 weak from wounds and revelry1 according to ,esquemeling3 ,illustration3 ,a ,,street ,,in ,,cruces 8,on the #bdth of ,february1 of the year #agfa1 ,captain ,morgan departed from the city of ,panama1 or rather from the place where the city of ,panama did stand4 ,of the spoils whereof he carried with him one hundred and seventy-five beasts of carriage1 laden with silver1 gold and other precious things1 besides #fjj prisoners more or less1 between women1 children and slaves40 ,illustration3 ,,breaking ,,waves ,,at ,,old ,,panama ,illustration3 ,,old ,,bell ,,at ,,remedios1 #afhb ,so they plodded back to ,san ,lorenzo whence they had started on their piratical expedition4 ,it affords a striking illustration of the strictly business methods of these pirates that before reaching the castle ,morgan ordered a halt1 and had every man searched for valuables1 submitting himself to the inquisition4 ,so thorough was the search that even the guns were shaken1 upside down1 lest precious stones might be concealed in their barrels4 ,however the buccaneers came to jeer at ,morgan's apparent fairness in being searched with the rest1 and putting his personal pilferings into the common lot as a piece of duplicity4 ,for the loot of the ,panama expedition has been reckoned at several millions of dollars1 and indeed a town of that size1 famous for wealth and at a period when the amassing of gold and jewels was a passion1 should certainly have produced that much4 ,but when it came to the vital operation of dividing the spoils the ordinary fighting men found that for their four months' campaign1 they received about #ajj apiece4 8,which small sum10 says the literary apothecary ,esquemeling1 who was 8buncoed0 with the rest1 8they thought too little reward for so much labor and such huge and manifest dangers they had so often exposed their lives unto4 ,but ,captain ,morgan was deaf to all these and many other complaints of this kind1 having designed in his mind to cheat them of as much as he could40 ,henry ,morgan was indeed a practical pirate1 who1 had he but lived four hundred years later1 could have made vastly more money out of a town of #cj1jjj people by the mild devices of franchises and bonds1 than he did out of ,panama with murder1 the rack1 robbery and rapine for his methods4 ,after setting the example of loyally putting his all into the common store1 he assumed the duty of dividing that store4 ,this accomplished to his liking1 and knowing that idleness breeds discontent1 and that discontent is always hurtful to capital1 he set his men to work pulling the ,castle of ,san ,lorenzo to pieces4 ,while they were thus engaged1 one dark night with favoring winds he hove anchor and with four ships1 filled with his ,english favorites1 and laden with the lion's share of the booty1 he sailed away from ,chagres and from buccaneering forever4 ,he left behind all the ,french1 ,dutch and mongrel pirates--those ancient and experienced ones4 ,he left them some of the poorer ships--much as an efficient gang of street railway looters leave some rusty rails and decrepit cars to a town they have looted--but saw to it that none was left that could possibly catch up with his fleet4 ,so the deserted buccaneers first fought awhile among themselves1 then dispersed4 ,some in an amateurish way sacked the town of ,keys in ,cuba4 ,others went to ,campeche and ,honduras4 ,esquemeling with a small band went up to ,bocadel ,toro1 now the ,panama headquarters of the ,united ,fruit ,company1 whence he made his way back to ,europe4 ,there he wrote his 8,history of the ,buccaneers10 which became one of the world's 8best sellers10 and in which he gave his ,captain ,morgan 8the worst of it0--a species of satisfaction which is often the only recourse of the literary man who gets tangled up with ,big ,business4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,beetling ,,cliffs ,,of ,,the ,,upper ,,chagres ,as for ,captain ,morgan1 he was made much of at ,jamaica1 where the crown's share of the proceeds of his piracy was cheerfully accepted by the governor4 ,but in ,england there was some embarrassment1 for there was no war with ,spain and the complete destruction of a ,spanish city by a force bearing ,british flags was at least embarrassing4 ,so by way of showing its repentance and good intent the government announced its purpose to suppress buccaneering and all piracy1 and to that end created ,henry ,morgan a baronet and put the commission in his hands--much as we have been accustomed to put politicians on our civil service commissions1 and protected manufacturers on our tariff boards4 ,so as ,sir ,henry ,morgan this most wholesale robber and murderer ,central ,america ever knew ended his days in high respectability4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,roots ,,reach ,,down ,,seeking ,,for ,,soil ,while the ruins of ,old ,panama compare but unfavorably with those of ,porto ,bello or ,san ,lorenzo1 their proximity to the city of ,panama make them a favorite point of interest for tourists4 ,half a day is ample to give to the drive out and back and to the inspection of the ruins themselves4 ,the extended area over which they are scattered testifies to the size of the obliterated city1 while the wide spaces1 destitute of any sign of occupation1 which intervene between the remaining relics1 shows clearly that the greater part of the town must have been built of perishable materials easily swept away at the time of the fire1 or slowly disintegrating during the flood of years that have since rolled by4 ,the tower of the ,cathedral of ,st4 ,augustine alone among the relics still remaining affords any suggestion of grandeur or even of architectural dignity4 ,to reach the ruins you take a horse1 a carriage or an automobile for a ride of about five miles over an excellent road laid and maintained by the ,republic of ,panama4 ,if you go by horseback the old trail which the pirates used is still traceable and at low tide one can ride along the beach4 ,for the majority the drive along the road1 which should be taken in the early morning1 is the simpler way1 though there was promise in #aiac that within a few months a trolley line would still further simplify the trip4 ,from ,balboa1 the ,pacific opening of the ,panama ,canal1 and the newest of the world's great ports1 to the ruins of ,old ,panama1 founded in #afji and obliterated by pirates in #afga1 by trolley in two hours6 ,was ever the past more audaciously linked to the present8 ,were ever exhibits of the peaceful commerce of today and the bloody raids of ancient times placed in such dramatic juxtaposition8 ,the road to ,old ,panama runs through a peaceful grazing country1 with a very few plantations4 ,one or two country residences of prosperous ,panamanians appear standing well back from the road1 but signs of life and of industry are few4 ,the country lies high1 is open and free from jungle and in almost any ,north ,american state1 lying thus close to a town of #dj1jjj people and adjacent to a district in which the ,united ,states is spending some millions of dollars a month1 would be platted in additions for miles around1 and dotted with the signs of real estate dealers4 ,but the ,panamanian mind is not speculative1 or at any rate soars little above the weekly lottery ticket4 ,so all ,uncle ,samuel's disbursements in the ,zone have thus far produced nothing remotely resembling a real estate boom4 ,however as we turn off from the main road toward the sea and the square broken tower of the old cathedral1 or ,church of ,st4 ,augustine1 with the ferns springing from the jagged top1 and vines twisting out through the dumbly staring windows1 real estate and 8booms0 seem singularly ignoble topics in the presence of this mute spectator of the agonies of a martyred people4 ,for even the dulling mists of the interposing centuries1 even our feeling that the ,spaniards suffered only the anguish and the torments which they had themselves meted out to the real owners of the lands they had seized upon1 cannot wholly blunt the sense of pity for the women and children1 for the husbands and fathers in the city which fell under ,morgan's blight4 ,it would be no easy task to gather in the worst purlieus of any ,american city today a band so wholly lost to shame1 to pity and to ,god as the ruffians who followed ,morgan4 ,what they did to the people on whom their hands reeking with blood were laid must be left to the imagination4 ,the only contemporary record of the sack was written by one of their own number to whom apparently such scenes had become commonplace1 for while his gorge rises at the contemplation of his own hard fortune in being robbed and deserted by his chief1 he recounts the torture of men and the violation of women in a matter-of-fact way as though all in the day's work4 ,illustration3 ,,bluff ,,near ,,toro ,,point ,photographing this scene is now prohibited as a ,united ,states fort is to be erected here ,driving on we come to the arched bridge which formed the main entrance to the town in the day of its downfall4 ,sturdy it is still1 though the public road no longer passes over it1 defying the assaults of time and the more disintegrating inroads of the tropical plants which insinuate themselves into every crevice1 prying the stone apart with tender fingers ever hardening4 ,at once the bridge1 none too wide for three to cross abreast1 awakens wonder that no ,horatius was in all the ,spanish armies to keep the bridge as did he of ancient ,rome4 ,but after all the rivulet which today makes its sluggish way under the arch is no ,tiber to hold the invading army at bay4 ,perhaps it was bigger in ,morgan's time2 today it would be easily forded1 almost leapt4 ,at any rate no 8,dauntless ,three0 like those ,macaulay sung were there to stay the onrolling tide of foemen4 ,illustration3 8,,whether ,,the ,,tree ,,or ,,the ,,wall ,,is ,,stouter ,,is ,a ,,problem0 ,hardly have we passed the bridge than a massive vine-embedded ruin on the left of the road stands mute evidence that the ,spaniards had forts1 if they had but possessed the courage to defend them4 ,this is the ,casa ,reale1 or government house4 ,its walls of rubble masonry are full two feet thick and have the appearance of having been pierced for musketry4 ,if the buccaneers had any artillery at all1 which is doubtful1 it was hardly heavy enough to have had any effect against such a wall4 ,secure within the ,casa ,reale such a handful of men as held the ,alamo against the ,mexicans could have resisted ,morgan's men indefinitely4 ,but the spirit was lacking4 ,the stout walls of the ,casa ,reale stand now as evidences of the character of the defenses the people of ,panama had if they but had the pluck to use them4 ,continuing toward the sea the visitor next comes upon the ruins of the ,cathedral1 which are in so shattered a state as to justify the belief that either the invaders or the ,spaniards themselves employed gunpowder to wreck so massive an edifice4 ,the flames and the work of the vegetation could hardly have accomplished such complete destruction4 ,the tower alone retains definite form1 rising about fifty feet from a dense jungle1 and lined within with vines and clinging trees that use the ancient walls as a support and hasten their disintegration in so doing4 ,it is difficult even to trace the lines of the great church1 so thoroughly have its walls been demolished4 ,some of the massive arches still stand all pendulous with vines4 ,at the water's edge one still finds steps leading down into the sea1 and the remains of the old paved road to which at high tide the boats could come with their cargoes of fish and country produce4 ,if one happens to visit the spot at low tide the view looking seaward is as ugly as could well be imagined4 ,the hard sand beach extends only to high water mark4 ,beyond that for more than a mile seaward extends a dismal range of black mud of about the consistency of putty4 ,near the shore it is seen to be full of round holes from which crawl unsightly worms and small crabs4 ,e4 ,c4 ,stedman puts its unsightly appearance in two lines3 8,the tide still ebbs a league from quay1 ,the buzzards scour the empty bay40 ,along the strand still stand fragments of the old seawall1 and at a considerable distance from the ,cathedral ruins you come upon another large building of which little more than the lower walls and the subterranean vaults still have form and coherence4 ,the dungeon into which visitors usually make their way is peculiarly dark1 damp and dismal1 and the general air of ghoulishness is mightily enhanced by the myriads of bats that hang from the ceiling and whirl and whiz away when intruders light matches to study the moldering masonry4 ,a most interesting feature of this crypt is the great roots of the trees and shrubs that sprung from seeds that had fallen into some crevice and found there soil enough to germinate1 but not sufficient to support life as the plant grew larger4 ,the roots twist and creep along the walls1 reaching out for earth below as unerringly as a giant boa creeps sinuously through the jungle4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,revolutions ,,and ,,the ,,french ,,regime ,the history of the ,isthmus from the fall of ,old ,panama to the time when the government of the ,united ,states1 without any particular pomp or ceremony1 took up the picks and shovels the ,french had laid down and went to work on the ,canal1 may be passed over here in the lightest and sketchiest way4 ,it is of ,panama of the ,present1 rather than ,panama of the ,past1 that ,i have to tell even though that past be full of picturesque and racy incident4 ,curious enough is the way in which through all those centuries of lawless no-government1 ,spanish mis-government1 and local self-government1 tempered by annual revolutions1 there appears always the idea that some day there will be a waterway across the neck of the continent4 ,it was almost as hard for the early ,spaniards to abandon the idea that such a natural waterway existed as it has been in later years to make the trans-continental railroads understand that the ,american people intended to create such a strait4 ,the search for the natural waterway had hardly been abandoned when discussion arose as to the practicability of creating an artificial one4 ,in its earlier days this project encountered not only the physical obstacles which we had to overcome1 but others springing from the rather exaggerated piety of the time4 ,yet it was a chaplain to ,cortez who first suggested a canal to ,philip ,,ii of ,spain in words that have a good twentieth-century ring to them1 though their form be archaic3 8,it is true10 he wrote1 8that mountains obstruct these passes1 but if there be mountains there are also hands40 ,that is the spirit in which ,uncle ,sam approached the ,big ,job4 ,but when the sturdy chaplain's appeal came to ,king ,philip he referred it to the priests of his council1 who ruled it out upon the scriptural injunction1 8,what ,god hath joined together let no man put asunder10 and they were backed up by a learned prelate on the ,isthmus1 ,fray ,josef de ,acosta1 who averred1 8,no human power will suffice to demolish the most strong and impenetrable mountains1 and solid rocks which ,god has placed between the two seas1 and which sustain the fury of the two oceans4 ,and when it would be to men possible it would in my opinion be very proper to fear the chastisement of heaven for wishing to correct the works which the ,creator with greatest deliberation and foresight ordained in the creation of this universe40 ,illustration3 ,,san ,,pablo ,,lock ,,in ,,french ,,days ,doubtless the ,fray de ,acosta was the more orthodox1 but we like better the spirit of the cleric who held the somewhat difficult post of spiritual adviser to ,cortez4 ,his belief that 8if there are mountains there are also hands0 is good doctrine1 and we can believe that the good father would have liked to have seen some of ,col4 ,goethals' steam shovels biting into those mountains at five cubic yards a bite4 ,it seems strange that the four canal routes over the respective merits of which the ,senate of the ,united ,states was engaged in seemingly interminable wrangle only a few years ago--,nicaragua1 ,darien1 ,panama and ,tehuantepec--should have been suggested by ,cortez in the sixteenth century4 ,nearly #bej years before the birth of the republic destined to dig the canal this stout explorer from old ,spain laid an unerring finger upon the only routes which it could follow4 ,doubtless it was as well that no effort was made at the time1 yet it would be unwise for us with smug twentieth-century self-sufficiency to assert that no other age than ours could have put the project through4 ,perhaps the labor and skill that raised the mighty city of ,palmyra1 or built the massive aqueducts that in ruins still span the ,roman ,campagna1 or carved the ,colossi of the ,egyptian desert1 might have been equal to the ,panama problem4 ,in #ahad the ,spanish cortes ordered surveys made for a canal1 but nothing came of it1 and the great project lay quiescent as long as ,spain's power in the ,isthmus remained unshaken4 ,more by the indifference of other nations than by any right of their own1 the ,spanish had assumed sovereignty over all of ,south and ,central ,america4 ,that they held the country by virtue of a papal bull--such as that may be--and by right of conquest is undeniable4 ,but men begun to say that the ,pope had given ,spain something he never owned1 while so far as conquest was concerned ,morgan had taken from the ,spanish all they ever won by force of arms on the ,isthmus4 ,he did not hold what he had taken because he was a pirate not a pioneer4 ,illustration3 ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,sea ,,wall ,,at ,,panama ,the only serious effort to colonize in the ,panama region by any people1 save ,spaniards1 was the founding of a colony of ,scotch ,presbyterians1 headed by one ,william ,patterson1 who had occupied a ,scotch pulpit4 ,beside theology he must have known something of finance1 for he organized1 and was one of the first directors of1 the ,bank of ,england4 ,his colonization project in ,panama was broadly conceived1 but badly executed4 ,taking the rich ,east ,india ,company for a model he secured a franchise from ,scotland1 granting him a monopoly of ,scottish trade in the ,indies in return for an annual tribute of one hogshead of tobacco4 ,capitalizing his company for #fjj1jjj1 he backed the shares with his reputation as a founder of the bank and saw the capital over-subscribed in ,london4 ,but the success woke up his rivals4 ,they worked on the ,king1 persuaded him to denounce the action taken in ,scotland and pushed a law through the ,english ,parliament outlawing the ,scotch company in ,england4 ,in every country the people interested in the established companies fought the interloper who was trying to break into their profitable demesne4 ,but the ,scotch stuck to their guns4 ,they rallied at first about ,patterson as in later years the ,french flocked to the support of ,de ,lesseps4 ,ships were built in ,amsterdam1 pistols were bought by wholesale1 brandy and bibles were both gathered in large quantities1 and in #agfh volunteers were called for to join the expedition4 ,every settler was promised fifty acres of agricultural land and one fifty-foot town lot4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,pelicans ,,in ,,the ,,bay ,,of ,,panama ,politics had bothered ,patterson at the outset by arraying the ,english against the ,scotch4 ,now religion added to the dissension4 ,the church and the kirk factions--or the ,episcopalians and the ,presbyterians--fell afoul of each other4 ,the kirk carried the executive council and ,patterson1 the only man who knew anything about the expedition1 was permitted to accompany it only as an ordinary settler4 ,graft stepped in and though the colonists paid for six months' provisions they discovered when far out at sea that they had but enough for two4 ,moreover nobody on the ships knew where they were going to settle1 for they sailed under sealed orders4 ,when these were opened and the tidings spread that ,panama and not the ,east ,indies was the destination1 there was renewed distrust and disaffection4 ,illustration3 ,,road ,,from ,,panama ,,to ,,la ,,boca ,the story of this luckless enterprise is short and dismal4 ,on the voyage out forty-four of the adventurers died1 and after landing the deaths continued with melancholy regularity4 ,they were spared trouble with the ,indians who1 on learning that they were no friends to the ,spaniards1 welcomed them warmly1 and urged them to join in driving the ,spaniards from the land4 ,but illness held the #ijj colonists gripped1 and malaria1 the ruling pest of those tropical shores1 is not wont to stimulate a militant spirit4 ,they had settled on the ,atlantic coast in the ,darien region1 as far from the rich traffic of the ,east ,indies as though they were in their old ,caledonian homes4 ,curiously enough they made no effort to get across to the ,pacific1 whence only could trade be conducted1 but perhaps that was as well1 for the ,spaniards though much broken by the recent invasion of the buccaneers would have resisted such an advance to their utmost4 ,illustration3 ,,copyright4 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,,old ,,french ,,canal ,,at ,,mount ,,hope ,our engineers abandoned the ,french canal except as a docking place for vessels and a waterway for carrying material to the foot of ,gatun locks4 ,so the unhappy colonists of ,new ,caledonia found themselves on a miasmatic bit of land1 remote from anything like civilization1 with no sign of trade to engage their activities1 an avowed enemy at their back and surrounded by ,indians1 the price of whose friendship was a declaration of war upon the ,spaniards4 ,to make matters worse1 the ,king issued a proclamation prohibiting all governors of ,english colonies in the ,west ,indies from giving them aid or comfort1 denouncing them as outlaws4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,city ,,park ,,of ,,colon ,disheartened1 the first colony broke up and sailed away1 just when the ,company was dispatching two more ships from ,scotland4 ,the fugitives sailed for ,new ,york1 and on one of their ships carrying #bej men1 #aej are said to have died before reaching that port4 ,as for the new colonists1 they reached the deserted fort of ,st4 ,andrew1 and saw the mute evidences of death and despair4 ,from the ,indians they learned the details of the story1 and a great majority voted to sail away without further delay4 ,twelve however elected to stop1 and being landed with a generous supply of provisions1 kept foothold in the colony until the third expedition arrived4 ,this consisted of four ships1 which had left the ,clyde with about #acjj colonists4 ,about #afj however died on the way out1 and the survivors were mightily distressed when instead of finding a thriving colony of a thousand or more awaiting them1 they discovered only twelve ,scotchmen living miserably in huts with the ,indians4 ,the imaginative prospectus writer seems to have been no less active and engaging at that time than in these days of mining promotions1 and many of the new colonists had come in the expectation of finding a land watered by springs1 the waters of which were 8as soft as milk and very nourishing10 a land wherein people lived #aej years1 and to die at #abe was to be cut off in the flower of one's youth4 ,what they found was twelve haggard ,scotchmen in a primeval forest1 ill-fed1 unclothed1 dependent largely on the charity of the ,indians1 and who1 so far from looking confidently forward to an hundred more years of life cried dolorously to the newcomers1 8,take us hence or we perish40 ,the new colonists1 however1 had pluck4 ,stifling their disappointment1 they disembarked and settled down to make the colony a success4 ,according to the records they had brought five forces for disintegration and failure along with them--namely four ministers and a most prodigious lot of brandy4 ,the ancient chroniclers do not say upon which of these rests the most blame for the disasters that followed4 ,the ministers straightway set up to be rulers of the colony4 ,when stockades should be a-building all were engaged in erecting houses for them4 ,as but two could preach in the space of one ,sunday1 they designated two holy days weekly whereon they preached such resounding sermons that 8the regular service frequently lasted twelve hours without any interruption40 ,nor would they do other work than sermonizing4 ,as for the brandy1 all the records of the colony agree that much too much of it and of the curious native drinks was used by all1 and that the ministers themselves were wont to reinvigorate themselves after their pulpit exertions by mighty potations4 ,illustration3 ,,children ,,in ,a ,,native ,,hut ,yet the colony was not wholly without a certain sturdy self reliance4 ,seeing it persist despite all obstacles1 the ,spaniards dispatched a force of soldiers from ,panama to destroy it4 ,campbell waylaid them in the jungle and overthrew them4 ,then the ,king of ,spain became alarmed and sent eight ,spanish men-of-war to make an end of these interlopers--the ,king of ,england and ,scotland coldly leaving them to their fate4 ,but they fought so bravely that in the end the ,spanish1 though their fleet had been renforced by three ships1 were obliged to grant them capitulation with the honors of war1 and they 8marched out with their colors flying and drums beating1 together with arms and ammunition1 and with all their goods40 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,water ,,front ,,of ,,panama ,so ended the effort to make of ,darien an outpost of ,scotland4 ,in the effort #bjjj lives and over #bjj1jjj had been lost4 ,macaulay explains it by saying1 8,it was folly to suppose that men born and bred within ten degrees of the ,arctic circle would enjoy excellent health within ten degrees of the equator40 ,but ,lord ,macaulay forgot to reckon on the hostility of the ,east ,india ,company1 whose monopoly was threatened1 the plenteousness of the brandy and the zeal of the four ministers4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,water ,,gate ,,of ,,panama ,after the expulsion of the ,scotch1 the domination of the ,isthmus by the ,spaniards was never again seriously menaced by any foreign power4 ,all the vast ,south and ,central ,american domain was lost to ,spain1 not by the attacks of her ,european neighbors1 but by the revolt of their people against a government which was at one time inefficient and tyrannical4 ,the ,french ,revolution and the ,napoleonic upheaval in ,europe found their echo in ,south ,america1 where one after another the various states threw off the ,spanish yoke4 ,but ,panama1 then known as ,terra ,firma1 was slow to join in the revolutionary activities of her neighbors4 ,it is true that in #ahab the revolutionists became so active in ,bogot1 the capital of the province1 that the seat of government was temporarily removed to ,panama ,city4 ,but the country as a whole was sluggish4 ,four classes of citizens1 ,european ,spaniards1 their sons1 born on the ,isthmus1 and called creoles1 the ,indians and the negroes1 made up the population and were too diverse by birth and nature to unite for any patriotic purpose4 ,accordingly through the period of breaking shackles1 which made ,bolivar famous the world over and created the great group of republics in ,south ,america1 the state of which the ,isthmus was a part remained quiescent4 ,in #ahad revolutionists vainly tried to take ,porto ,bello1 but that famous fortress which never resisted a foreign foe successfully1 beat off the patriots4 ,panama was at this time in high favor at ,madrid because of its loyalty and the ,cortes passed resolutions for the building of a canal1 but went no further4 ,but all the time the revolutionary leaven was working beneath the surface4 ,in #ahba a field marshal from ,spain1 charged with the task of crushing out the revolution in ,colombia and ,ecuador1 stripped ,porto ,bello1 ,san ,lorenzo and ,panama of the greater part of their garrisons and took them to ,guayaquil4 ,by bribes and promises the local patriots persuaded the few soldiers remaining to desert and1 with no possibility of resistance1 the independence of ,panama from ,spain was declared4 ,early in #ahbb ,panama became the ,department of the ,isthmus in the ,republic of ,colombia4 ,it would be idle to describe1 even to enumerate1 all the revolutions which have disquieted the ,isthmus since it first joined ,colombia in repudiating the ,spanish rule4 ,they have been as thick as insects in the jungle4 ,no physical1 social or commercial ties bound ,panama to ,colombia at any time during their long association4 ,a mountain range divided the two countries and between the cities of ,panama and ,bogot there was no communication by land4 ,in foreign commerce the province of ,panama exceeded the parent state1 while the possession of the shortest route across the ,isthmus was an asset of which both ,bogotns and ,panamanians keenly realized the value4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,entrance ,,to ,,mt4 ,,hope ,,cemetery ,revolutions were annual occurrences1 sometimes hard fought1 for the people of ,panama have plenty of courage in the field2 sometimes ended with the first battle4 ,the name of the parent state has been sometimes ,colombia1 sometimes ,new ,granada2 ,panama has at times been independent1 at others a state of the ,federation of ,new ,granada2 at one time briefly allied with ,ecuador and ,venezuela4 ,in #ahdf the volume of ,north ,american travel across the ,isthmus became so great that the ,united ,states entered into a treaty with ,new ,granada in which we guaranteed to keep the ,isthmus open for transit4 ,that and the building1 by ,american capital of the ,panama ,railroad1 made us a directly interested party in all subsequent revolutions4 ,of these there were plenty4 ,president ,theodore ,roosevelt1 defending in #aijc the diplomatic methods by which he 8took0 ,panama1 enumerated no fewer than fifty-three revolutions in the fifty-seven years that had elapsed since the signing of the treaty4 ,he summed up the situation thus3 8,the above is only a partial list of the revolutions1 rebellions1 insurrections1 riots1 and other outbreaks that have occurred during the period in question2 yet they number fifty-three for the last fifty-seven years4 ,it will be noted that one of them lasted nearly three years before it was quelled2 another for nearly a year4 ,in short1 the experience of nearly half a century has shown ,colombia to be utterly incapable of keeping order on the ,isthmus4 ,only the active interference of the ,united ,states has enabled her to preserve so much as a semblance of sovereignty4 ,had it not been for the exercise by the ,united ,states of the police power in her interest1 her connection with the ,isthmus would have been severed long ago40 ,illustration3 ,,cathedral ,,plaza1 ,,panama ,the building in the center was by turns the ,french and the ,american ,administration ,building ,we are apt to think of these revolutions as mere riots1 uprisings somewhat after the sort of ,falstaff's seven men in buckram1 and savoring much of the opera bouffe4 ,such1 to a great extent they were1 and curiously enough none of them1 except for its outcome1 was less serious or dignified than the final one which won for ,panama its freedom from ,colombia1 and for the ,united ,states the ten miles' strip across the ocean called the ,canal ,zone4 ,that was perhaps the only revolution in history by which was created a new and sovereign-state1 and the issue of which was finally determined by the inability of a commanding general to pay the fares for his troops over forty-eight miles of railroad4 ,of that1 however1 more hereafter4 ,illustration3 ,,avenida ,,centrale ,the building with the rounded corner balcony is the ,american ,consulate ,of course1 during all the revolutions and counter revolutions the idea of the canal had steadily grown4 ,england at one time took a mild interest in it and sent one ,horatio ,nelson to look over the land4 ,the young naval officer's health failed him and he returned to become in later years the hero of ,trafalgar and the ,nile4 ,later1 the great ,german scientist1 ,baron von ,humboldt1 in the course of a famous voyage to ,south ,america1 spent some time on the ,isthmus1 and wrote much of its natural features1 enumerating nine routes for a canal including of course the one finally adopted4 ,louis ,napoleon1 though never on the ,isthmus1 dreamed out the possibilities of a canal when he was a prisoner in the fortress of ,ham4 ,had he succeeded in maintaining ,maximilian on the throne of ,mexico he might have made the ,isthmian history very different4 ,among our own people1 ,de ,witt ,clinton1 builder of the ,erie ,canal1 and ,henry ,clay1 were the first to plan for an ,american canal across the ,isthmus1 but without taking practical steps to accomplish it4 ,canal schemes1 however1 were almost as numerous as revolutions in the years preceding #aijc4 ,darien1 ,panama1 ,tehuantepec1 ,nicaragua have all been considered at various times1 and the last named for some time was a very close second to ,panama in favor4 ,there is reason to believe that the government of the ,united ,states deliberately 8nursed0 the ,nicaragua project in order to exact better terms from ,colombia1 which held the ,panama route at an exorbitant figure4 ,illustration3 ,,ancon ,,hill ,,at ,,sunset ,the honor of actually inaugurating the canal work must ever belong to the ,french1 as the honor of completing it will accrue to us4 ,it is not the first time either that the ,french and the ,americans worked together to accomplish something on this continent4 ,yorktown and ,panama ought to be regarded as chapters of the story of a long partnership4 ,in #ahgf ,ferdinand de ,lesseps1 with the glory of having dug the ,suez ,canal still untarnished1 became interested in the ,panama situation as the result of representations made by a ,french engineer1 ,napoleon ,b4 ,wyse4 ,lieut4 ,wyse had made a survey of the ,isthmus and1 in connection with ,gen4 ,stephen ,turr1 a ,hungarian1 had secured a concession from ,colombia to run ninety-nine years after the completion of the canal1 with a payment to ,colombia of #bej1jjj annually after the seventy-fifth year had expired4 ,this franchise was transferable by sale to any other private company but could not be sold to a government--a proviso which later complicated greatly the negotiations with the ,united ,states4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,abandoned ,,french ,,machinery ,,on ,,the ,,canal ,de ,lesseps was instantly interested4 ,the honors which had been heaped upon him as the result of his successful operation at ,suez were very grateful to him4 ,the ,french temperament is particularly avid of praise and public honor4 ,moreover1 he sincerely believed in the practicability of the plan and1 neither at the outset or later1 did any one fully enlighten him as to the prodigious obstacles to be encountered4 ,lieut4 ,wyse had interested a group of financiers who scented in the scheme a chance for great profits1 and to their project the name of ,de ,lesseps was all important4 ,for advertising purposes it had the value of that of ,roosevelt today4 ,to launch the project successfully money was needed1 and this they found4 ,some sort of professional approval1 in addition to the ,de ,lesseps name1 was desirable and this they provided by calling together an ,international ,scientific ,congress at ,paris to discuss the great undertaking4 ,one hundred and sixty-four delegates were present1 of whom forty-two were engineers and only eleven ,americans4 ,it was charged at the time that the congress was more political than scientific and furthermore that it was 8packed0 so as to register only the will of ,de ,lesseps1 who in turn recommended in the main such measures as the syndicate putting up the money desired4 ,however1 the ,congress gave a quasi-public and scientific appearance to a project which was really conceived only as a money-making proposition by a group of financiers4 ,there was and has since been bitter criticism of the vote by which the ,congress declared for a sea-level canal--a decision which the ,french themselves were forced to reverse and which the ,united ,states definitely abandoned early in its work4 ,in the ,french ,congress there were less than #ajj of the #afd delegates present when the vote was taken4 ,seventy-eight voted for sea-level and a majority of the engineers voted against it4 ,illustration3 ,,overwhelmed ,,by ,,the ,,jungle ,illustration3 ,a ,,lottery ,,ticket ,,seller ,in my description of the canal work the fundamental differences between the respective advantages of the sea-level and the lock type of canal will continually reappear4 ,at this moment it is enough to say that the obstacles to the sea-level plan are to be found in ,culebra ,hill and the ,chagres ,river4 ,in the lock type of canal the cut at ,culebra is #die feet below the crest of ,gold ,hill and #cfd feet below the crest of ,contractor's ,hill opposite4 ,the top width of this cut is over half a mile4 ,to carry the canal to sea-level would mean a further cut of eighty-five feet with vastly enhanced liability of slides4 ,as for the ,chagres ,river1 that tricky stream crosses the line of the old ,french canal twenty-three times4 ,as the river is sometimes three or four feet deep one day and nearly fifty feet deep at the same point the next--a turbid1 turbulent1 roaring torrent1 carrying trees1 huts and boulders along with it--the canal could obviously not exist with the ,chagres in its path4 ,the ,french device was to dam the stream some miles above the point at which the canal first crossed it and lead it away through an artificial channel into the ,pacific instead of into the ,atlantic1 where it now empties4 ,this task the ,american engineers have avoided by damming the ,chagres at ,gatun1 and making a great lake eighty-five feet above the level of the sea through which the canal extends and which covers and obliterates the twenty-three river crossings which embarrassed the engineers of the sea-level canal4 ,it is fair to say1 however1 that today 7#aiac71 with the lock canal approaching completion1 there is a very large and intelligent body of ,americans who still hold that the abandonment of the sea-level plan was an error4 ,and it is a curious fact that while ,de ,lesseps was accused of 8packing0 his congress so as to vote down the report for a lock canal which a majority of the engineers voting favored1 ,roosevelt1 after a majority of his 8,international ,board of ,consulting ,engineers0 had voted for a sea-level canal1 set aside their recommendation and ordered the lock type instead4 ,illustration3 ,,machinery ,,seemingly ,,as ,,hopeless ,,as ,,this ,,was ,,recovered ,,and ,,set ,,to ,,work ,immediately after the adjournment of the ,international ,congress at ,paris the stock of the canal company1 #fj1jjj1jjj as a first issue1 was offered to the investing public4 ,it was largely over-subscribed4 ,the ,french are at once a thrifty and an emotional people4 ,their thrift gives them instant command of such sums of ready cash as astound financiers of other nations4 ,their emotionalism leads them to support any great national enterprise that promises glory for ,la ,patrie1 has in it a touch of romance and withal seems economically safe4 ,the canal enterprise at the outset met all these conditions1 and the commanding figure of ,de ,lesseps at its head1 the man who had made ,africa an island and who dogmatically declared1 8the ,panama ,canal will be more easily begun1 finished and maintained than the ,suez ,canal10 lured the francs from their hiding places in woolen stockings or under loose hearth stones4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,the ,,jungle ,note how the tree has grown around and into this steel dump car at ,san ,pablo ,illustration3 ,,la ,,folie ,,dingler ,this house1 built by the ,french for #aej1jjj1 was sold for #be4jj by the ,americans ,illustration3 ,,near ,,the ,,pacific ,,entrance ,,to ,,the ,,canal ,the suction dredge is an inheritance from the ,french and still working ,it has been the practice of many writers upon the canal to ridicule the unsuccessful effort of the ,french to complete it2 to expatiate upon the theatrical display which attended their earlier operations1 and the reckless extravagance which attended the period when the dire possibility of failure first appeared to their vision2 to overlook the earnest and effective work done by the ,frenchmen actually on the ,isthmus while riveting attention on the blackmailers and parasites in ,paris who were destroying the structure at its very foundations4 ,it is significant that none of the real workers on the canal do this4 ,talk with the engineers and you will find them enthusiastic over the engineering work done by the ,french4 ,those sturdy1 alert ,americans who are now putting the ,big ,job through will take pains to give their predecessors the fullest credit for work done1 for dirt moved1 for surveys made and for machinery designed--a great lot of it is in use on the line today1 including machines left exposed in the jungle twenty years4 ,hundreds of their buildings are still in use4 ,if1 after listening to the honest and generous praise expressed by our engineers1 the visitor will go out to the cemetery of ,mount ,hope1 near ,cristobal1 and read the lines on the headstones of ,french boys who came out full of hope and ambition to be cut down at twenty-two1 twenty-five--all boyish ages--he will reflect that it is ill to laugh because the forlorn hope does not carry the breastworks1 but only opens the way for the main army4 ,and there are many little ,french graveyards scattered about the ,isthmus which make one who comes upon them unawares feel that the really vital thing about the ,french connection with the canal was not that the first blast which it had been prepared to celebrate with some pomp failed to explode1 or that the young engineers did not understand that champagne mixed but badly with a humid and malarial climate1 but that the flower of a great and generous nation gave their lives in a struggle with hostile nature before science had equipped man with the knowledge to make the struggle equal4 ,illustration3 ,,where ,,the ,,french ,,did ,,their ,,best ,,work ,the greatest amount of excavations by the ,french was in ,culebra ,cut ,today along a great part of our canal line the marks of the ,french attainments are apparent4 ,from ,limon ,bay1 at the ,atlantic end of the canal1 our engineers for some reason determined upon an entirely new line for our canal1 instead of following the ,french waterway1 which was dug for seven miles to a depth of fifteen feet1 and for eight miles further1 seven feet deep4 ,this canal has been used very largely by our force in carrying material for the ,gatun dam4 ,at the ,pacific entrance they had dug a narrow channel three miles long which we are still using4 ,we paid the ,french company #dj1jjj1jjj for all its rights on the ,isthmus4 ,there are various rumors as to who got the money4 ,some1 it is believed1 never went far from ,new ,york1 for with all their thrift the ,french are no match for our high financiers4 ,but whoever got the money we got a good bargain4 ,the estimate of our own commission in #aiaa values the physical property thus transferred at #db1gii1hbf4 ,bad luck1 both comic and tragic1 seemed to attend the ,french endeavors4 ,count ,de ,lesseps1 with a national fondness for the dramatic1 arranged two ceremonies to properly dignify the actual beginning of work upon the canal4 ,the first was to be the breaking of ground for the ,pacific entrance1 which was to be at the mouth of the ,rio ,grande ,river in the ,bay of ,panama4 ,a distinguished company gathered on the boat chartered for the occasion at ,panama1 and there was much feasting1 speaking and toasting4 ,every one was so imbued with enthusiasm that no one thought of so material a thing as the tide4 ,on the ,pacific coast the tide rises and falls twenty feet or more1 and while the guests were emptying their glasses the receding tide was emptying the bay whither they were bound4 ,when they arrived they found that nearly two miles of coral rock and mud flats separated them from the shore where the historic sod was to be turned4 ,accordingly1 excavation was begun pro forma in a champagne box filled with earth on the deck of the ship4 ,the little daughter of ,de ,lesseps dealt the first blow of the pick1 followed by representatives of ,colombia4 ,to complete the ceremony the ,bishop of ,panama gravely blessed the work thus auspiciously begun1 and the canal builders steamed back to ,panama4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,old ,,spanish ,,church ,this edifice1 still standing at ,nata1 is said to be the oldest church in ,panama ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,juncture ,,of ,,french ,,and ,,american ,,canals ,the ,american ,canal is the wider1 and affords the more direct route to the sea ,later1 the same party assembled to witness the first blast at ,culebra--for the ,french made the first attack on that redoubtable fortress1 which after the lapse of thirty-five years is stubbornly resisting our ,american sappers and miners4 ,but after due preparations1 including wine1 the fair hand of ,mlle4 ,ferdinande ,de ,lesseps pressed the button--and nothing happened4 ,some fault in the connections made the electric spark impotent1 and the chroniclers of the time do not record exactly when the blast was actually fired4 ,but in the official canal paper the ceremony was described as 8perfectly successful10 and the reporter added that picturesque detail which ,koko said 8imparts an artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and uninteresting statement of fact10 by saying that the rocks were 8much less resistant than we had expected40 ,illustration3 ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,toll ,,of ,,life ,this cemetery on the westerly slope of ,ancon ,hill is one of the ,zone's pathetic spots ,these needless ceremonies and the false reports which attended them were merely what in our cynical age and nation are called press-agent 8stunts10 and were necessitated by the need for interesting the ,french people in the work1 lest they let the market for the shares slump4 ,they were early symptoms of the evil that culminated in the revelations of blackmail and forced tribute paid the ,french press when the final collapse was impending and inevitable4 ,de ,lesseps indeed was a master in the art of 8working the press10 and had he confined his activities to that1 without interfering with his engineers1 history might have told a different story of his canal management4 ,but lest doubt should seize upon would-be investors1 he continually cut down the estimates of his engineers1 and issued flamboyant proclamations announcing triumphs that had not been won and prophesying a rate of progress that never could be attained4 ,when his very capable ,technical ,commission1 headed by ,col4 ,george ,m4 ,totten1 the builder of the ,panama ,railroad1 estimated the total cost of the canal at #afh1fjj1jjj1 he took the report to his cabin on shipboard and there arbitrarily1 with no possible new data1 lopped off about #cg1jjj1jjj4 ,even at that1 he calmly capitalized his company at #fjj1jjj1jjj francs or #abj1jjj1jjj1 though his own estimate of the cost of the canal exceeded that amount by more than #ab1jjj1jjj4 ,one-half of his capital stock or #fj1jjj1jjj the ,count had reserved for the ,united ,states1 but sold not a dollar's worth4 ,the #fj1jjj1jjj first offered in ,france was1 however1 eagerly subscribed4 ,of course it was wholly insufficient4 ,we know1 what the unfortunate ,french investors could not1 and their directors probably did not know1 that the canal could never be built by a private company seeking profit4 ,neither could it be built by private contract1 as we discovered after some discouraging experiences of our own4 ,the ,french builders were at the mercy of the stock market4 ,a hurtful rumor1 true or false1 might at any time shut off their money supplies4 ,experience has pretty thoroughly demonstrated that the confidence of the investing public cannot long be maintained by false reports or futile promises1 but both of these devices the ,french worked until the inevitable catastrophe4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,ancon ,,hospital ,,grounds ,the beauty of the grounds is due to early ,french planning ,illustration3 ,a ,,sunken ,,railroad ,nine feet below the boat is the roadbed of the old ,panama railroad ,disease on the ,isthmus coperated with distrust in ,paris to bring about failure4 ,the ,french in #ahhj knew nothing of the modern scientific systems for checking yellow-fever contagion and the spread of malaria4 ,the part mosquitoes play as carriers of disease germs was not dreamed of4 ,beyond building excellent hospitals for the sick1 some of which we still use1 and dosing both sick and well liberally with quinine1 they had no plan of campaign against 8,yellow ,jack40 ,as a result1 death stalked grimly among them1 and the stories written of his ravages are ghastly4 ,on the south side of ,ancon ,hill1 where the quarry has gashed the hillside1 stood1 until recently1 a large frame house1 built for ,jules ,dingler1 first director-general of canal work4 ,it cost #aej1jjj1 though perhaps worth a third of that sum1 and was called 8,la ,folie ,dingler40 ,but it was a rather tragic folly for poor ,dingler1 for before he had fairly moved into it his wife1 son and daughter died of yellow fever and he returned to ,paris to die too of a broken heart4 ,his house1 in which he anticipated such happiness1 became a smallpox hospital1 and was finally sold for #be with the stipulation that the purchaser remove it4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,zone ,,working ,,village ,the low houses were built by the ,french3 all screening added by ,americans ,a dinner was given ,m4 ,henri ,boinne1 secretary-general of the company4 ,some one remarked that there were thirteen at the table1 whereupon the guest of honor remarked gaily that as he was the last to come he would have to pay for all4 ,in two weeks he was dead--yellow fever4 ,others at the dinner followed him4 ,of the members of one surveying party on the upper waters of the ,chagres--a region ,i myself visited without a suggestion of ill effects--every one1 twenty-two in all1 were prostrated by disease and ten died4 ,bunau-,varilla1 whose name is closely linked with the canal1 says3 8,out of every one hundred individuals arriving on the ,isthmus1 ,i can say without exaggeration that only twenty have been able to remain at their posts at the working stations1 and even in that number many who were able to present an appearance of health had lost much of their courage40 ,col4 ,gorgas tells of a party of eighteen young ,frenchmen who came to the ,isthmus1 all but one of whom died within a month4 ,the ,mother ,superior of the nursing sisters in the ,french hospital at ,ancon lost by fever twenty-one out of twenty-four sisters who had accompanied her to the ,isthmus4 ,how great was the total loss of ,french lives can only be guessed4 ,the hospital records show that at ,ancon1 #ajda patients died of yellow fever4 ,col4 ,gorgas figures that as many died outside the hospital4 ,all the ,french records are more or less incomplete and their authenticity doubtful because apprehension for the tender hopes and fears of the shareholders led to the suppression of unpleasant facts4 ,the customary guess is that two out of every three ,frenchmen who went to the ,isthmus died there4 ,col4 ,gorgas1 who at one time figures the total loss during the ,french rgime at #af1ejj1 recently raised his estimate to #bb1jjj1 these figures of course including negro workmen4 ,little or no effort was made to induce sanitary living1 as under the ,americans1 and so ignorant were the ,french--as indeed all physicians were at that time--of the causes of the spread of yellow fever1 that they set the legs of the hospital beds in shallow pans of water to keep the ants from creeping to the beds4 ,the ants were stopped1 but the water bred hosts of wrigglers from which came the deadly stegomyia mosquito1 which carries the yellow-fever poison from the patient to the well person4 ,had the hospital been designed to spread instead of to cure disease its managers could not have planned better4 ,illustration3 ,,negro ,,quarters1 ,,french ,,town ,,of ,,empire ,paving and sanitary arrangements due to ,american rgime ,it is a curious fact that1 in a situation in which the toll of death is heaviest1 man is apt to be most reckless and riotous in his pleasures4 ,the old drinking song of the ,english guardsmen beleaguered during the ,indian mutiny voices the almost universal desire of strong men to flaunt a gay defiance in the face of death3 8,stand6 ,stand to your glasses steady1 ',tis all we have left to prize1 ,one cup to the dead already1 ,hurrah1 for the next that dies04 ,wine1 wassail and1 ,i fear1 women were much in evidence during the hectic period of the ,french activities4 ,the people of the two ,isthmian towns still speak of it as the temps de luxe4 ,dismal thrift was banished and extravagance was the rule4 ,salaries were prodigious4 ,some high officials were paid from #ej1jjj to #ajj1jjj a year with houses1 carriages1 traveling expenses and uncounted incidentals4 ,expenditures for residences were lavish1 and the nature of the structures still standing shows that graft was the chief factor in the cost4 ,the director-general had a #dj1jjj bath-house1 and a private railway car costing #db1jjj--which is curiously enough almost exactly #ajjj for each mile of the railroad it traversed4 ,the hospital buildings at ,colon cost #a1djj1jjj and one has but to look at them today to wonder how even the #djj1jjj was spent4 ,the big graft that finally was one of the prime factors in wrecking the company was in ,paris1 but enough went on in ,colon and ,panama to make those two towns as full of easy money as a mining camp after a big strike4 ,the pleasures of such a society are not refined4 ,gambling and drinking were the less serious vices4 ,a ,french commentator of the time remarks1 8,most of the commercial business of ,panama is transacted standing and imbibing cocktails--always the eternal cocktail6 ,afterward1 if the consumer had the time and money to lose1 he had only to cross the hall to find himself in a little room1 crowded with people where roulette was going on4 ,oh this roulette1 how much it has cost all grades of canal employees6 ,its proprietor must make vast profits4 ,admission is absolutely free2 whoever wishes may join in the play4 ,a democratic mob pushes and crowds around the table4 ,one is elbowed at the same time by a negro1 almost in rags1 anxiously thrusting forward his ten sous1 and by a portly merchant with his pockets stuffed with piasters and bank notes04 ,these towns1 which bought and consumed ,french champagnes and other wines by the shipload1 could not afford to build a water system4 ,water was peddled in the streets by men carrying great jars1 or conducting carts with tanks4 ,there were millions for roulette1 poker and the lottery1 but nothing for sewers or pavements and during the wet season the people1 natives and ,french both1 waded ankle deep in filth which would have driven a blooded ,berkshire hog from his sty4 ,when from these man-created conditions of drink and dirt1 disease was bred and men died like the vermin among which they lived1 they blamed the climate1 or the ,chagres ,river4 ,amidst it all the work went on4 ,so much stress has been laid upon the riot in the towns that one forgets the patient digging out on the hills and in the jungle4 ,in #aiab the ,secretary of the ,united ,states ,canal ,commission estimated the amount of excavation done by the ,french1 useful to our canal1 at #bi1gji1jjj cubic yards worth #be1chi1jjj4 ,that by no means represented all their work1 for our shift in the line of the canal made much of their excavation valueless4 ,between ,gold ,hill and ,contractor's ,hill in the ,culebra ,cut1 where our struggle with the obstinate resistance of nature has been fiercest1 the ,french cut down #afa feet1 all of it serviceable to us4 ,their surveys and plats are invaluable1 and their machinery1 which tourists seeing some pieces abandoned to the jungle condemn in the lump1 has been of substantial value to us both for use and for sale4 ,illustration3 ,,filth ,,that ,,would ,,drive ,a ,,berkshire ,,from ,,his ,,sty ,a typical scene in the negro quarters of ,colon during the period of ,french activity in ,panama ,but under the conditions as they found them1 the ,french could never have completed the canal4 ,only a government could be equal to that task4 ,president ,roosevelt found to his own satisfaction at least that neither private contract nor civilian management was adequate4 ,most emphatically1 if the desire for profit was to be the sole animating force the canal could never be built at all4 ,when the discovery that the canal enterprise would never be a 8big bonanza0 dawned on the ,french stockholders distrust was rapidly succeeded by panic4 ,vainly did ,de ,lesseps repeat his favorite formula1 8,the canal will be built40 ,vainly did the officers of the company pay tribute to the blackmailers that sprung up on every side--journalists1 politicians1 discharged employees1 every man who knew a weak point in the company's armor4 ,reorganizations1 new stock issues1 changes of plan1 appeals for government aid1 bond issues1 followed one after another4 ,the sea-level canal was abandoned and a lock canal substituted4 ,after repeated petitions the ,french ,chamber of ,deputies1 salved with some of the spoil1 authorized an issue of lottery bonds and bankruptcy was temporarily averted4 ,a new company was formed but the work languished1 just enough in fact being done to keep the concession alive4 ,after efforts to enlist the coperation of the ,united ,states1 the company in despair offered to sell out altogether to that government1 and after that proffer the center of interest was transferred from ,paris to ,washington4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood and ,underwood ,,canal ,,valley ,,near ,,pedro ,,miguel ,through the line of hills in the background extends the deepest part of the ,culebra ,cut ,the ,french had spent in all about #bfj1jjj1jjj and sacrificed about #bjjj ,french lives before they drew the fires from their dredges1 left their steam shovels in the jungle and turned the task over to the great ,american ,republic4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,begins ,,work ,the probable failure of the ,french became apparent some years before the actual collapse occurred and public opinion in the ,united ,states was quite ready for the assumption of the work and its expense by our government4 ,of course that opinion was not wholly spontaneous--public opinion rarely is1 notwithstanding the idealists4 ,there were many parties in interest who found it profitable to enlist various agencies for awakening public opinion in this country to the point of buying the ,french property and saving something out of the wreck for the ,french stockholders4 ,but1 as a matter of fact1 little artificial agitation was needful4 ,the people of the ,united ,states readily agreed that a trans-isthmian canal should be built and owned by the ,united ,states government4 ,there was honest difference of opinion as to the most practicable route and even today in the face of the victory over nature at ,panama there are many who hold that the ,nicaragua route would have been better4 ,naturally the start made by the ,french had something to do with turning the decision in favor of the ,isthmus1 but it was not decisive4 ,the ,french had no rights that they could sell except the right of veto conferred by their ownership of the ,panama ,railroad4 ,their franchise from ,colombia expressly prohibited its transfer to any other government1 so it was unsalable4 ,but the charter of the ,panama ,railroad1 which the ,french had acquired1 provided that no interoceanic canal should be built in ,colombia without the consent of the railroad corporation4 ,this to some extent gave the ,french the whiphand4 ,what they had to sell was the controlling stock of the railroad company1 the land they had acquired in ,colombia1 the machinery on the spot and the work they had completed4 ,but all of this was of little value without a franchise from ,colombia and the one the ,french held could not be transferred to a government1 and was of little worth anyway as it would expire in #aiaj1 unless the canal were completed by that year--a physical impossibility4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,panama ,,soldiers ,,going ,,to ,,church ,in #ahih the race of the battleship 8,oregon0 around ,cape ,horn to join the ,united ,states fleet off ,cuba in the ,spanish-,american war offered just the graphic and specific argument necessary to fix the determination of the ,american people to dig that canal and to own it4 ,that voyage of #aj1jjj miles which might have been avoided by a ditch fifty miles long revolted the common sense of the nation1 and the demand for instant action on the canal question was universal4 ,accordingly in #ahii ,president ,mc,kinley appointed what was known as the ,walker ,commission1 because headed by ,admiral ,john ,g4 ,walker1 to investigate all ,central ,american routes4 ,they had the data collected during almost a century at their disposal and very speedily settled down to the alternative between the ,panama and the ,nicaragua routes4 ,over this choice controversy raged long and noisily4 ,while it was in progress the bullet of an assassin ended the life of ,president ,mc,kinley and ,theodore ,roosevelt succeeded him4 ,the ,isthmian ,canal was precisely the great1 epoch-marking spectacular enterprise to enlist the utmost enthusiasm and energy of this peculiarly dynamic ,president4 ,a man of strong convictions he favored the ,panama route--and got it4 ,he believed in a lock canal--and enforced his beliefs over the report of the engineers whose expert professional opinions he invited4 ,of a militant temperament he thought the canal should be dug by the army--and that is the way it was built4 ,not over tolerant of other people's rights he thought the ,united ,states should have a free hand over the canal and adjacent territory--and when ,colombia1 which happened to own that territory1 was slow in accepting this view he set up out of nothing over night the new ,republic of ,panama1 recognized it as a sovereign state two days afterwards1 concluded a treaty with it1 giving the ,united ,states all he thought it should have1 and years later1 in a moment of frankness declared 8,i took ,panama1 and left ,congress to debate it later40 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,official ,,umpire1 ,,cocle ,about the political morality and the personal ethics of the ,roosevelt solution of the diplomatic problem there will ever be varying opinions4 ,colombia is still mourning for her ravished province of ,panama and refuses to be comforted even at a price of #aj1jjj1jjj which has been tentatively offered as salve for the wound4 ,but that the canal in #aiac is just about ten years nearer completion than it would be had not ,roosevelt been ,president in #aijc is a proposition generally accepted4 ,history--which is not always moral--is apt to applaud results regardless of methods1 and the ,republic and ,canal of ,panama are likely to be ,roosevelt's most enduring monuments--though the canal may outlast the ,republic4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,man ,,and ,,the ,,machine ,president ,roosevelt and the monster steam shovel figure largely in the story of ,panama ,prior to this time there had been several sporadic negotiations opened with different nations of ,central ,america for canal rights4 ,the most important one was a treaty signed at ,bogot in #ahgj by an envoy especially authorized by ,president ,grant4 ,but this treaty was never ratified by our ,senate1 and was amended out of acceptable form by the ,colombian ,senate4 ,for the purposes of this narrative we may well consider the diplomatic history of the canal to begin with the passage of the ,spooner act in #aijb4 ,this act1 written by ,senator ,john ,c4 ,spooner of ,wisconsin1 authorized the ,panama route if the ,french property could be bought for #dj1jjj1jjj and the necessary right of way secured from ,colombia4 ,failing this the ,commission of seven members created by the act was authorized to open negotiations with ,nicaragua4 ,events made it quite apparent that the ,nicaragua clause was inserted merely as a club to be used in the negotiations with ,colombia and the ,french company4 ,with the latter it proved highly effective1 for although the ,american attorney for the company1 ,mr4 ,william ,nelson ,cromwell1 fixed a price at first upon the property of #aja1ada1ejj an apparently active opening of negotiations with ,nicaragua caused an immediate drop to the prescribed #dj1jjj1jjj4 ,with that offer in hand the ,commission unanimously reported to the ,president in favor of the ,panama route4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,landing ,,pigs ,,for ,,market ,the ,republic of ,colombia was less tractable1 and naturally so as it held a stronger hand4 ,when negotiations began the ,french concession had but seven years more of life4 ,if their progress could be prolonged for that period practically all that the ,united ,states would have paid the ,french would be paid to ,colombia4 ,meanwhile the ,french property was wholly unsalable without a ,colombian franchise4 ,the one weak point in the ,colombian armor was the possibility that the ,united ,states might finally turn to ,nicaragua1 but this contingency was made unlikely by the report of the ,commission1 and by the general desire of the ,american people which was undoubtedly for the ,panama route4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,trail ,,near ,,culebra ,in #aijc the ,colombian ,minister at ,washington negotiated with ,senator ,hay a treaty which by a lucky chance failed of ratification in the ,panama ,senate4 ,it never reached our ,senate1 but it is quite incredible that it could have succeeded there1 for it had several features that would have led to endless disagreement between the two countries--might indeed have resulted in the ,united ,states annexing ,colombia altogether4 ,for example the ,canal ,zone was to be governed by a joint commission of the two countries--,colombia remaining sovereign over the territory4 ,the ,united ,states was to explicitly guarantee the sovereignty of ,colombia against all the world4 ,colombia was to police the ,zone4 ,each of these sections was big with possibilities of trouble4 ,that ,colombia did not speedily ratify this treaty would be inexplicable1 for it was all to the ,colombian good1 except for the fact that by delaying any action for seven years the ,french property along the line of the canal1 valued at #dj1jjj1jjj1 would drop into the ,colombian treasury4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,banana ,,country1 ,,on ,,the ,,coast ,,near ,,bocas ,,del ,,toro ,delay1 however1 while good enough for the ,colombians1 did not suit the ,panamanians1 nor did it please ,theodore ,roosevelt1 whom ,providence1 while richly endowing him otherwise1 had not invested with patience in the face of opposition4 ,the ,panamanians1 by whom for the purposes of this narrative ,i mean chiefly the residents of ,colon and the city of ,panama1 wanted to see some ,american money spent in their various marts of trade4 ,the ,french were rapidly disappearing4 ,the business of all their commercial institutions from dry goods stores down to saloons was falling off4 ,even the lottery did not thrive as of yore and the proprietors of the lesser games of chance1 that in those days were run quite openly1 were reduced to the precarious business of robbing each other4 ,all these and other vested interests called for immediate negotiation of any sort of a treaty which would open the spigots of ,uncle ,sam's kegs of cash over the two thirsty ,isthmian towns4 ,it was irksome too to think that the parent state of ,colombia would make the treaty and handle the cash accruing under it4 ,the ,yankees were ready to pay #aj1jjj1jjj down1 and it was believed a further rental of #bej1jjj for the right to build a canal every foot of which would be on the territory of the ,province of ,panama4 ,if ,panama was a sovereign state instead of merely a province1 all this money would be used for the benefit of but #djj1jjj people1 including ,indians and negroes1 who of course could not be expected to have much to say about its use4 ,if employed in public works1 it would only have to spread over about #cb1jjj square miles1 or a territory a little smaller than ,indiana4 ,but of course it would chiefly go to the two cities4 ,on the other hand if ,colombia made this treaty the capital city ,bogot would get the lion's share of the spoil1 and for that matter all the provinces would share in the division with ,panama1 which had the goods for sale4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,best ,,residence ,,section1 ,,colon ,what more natural than that the ,panamanians should turn their thoughts toward secession from ,colombia8 ,it was no novel channel for their meditations1 for1 as has been pointed out already1 there had been #ec revolutions in ,colombia in #eg years4 ,red revolution had become a commonplace except for the poor fellows who got themselves killed in them1 or the widows and children thrown on the charity of a rather uncharitable people4 ,always hitherto the result of the revolutions had been the same--,panama had either been whipped into subjection1 or had voluntarily returned to the domination of ,colombia4 ,but that was before there was a #aj1jjj1jjj prize at stake4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,old ,,fire ,,cistern1 ,,panama ,in several of these revolutions the ,united ,states had interfered1 always in behalf of ,colombia and always with fatal effect upon the hopes of the revolutionists4 ,for the key to the military situation in ,panama was the railroad4 ,in every well ordered revolution--for the business of revolting had become a science--the conspirators began by corrupting the federal soldiers at ,panama ,city where alone any garrison was maintained4 ,this done they proclaimed ,panama a free and independent state4 ,as there was no land communication between ,bogot and the ,isthmus the federal government was compelled to send its troops to ,colon and thence across the ,isthmus to ,panama by railroad4 ,if the revolutionists could destroy or obstruct the railroad their chances for success would be greatly enhanced4 ,but under a treaty with ,colombia in #ahdf the ,united ,states guaranteed the neutrality of the railroad and this guarantee was sensibly constructed to include the task of keeping the line open for traffic4 ,in several revolutions1 therefore1 ,united ,states marines were detailed to guard the line1 and ,colombia being thus enabled to pour its superior forces into ,panama crushed out rebellion with comparative ease4 ,if the experience of the #ec revolutions counted for anything1 it indicated that ,panama could not throw off the ,colombian yoke as long as the ,united ,states kept the railroad open for ,colombian troops4 ,let us consider the situation toward the midsummer of #aijc4 ,in ,washington was the ,roosevelt administration keenly eager to have the canal work begun as a great deed to display to the nation in the coming presidential campaign4 ,in ,new ,york was ,mr4 ,william ,nelson ,cromwell1 representing the ,french company and quite as keen for action which would enable him to sell the ,united ,states #dj1jjj1jjj worth of ,french machinery and uncompleted canal4 ,at ,bogot was the ,colombian legislature talking the ,hay-,herrara treaty to death and giving every indication of a purpose of killing it4 ,spanning the ,isthmus was the all important railroad which was part of the property the ,french so greatly desired to sell4 ,and at ,panama and ,colon were groups of influential men1 high financiers in a small way--a leader among them was the owner of the ,panama lottery--exceedingly anxious to have the handling of that #aj1jjj1jjj which the ,united ,states would pay for a franchise1 and quite desirous to have the country tributary to those two towns suddenly populated by #dj1jjj to #ej1jjj canal workmen1 all drawing money from the ,united ,states and spending it there4 ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,,ancon ,,hill ,,from ,,harbor ,,of ,,panama ,the town nestles under the northeast side of the hill which is precipitous and cuts of the sun's rays early in the afternoon4 ,from the crest the most beautiful view in ,panama may be enjoyed4 ,what happened was inevitable4 ,under the conditions existing only two things could have prevented the successful revolution which did occur--the quick ratification of a satisfactory treaty between the ,united ,states and ,colombia1 or an observance by the ,united ,states of the spirit as well as the letter of neutrality in the inevitable revolution4 ,neither of these things happened4 ,the ,congress at ,bogot failed to ratify the treaty4 ,in ,panama and ,colon the revolutionary ,junta conspired1 and sent emissaries to ,washington to sound the government there on its attitude in case of a revolution4 ,to their aid came ,mr4 ,cromwell and ,m4 ,bunau-,varilla1 a highly distinguished ,french engineer also interested in the plight of his countrymen4 ,dr4 ,amador was chosen to sound the then ,secretary of ,state ,john ,hay4 ,he was told1 according to trustworthy reports1 that while the ,united ,states guaranteed ,colombia against foreign aggression it did not bind itself to protect the sovereignty of that state against domestic revolution4 ,in the event of such an uprising all it was bound to do was to see that traffic over the railroad was unimpeded4 ,this sounded and still sounds fair enough1 but there were minds among the revolutionists to see that this policy opened the way for a successful revolution at last4 ,for this is the way in which the policy worked when put to the test--and indeed some of the incidents indicate that the ,roosevelt administration went somewhat beyond the letter of the rule ,secretary ,hay had laid down4 ,our government knew before the revolutionary blow was struck that it was imminent4 ,it is said indeed that when the revolutionists suggested ,september #bbnd as the date for the spontaneous uprising of the people the ,secretary sagaciously suggested that the ,congress of ,colombia would not then have adjourned and that it might seem irregular to base a revolution on the omission of the legislature to act when it was still in session and could correct that omission4 ,for this1 or some other reason1 the revolution was postponed until ,november #eth4 ,the ,colombian minister at ,washington kept his government advised of the suspicious activity there of the agents of the ,junta and warmly advised the heavy renforcement of the garrison at ,panama4 ,but his home government was slow to follow his advice4 ,when it did move it was checked by the ,french managers of the railroad4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,two ,,presidents2 ,,roosevelt ,,and ,,amador ,colombia's only considerable seaport on the ,pacific is ,buenaventura and at this point troops were collected to renforce ,panama4 ,two ,colombian gunboats in harbor at ,panama were ordered to go after the troops4 ,coal was needed for the voyage4 ,the only source of coal supplies on the ,isthmus was the ,panama ,railroad which had long made a practice of selling the fuel to all comers4 ,but to the request of the ,colombian navy for coal at this time the railroad agent1 evidently primed for the occasion1 put in a reluctant negative4 ,all his coal was at ,colon1 and the pressure of commercial business was so great that he could not move it across the ,isthmus in season to be of use to the gunboats4 ,so those troops stayed at ,buenaventura and the ,junta at ,panama went on with its plotting4 ,now ,colombia tried another plan to renforce its ,panama garrison--or to replace it1 for by this time the troops that had been there were won over to the smoldering conspiracy4 ,about four hundred soldiers were sent down by the ,gulf and landed at ,colon4 ,that they were landed at all seems like a slight error in carrying out the ,roosevelt policy1 for in the harbor of ,colon lay the ,united ,states cruiser 8,nashville0 and gunboat 8,dixie0 whose commanders had this despatch from the ,secretary of the ,navy3 8,maintain free and uninterrupted transit4 ,if interruption is threatened by armed force occupy line of railroad4 ,prevent landing of any armed force with hostile intent either government or insurgent1 either at ,colon1 ,porto ,bello or other points40 ,now there are some curious features about this despatch4 ,on ,november #bnd1 its date1 there was no insurrection1 therefore no insurgents4 ,if the administration intended to take official cognizance of the activities of the ,junta it must have known that the conspirators had no ships and could not therefore plan landing any forces4 ,the order then was plainly designed to prevent ,colombia from landing troops in its own territory--a most extraordinary policy to adopt toward a friendly nation4 ,it was furthermore an order equivalent to assuring the success of the foreshadowed revolution1 for as there was no way except by sea for ,colombia to send troops to put down the insurgents1 it was evident that for the ,united ,states by its superior force to close the sea against her was to give ,panama over to the revolutionists4 ,illustration3 ,,cholo ,,chief ,,and ,,his ,,third ,,wife ,the ,chief is said to have poisoned her two predecessors ,however #djj troops were landed on the #crd of ,november4 ,the commander of the 8,nashville0 probably thought his orders only operative in case of an outbreak of insurrection and thus far there had been none4 ,it became time for the railroad company to declare its second check--which in this case was checkmate4 ,when the two generals in command of the ,colombian forces ordered special trains to transport their men to ,panama the agent blandly asked for prepayment of the fares--something above #bjjj4 ,the generals were embarrassed4 ,they had no funds4 ,it was of course the business of the road1 under its charter from ,colombia1 to transport the troops on demand1 and it was the part of the generals to use their troops to compel it to do so4 ,taking the matter under advisement they went alone across to ,panama to investigate the situation4 ,there they were met by ,gen4 ,huertas1 in command of the garrison who first gave them a good dinner and then put them under arrest informing them that ,panama had revolted1 was now an independent republic1 and that he was part of the new rgime4 ,there was no more to it in ,panama4 ,the two generals submitted gracefully4 ,the ,junta arrested all the ,colombian officials in ,panama1 who thereupon readily took oath of fealty to the new government4 ,a street mob1 mainly boys1 paraded cheering for ,panama ,libre4 ,the ,panama flag sprang into being1 and the revolution was complete4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,prof4 ,lutz ,,native ,,house ,,and ,,group ,,at ,,puerta ,,pinas ,illustration3 ,,what ,,they ,,call ,a ,,street ,,in ,,tobaga ,out in the harbor lay three ,colombian gunboats4 ,two swiftly displayed ,panama flags which by singular good fortune were in their lockers4 ,the third with a fine show of loyalty fired two shells over the insurgent city1 one of which1 bursting1 slew an innocent ,chinaman smoking opium in his bunk4 ,the city responded with an ineffective shot or two from the seawall and the sole defender of the sovereignty of ,colombia pulled down its flag4 ,at the other end of the line the situation was more serious and might well have caused bloodshed4 ,col4 ,torres1 in charge of the troops there1 on hearing the news from ,panama demanded a train at once1 threatening that unless it was furnished he would attack the ,americans in the town4 ,he had more than #djj armed men1 while on the 8,nashville0 were but #aib marines4 ,in such a contest the ,colombians could have relied upon much assistance from the natives4 ,with a guard of #db marines employees of the railroad prepared its stone freight house for defense while ,american women and children were sent to vessels in the harbor4 ,the ,colombian colonel had fixed two o'clock as the hour for beginning hostilities but when that time arrived he invited a conference1 and it was finally agreed that both parties should retire from ,colon1 while he went to ,panama to consult with the jailed generals4 ,during his absence the 8,dixie0 arrived with #djj marines1 and a little later the 8,atlanta0 with #ajjj4 ,with this overwhelming force against him ,col4 ,torres recognized that the ,united ,states was back of the railroad's refusal of transportation and so yielded4 ,with his troops he sailed again for ,cartagena4 ,illustration3 ,,hindoo ,,merchants ,,on ,,the ,,zone ,two days after the revolution--bloodless save for the sleeping ,chinaman--the ,united ,states recognized the ,republic of ,panama4 ,twelve days later1 with ,m4 ,bunau-,varilla who had by cable been appointed minister to ,washington1 a treaty was concluded by which the ,united ,states was granted all it desired for the furtherance of the canal project4 ,much of the subsequent time of ,president ,roosevelt was taken up in arguing that he had not gone beyond the proper bounds of diplomacy in getting this advantage1 but the world though accepting the result has ever been incredulous of his protestations of good faith4 ,and the end is not yet4 ,colombia has not condoned the part taken by the ,united ,states1 and the ,state ,department has long been endeavoring to discover some way1 not too mortifying to our national self-esteem1 by which we may allay ,colombia's discontent4 ,and as for that nation it has persistently refused to recognize ,panama as independent1 one of the results of which has been that the perpetrators of crime on the ,isthmus may skip blithely over the line to ,bogot or ,cartagena and enjoy life free from dread of extradition4 ,illustration3 ,,chame ,,beach1 ,,pacific ,,coast ,where sand is obtained for locks on the ,pacific division ,briefly summarized the terms of the treaty thus expeditiously secured are3 #a4 ,the guaranty of the independence of the ,republic of ,panama4 #b4 ,the grant to the ,united ,states of a strip of land from ocean to ocean1 extending for five miles on each side of the canal1 to be called the ,canal ,zone and over which the ,united ,states has absolute jurisdiction4 ,from this ,zone the cities of ,panama and ,colon are explicitly excluded4 #c4 ,all railway and canal rights in the ,zone are ceded to the ,united ,states and its property therein is exempted from taxation4 #d4 ,the ,united ,states has the right to police1 garrison and fortify the ,zone4 #e4 ,the ,united ,states is granted sanitary jurisdiction over the cities of ,panama and ,colon1 and is vested with the right to preserve order in the ,republic1 should the ,panamanian government in the judgment of the ,united ,states fail to do so4 #f4 ,as a condition of the treaty the ,united ,states paid to ,panama #aj1jjj1jjj in cash1 and in #aiac began the annual payment of #bej1jjj in perpetuity4 ,thus equipped with all necessary international authority for the work of building the canal ,president ,roosevelt plunged with equal vehemence and audacity into the actual constructive work4 ,if he strained to the breaking point the rights of a friendly nation to get his treaty1 he afterwards tested even further the elasticity of the power of a ,president to act without ,congressional authority4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,french ,,dry ,,dock1 ,,cristobal ,we may hastily pass over the steps forward4 ,mr4 ,cromwell was paid the #dj1jjj1jjj for the ,french stockholders1 and at once there arose a prodigious outcry that the ,frenchmen got but little out of it2 that their stock had been bought for a few cents on the dollar by speculative ,americans2 that these ,americans had financed the 8revolution0 and that some of the stock was held by persons very close to the administration4 ,none of these charges was proved1 but all left a rather bad impression on the public mind4 ,however the ,united ,states received full value for the money4 ,april #bh1 #aijd1 ,congress appropriated the #aj1jjj1jjj due ,panama1 and with the title thus clear ,lieutenant ,mark ,brooke1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 at #g3cj ,a4 ,m4 ,may #dth1 formally took over the territory in the name of the ,united ,states4 ,an excellent opportunity for pomp and ceremony1 for fuss and feathers was thus wasted4 ,there were neither speeches1 nor thundering salutes and the hour was obviously unpropitious for champagne4 8,they order these things better in ,france10 as 8,uncle ,toby0 was wont to say4 ,illustration3 ,,what ,,the ,,work ,,expended ,,on ,,the ,,canal ,,might ,,have ,,done ,build a ,chinese wall from ,san ,francisco to ,new ,york1 or dig a ditch #aj feet deep and #ee feet wide across the ,united ,states at its widest part ,when little more than a decade shall have rolled away after that wasted ceremonial moment the visitor to the ,isthmus will gaze upon the greatest completed public work of this or any other past age4 ,to conceive of some task that man may accomplish in future that will exceed in magnitude this one is in itself a tax upon the most vivid imagination4 ,to what great work of the past can we compare this one of the present8 ,illustration3 ,courtesy ,scientific ,american ,a ,,graphic ,,comparison ,the 8spoil0 taken from the canal would build #fc pyramids the size of ,cheops in ,broadway from the ,battery to ,harlem ,the great ,chinese wall has been celebrated in all history as one of man's most gigantic efforts4 ,it is #aejj miles long and would reach from ,san ,francisco to ,st4 ,louis4 ,but the rock and dirt taken from the ,panama ,canal would build a wall as high and thick as the ,chinese wonder1 #bejj miles long and reach from ,san ,francisco to ,new ,york in a bee-line4 ,illustration3 ,,what ,,the ,,panama ,,concrete ,,would ,,do ,we cross thousands of miles of ocean to see the great ,pyramid of ,cheops1 one of the ,seven ,wonders of the ancient world4 ,but the 8spoil0 taken from the canal prism would build sixty-three such pyramids which put in a row would fill ,broadway from the ,battery to ,harlem1 or a distance of nine miles4 ,the ,panama ,canal is but fifty miles long1 but if we could imagine the ,united ,states as perfectly level1 the amount of excavation done at ,panama would dig a canal ten feet deep and fifty-five feet wide across the ,united ,states at its broadest part4 ,new ,york ,city boasts of its great ,pennsylvania terminal1 and its sky-piercing ,woolworth ,building2 ,washington is proud of its towering ,washington ,monument1 the ,white ,house and the buildings adjacent thereto4 ,but the concrete used in the locks and dams of the canal would make a pyramid #djj feet high1 covering the great railway station2 the material taken from ,culebra cut alone would make a pyramid topping the ,woolworth tower by #ajj feet1 and covering the city from ,chambers to ,fulton ,street1 and from the ,city ,hall to ,west ,broadway2 while the total soil excavated in the ,canal ,zone would form a pyramid #dbjj feet or four fifths of a mile high1 and of equal base line obliterating not only the ,washington ,monument but the ,white ,house1 ,treasury1 the ,state1 ,war and ,navy ,buildings and the finest part of official ,washington as well4 ,jules ,verne once1 in imagination1 drove a tunnel through the center of the earth1 but the little cylindrical tubes drilled for the dynamite cartridges on 8the line0 7as people at ,panama refer to the ,canal ,zone7 would1 if placed end to end1 pierce this great globe of ours from side to side2 while the dirt cars that have carried off the material would1 if made up in one train1 reach four times around the world4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy ,scientific ,american ,,proportions ,,of ,,some ,,of ,,the ,,canal ,,work ,but enough of the merely big4 ,let us consider the spectacle which would confront that visitor whom1 in an earlier chapter1 we took from ,colon to view ,porto ,bello and ,san ,lorenzo4 ,after finishing those historical pilgrimages if he desired to see the canal in its completed state--say after #aiad--;he would take a ship at the great concrete docks at ,cristobal which will have supplanted as the resting places for the world's shipping the earlier timber wharves at ,colon4 ,steaming out into the magnificent ,limon ,bay1 the vessel passes into the channel dredged out some three miles into the turbulent ,caribbean1 and protected from the harsh northers by the massive ,toro ,point breakwater4 ,the vessel's prow is turned toward the land1 not westward as one would think of a ship bound from the ,atlantic to the ,pacific1 but almost due south4 ,the channel through which she steams is #ejj feet wide at the bottom1 and #da feet deep at low tide4 ,it extends seven miles to the first interruption at ,gatun1 a tide water stream all the way4 ,the shores are low1 covered with tropical foliage1 and littered along the water line with the dbris of recent construction work4 ,after steaming about six miles someone familiar with the line will be able to point out over the port side of the ship the juncture of the old ,french canal with the completed one1 and if the jungle has not grown up too thick the narrow channel of the former can be traced reaching back to ,colon by the side of the ,panama ,railroad4 ,this canal was used by the ,americans throughout the construction work4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy ,scientific ,american ,,the 8,,spoil0 ,,from ,,culebra ,,cut ,,would ,,do ,,this ,at this point the shores rise higher and one on the bridge1 or at the bow1 will be able to clearly discern far ahead a long hill sloping gently upward on each side of the canal1 and cut at the center with great masses of white masonry1 which as the ship comes nearer are seen to be gigantic locks1 rising in pairs by three steps to a total height of #he feet4 ,for #ajjj feet straight out into the center of the canal extends a massive concrete pier1 the continuation of the center wall1 or partition1 between the pairs of locks1 while to right and left side walls flare out1 to the full width of the canal1 like a gigantic ,u1 or a funnel guiding the ships toward the straight pathway upward and onward4 ,a graceful lighthouse guides the ships at night1 while all along the central pier and guide wall electric lights in pairs give this outpost of civilization in the jungle something of the air at night of a brightly lighted boulevard4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,in ,a ,,typical ,,lock ,the bridge across is temporary1 for construction purposes only4 ,gates are still skeletonized awaiting the steel sheathing ,up to this time the ship had been proceeding under her own steam and at about full speed4 ,now slowing down she gradually comes to a full stop alongside the central guide wall4 ,here will be waiting four electric locomotives1 two on the central1 two on the side wall4 ,made fast1 bow and stern1 the satellites start off with the ship in tow4 ,it will take an hour and a half to pass the three locks at ,gatun and arrangements will probably be made for passengers to leave the ship and walk by its side if desired1 as it climbs the three steps to the waters of ,gatun ,lake #he feet above4 ,probably the first thing the observant passenger will notice is that as the ship steams into the open lock the great gates which are to close behind her and hold the water which flows in from below1 slowly lifting her to the lock above1 are folded flush with the wall1 a recess having been built to receive them4 ,the chamber which the vessel has entered is #ajjj feet long1 if the full water capacity be employed1 #aaj feet wide and will raise the ship #bh feet4 ,if the ship is a comparatively small one the full length of the lock will not be used1 as intermediate gates are provided which will permit the use of #djj or #fjj feet of the lock as required--thus saving water1 which means saving power1 for the water that raises and lowers the ships also generates electric power which will be employed in several ways4 ,back of each pair of gates is a second pair of emergency gates folded back flush with the wall and only to be used in case of injury to the first pair4 ,on the floor of the canal at the entrance to the lock lies a great chain1 attached to machinery which1 at the first sign of a ship's becoming unmanageable1 will raise it and bar the passage4 ,nearly all serious accidents which have occurred to locks have been due to vessels of which control has been lost1 by some error in telegraphing from the bridge to the engine room4 ,for this reason at ,panama vessels once in the locks will be controlled wholly by the four locomotives on the lock walls which can check its momentum at the slightest sign of danger4 ,their own engines will be shut down4 ,finally at the upper entrance to the locks is an emergency dam built on the guide wall4 ,it is evident that if an accident should happen to the gates of the upper lock the water on the upper level would rush with destructive force against the lower ones1 perhaps sweeping away one after the other and wrecking the canal disastrously4 ,to avert this the emergency dams are swung on a pivot1 something like a drawbridge1 athwart the lock and great plates let down one after the other1 stayed by the perpendicular steel framework until the rush of the waters is checked4 ,a caisson is then sunk against these plates1 making the dam complete4 ,the method of construction and operation of these locks will be more fully described in a later chapter4 ,what has been outlined here can be fully observed1 by the voyager in transit4 ,the machinery by which all is operated is concealed in the masonry crypts below1 but the traveler may find cheer and certainty of safety in the assurance of the engineer who took me through the cavernous passages--8,it's all made fool proof04 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,lock ,,at ,,pedro ,,miguel ,,under ,,construction ,the picture shows strikingly the construction of the locks in pairs1 the inner pair being for precautionary purposes ,illustration3 ,,range ,,tower ,,at ,,pacific ,,entrance ,leaving the ,gatun locks and going toward the ,pacific the ship enters ,gatun ,lake1 a great artificial body of water #he feet above tide water4 ,this is the ultimate height to which the vessel must climb1 and it has reached it in the three steps of the ,gatun locks4 ,to descend from ,gatun ,lake to the ,pacific level she drops down one lock at ,pedro ,miguel1 #cj feet2 and two locks at ,miraflores with a total descent of #ed feet4 ,returning from the ,pacific to the ,atlantic the locks of course are taken in reverse order1 the ascent beginning at ,miraflores and the complete descent being made at ,gatun4 ,gatun ,lake constitutes really the major part of the canal1 and the channel through it extends in a somewhat tortuous course for about twenty-four miles4 ,so broad is the channel dredged--ranging from #ejj to #ajjj feet in width and #de to #he in depth--that vessels will proceed at full speed1 a very material advantage1 as in ordinary canals half speed or even less is prescribed in order to avoid the erosion of the banks4 ,the lake which the voyager by ,panama will traverse will in time become a scenic feature of the trip that cannot fail to delight those who gaze upon it4 ,but for some years to come it will be ghastly1 a living realization of some of the pictures emanating from the abnormal brain of ,gustave ,dor4 ,on either side of the ship gaunt gray trunks of dead trees rise from the placid water1 draped in some instances with the ,spanish moss familiar to residents of our southern states1 though not abundant on the ,isthmus4 ,more of the trees are hung with the trailing ropes of vines once bright with green foliage and brilliant flowers1 now gray and dead like the parent trunk4 ,only the orchids and the air plants will continue to give some slight hint of life to the dull gray monotony of death4 ,for a time1 too1 it must be expected that the atmosphere will be as offensive as the scene is depressing1 for it has been found that the tropical foliage in rotting gives out a most penetrating and disagreeable odor4 ,the scientists have determined to their own satisfaction that it is not prejudicial to health1 but the men who have been working in the camps near the shores of the rising lake declare it emphatically destructive of comfort4 ,the unfortunate trees are drowned4 ,plunging their roots beneath the waters causes their death as infallibly1 but not so quickly1 as to fill a man's lungs with the same fluid brings on his end4 ,the ,canal ,commission has not been oblivious to the disadvantages1 both aesthetic and practical1 of this great body of dead timber standing in the lake1 but it has found the cost of removing it prohibitive4 ,careful estimates fix the total expense for doing quickly what nature will do gratis in time at #b1jjj1jjj4 ,the many small inlets and backwaters of the lake moreover will afford breeding places for the mosquitos and other pestilent insects which the larvacide man with his can and pump can never reach1 and no earthly ingenuity can wholly purify4 ,illustration3 ,,bird',s ,,eye ,,view ,,of ,,pedro ,,miguel ,,locks ,one vegetable phenomenon of the lake1 now exceedingly common1 will persist for some time after the ocean-going steamers begin to ply those waters1 namely the floating islands4 ,these range from a few feet to several acres in extent1 and are formed by portions of the spongy bed of the lake being broken away by the action of the water1 and carried off by the current1 or the winds acting upon the aquatic plants on the surface4 ,they gradually assume a size and consistency that will make them1 if not combated1 a serious menace to navigation4 ,at present the sole method of dealing with them is to tow them down to the dam and send them over the spillway1 but some more speedy and efficacious method is yet to be devised4 ,however as the trees now standing fall and disintegrate1 and the actual shores of the lake recede further from the canal the islands will become fewer1 and the space in which they can gather without impediment to navigation greater4 ,another menace to a clear channel which has put in an appearance is the water hyacinth which has practically destroyed the navigability of streams in ,florida and ,louisiana4 ,conditions in ,gatun ,lake are ideal for it and the officials are studying methods of checking its spread from the very beginning4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,critchlow ,,the ,,vegetable ,,martyrs ,the trees in the district flooded by ,gatun ,lake are being slowly drowned and will finally disappear ,the waters of the lake cover #afd square miles and are at points eighty-five feet deep4 ,in the main this vast expanse of water1 one of the largest of artificial reservoirs1 containing about #ahc billion cubic feet of water1 is supplied by the ,chagres ,river1 though several smaller streams add to its volume4 ,before the dam was built two or three score yards measured the ,chagres at its widest point4 ,now the waters are backed up into the interior far beyond the borders of the ,canal ,zone1 along the course of every little waterway that flowed into the ,chagres1 and busy launches may ply above the sites of buried ,indian towns4 ,the towns themselves will not be submerged1 for the cane and palm-thatched huts will float away on the rising tide4 ,indeed from the ships little sign of native life will appear1 unless it be ,indians in cayucas making their way to market4 ,for the announced policy of the government is to depopulate the ,zone4 ,all the ,indian rights to the soil have been purchased and the inhabitants remorselessly ordered to move out beyond the five-mile strip on either side of the canal4 ,this is unfortunate as it will rob the trip of what might have been a scenic feature1 for the ,indians love to build their villages near the water1 which is in fact their principal highway1 and but for this prohibition would probably rebuild as near the sites of their obliterated towns as the waters would permit4 ,in passing through the lake the canal describes eight angles1 and the attentive traveler will find interest in watching the range lights by which the ship is guided when navigating the channel by day or by night--for there need be no cessation of passage because of darkness4 ,these range lights are lighthouses of renforced concrete so placed in pairs that one towers above the other at a distance back of the lower one of several hundred feet4 ,the pilot keeping these two in line will know he is keeping to the center of his channel until the appearance of two others on either port or starboard bow warns him that the time has come to turn4 ,the towers are of graceful design1 and to come upon one springing sixty feet or more into the air from a dense jungle clustering about its very base is to have a new experience in the picturesque4 ,they will need no resident light keepers1 for most are on a general electric light circuit4 ,some of the more inaccessible however are stocked with compressed acetylene which will burn over six months without recharging4 ,the whole canal indeed from its beginning miles out in the ,atlantic to its end under the blue ,pacific will be lighted with buoys1 beacons1 lighthouses and light posts along the locks until its course is almost as easily followed as a 8great white way40 ,sportsmen believe that this great artificial lake will in time become a notable breeding place for fish and game4 ,many of our migratory northern birds1 including several varieties of ducks1 now hibernate at the ,isthmus1 and this broad expanse of placid water1 with its innumerable inlets penetrating a land densely covered with vegetation1 should become for them a favorite shelter4 ,the population will be sparse1 and mainly as much as five miles away from the line of the canal through which the great steamers will ceaselessly pass4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,street ,,at ,,taboga ,during the period of its construction that portion of the canal which will lie below the surface of ,gatun ,lake was plentifully sprinkled with native villages1 and held two or three considerable construction towns4 ,of the latter ,gorgona was the largest1 which toward the end of canal construction attained a population of about #djjj4 ,in the earlier history of the ,isthmus ,gorgona was a noted stopping place for those crossing the neck1 but it seems to have been famed chiefly for the badness of its accommodations4 ,otis says of it1 8,the town of ,gorgona was noted in the earlier days of the river travel as the place where the wet and jaded traveler was accustomed to worry out the night on a rawhide1 exposed to the insects and the rain1 and in the morning1 if he was fortunate regale himself on jerked beef and plantains40 ,the ,french established railroad shops here which the ,americans greatly enlarged4 ,as a result this town and the neighboring village of ,matachin became considerable centers of industry and ,gorgona was one of the pleasantest places of residence on 8the line40 ,its ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 clubhouse was one of the largest and best equipped on the whole ,zone1 and the town was well supplied with churches and schools4 ,by the end of #aiac all this will be changed4 ,the shop will have been moved to the great new port of ,balboa2 such of the houses and official buildings as could economically be torn down and rerected will have been thus disposed of4 ,much of the two towns will be covered by the lake1 but on the higher portions of the site will stand for some years deserted ruins which the all-conquering jungle will finally take for its own4 ,the railroad which once served its active people will have been moved away to the other side of the canal and ,gorgona will have returned to the primitive wilderness whence ,pizarro and the gold hunters awakened it4 ,near its site is the hill miscalled ,balboa's and from the steamships' decks the wooden cross that stands on its summit may be clearly seen4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,gamboa ,,bridge ,,with ,,chagres ,,at ,,flood ,for contrasting picture showing the river in dry season1 see page #aib ,soon after passing ,gorgona and ,matachin the high bridge by which the railroad crosses the ,chagres at ,gamboa1 with its seven stone piers will be visible over the starboard side4 ,this point is of some interest as being the spot at which the water was kept out of the long trench at ,culebra4 ,a dyke1 partly artificial1 here obstructed the canal cut and carried the railroad across to ,las ,cascadas1 ,empire1 ,culebra and other considerable towns all abandoned1 together with that branch of the road1 upon the completion of the canal4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,club ,,house ,,at ,,gatun ,now the ship passes into the most spectacular part of the voyage--the ,culebra ,cut4 ,during the process of construction this stretch of the work vied with the great dam at ,gatun for the distinction of being the most interesting and picturesque part of the work4 ,something of the spectacular effect then presented will be lost when the ships begin to pass4 ,the sense of the magnitude of the work will not so greatly impress the traveler standing on the deck of a ship1 floating on the surface of the canal which is here #de feet deep1 as it would were he standing at the bottom of the cut4 ,he will lose about #ge feet of the actual height1 as commanded by the earlier traveler who looked up at the towering height of ,contractors ,hill from the very floor of the colossal excavation4 ,he will lose1 too1 much of the almost barbaric coloring of the newly opened cut where bright red vied with chrome yellow in startling the eye1 and almost every shade of the chromatic scale had its representative in the freshly uncovered strata of earth4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,working ,,in ,,culebra ,,cut ,the picture is taken at a comparatively quiet time1 only two dirt trains being visible ,the tropical foliage grows swiftly1 and long before the new waterway will have become an accustomed path to the ships of all nations the sloping banks will be thickly covered with vegetation4 ,it is indeed the purpose of the ,commission to encourage the growth of such vegetation by planting1 in the belief that the roots will tie the soil together and lessen the danger of slides and washouts4 ,the hills that here tower aloft on either side of the canal form part of the great continental divide that1 all the way from ,alaska to the ,straits of ,magellan divides the ,pacific from the ,atlantic watershed4 ,this is its lowest point4 ,gold ,hill1 its greatest eminence1 rises #die feet above the bottom of the canal1 which in turn is #dj feet above sea level4 ,the story of the gigantic task of cutting through this ridge1 of the new problems which arose in almost every week's work1 and of the ways in which they were met and overcome will necessitate a chapter to itself4 ,those who float swiftly along in well-appointed steamships through the almost straight channel #cjj feet wide at the bottom1 between towering hills1 will find the sensation the more memorable if they will study somewhat the figures showing the proportions of the work1 the full fruition of which they are enjoying4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,miraflores ,,lock ,,in ,,march1 #aiac ,this lock is in two stories with a total lift of #ef feet2 the ,pacific tides rise in the canal to the lower lock ,at ,pedro ,miguel a single lock lets the ship down to another little lake hardly two miles across to ,miraflores where two more locks drop it down to tide water4 ,from ,miraflores the traveler can see the great bulk of ,ancon ,hill looming up seven miles away1 denoting the proximity of the city of ,panama which lies huddled under its ,pacific front4 ,practically one great rock is ,ancon ,hill1 and its landward face is badly scarred by the enormous quarry which the ,commission has worked to furnish stone for construction work4 ,at its base is the new port of ,balboa which is destined to be in time a great distributing point for the ,pacific coast of both ,north and ,south ,america4 ,for the vessels coming through the canal from the ,atlantic must1 from ,balboa1 turn north or south or proceed direct across the ,pacific to those ,asiatic markets of which the old-time mariners so fondly dreamed4 ,fleets of smaller coastwise vessels will gather here to take cargoes for the ports of ,central ,america1 or for ,ecuador1 ,colombia1 ,peru and other ,pacific states of ,south ,america4 ,the ,canal ,commission is building great docks for the accommodation of both through and local shipping2 storage docks and pockets for coal and tanks for oil4 ,the coaling plant will have a capacity of about #ajj1jjj tons1 of which about one-half will be submerged4 ,one dry dock will take a ship #ajjj feet long and #aje feet wide--the width of the dock itself being #aaj feet4 ,there will be also a smaller dock4 ,one pier1 of the most modern design1 equipped with unloading cranes and #bbjj feet long is already complete1 and the plans for additional piers are prepared4 ,the estimated cost of the terminals at ,balboa is #ae1jjj1jjj4 ,illustration3 ,,naos1 ,,perico ,,and ,,flamenco ,,islands ,,to ,,be ,,fortified ,the ,suez ,canal created no town such as ,balboa is likely to be1 for conditions with it were wholly different4 ,port ,said at the ,mediterranean end and ,aden at the ,red ,sea terminus are coaling stations1 nothing more4 ,geographical considerations however are likely to give to both ,balboa and ,cristobal--particularly the former--prime importance as points of transshipment4 ,illustration3 ,,beginning ,,of ,,new ,,balboa ,,docks ,the machine shops long in ,gorgona and ,matachin have been removed to ,balboa1 and though since the completion of the canal the number of their employes has been greatly decreased1 the work of repairing and outfitting vessels may be expected to maintain a large population of mechanics4 ,the administration offices now at ,culebra will also be moved to ,balboa1 which in fact is likely to become the chief town of the ,canal ,zone4 ,here is to be an employes' club house1 built of concrete blocks at a cost of #eb1jjj4 ,like the other club houses established during the construction period it will be under the direct administration of the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,the town of ,balboa1 and the club house will be in no small degree the fruit of the earnest endeavor of ,col4 ,goethals to build there a town that shall be a credit to the nation1 and a place of comfort for those who inhabit it4 ,his estimate presented to ,congress of the cost and character of the houses to be furnished to officers of various grades and certain public buildings may be interesting here4 ,the material is all to be concrete blocks3 ,governor's house #be1jjj ,commissioners' and high officials' houses1 each #ae1jjj ,houses of this type to have large center room1 a sitting room1 dining room1 bath1 kitchen and four bed rooms4 ,families drawing #bjj a month #f1jjj ,families drawing less1 in #d-;family buildings #d1jjj ,bachelor quarters1 for #ej #ej1jjj ,besides these buildings for personal occupance ,balboa will contain--unless the original plans are materially modified3 ,hotel #bb1ejj ,commissary #fc1jjj ,school #cb1jjj ,police station and court #cg1jjj ,illustration3 ,,the ,,old ,,pacific ,,mail ,,docks ,,at ,,balboa ,when ,col4 ,goethals was presenting his estimates to ,congress in #aiac the members of the ,committee on ,appropriations looked somewhat askance on the club-house feature of his requests1 and this colloquy occurred3 8,the ,chairman3 #8,a #eb1jjj club house8' 8,col4 ,goethals3 #8,yes1 sir4 ,we need a good club house1 because we should give them some amusement1 and keep them out of ,panama4 ,i believe in the club-house principle4' 8,the ,chairman3 #8,that is all right1 but you must contemplate a very elaborate house8' 8,col4 ,goethals3 #8,yes1 sir4 ,i want to make a town there that will be a credit to the ,united ,states government4'0 ,looking out to sea from the prow of a ship entering the ,pacific ,ocean you will notice three conical islands rising abruptly from the waves1 to a height of three or four hundred feet4 ,to be more precise the one nearest the shore ceased to be an island when the busy dirt trains of the ,canal ,commission dumped into the sea some millions of cubic yards of material taken from the ,culebra ,cut1 forming at once a great area of artificial land which may in ensuing centuries have its value1 and a breakwater which intercepts a local current that for a time gave the canal builders much trouble by filling the channel with silt4 ,the three islands1 ,naos1 ,flamenco1 and ,perico are utilized by the ,united ,states as sites for powerful forts4 ,the policy of the ,war ,department necessarily prevents any description here of the forts planned or their armament4 ,every government jealously guards from the merely curious a view of its defensive works1 and the intruder with a camera1 however harmless and inoffensive he may be1 is severely dealt with as though he had profaned the ,holy of ,holies4 ,despite these drastic precautions against the harmless tourist it is a recognized fact that every government has in its files plans and descriptions of the forts of any power with which it is at all likely to become involved in war4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,pacific ,,gateway ,the gun points to canal entrance2 high hills in the background are beyond the canal ,it may be said1 however1 without entering into prohibited details1 that by the fortifications on the islands1 and on the hills adjacent to the canal entrance1 as well as by a permanent system of submarine mines the ,pacific entrance to the canal is made as nearly impregnable as the art of war permits4 ,the locks at ,miraflores are seven miles inland and the effective range of naval guns is fourteen miles1 so that but for the fortifications and a fleet of our own to hold the hostile fleet well out to sea the very keystone of the canal structure would be menaced4 ,our government in building its new terminal city at ,balboa had before it a very striking illustration of the way in which nations covet just such towns4 ,russia on completing her trans-,siberian railroad built at ,port ,arthur a terminal even grander and more costly than our new outpost on the ,pacific4 ,but the ,japanese flag now waves over ,port ,arthur--and incidentally the fortifications of that famous terminal were also considered impregnable4 ,perhaps the impregnable fort like the unsinkable ship is yet to be found4 ,at ,balboa the trip through the completed canal will be ended4 ,it has covered a fraction over fifty miles1 and has consumed1 according to the speed of the ship and the 8smartness0 of her handling in locks1 from seven to ten hours4 ,he who was fortunate enough to make that voyage may well reflect on the weeks of time and the thousands of tons of coal necessary to carry his vessel from ,colon to ,balboa had the canal not existed4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,completed ,,canal ,,at ,,corozal ,from ,balboa to the ancient and yet gay city of ,panama runs a trolley line by which the passenger1 whose ship remains in port for a few days1 or even a few hours1 may with but little cost of time or money visit one of the quaintest towns on the ,north ,american continent4 ,if the climate1 or the seemingly ineradicable sluggishness of the ,panamanian do not intervene the two towns should grow into one1 though their governments must remain distinct1 as the ,republic of ,panama naturally clings to its capital city4 ,but seemingly the prospect of a great new port at his doors1 open to the commerce of all the world1 where ships from ,hamburg and ,hong ,kong1 from ,london and ,lima1 from ,copenhagen and from ,melbourne may all meet in passing their world-wide ways1 excites the ,panamanian not a whit4 ,he exists content with his town as it is1 reaching out but little for the new trade which this busy mart next door to him should bring4 ,no new hotels are rising within the line of the old walls2 no new air of haste or enterprise enlivens the placid streets and plazas4 ,perhaps in time ,balboa may be the big town1 and ,panama as much outworn as that other ,panama which ,morgan left a mere group of ruins4 ,it were a pity should it be so1 for no new town1 built of neat cement blocks1 with a ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 club house as its crowning point of gaiety1 can ever have the charm which even the casual visitor finds in ragged1 bright-colored1 crowded1 gay and perhaps naughty ,panama4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,formative ,,period ,american control of the canal1 as ,i have already pointed out1 was taken over without any particular ceremony immediately after the payment to ,panama of the #aj1jjj1jjj provided for in the treaty4 ,indeed so slight was the friction incident to the transfer of ownership from the ,french to the ,americans that several hundred laborers employed on the ,culebra ,cut went on with their work serenely unconscious of any change in management4 ,but though work was uninterrupted the organization of the directing force took time and thought4 ,it took more than that4 ,it demanded the testing out of men in high place and the rejection of the unfit2 patient experimenting with methods and the abandonment of those that failed to produce results4 ,there was a long period of this experimental work which sorely tried the patience of the ,american people before the canal-digging organization fell into its stride and moved on with a certain and resistless progress toward the goal4 ,in accordance with the ,spooner act ,president ,roosevelt on ,march #h1 #aijd1 appointed the first ,isthmian ,canal ,commission with the following personnel3 ,admiral ,john ,g4 ,walker1 ,u4 ,s4 ,n41 ,chairman1 ,major ,general ,george ,w4 ,davis1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 ,william ,barclay ,parsons1 ,william ,h4 ,burr1 ,benjamin ,m4 ,harrod1 ,carl ,ewald ,gunsky1 ,frank ,j4 ,hecker4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,tunnel ,,for ,,the ,,obispo ,,diversion ,,canal ,in #aiac when the canal approached completion not one of these gentlemen was associated with it4 ,death had carried away ,admiral ,walker1 but official mortality had ended the canal-digging careers of the others4 ,indeed under the rule of ,president ,roosevelt the tenure of office of ,isthmian ,commissioners was exceedingly slender and the whole commission as originally designed was finally abolished being replaced by one made up1 with one exception1 of officers of the army and navy4 ,the first commission visited the ,isthmus1 stayed precisely #bd days1 ordered some new surveys and returned to the ,united ,states4 ,the most important fact about its visit was that it was accompanied to the scene of work by an army surgeon1 one ,dr4 ,w4 ,c4 ,gorgas1 who had been engaged in cleaning up ,havana4 ,major ,gorgas1 to give him his army title1 was not at this time a member of the ,commission but had been appointed ,chief ,sanitary ,officer4 ,i shall have much to say of his work in a later chapter2 as for that matter ,fame will have much to say of him in later ages4 ,col4 ,goethals1 who will share that pinnacle was not at this time associated with the canal work4 ,coincidently with the ,commission's visit the ,president appointed as chief engineer1 ,john ,f4 ,wallace1 at the moment general manager of the ,illinois ,central ,railroad4 ,his salary was fixed at #be1jjj a year4 ,in telling the story of the digging of the ,panama ,canal we shall find throughout that the engineer outshines the ,commission2 the executive rather than the legislative is the ruling force4 ,the story therefore groups itself into three chapters of very unequal length--namely the administrations as chief engineers of ,john ,f4 ,wallace1 from ,june #a1 #aijd1 to ,june #bh1 #aije2 ,john ,f4 ,stevens1 ,june #cj1 #aije1 to ,april #a1 #aijg1 and ,col4 ,george ,w4 ,goethals from ,april #a1 #aijg1 to the time of publication of this book and doubtless for a very considerable period thereafter4 ,each of these officials encountered new problems1 serious obstacles1 heartbreaking delays and disappointments4 ,two broke down under the strain2 doubtless the one who took up the work last profited by both the errors and the successes of his predecessors4 ,it is but human nature to give the highest applause to him who is in at the death1 to immortalize the soldier who plants the flag on the citadel1 forgetting him who fell making a breach in the outer breastworks and thereby made possible the ultimate triumph4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,two ,,colonels ,w4 ,c4 ,gorgas and ,george ,w4 ,goethals1 whose combined work gave the canal to the world4 ,wallace at the very outset had to overcome one grim and unrelenting enemy which was largely subdued before his successors took up the work4 ,yellow fever and malaria ravaged the ,isthmus1 as they had done from time immemorial1 and although ,sanitary ,officer ,gorgas was there with knowledge of how to put that foe to rout the campaign was yet to be begun4 ,they say that ,wallace had a lurking dread that before he could finish the canal the canal would finish him1 and indeed he had sound reasons for that fear4 ,he found the headquarters of the chief engineer in the building on ,avenida ,centrale now occupied by the ,united ,states legation1 but prior to his time tenanted by the ,french ,director-,general4 ,the streets of the town were unpaved1 ankle deep in foul mire in the rainy season1 and covered with germ-laden dust when dry4 ,there being no sewers the townsfolk with airy indifference to public health emptied their slops from the second-story windows feeling they had made sufficient concession to the general welfare if they warned passersby before tilting the bucket4 ,yellow fever was always present in isolated cases1 and by the time ,wallace had been on the job a few months it became epidemic1 and among the victims was the wife of his secretary4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,walk ,,at ,,ancon ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,hospital ,,grounds ,however1 the new chief engineer tackled the job with energy4 ,there was quite enough to enlist his best energies4 ,it must be remembered that at this date the fundamental problem of a sea level vs4 a lock canal had not been determined--was not definitely settled indeed until #aijf4 ,accordingly ,engineer ,wallace's first work was getting ready to work4 ,he found #gdf men tickling the surface of ,culebra ,cut with hand tools2 the old ,french houses1 all there were for the new force had been seized upon by natives or overrun by the jungle2 while the ,french had left great quantities of serviceable machinery it had been abandoned in the open and required careful overhauling before being fit for use2 the railroad was inadequate in track mileage and in equipment4 ,above all the labor problem was yet to be successfully solved4 ,in his one year's service ,wallace repaired #ceg ,french houses and built #dh new ones1 but the task of housing the employees was still far from completed4 ,men swarmed over the old ,french machinery1 cutting away the jungle1 dousing the metal with kerosene and cleaning off the rust4 ,floating dredges were set to work in the channel at the ,atlantic end--which incidentally has been abandoned in the completed plans for the canal though it was used in preliminary construction4 ,the railroad was requipped and extended and the foundation laid for the thoroughly up-to-date road it now is4 ,meanwhile the surveying parties were busy in the field collecting the data from which after a prolonged period of discussion1 the vexed question of the type of canal1 should be determined4 ,two factors in the situation made ,wallace's job the hardest4 ,the ,commission made its headquarters in ,washington1 #bjjj miles or a week's journey away from the job1 and the ,american people1 eager for action1 were making the air resound with cries of 8make the dirt fly60 ,in a sense ,wallace's position was not unlike that of ,gen4 ,mc,clellan in the opening months of the ,civil ,war when the slogan of the northern press was 8,on to ,richmond10 and no thought was given to the obstacles in the path1 or the wisdom of preparing fully for the campaign before it was begun4 ,there are many who hold today that if ,wallace had been deaf to those who wanted to see the dirt fly1 had taken the men off the work of excavation until the type of canal had been determined and all necessary housing and sanitation work had been completed1 the results attained would have been better1 and the strain which broke down this really capable engineer would have been averted4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,french ,,cottages ,,on ,,the ,,water ,,front1 ,,cristobal ,red tape immeasurable wound about the ,chief ,engineer and all his assistants4 ,requisitions had to go to the ,commission for approval and the ,commission clung to ,washington tenaciously1 as all federal commissions do wherever the work they are commissioned to perform may be situated4 ,during the ,civil ,war days a story was current of a ,major being examined for promotion to a colonelcy4 8,now1 ,major10 asked an examiner1 8we will consider1 if you please1 the case of a regiment just ordered into battle4 ,what is the usual position of the colonel in such a case80 8,on ,pennsylvania ,avenue1 about ,willard's ,hotel10 responded the ,major bravely and truthfully4 ,the officers who directed ,wallace's fighting force clung to ,pennsylvania ,avenue and its asphalt rather than abide with ,avenid ,centrale and its mud4 ,so too did succeeding commissions until ,theodore ,roosevelt1 who had a personal penchant for being on the firing line1 ordered that all members of the ,commission should reside on the ,isthmus4 ,at that he had trouble enforcing the order except with the ,army and ,navy officers who made up five-sevenths of the ,commission4 ,how great was the delay caused by red tape and absentee authorities cannot be estimated4 ,when requisitions for supplies reached ,washington the regulations required that bids be advertised for4 ,i rather discredit the current story that when a young ,panamanian arrived at ,ancon ,hospital and the mother proved unable to furnish him with food1 the doctor in charge was officially notified that if he bought a nursing bottle without advertising thirty days for bids he must do so at his own expense4 ,that story seems too strikingly illustrative of red-tape to be true4 ,but it is true that after ,col4 ,gorgas had worked out his plans for furnishing running water to ,panama1 and doing away with the cisterns and great jars in which the residents stored water and bred mosquitoes1 it took nine months to get the iron pipes1 ordinary ones at that1 to ,panama4 ,meanwhile street paving and sewerage were held up and when ,wallace wired the ,commission to hurry he was told to be less extravagant in his use of the cable4 ,illustration3 ,,pay ,,day ,,for ,,the ,,black ,,labor ,no man suffered more from this sort of official delay and stupidity than did ,col4 ,gorgas4 ,if any man was fighting for life it was he--not for his own life but that of the thousands who were working1 or yet to work on the canal4 ,yet when he called for wire netting to screen out the malarial mosquitos he was rebuked by the ,commission as if he were asking it merely to contribute to the luxury of the employees4 ,the amount of ingenuity expended by the ,commission in suggesting ways in which wire netting might be saved would be admirable as indicative of a desire to guard the public purse1 except for the fact that in saving netting they were wasting human lives4 ,the same policy was pursued when appeals came in for additional equipment for the hospitals1 for new machinery1 for wider authority4 ,whenever anything was to be done on the canal line the first word from ,washington was always criticism--the policy instantly applied was delay4 ,allowing for the disadvantages under which he labored ,mr4 ,wallace achieved great results in his year of service on the ,isthmus4 ,but his connection with the canal was ended in a way about which must ever hang some element of mystery4 ,he complained bitterly1 persistently and justly about the conditions in which he was compelled to work and found in ,president ,roosevelt a sympathetic and a reasonable auditor4 ,indeed1 moved by the ,chief ,engineer's appeals1 the ,president endeavored to secure from ,congress authority to substitute a ,commission of three for the unwieldy body of seven with which ,wallace found it so hard to make headway4 ,failing in this the ,president characteristically enough did by indirection what ,congress would not permit him to do directly4 ,he demanded and received the resignations of all the original commissioners1 and appointed a new board with the following members3 ,theodore ,p4 ,shonts1 ,chairman1 ,charles ,e4 ,magoon1 ,governor of the ,canal ,zone1 ,john ,f4 ,wallace1 ,chief ,engineer1 ,mordecai ,t4 ,endicott1 ,peter ,c4 ,hains1 ,oswald ,h4 ,ernst1 ,benjamin ,m4 ,harrod4 ,as in the case of the earlier commissioners none of these remained to see the work to a conclusion4 ,this commission1 though similar in form1 was vastly different in fact from its predecessor4 ,the ,president in appointing it had directed that its first three members should constitute an executive committee1 and that two of these1 ,gov4 ,magoon and ,engineer ,wallace1 should reside continuously on the ,zone4 ,to further concentrate power in ,mr4 ,wallace's hands he was made ,vice-,president of the ,panama ,railroad4 ,the ,president thus secured practically all he had asked of ,congress1 for the executive committee of three was as powerful as the smaller commission which ,congress had refused him4 ,in all this organization ,mr4 ,wallace had been consulted at every step4 ,he stayed for two months in ,washington while the changes were in progress and expressed his entire approval of them4 ,it was therefore with the utmost amazement that the ,president received from him1 shortly after his return to the ,isthmus1 a cable requesting a new conference and hinting at his resignation4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,in ,,wallace',s ,,time ,sanitation work in ,panama ,city ,at the moment that cable message was sent ,panama was shuddering in the grasp of the last yellow fever epidemic that has devastated that territory4 ,perhaps had ,col4 ,gorgas secured his wire netting earlier1 or ,wallace's appeals for water pipes met with prompter attention it might have been averted4 ,but in that ,may and ,june of #aije the fever ravaged the town and the work camps almost as it had in the days of the ,french4 ,there had been1 as already noted1 some scattered cases of yellow fever in the ,zone when the ,americans took hold1 but they were too few and too widely separated to cause any general panic4 ,the sanitary authorities however noted with apprehension that they did not decrease1 and that a very considerable proportion were fatal4 ,it was about this time that the ,commission was snubbing ,col4 ,gorgas because of his insatiable demands for wire screening4 ,in ,april there were seven cases among the employees in the ,commission's headquarters in ,panama4 ,three died and among the #cjj other men employed there panic spread rapidly4 ,nobody cared about jobs any longer4 ,from all parts of the ,zone white-faced men flocked to the steamship offices to secure passage home4 ,stories about the ravages of the disease among the ,french became current1 and the men at work shuddered as they passed the little ,french cemeteries so plentifully scattered along the ,zone4 ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,,the ,,washing ,,place ,,at ,,taboga ,taboga1 site of the ,commission sanitarium1 is the most picturesque point readily accessible from ,panama ,city4 ,the laundry place is the gathering point for the women of the village4 ,the sanitary forces wheeled out into the open and went into the fight4 ,every house in ,panama and ,colon was fumigated1 against the bitter protests of many of the householders who would rather face yellow fever then the cleansing process1 and who did not believe much in these scientific ideas of the 8gringoes0 anyway4 ,an army of inspectors made house to house canvasses of the towns and removed1 sometimes by force1 all suspected victims to the isolation hospitals4 ,the malignant mosquitoes1 couriers of the infection1 were pursued patiently by regiments of men who slew all that were detected and deluged the breeding places with larvacide4 ,the war of science upon sickness soon began to tell4 ,june showed the high-water mark of pestilence with sixty-two cases1 and six deaths4 ,from that point it declined until in ,december the last case was registered4 ,since then there has been no case of yellow fever originating on the ,isthmus1 and the few that have been brought there have been so segregated that no infection has resulted4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,fumigation ,,brigade ,when the members of this command finished with a district in ,panama the mosquito was done for ,it was1 however1 when the epidemic was at its height that ,mr4 ,wallace returned from ,washington to the ,isthmus4 ,almost immediately he cabled asking to be recalled and the ,president1 with a premonition of impending trouble1 so directed4 ,on reaching ,new ,york he met the then ,secretary of ,war1 afterwards ,president1 ,william ,howard ,taft1 to whom he expressed dissatisfaction with the situation and asked to be relieved at the earliest possible moment4 ,secretary ,taft declined to consider his further association with the canal1 for a moment1 demanded that his resignation take effect at once and reproached him for abandoning the work in words that stung1 and which when reiterated in a letter and published the next day put the retiring engineer in a most unenviable position4 ,from this position he never extricated himself4 ,perhaps the fear of the fever1 of which he thought he himself had a slight attack1 shook his nerve4 ,perhaps1 as the uncharitable thought and the ,secretary flatly charged1 a better position had offered itself just as he had become morally bound to finish the canal work4 ,or perhaps he concluded in the time he had for cool reflection on the voyage to ,panama that the remedies offered for the red tape1 divided authority and delay that had so handicapped him were inadequate4 ,his communication to the press at the time was unconvincing4 ,the fairest course to pursue in the matter is to accept ,mr4 ,wallace's own statement made to a congressional investigating committee nearly a year later1 in answer to a question as to the cause of his resignation3 ,illustration3 ,,typical ,,screened ,,houses 8,my reason was1 that ,i was made jointly responsible with ,mr4 ,shonts and ,mr4 ,magoon for work on the canal1 while ,mr4 ,shonts had a verbal agreement with the ,president that he should have a free rein in the management of all matters4 ,i felt ,mr4 ,shonts was not as well qualified as ,i was either as a business man or an administrator1 and he was not an engineer4444 ,i thought it better to sacrifice my ambitions regarding this work1 which was to be the crowning event of my life1 than remain to be humiliated1 forced to disobey orders1 or create friction40 ,illustration3 ,a ,,street ,,after ,,paving ,before paving it was of the sort shown on page #ci ,the ,wallace resignation was at the moment most unfortunate4 ,there had for months been an almost concerted effort on the part of a large and influential section of the press1 and of men having the public ear to decry the methods adopted at ,panama1 to criticize the men engaged in the work and to magnify the obstacles to be overcome4 ,perhaps this chorus of detraction was stimulated in part by advocates of the ,nicaragua route hoping to reopen that controversy4 ,probably the transcontinental railroads1 wanting no canal at all1 had a great deal to do with it4 ,at any rate it was loud and insistent and the men on the ,isthmus were seriously affected by it4 ,they knew by ,mr4 ,wallace's long absence that some trouble was brewing in ,washington4 ,his sudden departure again after his return from the capital and the rumor that he had determined to take a more profitable place added to the unrest4 ,probably the rather severe letter of dismissal with which ,secretary ,taft met the ,chief ,engineer's letter of resignation1 and the instantaneous appointment in his place of ,john ,f4 ,stevens1 long associated with ,james ,j4 ,hill in railroad building1 at a salary #ejjj a year greater1 was the best tonic for the tired feeling of those on the ,isthmus4 ,it indicated that the ,president thought those who had accepted positions of command on the ,canal ,zone had enlisted for the war1 and that they could not desert in the face of the enemy without a proper rebuke4 ,it showed furthermore that the loss of one man would not be permitted to demoralize the service1 but that the cry familiar on the line of battle 8,close up6 ,close up1 men6 ,forward06 was to be the rallying cry in the attack on the hills of ,panama4 ,illustration3 ,,stockade ,,for ,,petty ,,canal ,,zone ,,offenders ,despite the unfortunate circumstances attending ,mr4 ,wallace's retirement1 his work had been good1 so far as it went4 ,in office a little more than a year he had spent more than three months of the time in ,washington or at sea4 ,but he had made more than a beginning in systematizing the work1 in repairing the railroad1 in renovating the old machinery and actually making 8the dirt fly04 ,of that objectionable substance--on the line of the canal1 if anywhere1 they applaud the definition 8dirt is matter out of place0--he had excavated #gdd1fdd yards4 ,not much of a showing judged by the records of #aiac1 but excellent for the machinery available in #aije4 ,the first steam shovel was installed during his rgime and before he left nine were working4 ,the surveys1 under his direction1 were of great advantage to his successor who never failed to acknowledge their merit4 ,illustration3 ,,hospital ,,buildings1 ,,united ,,fruit ,,co4 ,mr4 ,stevens1 who reached the canal1 adopted at the outset the wise determination to reduce construction work to the minimum and concentrate effort on completing arrangements for housing and feeding the army of workers which might be expected as soon as the interminable question of the sea level or lock canal could be finally determined4 ,from his administration dates much of the good work done in the organization of the ,commissary and ,subsistence ,department1 and the development of the railroad4 ,the inducement of free quarters added to high wages to attract workers also originated with him4 ,at the same time ,gov4 ,magoon was working over the details of civil administration1 the schools1 courts1 police system and road building4 ,the really fundamental work of canal building1 the preparation of the ground for the edifice yet to be erected1 made great forward strides at this period4 ,but the actual record of excavation was but small4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,beginning ,,the ,,new ,,docks1 ,,cristobal ,one reason for this was the hesitation over the type of canal to be adopted4 ,it is obvious that several hundred thousand cubic yards of dirt dug out of a ditch have to be dumped somewhere4 ,if deposited at one place the dump would be in the way of a sea-level canal while advantageous for the lock type4 ,at another spot this condition would be reversed4 ,already the ,americans had been compelled to move a second time a lot of spoil which the ,french had excavated1 and which1 under the ,american plans1 was in danger of falling back into ,culebra ,cut4 8,as a gift of prophecy is withheld from us in these latter days10 wrote ,stevens plaintively in reference to the vacillation concerning the plans1 8all we can do now is to make such arrangements as may look proper as far ahead as we can see40 ,president ,roosevelt meanwhile was doing all he could to hasten determination of the problem4 ,just before the appointment of ,mr4 ,stevens he appointed an ,international ,board of ,advisory ,engineers1 five being foreign and nine ,american1 to examine into the subject and make recommendations4 ,they had before them a multiplicity of estimates upon which to base their recommendations and it may be noted eight years after the event that not one of the estimates came within one hundred million dollars of the actual cost4 ,from which it appears that when a nation undertakes a great public work it encounters the same financial disillusionments that come to the young homebuilder when he sets out to build him a house from architect's plans guaranteed to keep the cost within a fixed amount4 ,poor ,de ,lesseps estimated the cost of a sea-level canal at #aca1jjj1jjj1 though it is fair to say for the ,french engineers whose work is so generally applauded by our own that their estimate was several million dollars higher4 ,the famous ,international ,congress had estimated the cost of a sea-level canal at #bdj1jjj1jjj4 ,in fact the ,french spent #bfj1jjj1jjj and excavated about #hj1jjj1jjj cubic yards of earth6 ,then came on our estimators4 ,the ,spooner act airily authorized #ace1jjj1jjj for a canal of any type1 and is still in force though we have already spent twice that amount4 ,the ,walker ,commission fixed the cost of a sea-level canal with a dam at ,alhajuela and a tide lock at ,miraflores at #bdj1jjj1jjj4 ,the majority of ,president ,roosevelt's ,board of ,advisory ,engineers reported in favor of a sea-level canal and estimated its cost at #bej1jjj1jjj2 the minority declared for a lock canal fixing its cost 8in round numbers0 at #adj1jjj1jjj4 ,engineer ,wallace put the cost of a sea-level canal at #cjj1jjj1jjj exclusive of the #ej1jjj1jjj paid for the ,canal ,zone4 ,col4 ,goethals came in in #aijh1 with the advantage of some years of actual construction1 and fixed the cost of the sea-level canal at #efc1jjj1jjj and the lock type at #cge1jjj1jjj4 ,he guesses best who guesses last1 but it may be suggested in the vernacular of the streets that even ,col4 ,goethals 8had another guess coming04 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,a ,,back ,,street ,,in ,,colon ,this street is as clean and well paved as any in the ,united ,states ,on all these estimates the most illuminating comment is furnished by the ,official ,handbook of the ,panama ,canal for #aiac showing total expenditures to ,november #a1 #aiab1 of #bgj1fbe1fbd exclusive of fortification expenditures4 ,the ,congressional appropriations to the same date1 all of which were probably utilized by midsummer of #aiac1 were #cbb1eea1ddh4gf4 ,the action of his ,advisory ,board put ,president ,roosevelt for the moment in an embarrassing position4 ,a swinging majority declared for a sea-level canal1 and even when the influence of ,engineer ,stevens1 who was not a member of the ,board1 was exerted for the lock type it left the advocates of that form of canal still in the minority4 ,to ask a body of eminent scientists to advise one and then have them advise against one's own convictions creates a perplexing situation4 ,but ,roosevelt was not one to allow considerations of this sort to weigh much with him when he had determined a matter in his own mind4 ,accordingly he threw his influence for the lock type1 sent a resounding message to ,congress and had the satisfaction of seeing his views approved by that body ,june #bi1 #aijf4 ,it had been two years and two months since the ,americans came to ,panama1 and though at last the form of canal was determined upon there are not lacking today men of high scientific and political standing who hold that an error was made1 and that ultimately the great locks will be abandoned and the canal bed brought down to tide water4 ,illustration3 ,,steam ,,shovel ,,at ,,work ,the ,americans on the ,isthmus now got fairly into their stride4 ,determination of the type of canal at once determined the need for the ,gatun ,dam1 spillway and locks4 ,it necessitated the shifting of the roadbed of the ,panama railroad as the original bed would be covered by the new lake4 ,the development of the commissary system which supplied every thing needful for the daily life of the employee1 the establishment of quarters1 the creation of a public school system1 were all well under way4 ,then arose a new issue which split the second ,commission and again threatened to turn things topsy-turvy4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,balboa ,,road ,the trolley line shown will extend from ,balboa1 through ,panama and ,ancon to the ruins of ,old ,panama ,chairman ,shonts1 himself a builder of long experience and well accustomed to dealing with contractors1 was firmly of the opinion that the canal could best be built by letting contracts to private bidders for the work4 ,in this he was opposed by most of his associates1 and particularly by ,mr4 ,stevens who had been working hard and efficiently to build up an organization that would be capable of building the canal without the interposition of private contractors looking for personal profit4 ,the employees on the ,zone1 naturally enough1 were with ,stevens to a man1 and time has shown that he and they were right4 ,there is something about working for the nation that stirs a man's loyalty as mere private employment never can4 ,but in this instance ,mr4 ,shonts was in ,washington1 convenient to the ear of the ,president while ,mr4 ,stevens was on the ,zone4 ,accordingly the ,president approved of the ,chairman's plan1 and directed the ,secretary of ,war1 ,mr4 ,taft1 to advertise for bids4 ,mr4 ,stevens was discontented and showed it4 ,that his judgment would be justified in the end he could not know4 ,that it had been set aside for the moment he was keenly aware1 and that he was being harassed by ,congress and by innumerable rules such as no veteran railroad builder had ever been subjected to did not add to his comfort4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,a ,,drill ,,barge ,,at ,,work ,the sea and tidal waters are underlaid with coral rock necessitating much submarine blasting ,his complaints to the ,secretary of ,war were many1 and not of a sort to contribute to that official's peace of mind4 ,when the bids came in from the would-be contractors they were all rejected on the ground that they did not conform to the specifications1 but the real reason was that the ,president at heart did not believe in that method of doing the work1 and was sure that the country agreed with him4 ,this should have allayed ,mr4 ,stevens' rising discontent4 ,it certainly offended ,chairman ,shonts1 who stood for the contract system1 and when the bids were rejected and that system set aside promptly resigned4 ,the ,president thereupon consolidated the offices of ,chairman of the ,commission and ,chief ,engineer in one1 ,mr4 ,stevens being appointed that one4 ,given thus practically unlimited power ,mr4 ,stevens might have been expected to be profoundly contented with the situation4 ,instead he too resigned on the first of ,april1 #aijg4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,s4 ,h4 ,elliott ,,pacific ,,entrance ,,to ,,the ,,canal ,about his resignation as about that of ,mr4 ,wallace there has always been a certain amount of mystery4 ,he himself made no explanation of his act1 though his friends conjectured that he was not wholly in harmony with the ,president's plan to abolish the civilian commission altogether1 and fill its posts by appointments from the ,army and ,navy4 ,on the ,isthmus there is a story that he did not intend to resign at all4 ,albert ,edwards1 who heard the story early1 tells it thus3 8,one of the canal employees1 who was on very friendly terms with ,stevens1 came into his office and found him in the best of spirits4 ,when the business in hand was completed he said jovially3 8#8,read this4 ,i've just been easing my mind to ,t4 ,r4 ,it's a hot one--isn't it8' ,and he handed over the carbon copy of his letter4 ,his visitor read it with great seriousness4 8#8,mr4 ,stevens'1 he said1 #8that is the same as a resignation'4 8,and ,stevens laughed4 8#8,why1 ,i've said that kind of thing to the ,colonel a dozen times4 ,he knows ,i don't mean to quit this job'4 8,but about three hours after the letter reached ,washington ,mr4 ,stevens received a cablegram3 #8,your resignation accepted'04 ,at any rate the ,stevens resignation called forth no such explosive retort as had been directed against the unhappy ,wallace1 and he showed no later signs of irritation1 but came to the defense of his successor in a letter strongly approving the construction of certain locks and dams which were for the moment the targets of general public criticism4 ,two weeks before ,stevens resigned the other members of the ,commission1 excepting ,col4 ,gorgas1 in response to a hint from the ,president had sent in their resignations4 ,mr4 ,roosevelt had determined that henceforward the work should be done by army and navy officers1 trained to go where the work was to be done and to stay there until recalled2 men who had entered the service of the nation for life and were not looking about constantly to 8better their conditions04 ,he had determined further that the government should be the sole contractor1 the only employer1 the exclusive paymaster1 landlord and purveyor of all that was needful on the ,zone4 ,in short he had planned for the ,canal ,zone a form of administration which came to be called socialistic and gave cold chills to those who stand in dread of that doctrine4 ,to carry out these purposes he appointed on ,april #a1 #aijg1 the following commission3 ,lieut4-,col4 ,george ,w4 ,goethals1 ,chairman and ,chief ,engineer1 ,major ,d4 ,d4 ,gaillard1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 ,major ,william ,l4 ,sibert1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 ,mr4 ,h4 ,h4 ,rousseau1 ,u4 ,s4 ,n41 ,col4 ,w4 ,c4 ,gorgas1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 ,medical ,corps1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,c4 ,s4 ,blackburn1 ,mr4 ,jackson ,smith1 ,mr4 ,joseph ,bucklin ,bishop1 ,secretary4 ,a majority of this commission was in office at the time of publication of this book1 and gave evidences of sticking to the job until its completion4 ,senator ,blackburn resigned in #aiaj and was succeeded by ,hon4 ,maurice ,h4 ,thatcher1 also of ,kentucky2 and ,mr4 ,smith retired in favor of ,lieut4 ,col4 ,hodges in #aijh4 ,in ,june1 #aiac1 ,commissioner ,thatcher resigned and was succeeded by ,richard ,l4 ,metcalfe of ,nebraska4 ,with the creation of this commission began the forceful and conclusive administration of ,col4 ,goethals1 the man who finished the canal4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,col4 ,,goethals ,,at ,,the ,,throttle ,the visitor to the ,canal ,zone about #aiac could hardly spend a day in that bustling community without becoming aware of some mighty potentate not at all mysterious1 but omnipresent and seemingly omniscient1 to whom all matters at issue were referred1 to whom nothing was secret1 whose word was law and without whose countenance the mere presence of a visitor on the ,zone was impossible4 ,the phrases most in use were 8see the ,colonel10 8ask the ,colonel0 and 8the ,colonel says04 ,if there had been a well-conducted newspaper on the ,zone these phrases would have been cast in slugs in its composing room for repeated and ready use4 ,no ,president of the ,united ,states1 not even ,lincoln in war times1 exerted the authority he daily employed in the zenith of his power4 ,the aggrieved wife appealed to his offices for the correction of her marital woes1 and the corporation with a #fjj1jjj steam crane to sell talked over its characteristics with the ,colonel4 ,he could turn from a vexed question of adjusting the work of the steam shovels to a new slide in the ,culebra ,cut1 to compose the differences of rival dancing clubs over dates at the ,tivoli ,hotel ball-room4 ,on all controverted questions there was but one court of last resort4 ,as an ,isthmian poetaster put it3 8,see ,colonel ,goethals1 tell ,colonel ,goethals1 ,it's the only right and proper thing to do4 ,just write a letter1 or even better ,arrange a little ,sunday interview04 ,engineer ,stevens in a speech made at the moment of his retirement before a local club of workers said3 8,you don't need me any longer4 ,all you have to do now is to dig a ditch4 ,what you want is a statesman04 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,col4 ,,goethals ,,at ,,his ,,desk ,a statesman was found and his finding exemplifies strikingly the fact that when a great need arises the man to meet it is always at hand1 though frequently in obscurity4 ,major ,george ,w4 ,goethals of the ,general ,staff1 stationed at ,washington was far from being in the public eye4 ,anyone who knows his ,washington well knows that the ,general ,staff is a sort of general punching bag for officers of the ,army who cannot get appointments to it1 and for newspaper correspondents who are fond of describing its members as fusty bureaucrats given to lolling in the ,army and ,navy ,club while the ,army sinks to the level of a mere ill-ordered militia4 ,but even in this position ,major ,goethals had not attained sufficient eminence to have been made a target for the slings and arrows of journalistic criticism4 ,as a member of the ,board of ,fortifications1 however1 he had attracted the attention of ,secretary ,taft1 and through him had been brought into personal relations with ,president ,roosevelt4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,railway ,,station ,,at ,,gatun ,the ,panama ,railroad is being equipped with stations and rolling stock of the first-class ,of course when a man has 8made good0 everybody is quick to discern in him the qualities which compel success4 ,but ,roosevelt must have been able to discover them in the still untested ,goethals1 for when the ,stevens resignation reached ,washington the ,president at once turned to him with the remark1 8,i've tried two civilians in the ,canal and they've both quit4 ,we can't build the canal with a new chief engineer every year4 ,now ,i'm going to give it to the ,army and to somebody who can't quit40 ,john ,f4 ,stevens resigned ,april #a1 #aijg1 and on the same day ,col4 ,goethals became ,chief ,engineer of the ,panama ,canal1 and the supreme arbiter of the destinies of all men and things on the ,canal ,zone4 ,everybody with a literary turn of mind who goes down there describes him as the ,benevolent ,despot1 and that crabbed old philosopher ,thomas ,carlyle would be vastly interested could he but see how the benevolent despotism which he described as ideal but impossible is working successfully down in the semi-civilized tropics4 ,before describing in detail ,col4 ,goethals' great work1 the digging of the canal1 let me relate some incidents which show what manner of man it was that took the reins when the ,americans on the ditch swung into their winning stride4 ,this is the way they tell one story on the ,isthmus3 ,a somewhat fussy and painfully perturbed man bustled into the office of ,col4 ,goethals one morning and plunged into his tale of woe4 8,now ,i got that letter of yours1 ,colonel01 he began but stopped there checked by a cold gaze from those quiet blue eyes4 8,i beg your pardon01 said the ,colonel suavely1 8but you must be mistaken4 ,i have written you no letter04 8,oh1 yes1 ,colonel1 it was about that work down at ,miraflores04 8,oh1 ,i see4 ,you spoke a little inaccurately4 ,you meant you received my orders1 not a letter4 ,you have the orders1 so that matter is settled4 ,was there anything else you wished to talk with me about08 ,but the visitor's topic of conversation had been summarily exhausted and1 somewhat abashed1 he faded away4 ,illustration3 ,,president ,,taft ,,arrives ,and again3 ,a high official of the ,isthmian ,commission had been somewhat abruptly translated from the ,washington office to ,ancon4 ,there was no house suitable for his occupancy and the ,colonel ordered one built to be ready1 let us say1 ,october first4 ,meanwhile the prospective tenant and his family abode at the ,tivoli ,hotel which1 even to one enjoying the reduced rates granted to employees1 is no inexpensive spot4 ,along about the middle of ,august he began to get apprehensive4 ,a few foundation pillars were all that was to be seen of the twelve-room house1 of the type allotted to members of the ,commission1 which was to be his4 ,he spoke of his fears to the ,colonel at lunch one day4 ,illustration3 ,,col4 ,,goethals ,,reviewing ,,the ,,marines ,,at ,,camp ,,elliott 8,let's walk over to the site and see01 remarked that gentleman calmly4 ,it may be noted in passing that walking over and seeing is one of the ,colonel's favorite stunts4 ,there are mighty few1 if any1 points on the ,canal ,zone which he has not walked over and seen1 with the result that his knowledge of the progress of the work is not only precise but personal4 ,but to return to the house a-building4 ,on arrival there three or four workmen were found plugging away in a leisurely manner under the eye of a foreman to whom the ,colonel straightway addressed himself1 8,you understand the orders relative to this job08 he said to the foreman1 tentatively4 8,oh1 yes1 ,colonel01 responded that functionary cheerfully1 8it is ordered for ,october first1 and we are going to do our very best04 8,pardon me01 blandly but with a suspicion of satire1 8,i was afraid you did not understand the order and ,i see ,i was right4 ,your order is to have this house ready for occupancy ,october first4 ,there isn't anything said about doing your best4 ,the house is to be finished at the time fixed04 ,illustration3 ,,president ,,taft ,,and 8,,the ,,colonel0 ,turning1 the ,colonel walked away1 giving no heed to the effort of the foreman to reopen the conversation4 ,next day that individual called on the prospective tenant4 8,say01 he began ingratiatingly1 8you don't really need to be in that house ,october first1 do you8 ,would a few days more or less make any difference to you08 8,not a bit04 8,well1 then01 cheering up1 8won't you just tell the ,colonel a little delay won't bother you08 8,not ,i6 ,i want to stay on this ,isthmus4 ,if you want to try to get the ,colonel's orders changed you do it4 ,but none of that for me04 ,and the day before the time fixed the house was turned over complete4 ,it is fair to say however that peremptory as is ,col4 ,goethals in his orders1 and implacable in his insistence on literal obedience1 he yields to the orders of those who rank him precisely what he exacts from those whom he commands4 ,the following dialogue from a hearing before the ,house ,committee on ,appropriations will illustrate my point4 ,the subject matter was the new ,washington ,hotel at ,colon4 8,the ,chairman3 ,did you ever inquire into the right of the ,panama ,railroad ,company1 under the laws of the ,state of ,new ,york1 to go into the hotel business8 8,col4 ,goethals3 ,no sir2 ,i got an order from the ,president of the ,united ,states to build that hotel and ,i built it04 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,big ,,guns ,,for ,,canal ,,defence ,the upper part shows a #af-;inch rifle being tested at ,sandy ,hook4 ,the gun1 which is of the type adopted for the ,canal defenses1 throws a #b1djj pound shell to an extreme range of #bb miles4 ,it could drop a shell into ,wall ,street from ,sandy ,hook4 ,one shell striking a battleship fairly would put her out of business4 ,the lower part of picture shows comparative size of the gun ,illustration3 ,,col4 ,,goethals ,,encourages ,,the ,,national ,,game ,this military habit of absolute command and implicit obedience is not attended in ,col4 ,goethals' case with any of what civilians are accustomed to call 8fuss and feathers04 ,on the ,zone he was never seen in uniform1 and it is said1 indeed1 that he brought none to ,panama4 ,his mind in fact is that of the master1 not of the martinet4 ,if he compels obedience1 he commands respect and seems to inspire real affection4 ,in a stay of some weeks at ,panama during which time ,i associated intimately with men in every grade of the ,commission's service ,i heard not one word of criticism of his judgment1 his methods or even his personality4 ,this is the more remarkable when it is considered how intimately his authority is concerned with the personal life of the ,isthmian employees4 ,if one wishes to write a magazine article pertaining to the ,canal ,zone the manuscript must be submitted to the ,colonel4 ,if complaint is to be made of a faulty house1 or bad commissary service1 or a negligent doctor1 or a careless official in any position it is made to the ,colonel4 ,he is the ,haroun al ,raschid of all the ,zone from ,cristobal to ,ancon4 ,to his personal courts of complaint1 held ,sunday mornings when all the remainder of the canal colony is at rest1 come all sorts and conditions of employees with every imaginable grievance4 ,the court is wholly inofficial but terribly effective4 ,there is no uniformed bailiff with his cry of 8,hear ye6 ,hear ye06 ,no sheriff with jingling handcuffs4 ,but the orders of that court1 though not registered in any calf-bound law books for the use of generations of lawyers1 are obeyed1 or1 if not obeyed1 enforced4 ,before this judge any of the nearly #ej1jjj people living under his jurisdiction1 speaking #de different languages1 and citizens in many cases of nations thousands of miles away1 may come with any grievance however small4 ,the court is held of a ,sunday so as not to interfere with the work of the complainants1 for you will find that on the ,zone the prime consideration of every act is to avoid interference with work4 ,the ,colonel hears the complaints patiently1 awards judgment promptly and sees that it is enforced4 ,there is no system of constitutional checks and balances in his domain4 ,he is the legislative1 judicial and executive branches in one--or to put it less technically but more understandably1 what the ,colonel says goes4 ,it is1 ,i think1 little less than marvelous that a man in the continual exercise of such a power should awaken so little criticism as he4 ,it is true that those who displease him he may summarily deport1 thus effectually stilling any local clamor against his policy1 but ,i am unable to discover that he has misused1 or even often used1 this power4 ,a young man comes in with an important problem affecting the social life of the ,zone4 ,his particular dancing club desires to use the ball room at the ,tivoli ,hotel on a certain night1 but the room was engaged for that date and the other nights suggested did not fit the convenience of the club1 so there was nothing to do but to put it up to the ,colonel1 who put aside the responsibilities of the head of a #djj1jjj1jjj canal job and ,president of the ,panama ,railway to fix a date whereon the young folk of that aspiring social club might ,turkey trot and ,tango to their hearts' content4 ,so far as ,i know the ,colonel has not yet been appealed to by the moralists of the ,zone to censor the dances4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,french ,,ladder ,,dredges ,,still ,,used ,troubles between workmen and their bosses of course make up a considerable share of the business before the court4 ,once a man came in with an evident air of having been ill-used4 ,he had been discharged and the ,colonel promptly inquired why4 8,because ,i can't play baseball01 was the surprising response of the discharged one1 who had been a steamshoveler4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,colonel',s ,,daily ,,stroll ,it appeared on inquiry that the drill men had challenged the steamshovelers to a match at the national game1 and dire apprehensions of defeat filled the minds of the latter because they had no pitcher4 ,at this juncture there providentially appeared a man seeking a job who was a scientific twirler whether he knew much about steamshoveling or not4 ,the ,american sporting spirit was aroused4 ,the man with the job who couldn't pitch lost it to the man who could but had no job4 ,so he came to the ,colonel with his tale of woe4 ,now that sagacious ,chief ,engineer knows that the ,american sporting spirit is one of the great forces to be relied upon for the completion of the canal4 ,the same sentiment which led the shovelers to use every device to down the drillers at baseball would animate them when they were called to fight with the next slide for possession of ,culebra ,cut4 ,some employers would have sent the man back to his boss with a curt order of reinstatement--and the shovelers would have lost the game and something of their spirit4 ,so after a moment of reflection the ,colonel said quietly to the man3 8,they want shovelers on the ,pacific end4 ,go over there in the morning and go to work04 ,the feudal authority1 the patriarchal power which ,col4 ,goethals possesses over the means of livelihood of every man on the ,zone1 nay more1 over their very right to stay on the ,zone at all1 gives to his decisions more immediate effect than attends those of a court4 ,the man who incurs his displeasure may lose his job1 be ousted from his lodgings and deported from the ,isthmus if the ,colonel so decrees4 ,a ,jamaican negress came in to complain that her husband took her earnings away from her2 would not work himself but lived and loafed on the fruits of her industry4 ,the ,colonel ordered the man to allow her to keep her earnings4 ,the man demurred saying sullenly that the ,english law gave a husband command over his wife's wages4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,side ,,drill ,,crew ,,at ,,work 8,all right10 said the ,colonel1 8you're from ,jamaica4 ,i'll deport you both and you can get all the ,english law you want04 ,the husband paid back the money he had confiscated and the pair stayed4 ,family affairs are aired in the ,colonel's court to a degree which must somewhat abash that simple and direct warrior4 ,what the dramatists call 8the eternal triangle0 is not unknown on the ,zone1 nor is the unscriptural practice of coveting your neighbor's wife wholly without illustration4 ,for such situations the ,colonel's remedy is specific and swift--deportation of the one that makes the trouble4 ,sometimes the deportation of two has been found essential1 but while gossip of these untoward incidents is plentiful in the social circles of ,culebra and ,ancon the judge in the case takes no part in it4 ,it is not in me to write a character sketch of ,col4 ,goethals4 ,that is rather a task for one who has known him intimately and has been able to observe the earlier manifestations of those qualities that led ,president ,roosevelt to select him as the supreme chief of the canal work4 ,all his life he has been an army engineer1 having a short respite from active work in the field when he was professor of engineering at ,west ,point4 ,fortifications and locks were his specialties and fortifications and locks have engaged his chief attention since he undertook the ,panama job4 ,perhaps it is due to his intensely military attitude that the public has insensibly come to look upon the canal in its quality as an aid to national defense rather than a stimulus to national commerce4 ,for the ,colonel any discussion of the need for fortifying the canal was the merest twaddle1 and he had his way4 ,he begged long for a standing army of #be1jjj men on the ,zone1 but it is doubtful whether he will win this fight4 ,moreover he would so subordinate all considerations to the military one that he urges the expulsion from the ,zone of all save canal employees that the danger of betrayal may be less4 ,how far that policy shall be approved by ,congress is yet to be determined4 ,thus far however the ,colonel has handled ,congress with notable success and even there his dominant spirit may yet triumph4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,colonel',s ,,fire ,,works ,a big blast in ,culebra ,cut4 ,in one year #bg1beb tons of dynamite were used ,power on the ,zone1 however1 autocratic and absolute1 ,col4 ,goethals possesses4 ,it was conferred on him formally by the order of ,jan4 #f1 #aijh1 giving the ,chairman authority to reorganize the service at his own discretion1 subject of course to review by the ,president or ,secretary of ,war4 ,the first effect of this was the abolition of a large list of departments with high sounding names1 and concentration of their functions in the quartermaster's department with ,major ,c4 ,a4 ,devol at its head4 ,the ,colonel developed in fact a rage for abolishing and concentrating departments4 ,he did not go quite as far as ,nero who wished that ,rome had but one neck that he might strike off its head at a blow1 but he certainly reduced the number of responsible chiefs to such a point that it was easy to place the fault if work lagged or blunders multiplied4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,a ,,heavy ,,blast ,,under ,,water ,col4 ,goethals' first annual report was issued after he had been in command only three months1 covering therefore nine months of the ,stevens administration1 and was dated at the end of the fiscal year1 ,june #cj1 #aijg4 ,he reported that #hj per cent4 of the plant necessary for completing the work was on the ground or had been ordered4 ,when he arrived the high water-mark for excavating in ,culebra ,cut was #ijj1jjj cubic yards a month1 and since his rule began it has never fallen below the million mark1 except in ,may1 #aijh4 ,it may be noted in passing1 that during the first two years of his administration the average for excavation along the whole line exceeded three million cubic yards a month4 ,during the whole administration of ,messrs4 ,wallace and ,stevens only six million yards had been removed4 ,the contrasting figures are given not as reflecting on the earlier engineers1 but as indicating the rapidity with which the equipment and efficiency of the canal organization were increased when the battle of the levels was ended and the civilian commission done away with4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,colonel',s ,,daily ,,meal ,in this report ,col4 ,goethals argued vigorously against turning over the canal work to private contractors--a matter which the ,president had asked him to report upon in detail4 ,he pointed out that the canal required special equipment for which no contractor could find use after the expiration of his contract and which therefore the government might just as well buy and own itself4 ,the force of this argument became particularly apparent as the work approached completion4 ,projects for the utilization of the plant were sent into ,congress from every section of the country4 ,it was strongly urged that the plant be sent en bloc to ,alaska to build railroads and open that rich1 but long shut-in territory to settlement and development4 ,other friends of the reclamation service urged that it be employed in draining semi-submerged lands in the ,mississippi ,valley and digging irrigating ditches in the ,southwest4 ,the floods of the spring of #aiac caused an active demand for its employment on ,ohio rivers4 ,it is fair to note that ,mr4 ,stevens made the first energetic fight for the establishment of the system under which the government owns this colossal and almost invaluable plant1 while ,col4 ,goethals' recommendation put upon it the final stamp of official approval4 ,this act has importance which will long outlive the construction period of the canal4 ,by the time that work is completed it will have demonstrated beyond doubt that the ,united ,states government is perfectly capable of doing its own construction work without the intervention of private contractors2 that it not only can build the biggest dam in the world1 erect the mightiest locks that ever raised a ship1 and dig a channel through the backbone of a continent1 but is quite able to perform the lesser functions incident thereto4 ,it can1 and did1 successfully conduct hotels and a railroad and steamship line1 maintain eating-houses and furnish household supplies4 ,after the ,panama exhibit it will take either a brave or a singularly stupid man to preach the ancient dread of a paternalistic government4 ,illustration3 8,,the ,,goethals' ,,own0 ,,in ,,action ,attacking a stronghold of the ,culebra ,slide with a regiment of men and a battery of machines ,early in ,col4 ,goethals' rgime the great department of engineering and construction was split into three subdivisions1 namely1 ,the ,atlantic ,division1 comprising the canal from deep water in the ,caribbean to1 and including1 the ,gatun locks and dam4 ,in all this covered about seven miles of the canal only1 but one of its most difficult and interesting features4 ,the ,central ,division1 including ,gatun ,lake and the ,culebra ,cut to the ,pedro ,miguel lock1 or about #cb miles of canal4 ,the ,pacific ,division1 including the ,pedro ,miguel and ,miraflores locks1 and the canal from the foot of the latter to deep water in the ,pacific4 ,under this classification will be described the construction work on the canal1 work which at the time of the author's visit was clear to view1 impressive in its magnitude1 appalling in the multiplicity of its details1 and picturesque in method and accomplishment4 ,with the turning of the water into the channel all this will be hidden as the works of a watch disappear when the case is snapped shut4 ,the canal1 they say1 and rightly1 will be ,goethals' monument--though there are those who think it a monument to ,col4 ,gorgas1 while quite a few hold that the fame of ,theodore ,roosevelt might be further exalted by this work4 ,but whomsoever it may commemorate as a monument it was even more impressive in the building than in the completed form4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,s4 ,h4 ,elliott ,,bas ,,obispo ,,end ,,of ,,culebra ,,cut ,one ,sunday late in my stay on the ,isthmus ,i was going over the line from ,ancon to ,culebra4 ,as we approached the little tunnel near ,miraflores ,i noticed an unusual stir for the day1 for on the ,canal ,zone the day of rest is almost religiously observed4 ,men were swarming along the line1 moving tracks1 driving spikes1 ramming ballast4 ,i asked one in authority what it all meant4 8,oh01 said he1 8we're going to begin running dirt trains through the tunnel1 and that necessitates double tracking some of the line4 ,the ,colonel said it must be done by tomorrow and we've got more than #ajjj men on the job this quiet ,sunday4 ,the ,colonel's orders you know04 ,yes1 ,i knew1 and everybody on the ,canal ,zone knows4 ,,chapter ,x ,,gatun ,,dam ,,and ,,locks ,entering the ,panama ,canal from the ,atlantic1 one finds the beginning of that section called by the engineers the ,atlantic ,division1 four miles out at sea in ,limon ,bay1 a shallow arm of the ,caribbean on the shore of which are ,colon and the ,american town of ,cristobal4 ,from its beginning1 marked only by the outermost of a double line of buoys1 the canal extends almost due south seven miles to the lowest of the ,gatun ,locks4 ,of this distance four miles is a channel dredged out of the bottom of ,limon ,bay and the bottom width of the canal from its beginning to the locks is #ejj feet4 ,its depth on this division will be #da feet at mean tide4 ,for the protection of vessels entering the canal at the ,atlantic end1 or lying in ,colon harbor1 a great breakwater #aj1ejj feet1 or a few feet less than two miles long1 made of huge masses of rock blasted along the line of the ,canal1 or especially quarried at ,porto ,bello1 extends from ,toro ,point to ,colon light4 ,in all it will contain #b1hdj1jjj cubic yards of rock and its estimated cost is #e1ejj1jjj4 ,in the original plans for the harbor of ,cristobal a second breakwater was proposed to extend at an angle to the guard one1 but the success of the former in breaking the force of the seas that are raised by the fierce northers that blow between ,october and ,january has been so great that this may never be needed4 ,its need is further obviated by the construction of the great mole of stone and concrete which juts out from the ,cristobal shore for #cejj feet at right angles to the ,canal4 ,from this mole five massive piers will extend into the harbor1 jutting out like fingers on a hand1 each #ajjj feet long and with the space between them #cjj feet wide so that two #ajjj foot ships may dock at one time in each slip4 ,the new port of ,cristobal starts out with pier facilities which ,new ,york had not prepared for the reception of great ships like the 8,vaterland0 and the 8,aquitania0 at the time of their launching4 ,illustration3 ,,entrance ,,to ,,gatun ,,locks ,the rafts in the foreground carry pipes through which suction dredges discharge material removed ,illustration3 ,i4 ,,colon3 ,,these ,,pictures ,,in ,,order ,,form ,a ,,panorama ,,of ,,the ,,colon ,,water ,,front ,illustration3 ,,ii4 ,,colon3 ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,residential ,,district ,,on ,,the ,,water ,,front ,illustration3 ,,iii4 ,,colon3 ,,panama ,,railroad ,,and ,,royal ,,mail ,,docks ,illustration3 ,,iv4 ,,colon3 ,,the ,,de ,,lesseps ,,house ,,in ,,the ,,distance ,,shows ,,location ,,of ,,new ,,docks ,from the shore of the bay to the first ,gatun lock is a little less than four miles4 ,the ,french dug a canal penetrating this section1 a canal which forms today part of our harbor and which has been used to some extent for the transportation of material for the ,gatun dam4 ,our engineers however abandoned it as part of our permanent line1 and it is rapidly filling up or being over-grown by vegetation4 ,at its best it was about fifteen miles long1 #ae feet deep as far as ,gatun1 and #g feet deep thence to the now vanished village of ,bohio4 ,the ,canal from the seaboard to the ,gatun locks was straightaway excavation1 through land little higher than the water1 with tidewater following so that the work could be done by floating dredges4 ,no novel problems were presented to the engineer1 nor are interesting achievements displayed to the tourist until the great dam itself is reached4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,south ,,approach ,,wall1 ,,gatun ,,locks ,the simplest way of reaching the ,gatun dam is of course by train from ,colon1 a ride of perhaps twenty minutes4 ,but a more spectacular one is by launch1 either up the ,canal1 or around by the ,chagres ,river from its mouth4 ,the latter is a difficult trip however and seldom essayed4 ,one advantage of taking the ,canal is that it gives a much clearer idea of the construction of the dam than can be derived by approaching it by railroad4 ,the first significant fact forced upon your attention in thus coming upon the dam is that it does not look like a dam at all1 but rather like a long and gently sloping hill pierced at one point by a sort of masonry gate which upon closer approach reveals itself as a system of mighty locks4 ,illustration3 ,,gatun ,,locks ,,opening ,,into ,,the ,,lake ,the skeleton structure on the left is the frame-work of the emergency dam which swings directly athwart the lock ,not very long ago there was a wide-spread apprehension in the ,united ,states1 bred of a rather shallow newspaper criticism very widely republished1 that the ,gatun dam would prove inadequate to the pressure of the waters impounded behind it and might collapse1 or 8topple over04 ,if all who have been impressed by that gruesome prophecy could see the dam itself their apprehensions would be speedily quieted4 ,one might as well talk of toppling over the pyramids1 or ,murray ,hill1 ,new ,york 7not the structures on it1 but the hill itself7 or the ,treasury ,building at ,washington4 ,elevations1 natural or artificial1 the base of which is eight to ten times their height1 cannot topple over while the force of gravity continues to operate4 ,now the height of ,gatun dam is #aje feet1 and from its crest the filling of clay and rock slopes gently away on the landward side for nearly half a mile4 ,there are more abrupt eminences on many of our rolling prairies4 ,the face on the lake side descends somewhat more abruptly1 but is still several hundred feet long before its slope ends with the bed of the lake4 ,this face is covered with broken stone down to the 8toe0--as they call the walls of rough rock between which the dirt dam was built4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,thompson ,,gatun ,,lake ,,seen ,,from ,,the ,,dam ,illustration3 ,copyright1 #aiaa1 by ,munn ,co4 ,inc4 ,from ,scientific ,american ,,bird',s ,,eye ,,view ,,of ,,gatun ,,dam ,in the foreground the locks1 only two of the three steps being fully shown4 ,in the middle distance the spillway1 through which surplus water flows into the ,chagres and old ,french ,canal ,the method of building the dam was simple enough even though it sounds complicated in the telling4 ,when ,congress acquiesced in the minority report of the ,board of ,international ,engineers1 approved by the ,president and recommending a lock type canal1 it meant that instead of simply digging a ditch across the ,isthmus we would create a great artificial lake #he feet above sea level1 confined by dams at either ends1 with locks and two short canals to give communication with the oceans4 ,to create this lake it was determined to impound the waters of the ,chagres1 and a site near the village of ,gatun1 through which the old ,french canal passed1 was selected for this purpose4 ,conditions of topography of course determined this site4 ,the ,chagres valley here is #g1ibj feet wide1 but the determining fact was that about the center of the valley was a hill of rock which afforded solid foundation for a concrete dam for the spillway4 ,geologists assert that at one time the floor of the valley was #cjj feet higher than now1 and that in the ages the ,chagres ,river cut away the shallow gorges on either side of the rocky hill4 ,these1 it was determined1 could readily be obstructed by a broad earth dam of the type determined upon1 but for the spillway with its powerhouse and flood gates a rock foundation was essential and this was furnished by the island4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,construction ,,work ,,on ,,gatun ,,dam ,the space between two rock walls has been filled with mud1 which having hardened1 supports dirt trains bringing spoil from ,culebra ,cut to build up the dam to required dimensions ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,pumping ,,mud ,,into ,,the ,,core ,,of ,,gatun ,,dam ,the first step in the construction of the dam was to dam the ,chagres then flowing through its old channel near the site chosen for the spillway1 and through the old ,french canal4 ,this was accomplished by building parallel walls1 or 8toes0 of broken stone and filling the space between with fluid mud pumped from the old channel of the stream4 ,a new channel of course was provided called the 8west diversion04 ,the toes are about a quarter of a mile apart and rise about #cj feet high4 ,they were built by the customary devices of building trestles on which dump trains bearing the material were run4 ,after the core of fluid silt pumped in between the walls had begun to harden1 dry earth was piled upon it1 compressing it and squeezing out the remaining moisture4 ,as this surface became durable the railroad tracks were shifted to it1 and when ,i visited the dam in #aiac the made land of the dam was undistinguishable from the natural ground surrounding it4 ,over it scores of locomotives were speeding1 dragging ponderous trains heavy laden with 8spoil0 from the ,culebra ,cut4 ,from the crest on the one hand the dam sloped away in a gentle declivity nearly half a mile long to the original jungle on the one side1 and a lesser distance on the other1 to the waters of the ,gatun ,lake then less than half filled4 ,when the main body of the dam had been completed and the spillway was ready to carry off the waters of the ,chagres then flowing through the 8west diversion0 the task of damming the latter was begun4 ,this was the first effort to stem the current of the ,chagres1 the river dreaded for so many reasons1 and the description by ,lieutenant ,colonel ,william ,l4 ,sibert1 the engineer in charge of this division1 will be of interest3 ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,a ,,native ,,bakery ,the ,panamanian never does anything indoors that he can do in the open4 ,the village bakery1 the village mortar or mill and the village laundry are social meeting places used by all4 ,illustration3 ,,gatun ,,upper ,,lock ,illustration ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood and ,underwood ,,center3 ,,gatun ,,center ,,light2 ,,lower ,,corner3 ,,emergency ,,gates 8,the elevation of the spillway channel is #aj feet above sea level1 consequently in any attempt to stop the flow of the ,chagres and force it through this channel1 a rise of about #ad feet of water had to be encountered4 ,the banks and bottom of the west diversion were soft clay4 ,the plan adopted was to drive trestles across this channel on the #cj-;foot contour on each face of the dam1 and to build1 by dumping rock directly into the stream1 two dams at the same time1 hoping to distribute on such dams the head formed during construction4 ,an unlimited amount of waste rock was available for this work4 ,the banks of the channels were first made secure by dumping rock at the end of the trestles4 ,after the channel was contracted to some extent1 a considerable current developed2 rock dumped from the trestles was carried some distance down stream1 forming a rock apron in the bed of the stream below the dam4 ,quite deep holes1 however1 were dug by the water below this rock apron4 ,when the work on the two dams had progressed so that a channel about #hj feet wide and #f feet deep was left in the center1 it was found impracticable to make any headway4 ,stone dumped from the trestles would be rolled down stream4 ,the rainy season was then about to commence4 ,the lower part of the bents of the trestles being well supported with rock1 it was then decided to dump a carload or two of crooked rails above the trestles in such a way that they would form an entanglement and stop the rock1 thus insuring either the construction of the dam or the taking out of the trestle4 ,by this means the two dams were finally completed and the ,chagres ,river successfully diverted40 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,spillway ,,under ,,construction ,concrete is dumped directly from the railway into the moulds4 ,pipes to the power house are shown ,to the unprofessional observer the ,gatun dam is a disappointment as a spectacle4 ,it does not look like a dam at all1 but merely like a continuation of one of the hills it connects4 ,but as a matter of fact it is the greatest dam in the world--a mile and a half long1 #aje feet high1 half a mile thick at its base1 #cih feet at the surface of the lake and #ajj feet wide at the top4 ,it is longer and higher than the ,assouan dam which the ,british built across the ,nile though the latter1 being all of masonry1 is vastly the more picturesque4 ,into the entire work will go about #ba1jjj1jjj cubic yards of material4 ,one day while the ,gatun dam was in the earlier stages of its construction in #aijh1 a newspaper correspondent was temporarily detained at ,gatun while crossing the ,isthmus4 ,idly1 to pass the time away1 he strolled out on the dam to where he saw a group of men gathered4 ,he found them discussing a small break at the edge of the dam upstream2 a break not caused by any pressure of the water1 for the water had not reached that point1 but by the weight of the heavy superstructure pressing upon the semi-fluid core of the dam which then had not had sufficient time for drainage and drying4 ,the dispatch which the correspondent sent north as the result of his casual observation of the slide1 was seized upon by the advocates of the sea-level canal as a text from which to argue the entire impracticability of the lake-level project4 ,the agitation became so general and so menacing that ,president ,roosevelt was impelled to appoint a commission of seven engineers of high professional standing and technical knowledge of dam building to visit the spot and report upon the menace4 ,their verdict was that the ,canal engineers had gone far beyond the necessary point in making the dam ponderous and safe4 ,secretary of ,war ,taft1 who happened to be on the ,isthmus when the break occurred1 declared that it was 8insignificant when one takes into consideration the whole size of the dam04 ,when the tricky ,chagres gets on one of its rainy season rages the spillway by which the dam is pierced at about its center will be one of the spectacular points on the ,canal line4 ,that river drains a basin covering #a1cbj square miles1 and upon which the rains in their season fall with a persistence and continuity known in hardly any other corner of the earth4 ,the ,chagres has been known to rise as much as #dj feet in #bd hours1 and though even this great flood will be measurably lowered by being distributed over the #afd square miles in ,gatun ,lake1 yet some system of controlling it by outlets and flood gates was of course essential to the working and the safety of the ,canal4 ,the spillway is the center of this system1 the point at which is the machinery by which the surface of ,gatun ,lake can be at all times kept within two feet of its normal level1 which is #he feet above the level of the sea4 ,illustration3 ,,partly ,,completed ,,spillway1 #aiac ,the river was low when this picture was taken4 ,at high water it will flow over the completed structure shown at the right ,fundamentally the spillway is a channel #a1bjj feet long and #bhe feet wide cut through the solid rock of the island which at this point bisects the now obliterated ,chagres ,valley4 ,though cut through rock it is smoothly lined and floored with cement2 closed at its upper end by a dam1 shaped like the arc of a circle so that1 while it bars an opening of only #bhe feet1 its length is #hjh feet4 ,for the benefit of the unprofessional observer it may be noted that by thus curving a dam in the direction of the force employed against it1 its resisting power is increased4 ,it resists force exerted horizontally precisely as an arch resists force1 or weight1 exerted from above4 ,the dam at the spillway extends solidly across the opening to a height of #fi feet4 ,but this is #af feet below the normal level of the ,lake4 ,from the top of the solid dam rise thirteen concrete piers to a height as planned1 of #aae feet above sea level1 that is the piers will rise #df feet above the top of the dam4 ,between each two of these piers will be mounted regulating gates of steel sheathing1 made water tight and movable up or down as the state of the ,chagres level requires a free or a restricted passage for the water4 ,nor will those operating the gates await the visual appearance of the flood before throwing wide the passage for its onrush4 ,at divers points along the ,chagres1 and throughout its water shed are little stations whence observers telephone at regular intervals throughout the day to the office at the spillway the result of their observations of the river's height4 ,with these figures at hand the controller of the gates can foresee the coming of a flood hours before it begins to beat against the gates4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,giant ,,penstocks ,,of ,,the ,,spillway ,illustration3 ,,the ,,spillway ,,at ,,high ,,water ,a comparison with the picture on page #agi will show the varying stages of the river ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,lock ,,gates ,,approaching ,,completion ,the spillway further serves a useful and an essential purpose in that it harnesses the water power of the useful ,chagres1 and turns it into electric power to open and shut the colossal gates of the various locks2 to propel the electric locomotives that tow the great ships through the concrete channels2 to light the canal towns and villages1 and the lighthouses on the line2 to run the great cranes at ,balboa and ,cristobal2 to run the machinery in the shops at ,balboa2 to furnish motive power1 if so determined for the ,panama ,railroad1 and to swing the great guns at ,toro ,point and ,naos ,island until their muzzles bear with calm yet frightful menace upon any enemy approaching from either the ,caribbean or the ,pacific4 ,there will be power for all these functions1 and power too to light ,panama and ,colon1 to run the ,panama tramway and perform other useful functions if the present grip of private ,panama monopoly upon these public services shall be relinquished4 ,the water drops #ge feet through huge penstocks to great turbines in the spillway hydro-electric station with a capacity of #f1jjj kilowatts1 but the amount of water power is sufficient for double that current1 and turbines to supply the addition can be installed whenever the need for the power develops4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,water ,,knocking ,,at ,,gatun ,,gates ,illustration3 ,,wall ,,of ,,gatun ,,lock ,,showing ,,arched ,,construction ,the ,gatun locks are built at the very eastern end of ,gatun dam1 at the point where it joins the mainland bordering the ,chagres valley4 ,of their superficial dimensions ,i have already spoken1 and have described their appearance as seen from the deck of a ship in passage4 ,it will be hard however for one who has not stood on the concrete floor of one of these massive chambers and looked upward to their crest1 or walking out on one of the massive gates peered down into their depths1 to appreciate their full size4 ,it is all very well to say that the 8,imperator10 the greatest of ships now afloat1 could find room in one of these locks with five feet at each side1 and fifty feet at each end to spare1 but then few of us have seen the ,imperator and nobody has seen her in the lock4 ,it is all very well to figure that a six story house would not rise above the coping of one of these locks1 but imagination does not visualize the house there1 and moreover there are stories and stories in height4 ,yet as one stood on the floor of one of these great monolithic tanks as they were being rushed to completion in #aiac1 and saw locomotives dwarfed by the ponderous walls betwixt which they plied1 and whole trains of loaded dump cars swallowed up in a single lock chamber1 one got some idea of the magnitude of the work4 ,a track for a travelling crane extended down the center of the chamber and the monster rumbled back and forth carrying loads of material to their appointed destinations4 ,across the whole width of the ,canal below the locks stretched cable carriers upheld by skeleton devices of steel mounted on rails so that the pair of them1 though separated by #ejj feet of space1 spanned by the sagging cables1 could be moved in unison4 ,out on the swinging cables ran the loaded cars or buckets1 filled with concrete and dumped with a crash and a roar at the chosen place4 ,giant mixers ground up rock from ,porto ,bello1 sand from ,nombre de ,dios1 and cement from divers states of our union into a sort of ,brobdignagian porridge with which the hungry maws of the moulds were ceaselessly fed4 ,men wig-wagged signals with flags across gaping chasms4 ,steam whistles blew shrill warnings and cryptic orders4 ,wheels rumbled4 ,pulleys creaked4 ,it seemed that everything a man could do was being done by machine1 yet there was an army of men directing1 correcting and supplementing the mechanical labor4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,travelling ,,cranes ,,at ,,work ,mounted on rails these cranes carry the heaviest burdens4 ,those shown are placed for delivering concrete to the forms4 ,one crane will cost #fj1jjj ,into the locks at ,gatun will go #b1jjj1jjj cubic yards of concrete if the original estimate is adhered to4 ,a statistician estimates that it would build a wall #h feet wide and #ab feet high and #acc miles long--which would just about wall off the state of ,delaware from the rest of the ,union4 ,the side walls of each of the locks are practically monoliths1 constructed of concrete poured into great steel frames or moulds where it hardens into a solid mass4 ,they are based in the main on bed rock1 though it was found on making tests that the bed rock was not of sufficient extent to support the guide walls as well1 so one of these is therefore made cellular to lighten its weight1 which rests on piles of #fj feet long capped and surrounded with concrete4 ,this wall was built by slow stages and allowed to stand in order that its settlement might be uniform4 ,an examination of the picture below will make clear the method of constructing the lock walls1 for in it are shown the completed monoliths and a steel form half completed with men preparing it for the concrete therein4 ,col4 ,sibert describes the details of the work thus3 8,the locks proper are founded on rock and the heavy masonry is completed4 ,this rock foundation was not of sufficient extent1 however1 at available elevations1 for supporting the guide walls4 ,under that guide wall extending into the lake the underlying rock at the south end is about #aej feet below sea level1 and the overlying material is soft4 ,this wall is cellular in construction4 ,it is composed of four longitudinal walls about #b feet thick with cross walls about #ag feet apart1 all built of reinforced concrete4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,building ,a ,,monolith 8,the natural ground underlying the wall was about #h feet above sea level4 ,on this ground a wide fill with a very flat slope was constructed to elevation plus #ce1 and through this piles about #fj feet long1 #d-;foot centers1 were driven and a heavy reinforced concrete slab built around the heads of the piles1 on which was erected the cellular structure4 ,there was a continual slow settlement of this wall as its construction progressed4 ,it was brought to a height of #fa feet above sea level through its entire length in order that the settlement might extend over the whole base before any part was brought to full height4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,culvert ,,in ,,the ,,lock ,,wall 8,the north guide and flare walls are yet to be built4 ,it will be necessary to go to a depth of about #gj feet below sea level through very soft material in order to uncover the rock on which to build the flare walls4 ,under the guide wall itself the rock is at a still lower elevation1 and a pile foundation will probably be constructed1 the piling going to rock4 ,the material in this space was too soft to hold up steam shovels1 and it was decided to do the general excavation by suction dredges4 ,these dredges cut their way into the space where the walls in question are to be built1 making a channel just wide and deep enough for their passage4 ,they then widened out the cut and deepened it to #da feet below sea level4 ,an earthen dam was then built across the narrow entrance cut1 shutting off the connection with the sea1 and as the dredges worked they were lowered4 ,they are now floating at an elevation of #cb feet below sea level and can remove the material to the depth required4 ,after the excavation is completed it is proposed to have the dredges excavate a sump #fe feet below sea level and lower the water to #ej feet below sea level in order to test the stability of the sides of the cut4 ,if there is no sliding the pit will be filled with water2 the dredges floated out2 the dam across the entrance channel replaced and the excavation unwatered for the construction of the walls first referred to4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,,of ,,lock-,,gate ,,machinery ,illustration3 ,,towing ,,locomotive ,,climbing ,,to ,,upper ,,lock 8,the masonry of the ,gatun locks was largely placed by cableways1 having a span of #hjj feet1 covering the entire space to be occupied by the locks4 ,the stone and sand for the concrete were obtained1 respectively1 #bj and #dj miles down the ,caribbean coast1 and were brought in barges up the old ,french ,canal as closely as possible to the lock site1 and were unloaded by cableways into large stock piles near the bank4 ,the material1 however1 was still #c1ejj feet away and #fj feet below the center of lock construction4 ,this situation caused the adoption of a central mixing plant near the central portion of the locks1 consisting of eight #b-yard mixers4 ,an automatic1 electric1 loop-line railroad1 each car carrying the material for a batch of concrete1 was installed1 passing under the cement shed1 under the sand and stone piles2 and over the mixers4 ,the mixed concrete was delivered to the cableways requiring it by an electric line1 the flat cars of which were handled by electric locomotives4 ,steel forms were used in constructing the walls of the locks04 ,a vital feature of the locks is1 of course1 getting the water into and out of them1 and the method of operating the gigantic gates4 ,the former is simple enough of explanation1 though the modus operandi will be entirely concealed when the locks are in operation4 ,through each of the side walls1 and through the center walls which divide the pairs of locks1 runs a tunnel #ah feet in diameter4 ,to put it more graphically a tunnel large enough to take a mogul locomotive of the highest type4 ,from this main tunnel smaller ones branch off to the floors of the locks that are to be served1 and these smaller chutes are big enough for the passage of a farmer's wagon with a span of horses4 ,these smaller chutes extend under the floor of the lock and connect with it by valved openings1 the valves being operated by electricity4 ,there is no pumping of the water4 ,each lock is filled by the natural descent of the water from the lock above or from the lake4 ,by the use of the great culvert in the central wall the water can be transferred from a lock on the west side of the flight to one on the east1 or vice versa4 ,though it hardly seems necessary1 every possible device for the conservation of the water supply has been provided4 ,we will suppose a vessel from the ,atlantic reaches ,gatun and begins to climb to the lake above4 ,the electric locomotives tow her into the first lock1 which is filled just to the level of the ,canal4 ,the great gates close behind her4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,heavy ,,wheel ,,shown ,,is ,,the 8,,bull ,,wheel0 ,by its revolution it thrusts or withdraws the arm at the right which moves the gate ,how do they close8 ,what unseen power forces those huge gates of steel1 shut against the dogged resistance of the water8 ,they are #g feet thick1 #fe feet long and from #dg to #hb feet high4 ,they weigh from #cij to #gcj tons each4 ,add to this weight the resistance of the water and it becomes evident that large power is needed to operate them4 ,at ,gatun in the passing of a large ship through the locks1 it will be necessary to lower four fender chains1 operate six pairs of miter gates and force them to miter1 open and close eight pairs of rising stem gate valves for the main supply culverts1 and thirty cylindrical valves4 ,in all1 no less than #ih motors will be set in motion twice during each lockage of a single ship1 and this number may be increased to #adc1 dependent upon the previous position of the gates1 valves and other devices4 ,down under the surface of the lock wall1 packed into a little crypt which seems barely to afford room for its revolving1 is a great cogwheel #bj feet in diameter1 revolving slowly and operating a ponderous steel arm which thrusts out or pulls back the gate as desired4 ,the bull wheel1 they call it1 is driven by a #bg horse power motor1 while a smaller motor of #g horse power locks the gates tight after they are once in position4 ,two of these bull wheels1 and two each of the motors are needed for each pair of gates4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,tangled ,,maze ,,of ,,steel ,,skeletons ,,that ,,are ,a ,,lock ,,in ,,the ,,making ,the ship then is in the lowest lock1 one pair of gates closed tightly behind her4 ,another pair confronts her holding back the water in the lock above1 which if filled1 will be just #bh feet above the surface of that on which she floats4 ,but the water about her is now slowly rising4 ,another set of electric motors concealed in the concrete wall have set in motion the valves in the floor of the lock1 and the water is flowing in from the tunnels1 raising the ship and at the same time lowering the water in the lock above4 ,when the vessel's keel is higher than the sill of the lock above the upper gates swing slowly back and fold in flat with the wall4 ,the ship is now in a chamber #bjjj feet long filled to a level4 ,the locomotives pull her forward a thousand feet or so4 ,again great gates close behind her4 ,again the water rises slowly about her lifting her with it4 ,the first process is repeated and she enters the third lock4 ,by the time she has been drawn out into the lake and the locomotives have cast her off1 more than #ajj electric motors with a horse power ranging from #g to #ej each will have contributed to her progress4 ,altogether over #ajjj individual motors will be required for the different locks4 ,indeed the whole interior of those massive lock walls is penetrated by lighted galleries strung with insulated wires bearing a death-dealing current4 ,men will be stationed at the various machinery rooms1 but the whole line of machinery can be operated from a central operating tower on the lock above4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,gatun ,,lake ,,and ,,the ,,chagres ,,river ,that section of the ,canal1 which for the convenience of engineering records and directions is known as the ,central ,division1 comprises within its boundaries two of the great spectacular features of the ,isthmus--,gatun ,lake and the ,culebra ,cut4 ,i have already described the scenic characteristics of this lake1 but some discussion of the part it plays in the economy of the ,canal will not be out of place4 ,in the first place the creation of the lake depended on the type of canal to be selected4 ,a sea-level canal could not exist with the lake2 a lock canal could not have been built without it4 ,the meanderings of the ,chagres1 crossing and recrossing the only practicable line for the ,canal1 and its passionate outbursts in the rainy season made it an impossible obstacle to a sea-level canal1 and all the plans for a canal of that type contemplated damming the stream at some point above ,gatun--at ,bohio1 ,gamboa or ,alhajuela--and diverting its outflow into the ,pacific4 ,on the other hand the lock canal could not be built without some great reservoir of water to repeatedly fill its locks1 and to supply the waterpower whereby to operate them4 ,hence ,gatun ,lake was essential to the type of canal we adopted4 ,the lay reader will probably be surprised when he hears how carefully the area of the ,chagres watershed and the average rainfall were studied1 and the height of the dam and the spillway adjusted to make certain a sufficient supply of water for the locks4 ,the only locks with which these could be compared are those at the 8,soo01 or outlet of ,lake ,superior4 ,that canal1 the busiest one in the world for eight months in the year1 averaged #ci lockages a day during that period on the ,american side and a smaller number through the ,canadian locks4 ,the water in ,gatun ,lake will be sufficient for #da passages1 if the full length of the locks is used or #eh if only the partial length is used1 which will be the case with steamships of less than #ae1jjj tons--and in ships of this class the bulk of the world's trade is conducted4 ,if the limit of #da lockages seems low1 it must be remembered that time is quite as much a factor in the case as is the water supply4 ,it will take an hour and a half to put a ship through the locks4 ,that time therefore technically constitutes a 8passage04 ,in the #bd hours there would be #cf passages possible1 and under the circumstances that would draw most heavily on the lake there will be water enough for #da4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,chagres1 ,,showing ,,observer',s ,,car ,from the swinging car the observer measures the crest of the flood and rapidity of the current ,for the creation of this lake our engineers found the ,chagres ,river available4 ,it had dug the valley in which would be stored the vast volume of water needed1 and the unfailing flow from its broad watershed could be relied upon at all seasons--though indeed in the rainy season its contribution is sometimes embarrassingly lavish4 ,illustration3 ,,fluviograph ,,at ,,bohio1 ,,now ,,submerged ,illustration3 ,,automatic ,,fluviograph ,,on ,,gatun ,,lake ,every land comes to be judged largely by its rivers4 ,speak of ,egypt and you think of the ,nile2 ,india suggests the ,ganges2 ,england the ,thames2 and ,france the ,seine4 ,the ,chagres is as truly ,panamanian as the ,rhine is ,german and there have been watches on the ,chagres1 too1 when buccaneers and revolutionists urged their cayucas along its tortuous highway4 ,it was the highway by which the despoilers of ,peru carried their loot to the ,atlantic on the way to ,spain1 and along its tide drifted the later argonauts who sought the golden fleece in ,california in the days of '#di4 ,the poet too has sung it1 but not in words of praise4 ,listen to its most famous lyric from the pen of ,james ,henry ,gilbert1 ,panama's most famous bard and most cruel critic4 8,beyond the ,chagres ,river ,are the paths that lead to death-- ,to the fever's deadly breezes1 ,to malaria's poisonous breath6 ,beyond the tropic foliage1 ,where the alligator waits1 ,are the mansions of the ,devil-- ,his original estates4 8,beyond the ,chagres ,river ,are the paths fore'er unknown1 ,with a spider 'neath each pebble ,a scorpion 'neath each stone4 ',tis here the boa-constrictor ,his fatal banquet holds1 ,and to his slimy bosom ,his hapless guest enfolds6 8,beyond the ,chagres ,river ',tis said--the story's old-- ,are paths that lead to mountains ,of purest virgin gold2 ,but 'tis my firm conviction1 ,whatever tales they tell1 ,that beyond the ,chagres ,river ,all paths lead straight to ,hell06 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,village ,,of ,,bohio1 ,,now ,,submerged ,a much maligned stream is the ,river ,chagres4 ,pioneers1 pirates1 prospectors and poets have vied with each other in applying the vocabulary of contumely and abuse to it1 and the practitioners of medicine have attached its name to a peculiarly depressing and virulent type of tropical fever4 ,but the humble native loves it dearly and his homes1 either villages of from ten to forty family huts1 or mere isolated cabins cling to its shores all the way from ,fort ,lorenzo to the head waters far beyond the boundary of the ,canal ,zone4 ,the native too has something of an eye for the picturesque4 ,always his huts are erected on a bluff of from #ae to #dj feet rise from the river1 with the ground cleared before them to give an unblocked view of the stream4 ,whether by accident or because of a real art instinct he is very apt to choose a point at a bend in the river with a view both up and down the stream4 ,possibly however art had less to do with his choice than an instinct of self-defense1 for in the days of ,isthmian turbulence1 or for that matter today1 the rivers were the chief highways and it was well to be on guard for hostile forces coming from either direction4 ,illustration3 ,,steps ,,leading ,,to ,,fluviograph ,,station ,,at ,,alhajuela ,this is one of the more distant stations1 being ten or more miles outside the ,canal ,zone ,illustration3 ,a ,,light ,,house ,,in ,,the ,,jungle ,i saw the upper ,chagres in the last days of its existence as a swirling stream full of rapids1 rushing along a narrow channel between banks sometimes rising in limestone cliffs #fj feet high and capped by dense tropical foliage ascending perhaps as much higher into the blue tropical sky4 ,the river was at its best and most picturesque as at the opening of the dry season we poled our way up from ,matachin towards its source4 ,then ,matachin was a hamlet of canal workers1 and a weekly market for the natives who brought thither boat loads of oranges1 bananas1 yams and plantains4 ,sometimes they carried stranger cargoes4 ,i heard a commission given one native to fetch down a young tiger for somebody who wanted to emulate ,sarah ,bernhardt in the choice of pets4 ,iguanas1 the great edible lizard of ,panama1 young deer1 and cages of parrots or paroquets occasionally appear4 ,but as a market ,matachin is doomed1 for it is to be submerged4 ,with it will go an interesting discussion of the etymology of its name1 one party holding that it signifies 8dead ,chinamen0 as being the spot where imported ,chinese coolies died in throngs of homesickness during the construction of the ,panama ,railroad4 ,but the word also means 8butcher0 in ,spanish and some think it commemorates some massacre of the early days4 ,however sanguinary its origin there will presently be water enough to wash out all the stains of blood4 ,in #aiac the place was one of the principal zone villages1 with large machine shops and a labor colony exceeding #aejj in number4 ,all vanishes before the rising lake1 which will be here a mile wide4 ,the native craft by which alone the ,chagres could be navigated prior to the creation of the lake are long1 slender canoes fashioned usually from the trunks of the espev tree1 hollowed out by fire and shaped within and without with the indispensable machete4 ,it is said that occasionally one is hewn from a mahogany log1 for the native has little idea of the comparative value of the different kinds of timber4 ,mahogany and rosewood logs worth thousands of dollars in ,new ,york are doing humble service in native huts in ,panama4 ,but the native has a very clear understanding of the comparative labor involved in hewing out a hardwood log1 and the cayucas are therefore mainly of the softer espev1 a compact wood with but little grain which does not crack or splinter when dragged roughly over the rocks of the innumerable rapids4 ,the river cayuca is about #be feet along with an extreme beam of about #b feet and a draft of #f to #aj inches4 ,naturally it is crank and can tip a white man into the stream with singular celerity1 usually righting itself and speeding swiftly away with the rushing current4 ,but the natives tread it as confidently as though it were a scow4 ,for upstream propulsion long poles are used1 there being usually two men to a boat1 though one man standing in the stern of a #cj-;foot loaded cayuca and thrusting it merrily up stream1 through rocky rapids and swirling whirlpools is no uncommon sight4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,riverside ,,market ,,at ,,matachin ,our craft was longer--#ce feet in all1 and in the official service of the ,canal commission had risen to the dignity of a coat of green paint besides having a captain and a crew of two men4 ,our captain1 though but in his nineteenth year1 was a person of some dignity1 conveying his orders to the crew in tones of command1 though not averse to joining in the lively badinage with which they greeted passing boatmen1 or rallied maidens1 washing linen in the streams1 upon their slightly concealed charms4 ,the corrupt ,spanish they spoke made it difficult to do more than catch the general import of these playful interchanges4 ,curiously enough the native peasant has no desire to learn ,english1 and frequently conceals that accomplishment1 if he has attained it1 as though it were a thing of which to be ashamed4 ,this attitude is the more perplexing in view of the fact that the commission pays more to ,english speaking natives4 8,this boy ,manuel01 said my host to me in low tones1 8understands ,english and can speak it after a fashion1 but rarely does so4 ,i entrapped him once in a brief conversation and said to him1 #8,manuel1 why don't you speak ,english and get on the roll of ,english speaking employees8 ,you are getting #fb4ej gold a month now2 then you'd get #ge at least'4 8,manuel dropped his ,english at once4 #8,no quiero aprender a hablar ingles'1 said he1 #8,para mi basta el espaol'04 7,i don't care4 ,spanish good enough for me47 ,illustration3 ,,railroad ,,bridge ,,over ,,the ,,chagres ,,at ,,gamboa ,river is at low water4 ,for picture showing it at flood1 see page #ada ,manuel indeed was the son of the alcalde of his village1 and the alcalde is a person of much power and of grandeur proportionate to the number of thatched huts in his domain4 ,the son bore himself as one of high lineage and his face indeed1 ,caucasian in all save color1 showed that ,spanish blood predominated over the universal admixture of negro4 ,he saved his money1 spending less than #aj a month and investing the rest in horses4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,quiet ,,beach ,,on ,,the ,,chagres ,from ,matachin up to ,cruces the river is comparatively commonplace1 spanned at one point by the ,gamboa bridge up at which the voyager looks reflectively from below as he hears that when the spillway is closed and the lake filled up there will be but #ae feet headway above the river's crest1 where at the moment there is more than #fj4 ,higher up are the towers1 housing the machinery for recording the river's rise1 one of them a relic of the ,french rgime1 while a slender wire spanning the stream carries the pendulous car in which observers will go out at flood time to measure the height of the tide's crest and the speed of the current4 ,a stream of many moods is the ,chagres1 sometimes rising #dj feet in #bd hours4 ,accordingly along its banks and those of its principal tributaries are fluviographic stations whence watchers may telephone to the keepers of the flood gates of the dam warnings of the coming of any sudden freshet4 ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,,the ,,river ,,and ,,village ,,of ,,chagres ,the little hamlet of rude thatched huts with a frame ,catholic church in the middle has seen history in its time4 ,the ,spanish fortress of ,san ,lorenzo on the hill was taken by ,sir ,henry ,morgan's buccaneers and later by the ,british under ,admiral ,vernon after hard fighting4 ,in the matter of conserving the waters of the ,chagres1 estimating the total capacity of the watershed and in providing for swift forwarding of information concerning sudden rises we shall always be under great obligations to the ,french4 ,their hydrographic observations and records are invaluable1 and their stations established before we assumed control are still used1 with much of their machinery4 ,stations are maintained far up the valleys of the ,chagres and tributary rivulets1 and all are connected with the central control at ,gatun dam by telephone4 ,some of the stations are equipped with automatic machinery which1 in the event of a rise during the night summons the keeper by ringing an alarm bell4 ,the life of the keeper of a fluviograph station1 miles perhaps of jungle isolating him from the nearest human habitation1 is lonesome enough4 ,yet its monotony is sometimes relieved by lively incident4 ,the irascible ,chagres1 for example1 once caught the keeper at ,alhajuela with a sudden rise1 and compelled him to camp out a night and day in a tree top and see his house1 pigs and poultry swept away on the rushing tide4 ,there was a fair chance that the tree would follow4 ,illustration3 ,,poling ,,up ,,the ,,rapids ,illustration3 ,photo by ,s4 ,h4 ,elliott ,,construction ,,work ,,on ,,the ,,spillway ,on our way up the river to visit some of the fluviographs we landed at ,cruces1 went a brief space into the jungle and cleared away with machetes the tangled vegetation until the old trail1 or ,royal ,road to ,panama1 was laid bare4 ,three to four feet wide or thereabouts it was1 and at points rudely paved with cobble stones4 ,the nature and dimensions of the trail show that it was not intended for wheeled carriages1 and indeed a native vehicle is a rarity on the ,isthmus today1 except in the towns4 ,time came when with the growing power and cruelty of the ,spaniards this ,camina ,reale1 or ,king's ,highway1 was watered with the blood of ,indian slaves1 bearing often their own possessions stolen from them by the ,spaniard who plied on their bent backs his bloody lash4 ,it may have been over this trail that ,balboa carried1 with incredible labor1 the frames of three ships or caravels1 which he afterwards erected and launched in the ,pacific4 ,several years ago there were found in the jungle near ,cruces two heavy anchors1 with #ad-;foot shafts and weighing about #fjj pounds which had been carried thus far on the way to the ,pacific and there dropped and left to the kindly burial of the tropical jungle4 ,when they were discovered a too loyal graduate of our military academy at ,west ,point in charge of some engineering work on the ,isthmus1 thought it would be a fine thing to send them up there and have them preserved on the parade ground of the academy4 ,without announcing his intention he had them removed from the spot where they were found and had taken them as far as the steamship wharf at ,colon when ,col4 ,goethals--who has a habit of hearing of things that are not announced--quietly interfered4 ,the anchors were removed to some safe spot and in due time will form part of the historic decorations of the new city of ,balboa4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,water ,,gates ,,in ,,lock ,,wall ,through these gates the water is admitted to the great conduit in the center wall of the lock ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,lake ,,above ,,gatun ,doubtless by the standards of these days the wealth that was carried back and forth along the ,royal ,road by men crushed low like termite ants beneath their heavy burdens1 was not great4 ,yet one gets some idea of the volume of the trade from ,bancroft's statement that in the year #afbd1 just four years after the landing of the ,mayflower1 goods to the amount of #a1ddf1cdf pesos d'oro 7practically an equal number of dollars71 were registered at the ,casa1 or custom house1 while probably #g millions of dollars' worth of goods were smuggled through4 ,there were great warehouses then and a stone church with a neighboring monastery to which it was customary to send the children of the richer people at ,nombre de ,dios to be kept until they had attained their seventh year4 ,for that piously named town was almost a plague spot and its miasmatic atmosphere was fatal to tender infants4 ,the paved trail echoes no more with the muleteer's cry1 or the clatter of hoofs1 nor are there wine shops to tempt the traveler1 for there are none to be tempted4 ,but even in its palmiest days ,cruces could have been but a dismal spot4 ,gage1 a soldier of fortune and an itinerant preacher1 visited the village in #afch and left us this record3 8,before ten of the clock we got to ,venta de ,cruces where lived none but mulattoes and blackmores who belong unto the flat boates that merchandize to ,portobel4 ,there ,i had much good entertainment by the people who desired me to preach unto them the next ,sabbath day and gave me twenty crownes for my sermon and procession4 ,after five days of my abode there1 the boats set out1 which were much stopped in their passage down the river1 for in some places we found the water very low1 so that the boats ran upon the gravel2 from whence with poles and the strength of the blackmores they were to be lifted off again04 ,after the lapse of almost four centuries we found the shallows still there and the blackmores--or their descendants--ready to carry our boat past their fall4 ,but the people who paid the early traveler twenty crowns for a sermon had vanished as irrevocably as the city's public edifices1 and no descendants of like piety remain4 ,morgan's fierce raiders swept through the village in #afgj1 and its downfall may have begun then1 for the stout ,protestantism of the buccaneers manifested itself in burning ,catholic churches and monasteries in intervals of the less pious1 but more pleasing1 occupation of robbing the ,spaniards or torturing them to extort confessions of the hiding places of their wealth4 ,illustration3 ,,how ,,they ,,gather ,,at ,,the ,,river ,sir ,henry ,morgan1 however1 was not the only famous man of battles to pass through ,cruces4 ,in #aheb a very quiet young captain in the army of the ,united ,states1 one ,ulysses ,s4 ,grant1 was there in command of a company of the ,fourth ,regiment of ,infantry1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 proceeding from ,new ,york to ,san ,francisco4 ,cholera broke out among the men and the loss while on the ,isthmus was heavy4 ,at ,cruces the men were detained for days1 the roster of the sick growing daily1 while rascally contractors who had agreed to furnish mules to the army sold them at higher prices to private parties eager to get away from the pest hole4 ,according to the surgeon's report the situation was saved by ,grant1 who made a new contract and enforced it--the latter being a practice that grew on him in later days4 ,illustration3 ,,washerwomen',s ,,shelters ,,by ,,the ,,river ,for protection against the burning sun they erect small shanties of palms ,for a brief space in the days of the gold rush to ,california in #ahdh-'ed1 ,cruces bade fair to regain its early importance4 ,once the half-way place on the trail of ,spaniards marching to steal gold from the ,peruvians1 and ,englishmen following to rob and murder the robbers in turn1 it became the meeting place of prospectors going out to ,california full of hope1 and of miners returning1 some laden with gold but more bowed with disappointment4 ,again ,cruces became the point at which people and freights were transferred from the river to the trail1 or vice versa4 ,but another trail reached the river's bank at ,gorgona and this village became a considerable rival to the older and larger place higher up stream4 ,here were several rambling wooden houses dignified by the name of hotels of which no trace remains today4 ,the whole village1 a considerable one in the spring of #aiac1 with a population of at least #c1jjj1 is to be abandoned to the rising tide of ,gatun ,lake1 and such portions of it as escape submergence by the water will be overwhelmed by the equally irresistible jungle4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,ferry ,,on ,,the ,,upper ,,chagres ,charles ,t4 ,bidwell1 an ,english traveler who crossed the ,isthmus in #ahec by way of the ,gorgona route1 says of the pleasures of a sojourn in that town1 8,the place contained a few stores and more drinking saloons1 most of which were kept by the #8enterprising ,yankee'4 ,the ,gorgona road to ,panama was just then open1 it being passable only in the dry season1 and it was estimated that #b1jjj persons had passed through this place on their way to or from ,california4 99 99 99 ,we decided to take the ,gorgona road and arranged to have saddle mules ready in the morning to convey us to ,panama for #bj each and to pay #af cents a pound additional for the conveyance of our luggage04 7,the distance now by rail1 which closely follows the old trail is #af miles1 the fare #hj cents47 8,we then went to inspect #8a free ball' which had been got up with all available splendor in honor of some feast1 and here we had a rare opportunity of seeing assembled many shades of color in the human face divine2 a gorgeous display of native jewelry and not the most happy mixture of bright colors in the toilettes of those who claimed to be the #8fair sex'4 ,dancing however1 and drinking too1 seemed to be kept up with no lack of spirit and energy to the inharmonious combination of a fiddle and a drum2 and those of the assembly whose tastes led them to quieter pursuits had the opportunity of losing at adjoining gaming tables the dollars they had so easily and quickly extracted from the travelers who had had occasion to avail themselves of their services4 ,these tables too were kept by the enterprising ,yankee4 ,having seen all this1 and smoked out our cigars1 we sought our beds1 when we found for each a shelf or bunk in a room which our host boasted had at a push contained twenty-five or thirty people4 99 99 99 ,on awakening at daylight ,i found a basin and a pail of water set out in the open air on an old pianoforte1 which some traveler had probably been tempted to bring thus far on the road04 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,w4 ,t4 ,beyer ,,the ,,much ,,prized ,,iguana ,this lizard1 which attains a length of five feet1 is esteemed a delicacy in ,panama ,the writer goes on to say that it took a little over two days to traverse the distance to ,panama1 the guides having stolen the mules they had rented and made off during the night4 ,above ,cruces the banks of the ,chagres begin to rise in perpendicular limestone cliffs1 perhaps #fj or #gj feet high while from their crests the giant tropic trees1 the wild fig1 the ,panama1 the ,ceiba and the sentinel rise yet another one hundred feet into the bright blue sky4 ,amongst them flash back and forth bright colored parrots and paroquets1 kingfishers like those of our northern states1 only gaudier1 and swallows innumerable4 ,up and down the river fly heavy cormorants disturbed by the clank of the poles among the stones of the river bottom1 but not too shy to come within #ej feet or so of our boat where1 much to my satisfaction1 there is no gun4 ,white and blue herons stand statuesque in the shallows with now and then an aigret4 ,of life other than feathered one sees but little here4 ,a few fish leaped1 but though the river was crystalline and my guide assured me it was full of fish ,i saw none lurking in either deeps or shallows4 ,yet he must have been right for the natives make much of fish as an article of diet1 catching them chiefly by night lines or the unsportsmanlike practice of dynamiting the stream1 which has been prohibited by the ,panama authorities1 although the prohibition is but little enforced4 ,now and then an alligator slips lazily from the shore into the stream but they are not as plentiful here as in the tidal waters of the lower river4 ,occasionally1 too1 a shrill cry from one of our boatmen1 taken up by the other two at once1 turns attention to the underbrush on the bank1 where the ungainly form of an iguana is seen scuttling for safety4 ,ugliest of beasts is the iguana1 a greenish1 bulbous1 pop-eyed crocodile1 he serves as the best possible model for a dragon to be slain by some ,st4 ,george4 ,the ,gila monster of ,arizona is a veritable ,venus of reptiles in comparison to him1 and the devil fish could give him no lessons in repulsiveness4 ,yet the ,panamanian loves him dearly as a dish4 ,let one scurry across the road1 or1 dropping from a bough1 walk on the surface of a river--as they literally do--and every dark-skinned native in sight will set up such a shout as we may fancy rose from oldtime revellers when the boar's head was brought in for the ,yuletide feast4 ,not more does the ,mississippi darkey love his possum an' sweet 'taters1 the ,chinaman his bird's nest soup and watermelon seeds1 the ,frenchman his absinthe or the ,german his beer than does the ,panamanian his iguana4 ,illustration3 ,,cruces--,a ,,little ,,town ,,with ,a ,,long ,,history ,in a mild way the ,chagres may lay claim to being a scenic stream1 and perhaps in future days when the excellence of its climate in the winter becomes known in our ,united ,states1 and the back waters of the lake have made its upper reaches navigable1 excursion launches may ply above ,cruces and almost to ,alhajuela4 ,near the latter point is a spot which should become a shrine for ,progressive ,republican pilgrims4 ,a low cliff of white limestone1 swept clear of vegetation and polished by the river at high water describes an arc of a circle hollowed out by the swift river which rushes underneath4 ,springs on the bluff above have sent out little rivulets which trickling down the face of the stone have scarred it with parallel vertical grooves a foot or two apart4 ,seen from the further side of the stream it bears a startling likeness to a huge human upper jaw with glistening teeth4 ,with a fine sense of the fitness of things the river men have named it 8,boca del ,roosevelt0--,roosevelt's mouth4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,native ,,charcoal ,,burner ,some of the fluviograph stations are located far beyond the limits of the ,canal ,zone1 but by the terms of the treaty with the ,republic of ,panama the ,canal ,commission has over such headwaters and reaches of the ,chagres such jurisdiction as may be necessary for the protection and regulation of ,gatun ,lake4 ,we went to one of these stations some #bj miles of poling up the ,chagres beyond ,alhajuela4 ,the keeper was a native of the ,canary ,islands who had mastered ,english sufficiently to make his reports over the 'phone4 ,his wife1 who greeted us in starched cotton with a pink hair ribbon1 pink shoes and a wealth of silver ornaments1 was a native1 dark of complexion as a ,jamaica negress1 but her sister who was there on a visit was as white as a ,caucasian4 ,doctors on the ,zone say that these curious variations in type in the same family are so common that they can never foretell within several shades1 the complexion of a baby about to be born4 ,the keeper of this station was paid #fe4ej monthly and the ,commission supplied his house1 which was of the native type and cost about #he4 ,though many children1 pickaninnies1 little ,canaries or whatever clustered about his door1 his living expenses were practically nothing4 ,expense for clothing began only when the youngsters had reached #aa or #ab years of age and thereafter was almost negligible--as indeed were the clothes4 ,the river furnished fish1 the jungle iguanas1 wild pigs and birds2 the little garden patch yams1 bananas1 mangoes and other fruits4 ,he was far removed from the temptations of ,matachin1 or other riotous market places and he saved practically all of his pay4 ,his ambition was to get enough to return to his native isles1 buy a wine-shop and settle down to a leisurely old age--though no occupation could much outdo for laziness the task of watching for the rising of the ,chagres in the dry season4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,natives' ,,afternoon ,,tea ,returning from the upper waters of the ,chagres one reaches ,gatun ,lake at ,gamboa where the railway bridge crosses on seven stone piers4 ,a little above is a fluviograph station fitted with a wire cable extending across the stream and carrying a car from which an observer may take measurements of the crest of any flood4 ,indeed the river is watched and measured to its very sources4 ,it long ago proved itself unfit for trust1 and one who has seen it in flood time1 #dj feet higher than normal1 bearing on its angry1 tawny bosom houses1 great trees1 cayucas stolen from their owners1 and dead animals1 sweeping away bluffs at bends and rolling great boulders along its banks1 will readily understand why the builders of the ,canal stationed scouts and spies throughout the ,chagres territory to send ample and early warning of its coming wrath4 ,leaving the ,chagres1 turning into ,gatun ,lake and directing our course away from the dam and toward the ,pacific end of the ,canal1 we traversed a broad and placid body of water interspersed with densely wooded islands1 which very soon narrows to the normal width of the ,canal4 ,in midsummer1 #aiac1 when the author conducted his inspection1 a broad dyke at ,bas ,obispo cut off ,gatun ,lake and its waters from the ,canal trench1 then dry1 which here extends in an almost straight line1 #cjj feet wide1 through steadily rising banks to the continental divide at ,culebra4 ,the railroad then crossed upon this dyke to the western side of the ,canal and passed through several construction towns and villages1 abandoned later when the ,canal was filled and the railroad moved to the other side4 ,tourists with an eye for the spectacular used to stand on this dyke and speculate upon the thrilling sight when a huge blast of dynamite should rend the barrier1 and in a mighty wave the waters of ,gatun ,lake should rush down the broad channel betwixt the eternal hills to make at last the long desired waterway from ,orient to ,occident4 ,but unhappily ,col4 ,goethals and his associates unsentimentally put the picturesque aside for the practical4 ,no dynamite blast1 no surging charge of waters through the cut1 entered into their program4 ,instead with mighty siphons the water was to be lifted over the barrier and poured into the ,canal for days until the two bodies of water were nearly at a level4 ,then by the prosaic use of floating dredges the dyke would be removed and the ,canal opened from ,gatun ,locks to the locks at ,pedro ,miguel4 ,illustration3 ,,piers ,,of ,,the ,,abandoned ,,panama ,,railway ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,culebra ,,cut4 ,technically what is known as the ,culebra ,cut extends from ,bas ,obispo to the locks at ,pedro ,miguel1 a distance of nine miles4 ,to the general public understanding1 however1 the term applies only to the point of greatest excavation between ,gold ,hill and ,contractor's ,hill4 ,but at ,bas ,obispo the walls of the ,canal for the first time rise above the water level of ,gatun ,lake4 ,at that point the cutting begins1 the walls rising higher and higher1 the ,canal pressing stubbornly onward at a dead level1 until the supreme height of the continental divide is attained at ,gold ,hill4 ,thenceforward on the line toward ,panama ,city the hills grow lower until at the entrance to the locks at ,pedro ,miguel the banks sink practically to the water level4 ,out of this nine mile stretch there had been taken up to ,january #a1 #aiac1 just #hh1eca1bcg cubic yards of material and it was then estimated that there then remained to be excavated #e1cea1dai cubic yards more4 ,but the later estimate was destined to be largely increased for1 after the date at which it was made1 the number and extent of 8slides0 in the deepest part of the cut increased to staggering proportions4 ,col4 ,d4 ,d4 ,gaillard1 ,member of the ,commission and ,division ,engineer in charge of the ,culebra ,cut1 estimated in #aiab that in all #aae1jjj1jjj cubic yards would have to be removed4 ,to the general public the slides seemed to menace the very existence and practicability of the ,canal1 though the engineers knew that they began even with the superficial excavating done by the ,french1 and had therefore made allowance for them in their estimates4 ,not sufficient allowance however was made1 and as month after month brought tidings of new slides1 with terrifying details of such incidents as whole forests moving1 vast cracks opening in the earth1 large buildings in imminent danger of being swept into the ,cut1 the bottom of the ,canal mysteriously rising ten to fifteen feet in the air1 while smoke oozed from the pores of the adjacent earth--when such direful reports filled the newspapers the public became nervous1 almost abandoning hope of the success of the great enterprise4 ,illustration3 ,,working ,,on ,,three ,,levels ,this attitude of apprehension on the part of the public is scarcely surprising4 ,if the ,capitol ,park at ,washington1 with the ,national ,capitol cresting it1 should suddenly begin to move down into ,pennsylvania ,avenue at the rate of about three feet a day the authorities of the city would naturally feel some degree of annoyance4 ,and if the smooth and level asphalt of that historic thoroughfare should1 over night1 rise up into the air #ah feet in spots those responsible for traffic might not unreasonably be somewhat worried4 ,such a phenomenon would not be so startling in mere magnitude as the slides which added so greatly to the work of the engineers on the ,canal1 and made tourists1 wise with the ripe fruits of five days' observation1 wag their heads knowingly when ,col4 ,goethals calmly repeated his assertion that the water would be turned in by ,august4 ,the ,colonel1 however1 had not withdrawn or even modified this prophecy so late as ,june #aj1 #aiac4 ,despite the almost daily news of increased activity of the slides he clung with tenacity to his purpose of putting a ship through in ,october4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy of ,scientific ,american ,,the ,,original ,,culebra ,,slide ,a ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 club had to be moved to escape this slide which in #aiac was still moving ,if these slides were an entirely new and unexpected development for which no allowance of either time or money had been made in the estimates of the ,canal builders they would of course justify the apprehension they have awakened in the non-professional mind4 ,but the slides were in fact anticipated4 ,the first slide recorded during our work on the ,isthmus was in #aije2 the others have only been bigger1 and have been bigger only because the ,canal being dug deeper has weakened the bases of even bigger hills along the banks4 ,all the same1 the proportions of the slides are terrifying and the chief geologist declared that they would not cease until the angle of the ,canal bank became so gentle that gravity would not pull the crest down4 ,the slides are of two sorts4 ,the simpler is a mere swift rush of all the loose surface dirt1 sand1 gravel and stone down the surface of the bank4 ,these gravity slides1 mere dirt avalanches1 though troublesome1 present no new problems4 ,to stop them it is necessary only to carry the crest of the bank further back so that the angle will be less steep4 ,but the great1 troublesome slides are those caused by the pressure of the hill-top on its undermined and weakened base4 ,these originate at the top of the hill1 making their presence known by gaping fissures opening in the earth and extending in lines roughly parallel to the ,canal4 ,once started the whole mass1 acres in extent1 moves slowly toward the cavity of the ,canal1 three feet a day being its swiftest recorded progress4 ,at ,culebra the slides compelled the moving of a large part of the town away from the edge of the ,cut1 lest it be swept into the gorge4 ,the ,culebra ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 clubhouse1 the largest on the ,zone had to be torn down to escape this peril4 ,as the slide moves slowly downward1 its colossal weight applied at points where nature had made no provision for it1 forces the earth upward at the point where it can offer the least resistance1 namely the bed of the ,canal4 ,sometimes this upheaval1 so mysterious to the non-technical mind1 attains a height of eighteen feet4 ,again1 the friction of this huge mass of stone and gravel creates heat1 which turns into steam the rills of water that everywhere percolates through the soil4 ,the upheaval of the ,canal bed1 and the occasional outpourings of steam have led at times to exaggerated and wholly unfounded reports in the newspapers of volcanic action being one of the new problems with which the ,canal builders had to grapple4 ,the story told about the extent of the slides is sufficiently alarming1 but the calmness with which ,col4 ,goethals and his lieutenants meet the situation is reassuring4 ,according to the official report there were twenty-six slides and breaks in ,culebra ,cut to ,january #a1 #aiac with a total area of #bbe acres4 ,since that date many others have occurred4 ,it is estimated that because of slides between #ba1jjj1jjj and #bb1jjj1jjj cubic yards of material in excess of the original estimate will have been taken out of the ,cut before completion4 ,this is just about one-fifth of the total amount of excavation1 dry and wet1 estimated originally for the whole ,canal4 ,but the attitude of the engineers toward this addition to their labors was merely one of calm acceptance of the inevitable and a dogged determination to get the stuff out of the way4 ,the slides were an obstacle2 so was the whole isthmus for that matter4 ,but all that was necessary was to keep the shovels working and the slides would be removed and the isthmus pierced4 ,to my mind one of the finest evidences of the spirit animating the ,canal force was the fashion in which this problem of the slides has been approached4 ,it was at first disappointing1 almost demoralizing1 to find over night the work of weeks undone and the day when 8finis0 could be written to the volume put far over into the future4 ,but the only effect was a tighter grip on the pick and the shovel1 a new determination to force through the ,canal4 ,culebra was approached as ,grant approached ,vicksburg4 ,to reduce it and to open the ,canal to traffic1 as ,grant opened the ,mississippi to the steamboats of the nation1 took more time than was at first expected1 but it had to be done4 ,the dirt could not always slide in faster than it could be carted out1 for in time there would be no dirt left to slide4 ,and so1 undismayed and intent upon success1 the whole force from ,col4 ,goethals to the youngest engineer moved on ,culebra and the doom of that stubborn block to progress was sealed4 ,illustration3 ,,slide ,,on ,,west ,,bank ,,of ,,the ,,canal ,,near ,,culebra ,picture shows about #a1jjj1jjj cubic yards of material moving toward the cut at about three yards a day ,to the unscientific mind the slides are terrifying in their magnitude and in the evidence they give of irresistible force4 ,man can no more check their advance than he can that of a glacier which in a way they resemble4 ,when ,i was on the ,isthmus the great ,cucaracha slide was in progress1 and had been for that matter since #aijg4 ,it had a total area of #dg acres and extended up the east bank of the ,canal for about #aijj feet from the axis of the ,canal4 ,when it began its progress was disconcertingly rapid4 ,its base1 foot1 or 8toe0--these anatomical terms in engineering are sometimes perplexing--moved across the canal bed at the rate of #ad feet a day4 ,all that stood in its path was buried1 torn to pieces or carried along with the resistless glacier of mud4 ,not content with filling the ,canal from one side to the other1 the dirt rose on the further side to a height of about #cj feet4 ,not only was the work of months obliterated1 but work was laid out for years to come4 ,indeed in #aiac they were still digging at the ,cucaracha slide and the end was not in sight4 ,this slide was wholly a gravity slide1 caused by a mass of earth slipping on the inclined surface of some smooth and slippery material like clay on which it rests4 ,the nature of the phenomenon is clearly shown by the diagram printed on the next page in which the slide marked ,c is of the type just described4 ,illustration3 ,,attacking ,,the ,,cucaracha ,,slide ,this slide has filled the ,cut from side to side4 ,a partial ,cut has been dug through its center and the shovels are seen working on either side4 ,the tracks are moved nightly as the material is removed4 ,on the west bank of the ,canal occurred a slide of the second type caused by the crushing and squeezing out of underlying layers of soft material by the prodigious pressure of the high banks left untouched by the steam shovels4 ,this slide is usually accompanied by the uprising of the bed of the ,canal sometimes to a height of thirty feet4 ,col4 ,gaillard tells of standing on the bed of the ,canal1 observing the working of a steam shovel1 when it gradually dawned upon him that he was no longer on the level of the shovel4 ,at first he thought that the shovel must have been placed upon a bit of boggy land and was slowly sinking1 but on investigation he discovered that the point on which he was standing had been slowly rising until within five minutes he had been lifted six feet without jar and with no sensation of motion4 ,a perfectly simple illustration of the way in which this elevation of the bed of the ,canal is caused may be obtained by pressing the hand upon a pan of dough4 ,the dough will of course rise at the side of the hand4 ,on the 8big job0 the towering hills furnished the pressure1 the bed of the ,canal rose like the dough4 ,in the diagram already referred to1 the slide to the right marked 8,b0 is of the type here described4 ,to cope with it1 the work of the shovels and dirt trains in the ,canal carrying the dbris away is supplemented by others above removing the crest of the slide and thus lightening the pressure4 ,in the diagram shovels are shown thus working on two levels1 but ,i have seen four terraces of the same slide bearing steam shovels and rumbling dirt trains hurrying the dbris away to where it will no longer be a menace4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,,of ,,culebra ,,cut ,,slides ,c4 is a slide moving over a slippery surface2 the mass ,b breaks on a line of cleavage and crushes the underlying material1 forcing it up at ,a4 ,the steam shovels are working to reduce pressure on ,b ,illustration3 ,courtesy of ,scientific ,american ,a ,,rock ,,slide ,,near ,,empire ,about #djj1jjj cubic yards of rock broke away1 half filling the cut and opening it to the water of the ,obispo ,diversion ,canal ,the ,culebra slide possessed a certain remorselessness which was not manifested by any of the others in quite so picturesque a way4 ,for this slide1 with apparently human malice1 attacked not only the work done on the ,canal proper1 but like a well directed army moved on the headquarters of its foe4 ,its first manifestation appeared in the form of a wide crack in the earth at the crest of the hill on which sits the town of ,culebra1 and directly in front of the building used by ,col4 ,gaillard as division headquarters for the engineers4 ,retreat was the only course possible in the face of such an enemy and the building was sacrificed4 ,the ,culebra ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 clubhouse too was a point of attack for the remorseless foe4 ,it stood on the very crest of the hill1 a beautiful building on a most beautiful site4 ,the serpent of ,culebra ,cut--the word 8culebra0 means snake--saw this pleasant place of rest and marked it for his own4 ,nothing remained but to rally a force of men and tear the building down for rerection at some other point4 ,it was probably the largest and most attractive clubhouse on the ,zone1 but where it once stood there was a nearly sheer drop of about sixty feet1 when first ,i visited the scene of the slide4 ,before the spot1 too1 on which the engineering headquarters had stood1 there was a patch of lawn that had slid some eighty feet down into the ,cut4 ,with it traveled along a young eucalyptus tree waving its leaves defiantly in the face of the enemy that was bearing it to irrevocable disaster4 ,whether the ,culebra slide had attained its fullest proportions in #aiac could not be told with certainty though the belief was current that it had4 ,while the crest of the hill had not been fully reached1 the top of the slide began at the edge of a sort of jog or terrace that extended away from the ,cut some distance on a level before the ground began to slope upward again4 ,should it extend further a very considerable and beautiful part of the town would be destroyed1 but as it is to be abandoned in any event on the completion of the ,canal1 this phase of the matter does not give the ,commission much concern4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,author ,,at ,,culebra ,,cut ,illustration3 ,,cutting ,,at ,,base ,,of ,,contractors ,,hill ,this shows the point at which the ,cut is deepest4 ,the actual level of canal bed was not reached at the time this photograph was taken ,a third slide1 of lesser proportions which seriously complicated the work of the engineers1 occurred near ,empire in ,august1 #aiab4 ,here about #djj1jjj cubic yards of rock slipped into the ,cut1 wrecking cars1 destroying tracks and machinery and flooding the ,canal with water from the ,obispo diversion4 ,it is not generally known that parallel to the ,canal at various points are dug smaller canals1 or big ditches1 for the purpose of catching and carrying off the heavy annual rainfall on the canal watershed4 ,these diversion ditches cost much in time and labor4 ,one was constructed by the ,french4 ,another1 #e miles long1 known as the ,obispo diversion1 cost #a1bej1jjj and was absolutely essential to the construction of the ,canal4 ,the rock slide1 above referred to1 broke down the barrier between the ,canal cut and the diversion ditch and filled the former with an untimely flood which it took time to stay and pump out4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,rock ,,slide ,,at ,,las ,,cascades ,a steam shovel was wholly demolished but its operators escaped4 ,the slides have seldom cost lives ,from all parts of the ,united ,states citizens interested in the progress of the ,canal--and only those at the work can tell how widespread and patriotic that interest is--have sent suggestions for checking these slides4 ,practically all have been impracticable--a few only indeed have been thought worthy of being put to the test4 ,one that for a time seemed worth trying was the suggestion that the wall of the cut be plastered with concrete1 binding its surface together in a solid mass4 ,but upon that being done it was demonstrated that the slides were not superficial but basic1 and concrete face and all went down to one general destruction when the movement began4 ,one curious fact about the slides is that they do not invariably slide down throughout their entire course4 ,occasionally they take a turn upward4 ,one tree at ,cucaracha was pointed out to me which after moving majestically down for a space was carried upward over a slope for #ajj feet1 and then having passed the crest of the hill started down again4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,slicing ,,off ,,the ,,chief ,,engineer',s ,,office ,the slides are by no means wholly in the wet season despite the popular impression to that effect1 though it was in the height of that season that the one at ,cucaracha began4 ,yet ,i have seen a slide moving slowly in ,january when the shovels digging fiercely at its base were enshrouded in clouds of dust4 ,curiously enough though tracks have been torn up1 machinery engulfed and wrung into indistinguishable tangles of steel1 no man was caught in any of these avalanches prior to ,may1 #aiac1 when three were thus lost4 ,the tax they have put upon time and labor however has been heavy enough4 ,within the #h miles of the ,culebra ,cut fully #bjj miles of track have been covered up1 destroyed or necessarily rebuilt because of slides1 and at one point tracks had to be maintained for nearly two years on ground moving from three or four inches to several feet a day4 ,of course this necessitated the constant work of repair gangs and track layers4 ,when the ,canal is completed nearly #bb of the excavation will have been of material put in the way by slides--a fact which seems to give some belated support to the prophecy of the early ,spanish theologians that ,god would not permit the ,isthmus to be pierced1 but would array new and unexpected forces against so blasphemous an effort to interfere with ,his perfect work4 ,one feature of the slides which would surely have awed the pious prophets of the ,spanish day1 and which did indeed considerably perplex our more prosaic engineers1 was the little wisps of smoke that arose from the slowly moving soil4 ,that this was volcanic few believed1 except some newspaper correspondents in eager search for sensations4 ,the true explanation that heat generated by friction working upon the water in the earth caused the steam was all very well and complete as an explanation of that particular phenomenon4 ,but it left a certain worried feeling in the minds of the men who spent their days in putting hundreds of plugs of dynamite into holes drilled in the rock which the scientists declared superheated4 ,dropping a dynamite cartridge into a red-hot rock is apt to create a menace to the continued life and health of the dropper which even the excellent sanitary brigade of ,col4 ,gorgas could scarcely control successfully4 ,for a time there was a halt in the blasting operations and indeed two blasts were fired prematurely by this natural heat1 but fortunately without loss of life4 ,finally the scheme was devised of thrusting an iron pipe into the drill hole and leaving it there a few minutes4 ,if it was cool to the touch on withdrawal all was well2 if hot a stream of water was kept playing in the hole while the charge was inserted and tamped down4 ,dynamite has been man's most useful slave in this great work1 but like all slaves it now and then rises in fierce and murderous revolt4 8,though during the past three and one-quarter years1 in work under the writer's charge01 writes ,col4 ,gaillard1 8over #bj1jjj1jjj pounds of dynamite were used in blasting1 but eight men have been killed1 three of whom failed to go to a safe distance and were killed by flying stones1 and two by miscounting the number of shots which had gone off in a #8dobe' group1 and approaching the group before the last shot had exploded04 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,how ,,tourists ,,see ,,the ,,cut ,the picture shows ,vincent ,astor's party in the observation car ,something like #ab1jjj1jjj pounds of dynamite a year was imported from 8the states0 to keep the job going1 over #f1jjj1jjj pounds a year being used in ,culebra ,cut alone1 and many an unsuspecting passenger danced over the tossing ,atlantic waves with a cargo beneath him explosive enough to blow him to the moon4 ,on the ,zone the stuff is handled with all the care that long familiarity has shown to be necessary1 but to the uninitiated it looks careless enough4 ,it is however a fact that the accidents are continually lessening in number and in fatalities caused4 ,the greatest accident of all occurred ,december #ab1 #aijh1 when we had been only four years on the job4 ,it was at ,bas ,obispo1 and in order to throw over the face of a hill of rock that rose from the west bank of the ,canal at that point nearly #dd1jjj pounds of dynamite had been neatly tamped away in the holes drilled for that purpose4 ,actually the last hole of this prodigious battery was being tamped when it exploded and set off all the others4 ,a colossal concussion shook all the face of the earth4 ,the side of the hill vanished in a cloud of smoke and dust from which flying rocks and trees rose into the air4 ,when the roar of the explosion died away cries of anguish rose on the trembling air4 ,about the scene of the explosion an army of men had been working1 and of these #bf had been killed outright and a host more wounded4 ,no such disaster has ever occurred again though there have been several small ones1 and many narrow escapes from large ones4 ,once a steam shovel taking its accustomed bite of four or five cubic yards of dirt1 engulfed at the same time about a bushel of dynamite left from the ,french days4 ,again the teeth of a shovel bit upon the fulminate cap of a forgotten charge4 ,in both these cases the miraculous happened and no explosion occurred4 ,when one reads in the ,official ,handbook issued by the ,commission that a pound of dynamite has been used to about every two cubic yards of material blasted1 and compares it with the total excavation of about #bjj1jjj1jjj cubic yards one thinks that even the undoubted sins of the ,isthmus during its riotous days are expiated by such a vigorous blowing up4 ,illustration3 ,,jamaicans ,,operating ,a ,,compressed ,,air ,,drill ,one day at ,matachin an engineer with whom ,i was talking called a ,spaniard and sent him off on an errand4 ,i noticed the man walked queerly and commented on it4 8,it's a wonder that fellow walks at all01 said my friend with a laugh4 8,he was sitting on a ledge once when a blast below went off prematurely and ,miguel1 with three or four other men1 and a few tons of rock1 dirt and other dbris went up into the air4 ,he was literally blown at least #hj feet high4 ,the other men were killed1 but we found signs of life in him and shipped him to the hospital where he stayed nearly eight months4 ,i'd hesitate to tell you how many bones were broken1 but ,i think the spine was the only one not fractured and that was dislocated4 ,his job is safe for the rest of his life4 ,he loves to tell about it4 ,wait 'till he gets back and ,i'll ask him04 ,illustration3 ,,handling ,,rock ,,in ,,ancon ,,quarry ,presently ,miguel returned1 sideways like a crab1 but with agility all the same4 8,tell the gentleman how it feels to be blown up01 said the engineer4 8,caramba6 ,i seet on ze aidge of ze cut1 smoke my pipe1 watch ze work when--,boom6 ,i fly up in air1 up1 up6 ,i stop4 ,it seem ,i stop long time4 ,i see ozzair sings fly up past me4 ,i start down--,i breathe smoke1 sand4 ,bang6 ,i hit ground4 ,when ,i wake ,i in bed at hospital4 ,can't move4 ,same as dead06 8,miguel never fails to lay stress on the time he stopped before beginning his descent01 comments my friend1 8and on the calmness with which he viewed the prospect1 particularly the other things going up4 ,his chief sorrow is that no moving picture man took the incident04 ,incidents of heroic self-sacrifice are not unknown among the dynamite handlers4 ,here is the story of ,angel ,alvarez1 an humble worker on the ,big ,job4 ,he was getting ready a surface blast of dynamite and all around him men were working in calm assurance that he would notify them before the explosion4 ,happening to glance up he saw a great boulder just starting to slip down the cut into the pit where he stood with two open boxes of dynamite4 ,he knew that disaster impended4 ,he could have jumped from the pit and run1 saving himself but sacrificing his comrades4 ,instead he shouted a frantic warning1 and seizing the two boxes of dynamite thrust them aside out of the way of the falling boulder4 ,there was no hope for him4 ,the rock would have crushed him in any event4 ,but one stick of dynamite fell from one of the boxes and was exploded--though the colossal explosion that might have occurred was averted4 ,they thought that ,alvarez was broken to bits when they gathered him up1 but the surgeons patched him up1 and made a kind of a man out of him4 ,not very shapely or vigorous is ,angel ,alvarez now but in a sense he carries the lives of twenty men he saved in that moment of swift decision4 ,the visitor to the ,cut during the period of construction found two types of drills1 the tripod and the well1 busily preparing the chambers for the reception of the dynamite4 ,of the former there were #bba in use1 of the latter #aef4 ,with this battery over #ij miles of holes have been excavated in a month1 each hole being about #bg feet deep4 ,the drills are operated by compressed air supplied from a main running the length of the ,cut and are in batteries of three to eight manned by ,jamaica negroes who look as if the business of standing by and watching the drill automatically eat its way into the rock heartily agreed with their conception of the right sort of work4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,cucaracha ,,slide ,he who did not see the ,culebra ,cut during the mighty work of excavation missed one of the great spectacles of the ages--a sight that at no other time1 or place was1 or will be1 given to man to see4 ,how it was best seen many visits left me unable to determine4 ,from its crest on a working day you looked down upon a mighty rift in the earth's crust1 at the base of which pigmy engines and ant-like forms were rushing to and fro without seeming plan or reason4 ,through the murky atmosphere strange sounds rose up and smote the ear of the onlooker with resounding clamor4 ,he heard the strident clink1 clink of the drills eating their way into the rock2 the shrill whistles of the locomotives giving warning of some small blast1 for the great charges were set off out of working hours when the ,cut was empty2 the constant and uninterrupted rumble that told of the dirt trains ever plying over the crowded tracks2 the heavy crash that accompanied the dumping of a six-ton boulder onto a flat car2 the clanking of chains and the creaking of machinery as the arms of the steam shovels swung around looking for another load2 the cries of men1 and the booming of blasts4 ,collectively the sounds were harsh1 deafening1 brutal such as we might fancy would arise from hell were the lid of that place of fire and torment to be lifted4 ,but individually each sound betokened useful work and service in the cause of man and progress as truly as could the musical tinkle of cow bells1 the murmur of water over a village millwheel1 or the rude melody of the sailors' songs as they trim the yards for the voyage to the distant isles of spice4 ,the hum of industry that the poets have loved to tell about loses nothing of its significance when from a hum it rises to a roar4 ,only not all the poets can catch the meaning of its new note4 ,illustration3 ,,brow ,,of ,,gold ,,hill1 ,,culebra ,,cut ,so much for the sounds of the ,culebra ,cut on a work day4 ,the sights are yet more wonderful4 ,one who has looked upon the ,grand ,canyon of the ,colorado will find in this man-made gash in the hills something of the riot of color that characterizes that greatest of natural wonders1 but he who has had no such preparation will stand amazed before the barbaric wealth of hues which blaze forth from these precipitous walls4 ,reds predominate--red of as deep a crimson as though ,mother ,earth's bosom thus cruelly slashed and scarred was giving up its very life's blood2 red shading into orange1 tropical1 hot1 riotous1 pulsing like the life of the old ,isthmus that is being carved away to make place for the new2 red1 pale1 pinkish1 shading down almost to rose color as delicate as the hue on a maiden's cheek1 typifying perhaps the first blush of the bride in the wedding of the ,atlantic to the ,pacific4 ,yellow too from the brightest orange to the palest ochre1 and blue from the shade of indigo which ,columbus hoped to bring across this very ,isthmus from the bazaars of ,cathay2 purple as royal as ,ferdinand and ,isabella ever wore1 or the paler shades of the tropic sky are there4 ,as you look upon the dazzling array strung out before you for miles you may reflect that imbedded in those parti-colored rocks and clays are semi-precious stones of varied shades and sorts--beryls1 moss agates1 bloodstones1 moonstones which the workmen pick up and sell to rude lapidaries who cut and sell them to tourists4 ,but in all this colossal tearing up of the earth's surface there has been found none of the gold for which the first white men lusted1 nor any precious stone or useful mineral whatsoever4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,a ,,dirt-,,spreader ,,at ,,work ,illustration3 8,,every ,,bite ,,recorded ,,at ,,headquarters0 ,again ,i looked on the ,cut from above one morning before the breeze that blows across the ,isthmus from nine o'clock in the morning until sundown1 had driven out of it the mists of early dawn4 ,from unseen depths filled with billowy vapor rose the clatter of strenuous toil by men and machines1 softened somewhat by the fleecy material through which they penetrated4 ,of the workers no sign appeared until the growing heat of the sun and the freshening breeze began to sweep the ,cut clear in its higher reaches1 and there on the topmost terrace of ,gold ,hill1 half a mile across the abyss from where ,i stood1 was revealed a monster steam shovel digging away at the crest of the hill to lighten the weight that was crowding acres upon acres of broken soil into the canal below4 ,it seemed like a mechanical device on some gigantic stage1 as with noiseless ferocity it burrowed into the hillside1 then shaking and trembling with the effort swung back its long arm and disgorged its huge mouthful on the waiting flat cars4 ,the curtain of mist was slowly disappearing4 ,from my lofty eyrie on an outjutting point of ,contractor's ,hill it seemed as if the stage was being displayed1 not by the lifting of a curtain1 but rather by the withdrawal of a shield downward so that the higher scenery became first visible4 ,one by one the terraces cut into the lofty hillsides were exposed to view1 each with its line of tugging steam shovels and its rows of motionless empty cars1 or rolling filled ones rumbling away to the distant dump4 ,now and again a sudden eruption of stones and dirt above the shield of fog followed in a few seconds by a dull boom told of some blast4 ,so dense was the mist that one marvelled how in that narrow lane below1 filled with railroad tracks1 and with busy trains rushing back and forth men could work save at imminent danger of disaster4 ,death lurked there at all times and the gray covering of fog was more than once in the truest sense a pall for some poor mutilated human frame4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,a ,,lidgerwood ,,unloader ,,at ,,work ,perhaps the most impressive view of the ,cut in the days of its activity was that from above4 ,it was the one which gave the broadest general sense of the prodigious proportions of the work4 ,but a more terrifying one1 as well as a more precise comprehension of the infinity of detail coupled with the magnitude of scope of the work was to be obtained by plodding on foot through the five miles where the battle of ,culebra was being most fiercely fought4 ,the powers that be--or that were--did not encourage this method of observation4 ,they preferred to send visitors through this ,death's ,lane1 this confusing network of busy tracks1 in an observation car built for the purpose1 or in one of the trim little motor cars built to run on the railroad tracks for the use of officials4 ,from the fact that one of the latter bore the somewhat significant nickname 8,the ,yellow ,peril0 and from stories of accidents which had occurred to occupants of these little scouts among the mighty engines of war1 ,i am inclined to think that the journey on foot1 if more wearisome1 was not more perilous4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,track ,,shifter ,,in ,,action ,put on then a suit of khaki with stout shoes and take the train for ,culebra4 ,that will be as good a spot as any to descend into the ,cut1 and we will find there some airy rows of perpendicular ladders connecting the various levels up and down which an agile monkey1 or ,col4 ,gaillard or any of his assistants1 can run with ease1 but which we descend with infinite caution and some measure of nervous apprehension4 ,probably the first sound that will greet your ears above the general clatter1 when you have attained the floor of the ,canal will be a stentorian cry of 8,look out1 there6 ,look out06 ,you will hear that warning hail many a time and oft in the forenoon's walk we are about to take4 ,i don't know of any spot where ,edward ,everett ,hale's motto1 8,look ,out and ,not ,in2 ,look ,up and ,not ,down2 ,look ,forward and ,not ,back0 needs editing more than at ,culebra4 ,the wise man looked all those ways and then some4 ,for trains are bearing down upon you from all directions and so close are the tracks and so numerous the switches that it is impossible to tell the zone of safety except by observing the trains themselves4 ,if your gaze is too intently fixed on one point a warning cry may call your attention to the arm of a steam shovel above your head with a five-ton boulder insecurely balanced1 or a big1 black ,jamaican a few yards ahead perfunctorily waving a red flag in token that a 8dobe0 blast is to be fired4 ,a 8dobe0 blast is regarded with contempt by the fellows who explode a few tons of dynamite at a time and demolish a whole hillside1 but the 8dobes0 throw fifty to one hundred pound stones about in a reckless way that compels unprofessional respect4 ,they tell a story on the ,zone of a negro who1 not thinking himself in range1 was sitting on a box of dynamite calmly smoking a cigarette4 ,a heavy stone dropped squarely on his head killing him instantly1 but was sufficiently deflected by the hardness of the ,ethiopian skull to miss the box on which the victim sat4 ,had it been otherwise the neighboring landscape and its population would have been materially changed4 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,colonel',s ,,troubles ,this shovel was overwhelmed by a slide4 ,the accident is not uncommon ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,sliced-,,off ,,hill ,,at ,,ancon ,it is no wonder that we have trains to dodge during the course of our stroll4 ,there are at the moment of our visit #aae locomotives and #bjjj cars in service in the ,cut4 ,about #afj loaded trains go out daily1 and1 of course about #afj return empty4 ,three hundred and twenty trains in the eight-hour day1 with two hours' intermission at noon1 means almost one train a minute speeding through a right of way #cjj feet wide and much cluttered up with shovels1 drills and other machinery4 ,in ,march1 #aiaa1 the record month1 these trains handled #a1gbh1gdh cubic yards of material1 carrying all to the dumps which average #ab miles distant1 the farthest one being #cc miles4 ,the lay mind does not at first think of it1 but it is a fact that it was no easy task to select spots for all this refuse in a territory only #dcf square miles in area1 of which #afd square miles is covered by ,gatun ,lake and much of the rest is higher than the ,cut and therefore unsuited for dumps4 ,the amount of material disposed of would create new land worth untold millions could it have been dumped along the lake front of ,chicago1 or in the ,hackensack meadows near ,new ,york4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,s4 ,h4 ,elliott ,a ,,lock-,,chamber ,,from ,,above ,to load these busy trains there were in the ,cut in its busiest days #dc steam shovels mainly of the type that would take five cubic yards of material at a bite4 ,one load for each of these shovels weighed #h4g tons of rock1 #f4g tons of earth1 or #h4jc tons of the 8run of the ,cut0--the mixed candy of the ,culebra shop4 ,march #aa1 #aiaa1 was the record day for work on the ,central ,division of which the ,cut is the largest component part4 ,that day #ccc loaded trains were run out and as many in1 and #ea steam shovels and #b cranes with orange peel buckets excavated #abg1gdb tons of material4 ,it was no day for nervous tourists to go sightseeing in the ,cut4 ,illustration3 ,,when ,,the ,,obispo ,,broke ,,in ,let us watch one of the steam shovels at work4 ,you will notice first that it requires two railroad tracks for its operation--the one on which it stands and one by the side on which are the flat cars it is to load4 ,if the material in which it is to work is clay or sand1 the shovel track is run close to the side of the hill to be cut away2 otherwise the blasters will have preceded it and a great pile of broken rock lies by the side of the track or covering it before the shovel4 ,perched on a seat which revolves with the swinging arm a man guides the great steel jaws to the point of excavation4 ,a tug at one lever and the jaws begin to bite into the clay1 or root around in the rock pile until the toothed scoops have filled the great shovel that1 closed1 is rather bigger than a boarding house hall bedroom4 ,a tug at another lever and they close4 ,a third lever causes the arm to swing until it comes to a stop above the flat car1 then with a roar and a clatter the whole load is dumped4 ,perhaps then the trouble is just beginning4 ,once in a while a boulder of irregular shape rolls about threatening to fall to the ground4 ,with almost human intelligence the great rigid arm of the shovel follows it1 checking it as it approaches the edge of the car1 pushing it back1 buttressing it with other stones1 so that when the train gets under way it may by no chance fall off4 ,sometimes you see all this done from a point at which the directing man is invisible and the effect is uncanny4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,ungainly ,,monsters ,,of ,,steel ,,working ,,with ,,human ,,skill ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,,the ,,culebra ,,cut ,dazzling colors combined with its colossal proportions make this man-made gash in nature's eternal hills a magnificent spectacle4 ,its fullest glory will soon be dimmed1 for the tropic jungle will cover its brilliant hues with a robe of green4 ,travelers in ,burmah are fond of telling how the trained elephants pile teak lumber1 pushing with tusk and pulling with trunk until the beams lie level and parallel to an inch4 ,but marvelous as is the delicacy with which the unwieldy animals perform their work1 it is outdone by the miraculous ingenuity with which the inventive mind of man has adapted these monsters of steel to their appointed task4 ,we shall see on the ,zone many mechanical marvels1 but to my mind the sight of a man1 seated placidly in a comfortable chair1 and with a touch on levers making a twenty foot steel arm1 with a pair of scoops each as big as a hogshead at the end1 feel up and down a bit of land until it comes upon a boulder weighing five tons1 then pick it up1 deposit it on a flat car1 and block it around with smaller stones to hold it firm--this spectacle ,i think will rank with any as an illustration of mechanical genius4 ,it is a pity old ,archimedes1 who professed himself able to move the world with a lever if he could only find a place for his fulcrum1 could not sit a while in the chair of an ,isthmian steam shoveler4 ,these men earn from #baj to #bdj a month and are the aristocracy of the mechanical force in a society where everybody is frankly graded according to his earnings4 ,they say their work is exceedingly hard upon the nerves1 a statement which ,i can readily credit after watching them at it4 ,once in a great while they deposit the six-ton load of a shovel on top of some laborer's head4 ,incidents of this sort are wearing on their nerves and also upon the physique of the individual upon whom the burden has been laid4 ,on several occasions ,i timed steam shovels working in the ,cut on various sorts of material and found the period occupied in getting a load1 depositing it on the car and getting back into position for another bite to be a fraction less than two minutes4 ,according to my observations from five to eight shovel loads filled a car4 ,the car once filled1 a big negro wig-wagged the tidings to the engineer who pulled the train ahead the length of one car4 ,the ,jamaica negro wig-wagging is always a pleasing spectacle4 ,he seems to enjoy a job as flagman which gives from five to fifteen minutes of calm reflection to each one minute of wagging4 ,far be it from me to question the industry of these sable ,britons by whom the ,canal is being built4 ,their worth in any place1 except that of waiters at the ,tivoli ,hotel1 must be conceded4 ,but their specialty is undoubtedly wig-wagging4 ,illustration3 ,,building ,,an ,,upper ,,tier ,,of ,,locks ,illustration3 ,,traveling ,,cranes ,,that ,,bear ,,the ,,brunt ,,of ,,burden ,,carrying ,illustration3 ,photo by ,brown ,bros4 ,,the ,,floor ,,of ,a ,,lock ,if we climb upon one of the empty flat cars we will see that upon the floor of the whole train1 usually made up of about #bj cars1 is stretched a stout cable attached to a heavy iron wedge like a snow plow which1 while the train is loading1 is on the end car4 ,hinged sheets of steel fall into place between the cars1 making the train floor continuous from end to end4 ,if we should accompany the train to the dump--say at the great fill at ,balboa about twelve miles from the ,cut--we shall find that when it has reached its assigned position a curious looking car on which is an engine which revolves a huge drum1 or bull wheel1 is attached in place of the locomotive4 ,the end of the steel cable buried under hundreds of tons of rock and dirt is fastened to the bull wheel1 the latter begins to revolve and the steel plow begins to travel along the train thrusting the load off to one side4 ,one side of the flat cars is built up and the plow is so constructed that the load is thrown to the other side only4 ,it takes from #g to #ae minutes to unload a train by this device which is known as the ,lidgerwood ,unloader4 ,illustration3 ,,excavating ,,with ,a ,,monitor ,,as ,,californians ,,dig ,,gold ,now it is apparent that after a certain number of trains have thus been unloaded the side of the track on which the load falls1 unless it be a very deep ravine1 will presently be so filled up that no more loads can be dumped there4 ,to smooth out this mound of dirt along the track another type of snow plow is used1 one stretching out a rigid steel arm ten or twelve feet from the side of the locomotive which pushes it into the mass of dbris4 ,this is called a spreader and as may well be imagined requires prodigious power4 ,the dump heap thus spread1 and somewhat leveled by hand labor1 becomes a base for another track4 ,in the early days of the work this business of shifting tracks required the services of hundreds of men4 ,but it grew so steadily under the needs of the service--they say the ,panama ,railway runs sideways as well as lengthwise--that the mechanical genius of ,american engineers was called into play to meet the situation4 ,wherefore behold the track-shifter1 an engine operating a long crane which picks up the track1 ties1 rails and all1 and swings it to one side three feet or more according to the elasticity of the track4 ,it takes nine men to operate a track shifter1 and it does the work which took #ejj men pursuing the old method of pulling spikes1 shifting ties and rails separately and spiking the rails down again4 ,it is estimated that by this device the government was saved several million dollars1 to say nothing of an enormous amount of time4 ,while the ,panama ,railroad is only #dg miles long it has laid almost #dej miles of rails1 and these are continually being taken up and shifted1 particularly those laid on the bed of the ,canal in ,culebra ,cut4 ,it is perfectly clear that to keep the steam shovels within reaching distance of the walls they are to dig away1 the track on which they operate and the track on which their attendant dirt trains run must be shifted laterally every two or three days4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,a ,,steam ,,shovel ,,in ,,operation ,looking up from the floor of the ,canal one had in those days of rushing construction a prospect at once gigantic1 brilliant and awe inspiring4 ,between ,gold ,hill and ,contractors ,hill the space open to the sky is half a mile wide and the two peaks tower toward the sky #ecd feet to the one side and #daj on the other4 ,we see again dimly through the smoke of the struggling locomotives and the fumes of exploding dynamite the prismatic color of the stripped sides of the hill1 though on the higher altitudes untouched by recent work and unscarred by slides the tropical green has already covered all traces of man's mutilations4 ,in time1 of course1 all this coloring will disappear and the ships will steam along betwixt two towering walls of living green4 ,illustration3 ,,bird',s ,,eye ,,view ,,of ,,the ,,miraflores ,,locks ,one's attention1 however1 when in the ,cut is held mainly by its industrial rather than by its scenic features4 ,for the latter the view from above1 already described1 is incalculably the better4 ,but down here in the depths your mind is gripped by the signs of human activity on every side4 ,everything that a machine can do is being done by machinery1 yet there are #fjjj men working in this narrow way1 men white and black and of every intermediate and indeterminate shade4 ,men who talk in ,spanish1 ,french1 the gibberish of the ,jamaican1 in ,hindoo1 in ,chinese4 ,one thinks it a pity that ,col4 ,goethals and his chief lieutenants could not have been at the ,tower of ,babel1 for in that event that aspiring enterprise would never have been halted by so commonplace an obstacle as the confusion of tongues4 ,to us as we plod along all seems to be conducted with terrific energy1 but without any recognizable plan4 ,as a matter of fact all is being directed in accordance with an iron-clad system4 ,that train1 the last cars of which are being loaded1 on the second level must be out of the ,cut and on the main line at a fixed hour or there will be a tie-up of the empties coming back from the distant dumps4 ,that row of holes must be drilled by five o'clock1 for the blast must be fired as soon as the ,cut is emptied of workers4 ,the very tourists on the observation car going through the ,cut must be chary of their questions1 for that track is needed now for a train of material4 ,if they are puzzled by something they see1 it will all be explained to them later by the guide in his lecture illustrated by the working model at the ,tivoli ,hotel4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,rock-,,break ,,that ,,admitted ,,the ,,bas ,,obispo ,so trudging through the ,cut we pass under a slender foot bridge suspended across the ,canal from towers of steel framework4 ,the bridge was erected by the ,french and will have to come down when the procession of ships begins the passage of the ,canal4 ,originally its towers were of wood1 but a man idly ascending one thought it sounded hollow beneath his tread and1 on examination1 found the interior had been hollowed out by termite ants leaving a mere shell which might give way under any unaccustomed strain4 ,this is a pleasant habit of these insects and sometimes produces rather ludicrous results when a heavy individual encounters a chair that has engaged their attention4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier4 ,courtesy ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,,an ,,ant',s ,,nest ,,on ,,the ,,savanna ,the activity and industry of the ant are of course proverbial in every clime1 but it seems to me that in the ,isthmus particularly he appears to put the sluggard to shame4 ,as you make your way through the jungle you will now and again come upon miniature roads1 only about four inches wide it is true1 but vastly smoother and better cleaned of vegetation than the paths which the ,panamanians dignify with the name of roads4 ,along these highways trudges an endless army of ants1 those going homeward bearing burdens of leaves which1 when buried in their subterranean homes1 produce fungi on which the insects live4 ,out on the savanna you will occasionally find a curious mound of hard dirt1 sometimes standing taller than a man and rising abruptly from the plain4 ,it is an ant's nest built about a shrub or small tree1 which usually dies off so that no branches protrude in any direction4 ,a large one represents long years of the work of the tiny insects4 ,col4 ,goethals has made a great working machine of the ,canal organization but he can teach the ants nothing so far as patient and continuous industry is concerned4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,termite ,,ant',s ,,nest ,the ants' work kills the tree ,we come in due time to the upper entrance of the ,pedro ,miguel lock4 ,here the precipitous sides of the ,canal have vanished1 and the walls of the lock have in fact to be built up above the adjacent land4 ,this is the end of the ,central ,division--the end of the ,culebra ,cut4 ,the #h4h miles we have left behind us have been the scene1 perhaps1 of the most wonderful exercise of human ingenuity1 skill and determination ever manifested in any equal space in the world--and ,i won't even except ,wall ,street1 where ingenuity and skill in cutting things down are matter of daily observation4 ,but nowhere else has man locked with nature in so desperate a combat4 ,more spectacular engineering is perhaps to be seen on some of the railroads through our own ,sierras or on the trans-,andean lines4 ,such dams as the ,roosevelt or the ,shoshone of our irrigation service are more impressive than the squat1 immovable ridge at ,gatun4 ,but the engineers who planned the campaign against the ,cordilleras at ,culebra had to meet and overcome more novel obstacles1 had to wrestle with a problem more appalling in magnitude than any that ever confronted men of their profession in any other land or time4 ,illustration3 ,,deep ,,sea-,,dredge ,,at ,,balboa ,as no link in a chain is of less importance than any other link1 so the ,pacific ,division of the ,panama ,canal is of equal importance with the other two4 ,it has not1 however1 equally spectacular features4 ,its locks at ,pedro ,miguel and at ,miraflores are merely replicas of the ,gatun locks with different drops1 and separated into one step of two parallel locks at the former point1 and two steps1 with four locks in pairs at ,miraflores4 ,between the two locks is an artificial lake about #ed feet above sea level and about a mile and a half long4 ,the lake is artificial1 supplied partly by small rivers that flow into it and partly by the water that comes down from the operation of the locks above4 ,in fact it was created largely for the purpose of taking care of this water1 though it also served to reduce somewhat the amount of dry excavation on the ,canal4 ,one advantage which both the ,gatun and ,miraflores lakes have for the sailor1 that does not at first occur to the landsman1 is that being filled with fresh water1 as also is the main body of the ,canal1 they will cleanse the bottoms of the ships passing through of barnacles and other marine growths4 ,this is a notable benefit to ships engaged in tropical trade1 for in those latitudes their bottoms become befouled in a way that seriously interferes with their steaming capacity4 ,illustration3 ,,proportions ,,of ,,the ,,locks ,a six story building would stand in the lock-chamber4 ,size of conduits indicated by small sketches of wagon and locomotive4 ,the name ,pedro ,miguel is given to this lock because the ,french began operations there on the feast day of ,st4 ,peter ,michael1 whose name in ,spanish is applied to the spot4 ,an omniscient gentleman on the train once assured me that the name came from a ,spanish hermit who long lived on the spot in the odor of sanctity--and divers other odors if the haunts of the hermits ,i have visited elsewhere were any criterion4 ,errors of fact1 however1 are common on the zone4 ,they still laugh about a congressman who1 on ,gatun dam1 struck an attitude and exclaimed with feeling--8,at last then ,i stand in the far-famed ,culebra ,cut06 which spot was a trifle more than thirty miles away4 ,from the lower lock at ,miraflores the canal describes a practically straight course to the ,pacific ,ocean at ,balboa1 about #d miles4 ,the channel is continued out to sea about four miles further4 ,all the conditions of the ,pacific and ,oriental trade give assurance that at ,balboa will grow the greatest of all purely tropical ports4 ,to it the commerce of the whole ,pacific coast of ,north ,america1 and of ,south ,america as far south at least as ,lima1 will irresistibly flow4 ,to it will also come the trade of ,japan1 ,northern ,china and the ,philippines1 seeking the shortest route to ,europe or to our own ,atlantic coast4 ,it is true that much of this trade will pass by1 but the ships will enter the ,canal after long voyages in need of coal and in many cases of refitting4 ,the government has anticipated this need by providing for a monster dry dock1 able to accommodate the #ajjj foot ships yet to be built1 and establishing repair shops fit to build ships as well as to repair them4 ,in #aiac1 however1 when this trip through the ,canal under construction was made1 little sign of this coming greatness was apparent4 ,the old dock of the ,pacific ,mail and a terminal pier of the ,panama ,railroad afforded sufficient dockage for the steamships of which eight or ten a week cleared or arrived4 ,the chief signs of the grandeur yet to come were the never-ceasing dirt trains rumbling down from ,culebra ,cut and discharging their loads into the sea in a great fan shaped 8fill0 that will afford building sites for all the edifices of the future ,balboa1 however great it may become4 ,looking oceanward you see the three conical islands on which the ,united ,states is already erecting its fortifications4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,great ,,fill ,,at ,,balboa ,,where ,,the ,,culebra ,,spoil ,,is ,,dumped ,here then the ,canal ends4 ,begun in the ooze of ,colon it is finished in the basaltic rock of ,balboa4 ,to carry it through its fifty miles the greatest forces of nature have been utilized when possible2 fought and overcome when not4 ,it has enlisted genius1 devotion and sacrifice1 and has inflicted sickness1 wounds and death4 ,we can figure the work in millions of dollars1 or of cubic yards1 but to estimate the cost in life and health from the time the ,french began until the day the ,americans ended is a task for the future historian1 not the present-day chronicler4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,panama4 ,for an ,american not too much spoiled with foreign travel the city of ,panama is a most entertaining stopping place for a week or more4 ,in what its charm consists it is hard to say4 ,foreign it is1 of course1 a complete change from anything within the borders1 or for that matter close to the bounds of the ,united ,states4 ,but it is not so thorough a specimen of ,latin-,american city building as ,cartagena1 its neighbor4 ,its architecture is admittedly commonplace1 the ,cathedral itself being interesting mainly because of its antiquity--and it would be modern in old ,spain4 ,the ,latin gaiety of its people breaks out in merry riot at carnival time1 but it is equally riotous in every town of ,central ,america4 ,withal there is a something about ,panama that has an abiding novelty4 ,perhaps it is the tang of the tropics added to the flavor of antiquity4 ,anyhow the tourist who abides in the intensely modern and purely ,united ,states hotel1 the ,tivoli1 has but to give a dime to a ,panama hackman to be transported into an atmosphere as foreign as though he had suddenly been wafted to ,madrid4 ,latter-day tourists complain that the sanitary efforts of the ,isthmian ,commission have robbed ,panama of something of its picturesqueness4 ,they deplore the loss of the streets that were too sticky for the passage of ,venetian gondolas1 but entirely too liquid for ordinary means of locomotion4 ,they grieve over the disappearance of the public roulette wheels and the monotonous cry of the numbers at keno4 ,they complain that the population has taken to the practice of wearing an inordinate quantity of clothes instead of being content with barely enough to pique curiosity concerning the few charms concealed4 ,but though the city has been remarkably purified there is still enough of physical dirt apparent to displease the most fastidious1 and quite sufficient moral uncleanliness if one seeks for it1 as in other towns4 ,illustration3 ,,panama ,,bay ,,from ,,ancon ,,hill ,illustration3 ,,santa ,,ana ,,plaza ,the fence is now removed4 ,during the ,french days this ,plaza was the scene of much gaiety and still shows ,french influence ,the entrance by railway to ,panama is not prepossessing1 but for that matter ,i know of few cities in which it is4 ,rome and ,genoa perhaps excel in offering a fine front to the visitor4 ,but in ,panama when you emerge from the station after a journey clear across the continent1 which has taken you about three hours1 you are confronted by a sort of ragged triangular plaza4 ,in the distance on a hill to your right is set the ,tivoli ,hotel looking cool and inviting with its broad piazzas and dress of green and white4 ,to your left is a new native hotel1 the ,international1 as different from the ,tivoli as imaginable1 built of rubble masonry covered with concrete stucco1 with rooms twice as high as those of the usual ,american building4 ,it looks cool too1 in a way1 and its most striking feature is a pleasingly commodious bar1 with wide open unscreened doors on the level of the sidewalk4 ,the ,tivoli ,hotel1 being owned and managed by the ,united ,states government1 has no bar4 ,this statement is made in no spirit of invidious comparison1 but merely as a matter of helpful information to the arriving traveler undecided which hotel to choose4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,panama ,,from ,,the ,,sea ,,wall2 ,,cathedral ,,towers ,,in ,,distance ,the plaza is filled with ,panama cabs--small open victorias1 drawn by stunted wiry horses like our cow ponies and driven by ,panama negroes who either do not speak ,english1 or1 in many cases1 pretend not to in order to save themselves the trouble of explaining any of the sights to their fares4 ,there is none of the bustle that attends the arrival of a train in an ,american city4 ,no raucous cries of 8,keb1 sir8 ,keb06 no ingratiating eagerness to seize upon your baggage1 no ready proffer of willingness to take you anywhere4 ,if the ,panama cabby shows any interest at all in getting a fare out of an arriving crowd it seems to be in evading the one who beckons him1 and trying to capture someone else4 ,one reason perhaps for the lethargy of these sable jehus is that the government has robbed their calling of its sporting feature by fixing their fare at ten cents to any place in town4 ,opportunity to rob a fare is almost wholly denied them1 hence their dejected air as compared with the alert piratical demeanor of the buccaneers who kidnap passengers at the railway stations of our own enlightened land4 ,the only way the ,panama driver can get the best of the passenger is by construing each stop as the end of a trip1 and the order to drive on as constituting a new engagement involving an additional dime4 ,tourists who jovially drew up to the curbstone to greet acquaintances met en route several times in a half-hour's ride are said to have been mulcted of a surprising number of dimes1 but in justice to the ,panama hackman--who really doesn't have the air of rioting in ill-gotten wealth--,i must say that ,i never encountered an instance of this overcharge4 ,your first introduction to the beauty of ,panama architecture comes from a building that fronts you as you leave your train4 ,three stories high it has the massive strength of a confectioner's creations1 and is tastefully colored a sickly green1 relieved by stripes of salmon pink1 with occasional interludes of garnet and old gold4 ,the fact that it houses a saloon1 the proportions of which would be generous on the ,bowery or ,south ,clark ,street1 does not explain this brilliant color scheme4 ,it is merely the expression of the local color sense1 and is quite likely to be employed to lend distinction to a convent school or a fashionable club indiscriminately4 ,from the ,railway ,plaza--originality has not yet furnished a more attractive name--the ,avenida ,centrale stretches away in a generally southerly direction to the seawall at the city's end4 ,what ,broadway is to ,new ,york1 the ,corso to ,rome1 or ,main ,street to ,podunk1 this street is to ,panama4 ,it is narrow and in time will be exceedingly crowded1 for the rails of a trolley line are laid on one side1 and some time in the leisurely ,panamanian future the cars will run through the old town and so on out to ,balboa where the ,americans are building the great docks at the entrance to the ,canal4 ,just now however it is chiefly crowded with the light open carriages which toward eventide carry up and down the thoroughfare olive-complexioned gentlemen who look smilingly at the balconies on either side whence fair ones--of varying degrees of fairness with a tendency toward the rich shade of mahogany--look down approvingly4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bull ,,ring2 ,,bull ,,fights ,,are ,,now ,,prohibited ,illustration3 ,,the ,,panama ,,water ,,front ,panama is an old city1 as ,american cities run1 for it was founded in #afgc when the ,bishop marked with a cross the place for the ,cathedral4 ,the ,bishop still plays a notable part in the life of the town1 for it is to his palace in ,cathedral ,plaza that you repair ,sunday mornings to hear the lucky number in the lottery announced4 ,this curious partnership between the church and the great gambling game does not seem to shock or even perplex the ,panamanians1 and as the ,state turns over to the church a very considerable percentage of the lottery's profits it is perhaps only fair for the ,bishop to be thus hospitable4 ,if you jeer a well-informed ,panamanian on the relations of his church to the lottery he counters by asking suavely about the filthy tenement houses owned by ,old ,trinity in ,new ,york4 ,as a vested right under the ,colombian government the lottery will continue until #aiah1 then expire under the clause in the ,panama constitution which prohibits gambling4 ,drawings are held each ,sunday4 ,ten thousand tickets are issued at a price of #b4ej each1 though the custom is to buy one-fifth of a ticket at a time4 ,the capital prize is #gejj with lesser prizes of various sums down to one dollar4 ,the ,americans on the ,zone buy eagerly1 but ,i could not learn of any one who had captured a considerable prize4 ,one official who systematically set aside #e a week for tickets told me that1 after four years' playing1 he was several hundred dollars ahead 8beside the fun04 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,lottery ,,office ,,in ,,the ,,bishop',s ,,palace ,though old historically1 ,panama is modern architecturally4 ,it was repeatedly swept by fires even before the era of overfumigation by the ,canal builders4 ,five fires considerable enough to be called 8great0 are recorded4 ,most of the churches have been burned at least once and the faade of the ,cathedral was overthrown by an earthquake4 ,the ,san ,domingo ,church1 the ,church and ,convent of ,san ,francisco1 and the ,jesuit ,church still stand in ruins4 ,in ,italy or ,england these ruins would be cared for1 clothed by pious1 or perhaps practical1 hands with a certain sort of dignity4 ,not so in ,panama4 ,the ,san ,domingo ,church1 much visited by tourists because of its curious flat arch1 long housed a cobbler's bench and a booth for curios4 ,now its owner is utilizing such portions of the ruin as are still stable as part of a tenement house he is building4 ,when reproached for thus obliterating an historic relic he blandly offered to leave it in its former state1 provided he were paid a rental equal to that the tenement would bring in4 ,there being no society for the preservation of historic places in ,panama his offer went unheeded1 and the church is fast being built into the walls of a flat-house4 ,as for the ,church of the ,jesuits its floor is gone1 and cows and horses are stabled in the sanctuary of its apse4 ,illustration3 ,,san ,,domingo ,,church ,,and ,,the ,,flat ,,arch ,the streets of ,panama look older than they really are4 ,the more substantial buildings are of rubble masonry faced with cement which quickly takes on an appearance of age4 ,avenida ,centrale is lined for all but a quarter of a mile of its length with shops1 over which as a rule the merchant's family lives--for the ,panamanians1 like other ,latins1 have not yet acquired the ,new ,york idea that it is vulgar to live over your own place of business but perfectly proper to live two miles or more away over someone else's drug store1 grocery1 stationery store1 or what not4 ,there might be an essay written on the precise sort of a business place above which it is correct for an ,american to live4 ,of course the nature of the entrance counts1 and much propriety is saved if it be on the side front thus genteelly concealing from guests that there are any shops in the building at all4 ,these considerations however are not important in ,panama1 and many of the best apartments are reached through dismal doors and up winding stairways which seldom show signs of any squeamishness on the part of the domestics1 or intrusive activity by the sanitary officers4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,f4 ,a ,gause ,,chiriqui ,,cattle ,,at ,,the ,,abattoir ,often1 however1 the apartments reached by such uninviting gateways are charming4 ,the rooms are always big1 equivalent each to about three rooms of our typical city flat4 ,great ,french windows open to the floor1 and give upon broad verandas1 from which the life of the street below may be observed--incidentally letting in the street noises which are many and varied4 ,the tendency is to the minimum of furniture1 and that light1 so as to admit easy shifting to the breeziest spots4 ,to our northern eyes the adjective 8bare0 would generally apply to these homes1 but their furnishings are adapted to the climate and to the habits of people living largely out of doors4 ,rents are high for a town of #ce1jjj people4 ,a five-room flat in a fairly good neighborhood will rent for from #fj to #ge gold a month1 and as the construction is of the simplest and the landlord furnishes neither heat nor janitor service1 it seems a heavy return on the capital invested4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,president',s ,,house2 ,a ,,fine ,,type ,,of ,,panama ,,residence ,it seemed to me1 as the result of questioning and observation rather than by any personal experience1 that living expenses in ,panama ,city must be high1 and good living according to our ,north ,american ideas impossible4 ,what the visitor finds in the homes of the people on the ,canal ,zone offers no guide to the conditions existing in the native town4 ,for the ,zone dwellers have the commissary to buy from1 and that draws from all the markets of the world1 and is particularly efficient in buying meats1 which it gets from our own ,beef ,trust and sells for about half of what the market man in ,chicago or ,new ,york exacts4 ,but the native ,panamanian has no such source of supply4 ,his meats are mainly native animals fresh killed1 and if you have a taste for sanguinary sights you may see at early dawn every morning numbers of cattle and hogs slaughtered in a trim and cleanly open air abattoir which the ,panamanians owe to the ,canal authorities4 ,however the climate tends to encourage a fish and vegetable diet1 and the supplies of these staples are fairly good4 ,the family buying is done at a central market which it is well worth the tourists' time to visit4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,gause ,,the ,,fish ,,market ,every day is market day at ,panama1 but the crowded little open-air mart is seen at its best of a ,saturday or ,sunday in the early morning4 ,all night long the native boats1 mostly cayucas hewn out of a single log and often as much as #ce feet long1 and with a schooner rig1 have been drifting in1 propelled by the never-failing trade wind4 ,they come from the ,bayano ,river country1 from ,chorrera1 from ,taboga and the ,isles of ,pearls1 from the ,bay of ,san ,miguel and from the land of the ,san ,blas ,indians4 ,great sailors these latter1 veritable vikings of the tropics1 driving their cayucas through shrieking gales when the ocean steamers find it prudent to stay in port4 ,illustration3 ,,san ,,blas ,,boats ,,at ,,the ,,market ,,place ,nature helps the primitive people of the jungle to bring their goods to the waiting purchasers4 ,the breeze is constant1 seldom growing to a gale1 and the tide rising full #bj feet enables them to run their boats at high tide close to the market causeway1 and when the tide retires land their products over the flats without the trouble of lighterage4 ,true the bottom is of mud and stones1 but the soles of the seamen are not tender1 nor are they squeamish as to the nature of the soil on which they tread4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,gause ,,the ,,vegetable ,,market ,the market is open at dawn1 and the buyers are there almost as soon as the sellers1 for early rising is the rule in the tropics4 ,along the sidewalks1 on the curbs1 in the muddy roadway even1 the diverse fruits and food products of the country are spread forth to tempt the robust appetites of those gathered about4 ,here is an ,indian woman1 the color of a cocoanut1 and crinkled as to skin like a piece of ,chinese crepe4 ,before her is spread out her stock1 diverse and in some items curious4 ,green peppers1 tomatoes a little larger than a small plum1 a cheese made of goat's milk and packed to about the consistency of ,brie2 a few yams1 peas1 limes and a papaya or two are the more familiar edibles4 ,something shaped like a banana and wrapped in corn husks arouses my curiosity4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,market ,,on ,,the ,,curb ,illustration3 ,,where ,,the ,,flies ,,get ,,busy 8,what is it08 8,five cents04 8,no1 no6 ,i mean what is it8 ,what's it made of08 8,fi centavo06 ,in despair over my lack of ,indo-,spanish patois1 ,i buy it and find a little native sugar1 very moist and very dark1 made up like a sausage1 or a tamale in corn husks4 ,other mysterious objects turn out to be ginseng1 which appeals to the resident ,chinese2 the mamei1 a curious pulpy fruit the size of a large peach1 with a skin like chamois and a fleshly looking pit about the size of a peach-stone2 the sapodilla1 a plum colored fruit with a mushy interior1 which when cut transversely shows a star-like marking and is sometimes called the star apple4 ,it is eaten with a spoon and is palatable4 ,the mamei1 however1 like the mango1 requires a specially trained taste4 ,illustration3 ,,cayucas ,,on ,,market ,,day ,while puzzling over the native fruits a sudden clamor attracts us to a different part of the market4 ,there drama is in full enactment4 ,the market place is at the edge of the bay and up the water steps three exultant fishermen have dragged a tuna about five feet long1 weighing perhaps #age pounds4 ,it is not a particularly large fish of the species1 but its captors are highly exultant and one1 with the inborn instinct of the ,latin-,american to insult a captive or a fallen foe1 stands on the poor tuna's head and strikes an attitude as one who invites admiration and applause4 ,perhaps our camera tempted him1 but our inclination was to kick the brute1 rather than to perpetuate his pose1 for the poor fish was still living4 ,it had been caught in a net1 so its captors informed us4 ,on our own ,florida and ,california coasts the tunas give rare sport with a rod and line4 ,like most people of a low order of intelligence the lower class native of ,panama is without the slightest sense of humanity to dumb animals4 ,he does not seem to be intentionally cruel--indeed he is too indolent to exert himself unless something is to be gained4 ,but he never lets any consideration for the sufferings of an animal affect his method of treating it4 ,the iguana1 ugliest of lizards1 which he eats with avidity1 is one of his chief victims4 ,this animal is usually taken alive by hunters in order that he may undergo a preliminary fattening process before being committed to the pot4 ,in captivity his condition is not pleasant to contemplate4 ,here at the market are eight or ten1 living1 palpitating1 looking out on the strange world with eyes of wistful misery4 ,their short legs are roughly twisted so as to cross above their backs1 and the sharp claws on one foot are thrust through the fleshy part of the other so as to hold them together without other fastening4 ,a five-foot iguana is fully three feet tail1 and of that caudal yard at least two feet of its tapering length is useless for food1 so the native calmly chops it off with his machete1 exposing the mutilated but living animal for sale4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,panama ,,from ,,the ,,bay2 ,,ancon ,,hill ,,in ,,the ,,background ,to our northern eyes there is probably no animal except a serpent more repulsive than the iguana4 ,he is not only a lizard1 but a peculiarly hideous one--horned1 spined1 mottled and warty like a toad4 ,but loathsome as he is1 the wanton1 thoughtless tortures inflicted upon him by the marketmen invest him with the pathetic dignity which martyrs bear4 ,fish is apparently the great staple of the ,panama market1 as beseems a place which is practically an island and the very name of which signifies 8many fishes04 ,yet at the time ,i was there the variety exposed for sale was not great4 ,the corbina1 apparently about as staple and certain a crop as our northern cod1 the red snapper1 mullet and a flat fish resembling our fresh water sunfish1 were all that were exhibited4 ,there were a few ,west ,indian lobsters too1 about as large as our average sized lobsters1 but without claws1 having antennae1 perhaps #ah inches long1 instead4 ,shrimps and small molluscs were plentifully displayed4 ,as to meats the market was neither varied nor pleasing4 ,if the assiduous attentions of flies produce any effect on raw meats prejudicial to human health1 the ,panama market offers rich field for some extension of the sanitary powers of ,col4 ,gorgas4 ,illustration3 ,copyright1 #aiac1 ,f4 ,e4 ,wright4 ,,avenida ,b4 ,,panama ,,city ,most of the streets in ,panama end at the water side as the city is built upon a narrow promontory4 ,the effect of the blue water and sky closing the end of the narrow street of parti-colored houses is picturesque4 ,in one notable respect this ,panama market differs from most open air affairs of the sort4 ,the vendors make no personal effort to sell their goods4 ,there is no appeal to passing buyers1 no crying of wares1 no 8ballyhoo10 to employ the language of ,coney ,island4 ,what chatter there is is chiefly among the buyers2 the sellers sit silent by their wares and are more apt to receive a prospective customer sulkily than with alert eagerness4 ,indeed the prevalent condition of the ,panamanian1 so far as observable on the streets1 seems to be a chronic case of sulks4 ,doubtless amongst his own kind he can be a merry dog1 but in the presence of the despised 8gringo0 his demeanor is one of apathy1 or contemptuous indifference4 ,perhaps what he was doing to the tuna and the iguana the day of our visit to the market was only what he would like to be doing to the northern invaders of his nondescript market place4 ,if you view the subject fairly the ,panamanian in the street is somewhat entitled to his view of the ,american invasion4 ,why should he be particularly pleased over the independence of ,panama and the digging of the ,canal8 ,he got none of the ten million dollars1 or of the #bej1jjj annual payment4 ,that went to his superiors who planned the 8revolution0 and told him about it when it was all over4 ,the influx of ,americans brought him no particular prosperity1 unless he drove a hack4 ,they lived in ,commission houses and bought all their goods in their own commissary4 ,it was true they cleaned up his town1 but he was used to the dirt and the fumes of fumigation made him sneeze4 ,doubtless there was no more yellow fever1 but he was immune to that anyway4 ,illustration3 ,,pottery ,,vendors ,,near ,,the ,,panama ,,city ,,market ,but way down in the bottom of his heart the real unexpressed reason for the dislike of the mass of ,panamanians for our people is their resentment at our hardly concealed contempt for them4 ,toward the more prosperous ,panamanian of social station this contempt is less manifested1 and he accordingly shows less of the dislike for ,americans that is too evident among the masses of the people4 ,but as for the casual clerk or mechanic we ,americans call him 8spiggotty0 with frank contempt for his undersize1 his lack of education and for his large proportion of negro blood4 ,and the lower class ,panamanian smarting under the contemptuous epithet retorts by calling the ,north ,americans 8gringoes0 and hating them with a deep1 malevolent rancor that needs only a fit occasion to blaze forth in riot and in massacre4 8,spiggotty01 which has not yet found its way into the dictionaries1 is derived from the salutation of hackmen seeking a fare--8speaka-da-,english04 ,our fellow countrymen with a lofty and it must be admitted a rather provincial scorn for foreign peoples--for your average citizen of the ,united ,states thinks himself as superior to the rest of the world as the citizen of ,new ,york holds himself above the rest of the ,united ,states--are not careful to limit its application to ,panamanians of the hackdriving class4 ,from his lofty pinnacle of superiority he brands them all1 from the market woman with a stock of half a dozen bananas and a handful of mangoes to the banker or the merchant whose children are being educated in ,europe like their father as 8spiggotties04 ,whereat they writhe and curse the ,yankees4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,from ,a ,,panama ,,balcony ,in the narrow streets the broad balconies bring neighbors close together 8,gringo0 is in the dictionaries4 ,it is applied to pure whites of whatever nation other than ,spanish or ,portuguese who happen to be sojourning in ,spanish-,american lands4 ,the ,century ,dictionary rather inadequately defines it thus3 8,among ,spanish ,americans an ,englishman or an ,anglo-,american2 a term of contempt4 ,probably from ,greico1 a ,greek04 ,the dictionary derivation is not wholly satisfactory4 ,another one1 based wholly on tradition1 is to the effect that during the war with ,mexico our soldiers were much given to singing a song1 8,green ,grow the ,rashes1 ,oh06 whence the term 8,gringoes0 applied by the ,mexicans4 ,the etymology of international slang can never be an exact science1 but perhaps this will serve4 ,whatever the derivation1 whatever the dictionary definitions1 the two words 8spiggotty0 and 8gringo0 stand for racial antagonism1 contempt and aversion on the part of the more northern people2 malice and suppressed wrath on that of the ,spanish-,americans4 ,you will find this feeling outcropping in every social plane in the ,republic of ,panama4 ,it is1 however1 noticeably less prevalent among the more educated classes4 ,into the ten mile wide ,canal ,zone the ,americans have poured millions upon millions of money and will continue to do so for a long time to come4 ,much of this money finds its way1 of course1 into the hands of the ,panamanians4 ,the housing and commissary system adopted by the ,commission have deprived the merchants and landowners of ,colon of their richest pickings1 but nevertheless the amount of good ,american money that has fallen to their lot is a golden stream greater than that which flowed over the old ,royal ,road in its most crowded days4 ,few small towns will show so many automobiles as ,panama and they have all been bought since the ,american invasion4 ,illustration3 ,,their ,,first ,,communion ,panama is a ,roman ,catholic ,city with picturesque church processions ,nevertheless the ,americans are hated4 ,they are hated for the commissary system4 ,the ,french took no such step to protect their workers from the rapacity of ,panama and ,colon shopkeepers1 and they are still talking of the time of the ,french richness4 ,they hate us because we cleaned their towns and are keeping them clean--not perhaps because they actually prefer the old filth and fatalities1 but because their correction implies that they were not altogether perfect before we came4 ,for the strongest quality of the ,panamanian is his pride1 and it is precisely that sentiment which we ,north ,americans have either wantonly or necessarily outraged4 ,illustration3 ,,marriage ,,is ,,an ,,affair ,,of ,,some ,,pomp ,without pretension to intimate acquaintance with ,panamanian home life ,i may state confidently that this attitude toward the ,yankees is practically universal4 ,the ordinary demeanor of the native when accosted is sulky1 even insolent4 ,the shop-keeper1 unless he be a ,chinese1 as most of the better ones are1 makes a sale as if he were indifferent to your patronage1 and throws you the finished bundle as though he were tossing a bone to a dog4 ,one ,sunday morning1 viewing the lottery drawing at the ,archbishop's palace1 ,i saw a well-dressed ,panamanian1 apparently of the better class1 roused to such wrath by a polite request that he remove his hat to give a lady a better view1 that one might have thought the best blood of all ,castile had been enraged by some deadly insult4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,manly ,,art ,,in ,,the ,,tropics ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,a ,,group ,,of ,,national ,,police ,this smoldering wrath is ever ready to break out2 the brutal savagery which manifests itself in the recurrent revolutions of ,spanish-,america is ever present in ,panama4 ,on the ,fourth of ,july1 #aiab1 the ,americans resident on the ,zone held patriotic exercises at ,ancon4 ,after the speeches and the lunch a number of the ,united ,states marines wandered into the ,city of ,panama and1 after the unfortunate fashion of their kind1 sought out that red-lighted district of infamy which the ,panama authorities have thoughtfully segregated in a space between the public hospital and the cemeteries4 ,the men were unarmed1 but in uniform4 ,naturally their holiday began by visits to a number of ,panamanian gin mills where the liquid fuel for a fight was taken aboard4 ,in due time the fight came4 ,a ,panama policeman intervened and was beaten for his pains4 ,other police came to his rescue4 ,somebody fired a shot and soon the police1 running to their station1 returned with magazine rifles and began pumping bullets into the unarmed marines4 ,the latter for a time responded with stones1 but the odds were too great and they broke and ran for the ,american territory of the ,canal ,zone4 ,meantime of course the noise of the fusillade had alarmed the ,american authorities4 ,at ,ancon1 separated from ,panama ,city only by an imaginary boundary line1 the ,zone police were mustered for service in case of need1 and at ,camp ,otis1 an hour away by rail1 the #ajth ,infantry1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 was drawn up under arms1 and trains made ready to bring the troops to the riotous city at command4 ,but the order never came1 though the #ajth officers and men alike were eager for it4 ,it could come only through the ,american minister1 and he was silent1 believing that the occasion did not warrant the employment of the troops on the foreign soil of ,panama4 ,so the marines--or as many of them as their officers could gather up--were sent to their post1 ,camp ,elliott1 by train while those arrested by the ,panamanians were taken to the ,chiriqui ,jail1 or to the ,panama hospitals4 ,in jail the unarmed captives were beaten and tortured after the fashion of the average ,latin-,american when he has a foe1 helpless in his power4 ,the day ended with three ,american marines killed and many wounded2 the ,americans1 soldiers and civilians1 both gritting their teeth and eager to take possession of ,panama2 and the ,panamanians1 noisy1 insolent1 boastful1 bragging of how they had whipped the 8,yankee pigs0 and daring the whole ,united ,states to attempt any punishment4 ,illustration3 ,,taboga1 ,,the ,,pleasure ,,place ,,of ,,panama ,the ,united ,states seems to have supinely 8taken the dare01 as the boys would say1 for though the affray and the murders occurred in ,july1 #aiab1 nothing has yet been done4 ,in answer to a formal query in ,april1 #aiac1 the ,department of ,state replied that the matter was 8still the subject of diplomatic correspondence which it is hoped will have a satisfactory termination04 ,americans on the ,zone are depressed over the seeming lack of vigor on the part of the home government4 ,they say that the apparent immunity enjoyed by the assailants of the marines has only enhanced the contemptuous hatred of the natives for the ,americans4 8,let them step on our side of the line01 says the swashbuckling native with a chip on his shoulder1 8and we'll show 'em04 ,among the ,americans on the ,zone there is almost universal regret that the troops were not marched into ,panama on the day of the riot4 ,authority existed under the treaty with the ,republic of ,panama4 ,the troops were ready4 ,the lesson need not have been a severe one1 but it was deserved and would have been lasting4 ,furthermore those best equipped to judge say that the event is only deferred1 not averted4 8,spiggotty0 and 8,gringo0 will not continue long to make faces over an imaginary line without a clash4 ,illustration3 ,,santa ,,ana ,,church1 #agfd ,despite the feeling against the ,americans1 all classes of ,panamanians must admit receiving a certain amount of advantage from the activities of the ,canal builders4 ,moreover the #aj1jjj1jjj paid over by the ,united ,states for the ,canal ,zone has not been squandered1 nor has it been dissipated in graft4 ,we are inclined to laugh because one of the first uses to which it was put was to build a government theater1 which is opened scarce thirty days out of the year4 ,but it is fair to take the ,latin temperament into consideration4 ,there is no ,latin-,american republic so impoverished as not to have a theater built by the public4 ,the ,republic of ,panama1 created overnight1 found itself without any public buildings whatsoever1 barring the jail4 ,obviously a national capitol was the first need and it was speedily supplied4 ,if one wing was used to house a theater that was a matter for local consideration and not one for cold-blooded ,yankees to jeer about4 ,the ,republic itself was a little theatrical1 rather reminiscent of the papier-mch creations of the stage carpenter1 and might be expected to vanish like a transformation scene4 ,at any rate with the money in hand the ,panamanians built a very creditable government building1 including a ,national ,theater1 and an imposing building for the ,national ,institute as well4 ,they might have done worse4 ,it showed that the revolution was more of a business affair than most ,central-,american enterprises of that sort4 ,the average leader of so successful an enterprise would have concealed the greater part of the booty in a ,paris bank account to his own order1 and used the rest in building up an army for his own maintenance in power4 ,panama has her needed public buildings--let us wink at the theater--and #g1ejj1jjj invested in ,new ,york against a time of need4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,panama ,,national ,,institute ,in the background is the ,canal administration building and the residence of ,col4 ,gorgas ,the three government buildings in the ,city of ,panama are all creditable architecturally1 and from a superficial standpoint structurally as well4 ,whenever you are shown a piece of government work in a ,latin-,american country your guide always whispers 8graft0--as for that matter is the practice in ,new ,york as well4 ,but ,panama seems to have received the worth of its money4 ,the ,government ,palace1 which corresponds to our national capitol1 stands facing a little plaza open toward the sea4 ,it is nearly square1 #ahj by #aej feet1 surrounding a tasteful court or patio after the ,south ,american manner4 ,built of rubble masonry it is faced with white cement1 and is of a singularly simple and effective architectural style for a ,latin-,american edifice4 ,the building houses the ,assembly ,hall1 the ,government ,theater and the public offices4 ,the interior of the theater1 which seats about #ajjj1 is rather in the ,european than the ,north ,american style with a full tier of boxes1 large foyers decorated with paintings by ,panama artists1 and all the appurtenances of a well-appointed opera house4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,municipal ,,building ,illustration3 ,,the ,,national ,,palace ,,and ,,theater ,next to the ,government ,palace the most ambitious public building in ,panama is the home of the ,national ,institute1 or ,university1 which nestles at the foot of ,ancon ,hill4 ,this is a group of seven buildings surrounding a central court4 ,the ,institute is designed in time to become a true university1 but its accommodations are at present far in advance of its needs4 ,equipped with an excellent faculty it will for some time to come--it was opened only in #aiaa--suffer from a lack of pupils1 because the public schools in the ,republic are not yet fitted to equip pupils for a university course4 ,the population of ,panama is largely illiterate4 ,the census in #aiaa showed #fj1dia children of school age1 and only #ah1fjg enrolled in schools of all classes4 ,of those more than #af1jjj were enrolled in the primary schools4 ,the ,government however is doing all it can to encourage education among the masses1 and the ,national ,institute will offer to all who fit themselves to enter its classes not only free tuition1 but free board and lodging as well4 ,the third considerable public building in ,panama is the ,municipal ,building which stands at one corner of the ,cathedral ,plaza4 ,it contains1 beside the council chamber and usual offices1 the ,columbus ,library of about #bejj books1 including many rare volumes on the ancient history of the ,isthmian land and its people4 ,to return however to the physical aspects of the ,city of ,panama4 ,it is recorded of a certain ,king of ,spain that when certain bills for the fortification of ,panama ,city were presented to him he gazed into vacancy with the rapt eyes of one seeing visions4 8,methinks ,i behold those walls from here01 quoth he to the suppliant treasurer1 8they must be so prodigious06 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,gause ,,salient ,,angle ,,of ,,landward ,,wall ,indeed what remains of the walls of ,panama is impressive to ,american eyes that1 accustomed to the peace and newness of our own towns1 always rejoice in seeing the relics of the time when every city was a walled camp4 ,ruins and the remnants of by-gone days of battle are now and will become increasingly objects of human interest4 ,for in the centuries to come our present edifices of iron sheathed with slabs of stone or brick will disintegrate into rust and clay1 while as for the scenes of our most glorious battles they remain even today as barely discernible lines of earthworks4 ,gone is the day of turreted castles1 frowning walls1 bastions1 ravelins and donjon keeps4 ,it is little wonder that even the remnants of ,panama's wall are impressive4 ,the new city was decreed by the ,queen of ,spain in #afgb1 or about a year after ,morgan had despoiled and destroyed ,old ,panama4 ,the site was chosen largely because of the opportunity it afforded for defense1 and the good ,bishop had scarcely selected the site for the ,cathedral when the military officials began staking out the line of the walls4 ,though almost #bej years have since passed a great part of these fortifications is still intact1 and the plan of the whole is still easily traceable amid the narrow streets of the crowded little city4 ,most notable of the sections still standing is the sea wall1 sometimes called ,las ,bovedas1 from which on the one hand one looks down on the inmates of the flowery little ,chiriqui ,prison1 and on the other out to sea--past the shallow harbor with its army of pelicans1 past the tossing little native fishing and market boats1 past the long ,balboa fill where the ,canal builders have thrown a mountain into the sea and made a vast plain1 and so on to the three little islands1 rising craggy from the ocean where the ,great ,republic of the ,north is mounting the cannon that shall guard the entrance of the ,canal from any invader4 ,very different from the old ,spanish fort of the #agth century are these military works of the #bjth and not nearly so picturesque4 ,such as they are must be left to the imagination1 for the military authorities rigidly bar the camera from the post4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,gause ,,boys ,,skating ,,on ,,sea ,,wall ,the original city stood on a peninsula1 and three sides of this were bounded by the sea wall1 rising from about high water mark to a height of from twenty to thirty feet4 ,about half way between the present plazas of the ,cathedral and ,santa ,ana the wall turned inward with a great frowning bastion at each corner and crossed the ,isthmus4 ,a moat was dug on its landward side1 shutting off all communication with the mainland save over the drawbridge and through the sally-port on the line of the ,avenida ,centrale4 ,with drawbridge up and sally-port closed the old town was effectually shut off from attack by land1 while its guns on the landward wall effectually commanded the broad plain on which now stands the upper part of the town1 and the declivities of ,ancon ,hill where now are the buildings of the ,zone hospital and the ,tivoli ,hotel4 ,illustration3 ,,vaults ,,in ,,the ,,panama ,,cemetery ,the small sepulchres are rented for a specified time1 usually three years4 ,unless the lease is then renewed the bones of the tenant are cast out into a common pile4 ,a good bit of construction and of military engineering was the wall of ,panama--our own engineers on the ,canal have done no better4 ,round the corner from ,la ,mercedes ,church a salient bastion crops out among fragile frame tenements and jerry-built structures4 ,the angle is as sharp as though the storms of two and a half centuries had not broken over it4 ,climb it and you will find the top level1 grassy1 and broad enough for a tennis court full thirty feet above the level of the town4 ,the construction was not unlike that of the center walls of the locks designed by the best ,american engineers4 ,two parallel walls of masonry were built1 about forty to fifty feet apart and the space between filled in with dirt1 packed solidly4 ,on this part of the wall were no bomb proofs1 chambers or dungeons4 ,the guns were mounted en barbette1 on the very top of the wall and discharged through embrasures in the parapet4 ,rather let it be said that they were to have been fired1 for the new ,panama was built after the plague of the pirates had passed and the bane of the buccaneers was abated4 ,no foe ever assaulted the city from its landward side4 ,in the frequent revolutions the contending parties were already within the town and did their fighting in its streets1 the old walls serving no more useful purpose than the ropes which define a prize ring4 ,only the sea-wall has heard the thunder of cannon in deadly conflict4 ,there during the brief revolution which gave the ,united ,states the whip hand in ,panama a ,colombian gunboat did indeed make a pretense of shelling the city1 but was driven away by machine guns mounted on the wall4 ,illustration3 ,,ruins ,,of ,,san ,,domingo ,,church ,within the walls1 or the portion of the town the walls once surrounded1 live the older families of native ,panamanians1 or those of foreign birth who have lived so long upon the ,isthmus as to become identified with its life4 ,the edifices along the streets are more substantial1 the shops more dignified than in the newer quarter without4 ,there are few1 if any1 frame structures and these evidently patched in where some fire has swept away more substantial predecessors4 ,this part of ,panama is reminiscent of many small towns of ,spain or ,portugal4 ,the galleries nod at each other across streets too narrow to admit the burning sun1 or to permit the passage of more than one vehicle at a time4 ,the older churches1 or their ruins1 diversify the city streets1 and the ,cathedral ,plaza in the very center with the great open caf of the historic ,hotel ,centrale at one side has a distinctly foreign flavor4 ,here as one sits in the open listening to the native band and sipping a drink--softer1 if one be wise1 than that the natives thrive upon--and watches the native girls of every shade and in gayest dress driving or loitering past1 one feels far from the bustling ,north ,american world1 far from that snap and ginger and hustle on which ,americans pride themselves4 ,and then perhaps the music is suddenly punctuated by heavy dull 8booms01 like a distant cannonade1 and one knows that only a few miles away dynamite is rending rock and man is grappling fiercely with nature4 ,carnival occupies the four days preceding ,ash ,wednesday1 the period known in all ,catholic countries as the ,mardi ,gras4 ,for years its gaiety has been preceded by a vigorous political contest for the high honor of being ,queen of the ,carnival1 though it is said that in later years this rivalry has been less determined than of yore4 ,at one time1 however1 it was contended for as strenuously as though the presidency of the republic was at stake and the two political parties--liberal and conservative--made it as much a stake of political activity as though the destiny of the ,state was involved4 ,happy the young woman who had a father able and willing to foot the bills1 for no corrupt practices act intervened to save candidates from the wiles of the campaign grafter1 or to guard the integrity of the voter from the insidious temptations of the man with a barrel4 ,it would be chivalric to say that the one issue in the campaign is the beauty of the respective candidates1 but alas for a mercenary age6 ,the sordid spirit of commercialism has crept in and the ,panamanian papa must look upon the ambitions of his beauteous daughter as almost as expensive as a six cylinder automobile1 a trip to ,europe1 or a yearning for a titled husband4 ,but sometimes there are compensations4 ,it is whispered that for one in retail trade in a large way it is no bad advertisement to have a ,carnival ,queen for a daughter4 ,illustration3 ,,some ,,carnival ,,floats ,in the car shown in the upper right-hand corner is the ,queen of the ,carnival of #aiac ,we have tried carnivals in various of our more cold-blooded ,american cities1 but we cannot get the spirit4 ,our floats are more artistic and expensive1 our decorations are more lavish1 but we sit and view the parade with detached calmness as though the revelers were hired clowns4 ,in ,panama everybody joins in the sport4 ,the line of carriages around the park in the ,plaza ,centrale1 thence by the ,avenida to the ,plaza ,santa ,ana and back is unbroken4 ,the confetti falls like a ,january snow and the streets are ankle deep4 ,everyone is in mask and you can never tell whether the languishing eyes peering out upon you are set in a face of pearl or of ebony4 ,the noise of innumerable horns and rattles rises to ,heaven and reverberates in the narrow streets1 while the bells jangle out of tune1 as is their custom4 ,oh1 those bells of ,panama6 ,never were so many peals and chimes out of harmony4 ,stedman1 who heard them only in an ordinary moment1 not in their ,mardi ,gras madness1 put them to verse thus3 8,loudly the cracked bells overhead ,of ,san ,francisco ding ,with ,santa ,ana1 ,la ,merced1 ,felipe answering4 ,banged all at once1 and four times four ,morn1 noon and night the more and more1 ,clatter and clang with huge uproar1 ,the bells of ,panama04 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,ancient ,,cathedral ,its towers have looked down on carnival1 revolution1 revelry and riot ,seoritas of sundry shades look down sweetly from the balconies1 and shower confetti on gallant caballeros who stalk along as giant chanticleers1 or strive to entangle in parti-colored tapes the lances of a gay party of toreadors4 ,at night some of the women enmesh giant fireflies in their raven locks with flashing effect4 ,king ,license rules supreme1 and some of the horseplay even in the brightly lighted cafs of the ,centrale and ,metropolitan rather transcends the limits of coldly descriptive prose4 ,the natives will tell you that the ,cathedral ,plaza is the center of propriety2 the ,plaza ,santa ,ana a trifle risqu4 ,after observation and a return at daybreak from the carnival balls held at the ,centrale and ,metropolitan ,hotels you can meditate at your leisure upon the precise significance of the word propriety in ,panama at ,mardi ,gras4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,police ,,station1 ,,panama ,the clause in the treaty which grants to the ,united ,states authority to maintain order in the ,republic might very readily be stretched to include police power over ,panama4 ,this has not been done however and the city has its own police force1 an exceedingly numerous one for a town of its size4 ,undoubtedly1 however1 diplomatic representations from the ,united ,states have caused the ,panamanians to put their police regulations somewhat in accord with ,north ,american ideas4 ,there are no more bull fights--8,we never had very good bull-fights anyway01 said a ,panama gentleman plaintively acquiescing in this reform4 ,cock-fights however flourish and form1 with the lottery drawing1 the chief ,sunday diversion4 ,a pretty dismal spectacle it is1 too1 with two attenuated birds1 often covered with blood and half sightless1 striking fiercely at each other with long steel spurs1 while a crowd of a hundred or so1 blacks and whites1 indiscriminately yell encouragement and shriek for bets from the surrounding arena4 ,the betting in fact is the real support of the game4 ,the ,jamaicans particularly have their favorite cocks and will wager a week's pay on their favorites and all of their wives' laundry earnings they can lay hands upon as well4 ,one or two gamecocks tethered by the leg are as common a sight about a ,jamaican's hut as 8houn' dawgs0 around a ,missouri cabin4 ,illustration3 ,,church ,,of ,,our ,,lady ,,of ,,mercy 7,,la ,,merced7 ,if there is any regulation of the liquor traffic in ,panama1 it is not apparent to the casual observer4 ,nowhere does one see so much drinking1 and nowhere that people drink at all is there less drunkenness4 ,it is a curious fact that these two phenomena--wide-open drinking places and little drunkenness--are often found together4 ,in ,panama the saloons are legion1 and ,i regret to say the biggest of them are run by ,americans4 ,no screens obstruct a full view of the interiors1 and hardened tipplers flaunt their vice in the faces of all beholders4 ,perhaps the very publicity impels them to quit before they are hopelessly befuddled4 ,possibly the moist and somewhat debilitating climate permits the innocuous use of stimulants to a greater extent than would be possible in the ,north4 ,beside the absence of any scandalous open drunkenness there seems to be some significance in the fact that the records of the ,zone hospitals show a surprisingly small number of deaths from diseases induced by chronic alcoholism4 ,but the casual observer strolling on ,avenida ,centrale1 or along the streets tributary to it1 might be excused for thinking ,panama one great grog shop4 ,it is curious1 too1 that despite the ,latin character of the populace the taste for light wines1 in which some see the hope of national temperance1 does not seem general4 ,whisky1 brandy and rum are the regular tipples4 ,on a still remembered night in ,panama1 before the ,american invasion1 the ,centrale ,hotel bar was made free to all4 ,no drinks were served to the thirsty1 but to all who appeared a bottle was given and the line marched past for some hours4 ,yet1 even at that1 there was no considerable drunkenness observed4 ,apparently for the ,panamanians drink is not a hopeless evil1 but to the soldiers and marines of the ,united ,states stationed on the ,isthmus and denied the rational social life of a well-regulated canteen the open doors of the saloons of ,panama are as the open doors to a hotter spot4 ,their more strenuous temperaments will not stand the stimulant which leaves a ,panamanian as stolid as before4 ,the fatal riot of ,july #d1 #aiab1 is one illustration of what ,panama saloon hospitality may do with the men who wear the khaki4 ,illustration3 ,,young ,,america ,,on ,,panama ,,beach ,illustration3 ,,ready ,,to ,,control ,,the ,,pacific ,shopping in ,panama is a decidedly cosmopolitan enterprise4 ,the shopkeeper of whom ,i bought a ,panama hat1 made in ,ecuador1 did business under a ,spanish name1 was in fact a ,genoese and when he found ,i could speak neither ,spanish nor ,italian coaxed me up to his price in ,french4 ,most of the retail prices are of so elastic a sort that when you have beaten them down two-thirds you retire with your package perfectly confident that they would have stood another cut4 ,nevertheless the ,chinese merchants1 who are the chief retail dealers in the tropics1 compel respect4 ,they live cleanly1 are capable business men1 show none of the sloth and indifference of the natives1 and seem to prosper everywhere4 ,the ,chinese market gardens in the outskirts of ,panama are a positive relief for the neatness of their trim rows of timely plants4 ,the ,panamanian eats yams and grumbles that the soil will grow nothing else2 the ,chinaman makes it produce practically all the vegetables that grow in our northern gardens4 ,avenida ,centrale ends its arterial course at the sea wall of the city1 or at least at that part of the sea wall which is the best preserved and retains most of its old-time dignity4 ,it is here something like the ,battery at ,charleston1 ,s4 ,c41 though the houses fringing it are not of a like stateliness1 and the aristocracy of the quarter is somewhat tempered by the fact that here1 too1 is the city prison4 ,into the courtyards of this calaboose you can gaze from sundry little sentry boxes1 the little sentries in which seem ever ready to step out to let the tourist step in and afterward pose for his camera1 with rifle1 fixed bayonet and an even more fixed expression4 ,the greater part of one of the prison yards is given over to flower beds1 and though sunken some twenty feet or more below the crest of the wall1 is thoughtfully provided with such half-way stations in the way of lean-to sheds1 ladders and water butts that there seems to be no reason why any prisoner should stay in who wants to get out4 ,but perhaps they don't often yearn for liberty4 ,a wire fence cuts off the woman's section of the jail and the several native women ,i observed flirting assiduously with desperate male malefactors from whom they were separated only by this fence1 seemed content with their lot1 and evidently helped to cultivate like resignation in the breasts of their dark adorers4 ,a white-clad guard1 machete at side and heavy pistol at belt1 walks among them jingling a heavy bunch of keys authoritatively but offering no interruption to their tender interludes4 ,on the other side of the row of frame quarters by which the prison yard is bisected you can see at the normal hours the prisoners taking their meals at a long table in the open air4 ,over the parapet of the sea wall above1 an equally long row of tourists is generally leveling cameras1 and sometimes exchanging lively badinage with some criminal who objects to figuring in this amateur rogues' gallery4 ,to the casual spectator it all savors of opera bouffe1 but there are stories a-plenty that the ,panama jail has had its share of brutal cruelty as have most places wherein men are locked away from sight and subject to the whims of others not so very much their superiors4 ,once the ,chiriqui ,prison was a fortress1 the bank of quarters for the prisoners formed the barracks1 and the deep archways under the sea wall were dungeons oft populated by political prisoners4 ,miasma1 damp and the brutality of jailers have many a time brought to occupants of those dungeons their final discharge1 and a patch of wall near by1 with the bricks significantly chipped1 is pointed out as the place where others have been from time to time stood up in front of a firing squad at too short a range for misses4 ,the ,latin-,american lust for blood has had its manifestations in ,panama1 and the old prison has doubtless housed its share of martyrs4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,flowery ,,chiriqui ,,prison ,where native women prisoners may flirt without interruption with male malefactors1 separated only by a wire fence ,but one thinks little of the grimmer history of the ,chiriqui ,prison1 looking down upon the bright flower beds1 and the gay quadroon girls flirting with some desperate character who is perhaps 8in0 for a too liberal indulgence in rum last pay day4 ,indeed the guard wards off more sanguinary reminiscences by telling you that they used to hold bull baitings--a milder form of bull-fight--in the yard that the captives in the dungeons might witness the sport1 and perhaps envy the bull1 quien sabe8 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,market ,,for ,,shell ,,fish ,the black spots on the roof are vultures1 the official scavengers ,the present town of ,panama does not impress one with the air of being the scene of dark crimes of covetousness1 lust and hate4 ,its police system1 viewed superficially1 is effective and most of the malefactors in the ,chiriqui ,jail are there for trivial offenses only4 ,one crime of a few years ago however bids fair to become historic4 ,one of the banks in the town was well known to be the repository of the funds needed for the payroll of the ,canal force4 ,it was the policy of the ,commission to pay off as much as possible in gold and silver1 and to a very great extent in coins of comparatively small denomination in order to keep it on the ,zone4 ,the money paid out on pay drafts comes swiftly back through the ,commissary to the banks which accordingly accumulate a very considerable stock of ready cash as a subsequent pay day approaches4 ,now the banks of ,panama do not seem to even the casual observer as strongholds1 and probably to the professional cracksman they are positive invitations to enterprise4 ,accordingly1 three men1 only one of whom had any criminal record or was in any sense an habitu of the underworld1 set about breaking into one of the principal banks4 ,they laid their plans with deliberation and conducted their operations with due regard for their personal comfort4 ,their plan was to tunnel into the bank from an adjoining building1 in which they set up a bogus contracting business to account for the odds and ends of machinery and implements they had about4 ,the tunnel being dark they strung electric lights in it4 ,being hot1 under that tropic air1 they installed electric fans4 ,all the comforts of a burglar's home were there4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,cathedral ,,and ,,plaza ,from a strictly professional standpoint they made not a single blunder4 ,their one error--almost a fatal one--was in not being good churchmen4 ,for they had planned to enter the bank late on a ,saturday night4 ,tuesday was to be pay day and on ,monday the full amount of the pay roll would be drawn out4 ,but ,saturday night it would all be there--several hundred thousand dollars--and they would have all day ,sunday to pack it securely and make their getaway4 ,midnight1 then1 saw them creeping into the bank4 ,the safe yielded readily to their assaults1 but it disgorged only a beggarly #cj1jjj or so4 ,what could be the trouble8 ,just then the knowledge dawned on the disappointed bandits that ,monday was a ,saint's day1 the bank would be closed1 therefore the prudent ,zone paymaster had drawn his funds on ,saturday4 ,the joke was on the cracksmen4 ,with the comparatively few thousands they had accumulated the disappointed outlaws took a motor boat and made for ,colombia4 ,had they secured the loot they expected they would have been made welcome there1 for ,colombia does not recognize her run-away child ,panama1 and no extradition treaty could have been appealed to by the ,panamanians against their despoilers4 ,as it was they quarreled over the booty4 ,one of the three was killed2 the other two were arrested for the murder1 but soon went free4 ,their complete immunity from prosecution calls attention to the fact that a few hours' trip in a motor boat will take any one guilty of crime in ,panama to a land where he will be wholly free from punishment4 ,churches in ,panama1 or the ruins of them1 are many1 and while not beautiful are interesting4 ,everybody goes to see the famous flat arch of the ,san ,domingo ,church1 and its disappearance will be a sore blow to guides and post-card dealers4 ,aside from its curious architectural quality the arch derives interest from a legend of its construction by a pious monk4 ,twice it fell before the mortar had time to set4 ,the third time its designer brought a stool and sat himself down below the heavy keystone4 8,if it falls01 he said1 8,i go with it04 ,but that time the arch stood firm1 and it has withstood the assaults of centuries to come at last to the ignoble end of incorporation in a tenement house4 ,the arch1 which certainly looks unstable1 is often pointed to as an evidence of the slight peril on the ,isthmus from earthquake shocks4 ,such convulsions of nature are indeed not unknown but are usually feeble4 ,that great shock that overthrew ,san ,francisco was not even registered by the seismograph on the ,canal zone4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,a ,,panama ,,park ,practically all the churches are of the same plan--two towers at the front corners with the faade built between4 ,the towers of the ,cathedral rise high above the roof and the tapering steeples are covered with slabs of mother-of-pearl1 which make a brave spectacle from the bay when the rosy rays of the setting sun play upon them4 ,within all the churches are poor and barren of ornament4 ,they have been stripped of their funds by various authorities beginning with ,spain itself1 one of the ,spanish generals in the revolutionary days having seized all the available funds to pay for transportation for his army4 ,perhaps the church resented this1 for in later days it voluntarily contributed largely out of its remaining treasure to the revolutionary cause4 ,later still its gold and silver ornaments and altar pieces were confiscated by some faction temporarily in power4 ,indeed the church has been the football of politics1 always entangled with the ,state and thus far suffering in prestige and pocket by the association4 ,illustration3 ,,salvation ,,army ,,in ,,panama ,the ,cathedral owes its completion to a negro bishop1 the son of a charcoal burner who had determined that his boy should rise to higher station4 ,by hard study the lad secured admittance to the priesthood and ultimately rose to be ,bishop of ,panama1 the first native to fill that post4 ,out of his own salary he paid much of the cost of building the great church1 the corner-stone of which had been laid when the city was founded1 and by his zeal in soliciting funds secured its completion4 ,a systematic tour of the churches of ,panama is well worth the visitor's time4 ,more that is curious will be found than there is of the beautiful1 and to the former class ,i am inclined to consign a much begrimed painting in the ,cathedral which tradition declares to be a ,murillo4 ,perhaps more interesting than the ,cathedral is the ,church of ,san ,francisco1 in the ,plaza ,bolivar4 ,the present structure dates back only to #aghe1 two former edifices on the same site having been burned4 ,the ruins of the beautiful cloister of the ,franciscan convent adjoin it1 but are concealed from view by an unsightly board fence which the tourist1 not having a guide1 will not think of passing through4 ,the ruins1 however1 are well worth seeing4 ,illustration3 ,,costume ,,de ,,rigueur ,,for ,,february ,clubs share with churches in the social life of ,panama4 ,perhaps indeed they rather outshine the latter4 ,at any rate such buildings as the ,union ,club and the ,university ,club1 both of which abut upon the bay would be a credit to a city twice the size4 ,the former club1 as its name implies1 was intended to be a meeting place where liberals and conservatives could lay aside political differences in social unity4 ,however1 politics in ,panama1 as in all places where there are not real vital issues dividing the parties1 breeds bitter personal feeling and the ,union ,club is said to be far from being the home of political unity4 ,it has1 however1 an excellent building1 with a spacious ball-room1 a swimming tank and a magnificent view of ,panama ,bay with its picturesque islands4 ,the ,university ,club is more an ,american club than a ,panamanian1 and it no longer observes the restriction as to membership which its name would imply4 ,it too has a spacious ball-room and is a social center for the ,zone dwellers who form the major part of its membership4 ,the ,cathedral ,plaza is socially the center of town1 though geographically the old ,french ,plaza of ,santa ,ana is more near the center4 ,directly opposite the ,cathedral is the ,hotel ,centrale1 built after the ,spanish fashion1 with four stories around a central court4 ,in the blither days of the ,french rgime this court was the scene of a revelry to which the daily death roll formed a grim contrast4 ,however the occasional gaiety of the ,centrale ,patio did not end with the ,french4 ,even in the prosaic ,yankee days of the last carnival the intervention of the police was necessary to prevent a gentleman from being wholly denuded1 and displayed to the revelers in nature's garb as a specimen of the superior products of ,panama4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,bust ,,of ,,lieut4 ,,napoleon ,b4 ,,wyse ,this bust stands on the sea wall4 ,the picture shows it guarded by a ,united ,states soldier and a ,panama policeman ,on a nearby corner of the ,plaza is the old ,french administration building1 afterward occupied by the ,isthmian ,canal ,commission4 ,in #aije it was a central point of infection for the yellow-fever epidemic1 and though repeatedly fumigated was finally abandoned by the ,american engineers who moved their headquarters out to ,culebra4 ,life in ,panama ,city is mainly outdoor life1 in the dry season at any rate1 and even in the wet season the ,panamanians move about in the open like a lot of damp and discontented flies4 ,the almost continuous line of balconies shields the sidewalks from the rain1 and nobody in ,panama is too busy to stop a half hour or so at street crossings for the downpour to lessen4 ,sunday nights the band of the ,republic plays in the ,plaza1 and there all the people of the town congregate to listen to the music1 promenade and chat4 ,it is the scene of that curious ,latin-,american courtship which consists of following the adored one with appealing eyes1 but never by any possibility speaking to her4 ,the procession of girls and women is worth watching1 whether the eyes be adoring or not1 and the costumes have a sort of strangeness befitting the scene4 ,the practice has grown up of leaving the outer walk for the negro and negroid people1 the inner paths being kept for the whites--but as the walks merge into each other so too do the colors4 ,if one wearies of the moving crowds without1 a step will bring him into the patio of the ,hotel ,centrale where an excellent orchestra plays1 and a gathering chiefly native sips tropical drinks and disposes of the political issues of the day with much oratory and gesticulation4 ,illustration3 ,,on ,,panama',s ,,bathing ,,beach ,as you make your way back to the hotel at night--if it is after eleven1 the driver will lawfully charge you twenty cents--you will vainly try to recall any ,north ,american town of #dj1jjj people which can present so many objects of interests to the visitor1 and a spectacle of social life so varied1 so cosmopolitan and so pleasing4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,quarantine ,,station ,,at ,,pacific ,,entrance ,,to ,,canal ,the night life of the streets is as a rule placid1 however1 rather than boisterous1 nor is ,panama an 8all night town04 ,the rule of the tropics is 8early to rise0 in any event and as a result those parts of the city which the visitor sees usually quiet down by midnight and presently thereafter the regions about the ,cathedral ,plaza are as quiet and somnolent as ,wall ,street after dark4 ,but in a more sequestered section of the town1 where the public hospital looks down significantly on the spectacle from one side1 and the cemeteries show sinister on the other1 revelry goes on apace until the cool dawn arises4 ,there the clatter of pianolas which have felt the climate sorely mingles with the clink of glasses in cantinas that never close1 and the laughter of lips to which1 in public at least1 laughter is a professional necessity4 ,under the red lights at midnight ,panama shows its worst4 ,men of varied voyages1 familiar with the slums of ,singapore and the purlieus of ,paris declare that this little city of a hybrid civilization outdoes them in all that makes up the fevered life of the underworld4 ,scarcely a minute's walk away is the ,american town1 quiet and restful under the tropic moon1 its winding streets well guarded by the ,zone police1 its houses wrapped in vines and fragrant with flowers all dark in the hours of repose4 ,but in the congested tangle of concrete houses between the hospitals and the cemetery madness and mirth reign1 brains reel with the fumes of the strange drinks of the tropics1 and life is worth a passing pleasure--nothing more4 ,men of many lands have cursed the ,chagres fever and the jungle's ills1 but the pest place of ,panama has been subjected to no purging process with all the efforts of the ,united ,states to banish evil from the ,isthmus4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,the ,,sanitation ,,of ,,the ,,zone ,the seal of the ,canal ,zone shows a galleon under full sail passing between the towering banks of the ,culebra ,cut1 with the motto1 8,the land divided2 the world united04 ,sometimes as ,i trudged about the streets of ,colon or ,panama1 or over the hills and through the jungle in the ,zone1 ,i have thought a more significant coat-of-arms might be made up of a garbage can rampant and a gigantic mosquito mordant for verily by the collection and careful covering of filth and the slaughter of the pestilential mosquito all the work done on the ,zone has been made possible4 ,as for the motto how would this do--8,a clean country and a salubrious strait08 ,it is the universal opinion of those familiar with the ,canal work that if we had approached the task with the lack of sanitary knowledge from which the ,french suffered we should have failed as they did4 ,no evil known to man inspires such dread as yellow fever4 ,leprosy1 in the individual1 does indeed1 although well-informed people know that it is not readily communicated and never becomes epidemic4 ,cholera did strike the heart of man with cold dread1 but more than one generation has passed since cholera was an evil to be reckoned with in civilized countries4 ,yellow fever is now to be classed with it as an epidemic disease1 the spread of which can be absolutely and unerringly controlled4 ,the demonstrated fact that yellow fever is transmitted only by the bite of a stegomyia mosquito which has already bitten1 and been infected by1 a human being sick of the fever has become one of the commonplaces of sanitary science4 ,yet that knowledge dates back comparatively few years1 and was not available to mankind at the time the ,french began their struggle with tropical nature4 ,over the honor of first discovering the fact of the malignant part played by the mosquito there has been some conflict1 but credit is generally given to ,dr4 ,donald ,ross1 a ,scotchman in the ,indian ,civil ,service4 ,his investigations however were greatly extended and practical effect was given them by surgeons in the ,united ,states ,army engaged in the work of eliminating pestilence from ,havana4 ,to ,majors ,walter ,reed1 ,jesse ,w4 ,lazear and ,james ,carroll the chief credit is due for testing1 proving and applying the theory in ,havana4 ,lazear bravely gave up his life to the experiment1 baring his arm to the bite of a mosquito1 and dying afterward of yellow fever in terrible agony4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,col4 ,w4 ,c4 ,,gorgas ,the man who changed the ,isthmus from a pest-hole to a spot as fit for human habitation as any place on the globe ,illustration3 ,,what ,,col4 ,,gorgas ,,had ,,to ,,correct ,the fact of this earlier application of the mosquito theory does not in the slightest degree detract from the great honor due to ,col4 ,w4 ,c4 ,gorgas for his work in changing the ,isthmus of ,panama from a pest-hole into a spot as fit for human habitation as any spot on the globe4 ,unfortunately1 as the impending success of the ,canal enterprise became apparent1 rivalry for the prime honor grew up between the followers of the two chief figures1 ,col4 ,goethals and ,col4 ,gorgas4 ,that either of these gentlemen shared in this feeling is not asserted1 but their friends divided the ,isthmus into two hostile camps4 ,rivalry of this sort was unfortunate and needless4 ,in the words of ,admiral ,schley after the battle of ,santiago3 8,there was glory enough for all04 ,but the result was to decry and to depreciate the work of ,col4 ,gorgas in making the ,isthmus habitable4 ,as a matter of fact no historian will for one moment hesitate to state that only by that work was it made possible to dig the ,canal at all4 ,col4 ,goethals himself in his moments of deepest doubt as to the size of the appropriations for sanitation purposes would hardly question that statement4 ,that some other man than ,gorgas might have done the work with the experience of the ,french and the discovery of the malignant quality of the mosquito to guide him is undoubtedly true4 ,that some other man than ,goethals might have dug the ,canal with the experience of two earlier engineers1 as well as of the ,french to serve as warnings1 is equally true4 ,but these two finished the work and to each belongs the glory for his part4 ,illustration3 ,,administration ,,building1 ,,housing ,,the ,,sanitary ,,department ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,dredging ,a ,,colon ,,street ,so near tide level is the surface of ,colon that the dredges made canals in the public streets ,col4 ,gorgas first visited the ,isthmus in #aijd4 ,in a little pamphlet which ,i have before me he then described simply the essence of the problem he had to meet4 ,he found camped on a hill1 perfectly drained and supplied with good water1 #dej marines--who of course were men of exceptionally good physique1 robust and vigorous4 ,yet in four months #agj out of the #dej were infected with malaria1 and ,col4 ,gorgas said1 8if these men were our laborers1 working daily in ,culebra ,cut1 exposed to the sun and weather1 many of these cases would be severe in type and at the end of the year we would be approaching the mortality of the ,french04 ,the cause for the infection was apparent4 ,though the marines' camp was clean and sanitary there was at the foot of the hill1 on which it was perched1 a village of #djj or #ejj ,jamaica negroes4 ,examination of the people showed that all suffered from chronic malaria4 ,the marine strolling in the village would be bitten by a mosquito--the anopheles which is partial to malaria--which had already bitten an infected negro4 ,the result was the spread of the infection among the marines4 ,as ,col4 ,gorgas put it1 8,the condition is very much the same as if these four or five hundred natives had the smallpox and our marines had never been vaccinated04 ,to correct this condition he proposed1 8to take this village1 put it under a systematic scheme of inspection1 whereby we will be able to control all water barrels and deposits of water1 so that no mosquitoes will be allowed to breed1 look after its street cleaning and disposal of night soil1 etc41 so as to get it in good sanitary condition1 then have the population examined and recorded1 so that we will have on a card a short history of each individual and keep track of them in this way4 ,those suffering from malaria will be put under treatment1 and watched as long as the malarial parasite is found in the blood4 ,i hope1 in this way1 to decrease to the smallest limit the number of anopheles1 the malarial-bearing mosquito1 and1 at the same time1 to gradually eliminate the human being as a source of infection1 so that at the end of a year it will be entirely safe for an unacclimated man to live in this village04 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,war ,,on ,,mosquitoes4 ,i4 ,the men are oiling the surface of the streams to kill the larvae ,illustration3 ,,the ,,war ,,on ,,mosquitoes4 ,,ii4 ,burning the grass that affords cover ,being appointed ,chief ,sanitary ,officer ,col4 ,gorgas put this plan into effect not only in that village but in every part of the ,canal ,zone1 particular attention being given to the cities of ,panama and ,colon4 ,in these cities the visitor will be impressed with the comparative cleanliness of the streets and sidewalks and the covering of all garbage receptacles4 ,no other ,central ,american city shows so cleanly a front4 ,screening1 however1 is little in evidence4 ,how great the mortality had been under the ,french it is impossible to tell4 ,their statistics related almost wholly to deaths in their hospitals and very largely to white patients4 ,men who died out on the line1 natives who worked a day or two and went back to their villages to die were left unrecorded4 ,in the hospitals it was recorded that between #ahha and #ahhi1 #efah employees died4 ,the contractors were charged a dollar a day for every man sent to the hospitals1 so it may be conjectured that not all were sent who should have been4 ,col4 ,gorgas estimates the average death rate at about #bdj per #ajjj annually4 ,the ,american general death rate began with a maximum of #di4id per #ajjj sinking to #ba4ah1 at or about which point it has remained for several years4 ,among employees alone our death rate was #g4ej per #ajjj4 ,the ,french with an average force of #aj1bjj men employed1 lost in nine years #bb1ahi men4 ,we with an average force of #cc1jjj lost less than #djjj in about an equal period4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,war ,,on ,,mosquitoes4 ,,iii4 ,spraying the brooks with larvacide ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,war ,,on ,,mosquitoes4 ,,iv4 ,cutting down brush which will later be burned thus destroying mosquito covert ,when ,col4 ,gorgas came to the ,isthmus the two towns ,panama and ,colon were well fitted to be breeding places for pestilence4 ,neither had sewers nor any drainage system4 ,the streets of ,panama were paved after a fashion with cobblestones and lined with gutters through which the liquid refuse of the town trickled slowly or stood still to fester and grow putrescent under the glowing rays of the tropic sun4 ,colon had no pavement whatsoever4 ,neither town had waterworks and the people gathered and stored rainwater in cisterns and pottery jars which afforded fine breeding places for the mosquito4 ,as a matter of fact1 the whole ,isthmus1 not the towns alone1 furnishes plenty of homes for the mosquito4 ,with a rainy season lasting throughout eight months in the year much of the soil is waterlogged4 ,the stagnant back waters of small streams2 pools left by the rains2 the footprints of cows and other animals filled up with rain water quickly breed the wrigglers that ultimately become mosquitoes4 ,mr4 ,a4 ,h4 ,jennings1 the entomologist of the ,commission1 has identified #abe varieties of the mosquito1 of which1 however1 the anopheles and the stegomyia are the ones peculiarly obnoxious to man4 ,the others are merely the common or summer resort variety of mosquito with a fondness for ankles and the back of one's hand1 which can be observed any time on ,long ,island or in ,new ,jersey without the expense of a trip to ,panama4 ,a careful study of literary authorities indicates to me that at this point in the description of the mosquito plague on the ,isthmus it is proper to indulge in humorous reflections upon the fact that the bite of the female only is dangerous4 ,but1 given the fact1 the humorous applications seem so obvious that the reader may be trusted to draw them for himself--it would be idle to say 8herself01 for the women will not see anything humorous about it at all4 ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,,panama ,,bay ,,from ,,ancon ,,hospital ,there are few more beautiful spots in the world than the grounds of ,ancon ,hospital4 ,french taste selected the site1 a ,french nun set out the first trees and shrubs1 and nature has completed a charming picture4 ,the fight then against disease on the ,isthmus resolved itself largely into a war of extermination upon the two noxious varieties of mosquitoes4 ,it involved first a cleaning up1 paving and draining of the two towns4 ,curiously enough bad smells are not necessarily unhygienic1 but they betoken the existence of matter that breeds disease germs1 and flies and other insects distribute those germs where they will do the most harm4 ,colon and ,panama therefore were paved and provided with sewage systems1 while somewhat stringent ordinances checked the pleasant ,panama practice of emptying all slops from the front gallery into the street4 ,it is fair to the ,panamanians to note that in the end they will pay for the vigorous cleaning and refurbishing of their towns by the ,americans4 ,our sanitary forces did the work and did it well1 by virtue of the clause in the treaty which grants the ,united ,states authority to prosecute such work in the two cities and collect from the householder its cost by means of water and sewage rates4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,sanitary ,,work ,,in ,a ,,village ,the scene is in the outskirts of ,culebra1 now a model of cleanliness ,this work was completed in #aijh and the final report of the ,division of ,municipal ,engineering which conducted it showed that nearly #f1jjj1jjj had been expended1 of which about #b1bej1jjj was for pavements1 sewers and waterworks in the two cities1 and about #c1ejj1jjj for work in the ,canal ,zone4 ,nearly a million more was subsequently expended in the towns4 ,the first thing to do with the towns was to fumigate them4 ,the ,panamanians did not like this4 ,neither would we or any other people for that matter1 for the process of fumigating necessarily interrupts the routine of life1 invades domestic privacy1 inevitably causes some loss by the discoloring of fabrics1 interrupts trade in the case of stores and is in general an infernal nuisance4 ,that much any people will say against wholesale fumigation4 ,but to the ,panamanians it was peculiarly offensive because they were immune from yellow fever anyway1 and to some extent from malaria as well1 so to their minds the whole thing was an imposition by which the ,americans alone would profit4 ,if the gringoes weren't able to live in ,panama without smoking people out of house and home1 they had better stay away was the generally expressed public opinion of ,panama4 ,here the peculiar personality of ,col4 ,gorgas came into play4 ,had that gentleman not been a great health officer he would have made a notable diplomat1 particularly in these new days when tact and charm of manner are considered more essential to an ,american diplomat than dollars4 ,he went among the people of the two towns1 argued1 jollied and cajoled them until a work which it was thought might have to be accomplished at the point of the bayonet was finished with but little friction4 ,the bayonet was always in the background1 however1 for the treaty gives the ,united ,states unqualified authority to enforce its sanitary ordinances in the cities of ,colon and ,panama4 ,we can send a regiment if necessary to compel a man to keep his yard clean--which is perhaps more than we could do in some benighted towns of our own ,united ,states4 ,the tone of the man in the street toward these ,american innovations is partly surly1 partly jocular4 ,in ,panama he will show you a very considerable section of the town which is not yet fully rebuilt and insist that the fire which started it was caused by the 8fool fumigators04 ,there is some difference of opinion as to the origin of this blaze1 and the matter of damages is1 as ,i write1 in the hands of arbitrators1 but the native opinion is solidly against the fumigating torch bearers4 ,on the subject of the extermination of mosquitoes the native is always humorous4 ,he will describe to you ,col4 ,gorgas's trained bloodhounds and ,old ,sleuths tracking the criminal stegomyia to his lair2 the corps of bearers of machetes and chloroform who follow to put an end to the malevolent mosquito's days2 the scientist with the high-powered microscope who examines the remains and1 if he finds the deceased carried germs1 the wide search made for individuals whom he may have bitten that they may be segregated and put under proper treatment4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,mosquito ,,chloroformer',s ,,outfit ,used in tracking the criminal stegomyia to his lair ,in reality there is a certain humor in this scientific bug hunting4 ,you are at afternoon tea with a hostess in one of the charming tropical houses which the ,commission supplies to its workers4 ,the eyes of your hostess suddenly become fixed in a terrified gaze4 8,goodness gracious06 she exclaims1 8look there06 8,what8 where08 you cry1 bounding from your seat in excitement4 ,perhaps a blast has just boomed on the circumambient air and you have visions of a fifty-pound rock about to fly through the drawing-room window4 ,life on the ,zone abounds in such incidents4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,dr4 ,orenstein ,,the ,,mosquito ,,chloroformer ,,at ,,work ,once subdued by chloroform the mosquito is removed for analysis 8,there06 dramatically4 8,that mosquito06 8,i'll swat it01 you cry valorously1 remembering the slogan of 8,swat the ,fly0 which breaks forth recurrently in our newspapers every spring1 though they are quite calm and unperturbed about the places which breed flies faster than they can be swatted4 8,goodness1 no4 ,i must telephone the department04 ,speechless with amazement you wonder if the police or fire department is to be called out to cope with this mosquito4 ,in due time there appears an official equipped with an electric flash-light1 a phial and a small bottle of chloroform4 ,the malefactor--no1 the suspect1 for the anopheles malefactor does no evil despite his sinister name--is mercifully chloroformed and deposited in the phial for a later post mortem4 ,with his flash-light the inspector examines all the dark places of the house to seek for possible accomplices1 and having learned that nobody has been bitten takes himself off4 ,illustration3 ,,ancon ,,hospital ,,as ,,received ,,from ,,the ,,french ,it does seem a ridiculous amount of fuss about a mosquito1 doesn't it8 ,but since that sort of thing has been done on the ,zone death carts no longer make their dismal rounds for the night's quota of the dead1 and the ravages of malaria are no longer so general or so deadly as they were4 ,nowadays there are no cases of yellow fever developing on the ,zone1 but in the earlier days when one did occur the sanitary officials set out to find the cause of infection4 ,when the ,french seek to detect a criminal they follow the maxim 8,cherchez la femme0 7,look for the woman74 ,when pursuing the yellow-fever germ to its source the ,panama inspectors look for the stegomyia mosquito that bit the victim--which is a little reminiscent of hunting for a needle in a haystack4 ,a drunken man picked up on the street in ,panama was taken to the hospital and there died of yellow fever4 ,he was a stranger but his hotel was looked up and proved to be a native house occupied only by immunes1 so that he could not have been infected there4 ,nobody seemed to care particularly about the deceased1 who was buried as speedily as possible1 but the ,sanitary ,department did care about the source of his malady4 ,looking up his haunts it was discovered that he was much seen in company with an ,italian4 ,thereupon all the ,italians in town were interrogated2 one declared he had seen the dead man in company with the man who tended bar at the theater4 ,this worthy citizen was sought out and was discovered hiding away in a secluded lodging sick with yellow fever4 ,whereupon the theater was promptly fumigated as the center of infection4 ,clearing up and keeping clean the two centers of population was1 however1 the least of the work of sanitation4 ,the whole ,isthmus was a breeding place for the mosquitoes4 ,obviously every foot of it could not be drained clear of pools and rivulets1 but the preventive campaign of the sanitation men covered scores of square miles adjacent to villages and the ,canal bed1 and was marvelously effective in reducing the number of mosquitoes4 ,away from the towns the campaign was chiefly against the malarial mosquito--the anophelin4 ,the yellow fever mosquito1 the stegomyia1 is a town-bred insect coming from cisterns1 water pitchers1 tin cans1 fountains in the parks1 water-filled pans used to keep ants from the legs of furniture and the like4 ,it is even said to breed in the holy-water fonts of the multitudinous churches of ,panama1 and the sanitary officials secured the co-operation of the church authorities in having those receptacles kept fresh4 ,the malarial mosquito however breeds in streams1 marshes and pools and will travel sometimes a mile and a half from his birth-place looking for trouble4 ,as you ride in a train across the ,isthmus you will often see far from any human habitation a blackened barrel on a board crossing some little brook a few inches wide4 ,if you have time to look carefully you will see that the edges of the gully through which the brook runs have been swept clear of grass by scythe or fire or both1 and that the banks of the rivulet are blackened as though by a tar-brush while the water itself is covered by a black and greasy film4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,canal ,,commission ,,hospital ,,at ,,colon ,,built ,,by ,,the ,,french ,this is one of the outposts of the army of health4 ,of them there are several hundred1 perhaps thousands1 scattered through the ,zone4 ,the barrel is filled with a certain fluid combination of oil and divers chemicals called larvacide4 ,day and night with monotonous regularity it falls drop by drop into the rivulet1 spreads over its surface and is deposited on the pebbles on the banks4 ,the mosquito larv below must come to the surface to breathe4 ,there they meet with the noxious fluid and at the first breath are slain4 ,automatically this one barrel makes that stream a charnel house for mosquito larv4 ,but up and down throughout the land go men with cans of the oil on their backs and sprinklers in their hands seeking for pools and stagnant puddles which they spray with the larvacide4 ,so between the war on the larva at its breeding point and the system of screening off all residences1 offices and eating places the malarial infection has been greatly reduced4 ,it has not been eradicated by any manner of means4 ,the ,panama cocktail 7quinine7 is still served with meals4 ,in one year #bcjg4ff pounds of the drug were served out4 ,but if not wholly obliterated the ailment has been greatly checked4 ,dr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,orenstein1 of the ,department of ,sanitation1 says in summing up the results of the policy3 ,illustration3 ,,french ,,village ,,of ,,empire ,,after ,,cleaning ,,up ,,by ,,americans ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bay ,,of ,,taboga ,,from ,,the ,,sanitarium 8,the campaign against malaria was inaugurated on the following plan3 7#a7 ,treatment with adequate doses of quinine 7about #cj grains a day for adults7 of all cases of malaria4 ,first1 because this treatment is curative2 and1 second1 because unless so treated1 each case of malaria constitutes a focus from which malaria spreads4 ,in malarial regions there are many persons who have what is often spoken of as chronic malaria4 ,such individuals frequently do not suffer any serious inconvenience4 ,they more often suffer from occasional headaches1 anemia or slight fever4 ,these are the people most dangerous from the standpoint of the sanitarian4 ,it is in the blood of these individuals that the malaria-causing parasite has attained the form in which1 if taken by a female anopheline1 it develops within this mosquito into the form capable of causing malaria in the individual whom the anopheline may bite a week or so thereafter4 7#b7 ,protecting dwelling with copper wire gauze against the ingress of mosquitoes4 ,all houses occupied by ,americans and most of the others are screened4 7#c7 ,catching and killing mosquitoes within the dwellings4 ,this is done by negro 8mosquito catchers01 and is of great value in preventing malaria where other prophylactic measures cannot be inaugurated4 7#d7 ,destroying the breeding places of anophelin by filling1 draining1 and training the banks of streams4 7#e7 ,destroying the anophelin in the larval and pupal stages by oiling the water in which they are found1 or applying a special larva poison to this water4 7#f7 ,clearing the rank vegetation in the immediate vicinity of dwellings and settlements1 so as to destroy the shelter for such mosquitoes as may find their way to the vicinity of the houses2 to hasten evaporation and the drying of small water collections and marshy places2 to expose to view small breeding places and to remove the temptation to throw water containers into the vegetation4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,little ,,pango ,,boats ,,come ,,to ,,meet ,,you 8,these measures1 conscientiously and painstakingly carried out1 resulted in reducing the number of malaria cases treated in the hospitals from #f4hc per cent of the working force per month in #aijf to #a4ec per cent of the working force per month in #aiaa1 and the death from malaria among employees from #bcc in #aijf to #dg in #aiaa04 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,church ,,at ,,taboga ,the square box on the corner of the wall contains the mummied head of a favorite priest ,illustration3 ,,the ,,rio ,,grande ,,reservoir 8,the malaria sick rate for #aijf1 if continued to #aiaa1 would give1 on the basis of the number of employees in #aiaa1 about #dj1jjj cases of malaria sick in the hospitals for the year1 or a loss in labor of about #bjj1jjj days of work4 ,the total number of employees sick in hospitals with malaria in #aiaa was #hidf--or a loss of #dd1gcj days of work4 ,a gain of about #aee1jjj days was1 therefore1 made4 ,placing the loss to the ,government for each day's labor1 plus treatment1 at the rather low figure of #c per man1 the gain in this one item of saving more than offset the cost of sanitation proper4 ,these figures do not include malarial cases treated in the dispensaries and in homes4 ,among this class of patients the gain has undoubtedly been proportionate to the gain in hospital cases1 and in addition it must not be forgotten that malaria is a disease that undermines a man's health insidiously and lowers his working efficiency to an extent not approached by any disease with the possible exception of hook-worm4 ,the less malaria the fewer inefficient workers in an organization04 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,picturesque ,,taboga ,of course the screening system was vital to any successful effort to control and check the transmission of fever germs by insects4 ,but the early struggles of ,col4 ,gorgas to get enough wire netting to properly protect the labor quarters were pathetic4 8,why doesn't he screen in the whole ,isthmus and let it go at that08 inquired one ,congressman who thought it was all intended to put a few more frills on houses for already highly paid workers4 ,the screening has indeed cost a pretty penny for only the best copper wire will stand the test of the climate4 ,at first there was reluctance on the part of disbursing officers to meet the heavy requirements of ,col4 ,gorgas4 ,but the yellow-fever epidemic of #aije stopped all that4 ,thereafter the screening was regarded as much of an integral part of a house as its shingling4 ,the efforts that were put forth to make the ,canal ,zone a liveable spot have not been relaxed in keeping it so4 ,a glance at the report of the ,chief ,sanitary ,officer for any year shows something of his continued activity4 ,you find records of houses fumigated for beriberi1 diphtheria1 malaria1 leprosy1 and a dozen other evils4 ,the number of rats killed is gravely enumerated--during the year #aiaa for example there were nearly #ac1jjj4 ,it may be noted in passing that the rats distribute fleas and fleas carry the germs of the bubonic plague1 hence the slaughter4 ,incidentally guests of the native hotels in ,panama ,city say that the destruction was far from complete4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,grounds ,,of ,,ancon ,,hospital ,two large hospitals are maintained by the ,canal ,commission at ,colon and at ,ancon1 together with smaller ones for emergency cases at ,culebra and other points along the line4 ,the two principal hospitals will be kept open after the completion of the ,canal1 but not of course to their full capacity4 ,ancon alone has accommodations for more than #aejj patients1 and when the army of labor has left the ,zone there can be no possible demand for so great an infirmary4 ,both of these hospitals were inherited from the ,french1 and the one at ,colon has been left much in the condition they delivered it in1 save for needed repairs and alterations4 ,its capacity has not been materially increased4 ,the ,ancon ,hospital however has become one of the great institutions of its kind in the world4 ,the ,french gave us a few buildings with over #cjj patients sheltered in tents4 ,the ,americans developed this place until now more than fifty buildings are ranged along the side of ,ancon ,hill4 ,when the ,french first established the hospital they installed as nurses a number of sisters of ,st4 ,vincent with ,sister ,rouleau as ,sister ,superior4 ,the gentle sisters soon died4 ,the yellow fever carried them off with heart-rending rapidity4 ,sister ,marie however left a monument which will keep her fair fame alive for many years yet to come4 ,she was a great lover of plants1 and the luxuriance of the tropical foliage was to her a never-ending charm4 ,to her early efforts is due the beauty of the grounds of the ,ancon ,hospital1 where one looks between the stately trunks of the fronded royal palms past a hillside blazing with hibiscus1 and cooled with the rustling of leaves of feather palms and plantains to where the blue ,pacific lies smooth beneath the glowing tropic sun4 ,beside the beauty of its surroundings the hospital is eminently practical in its plan4 ,the many separate buildings permit the segregation of cases1 and the most complete and scientific ventilation4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,sanitarium ,,at ,,taboga ,,inherited ,,from ,,the ,,french ,making the hospital attractive was one of the points insisted upon by ,col4 ,gorgas4 ,some of the doctors think that possibly it has been a wee bit overdone4 ,some of the folks along the ,zone look on a brief space spent in the hospital as a pleasant interlude in an otherwise monotonous life4 ,as they have thirty days' sick leave with pay every year they are quite prone to turn to the pleasant slopes of ,ancon ,hill1 with a week at the charming sanitarium on ,taboga ,island as a fitting close--a sort of caf parfait to top off the feast4 ,surgery even seems to have lost its terrors there4 8,why1 they even bring their friends to be operated on01 said one of the surgeons laughingly when talking of the popularity of the hospital among the ,zone dwellers4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,fete ,,day ,,at ,,taboga ,illustration3 ,,feather ,,palm ,,at ,,ancon ,charity cases have numbered as many as #ff1jjj a year and the records show that during the period of greatest activity on the ,zone as many as #gj different nationalities were ministered to4 ,the question of color was often an embarrassing one4 ,the gradations of shades between pure white to darkest ,african is so exceedingly delicate in ,panama that there is always difficulty in determining whether the subject under consideration belongs to the 8gold0 or the 8silver0 class1 for the words black and white are tactfully avoided in the ,zone in their reference to complexions4 8,this is my plan01 said ,col4 ,mason in charge of the hospital4 8,on certain days the patients are allowed visitors4 ,when the color of the inmate is problematical1 as is usually the case with women1 ,i ask if she wants her husband to visit her4 ,if she does and he proves to be a negro1 she goes into the colored ward4 ,if she still insists that she is white1 she can go into the white ward1 but must dispense with his visits04 ,under our treaty the ,zone sanitary department takes charge of the insane of ,colon and ,panama1 and a very considerable share of the grounds at ,ancon is divided off with barbed wire for their use4 ,the number of patients runs well into the hundreds1 with very few ,americans4 ,most are ,jamaica negroes and the hospital authorities say that they are mentally unbalanced by the rush and excitement of life on the ,zone4 ,i never happened to see a ,jamaica negro excited unless it happened to be a ,tivoli ,hotel waiter confronted with the awful responsibility of an extra guest at table4 ,then the excitement took the form of deep melancholy1 exaggerated lethargy1 and signs of suicidal mania in every facial expression4 ,beside the hospital service the sanitary department maintains dispensaries at several points on the line1 where necessary drugs are provided for patients in the ,commission ,service free4 ,patent medicines are frowned upon1 and such as are purveyed must be bought through the ,commissary4 ,medical service is free to employees and their families4 ,all doctors practicing on the ,zone are on the gold payroll for wages ranging from #ahjj to #gjjj a year4 ,i could not find upon inquiry that the fact that they were not dependent upon the patient for payment made the doctors less alert or sympathetic4 ,at least no complaints to that effect were current4 ,to my mind the most notable effect upon the life of the ,zone of this system of free medical attendance was that it added one more to the many inducements to matrimony4 ,infantile colic and measles are shorn of much of their terror to the young parent when no doctor's bill attends them4 ,incidentally1 too1 the benevolent administration looks after the teeth of the employees as a part of its care of their general health4 ,one effect of this is to impress the visitor with the remarkable number of incisors gleaming with fresh gold visible where ,zone folk are gathered together4 ,illustration3 ,,taboga ,,from ,,the ,,bathing ,,beach ,the annual vacations of the workers during the construction period may properly be considered in connection with sanitation work on the ,zone1 for they were not permitted to be mere loafing time4 ,the man who took a vacation was not allowed to stay on the ,isthmus4 ,if he tried to stay there ,col4 ,goethals found it out in that omniscient fashion of his and it was a case of hike for a change of air or go back to work4 ,for1 notwithstanding the fact that ,col4 ,gorgas pulled the teeth of the tropics with his sanitary devices and regulations1 an uninterrupted residence in that climate does break down the stamina and enfeeble the energy of men from more temperate climes4 ,every employee was given #db days' vacation with full pay1 but he had to quit the ,zone for some country which would afford a beneficial climatic change4 ,of course most went back to the ,united ,states1 being encouraged thereto by a special rate on the steamship of #cj--the regular rate being #ge4 ,but beside this vacation each employee was entitled to #cj days' sick leave4 ,it was not an exceedingly difficult task to conjure up enough symptoms to persuade a friendly physician to issue a sick order4 ,the favorite method of enjoying this respite from work was to spend as little of the time as possible at ,ancon1 and the rest at the sanitarium on the ,island of ,taboga4 ,illustration3 ,,taboga ,,is ,,furthermore ,,the ,,coney ,,island ,,of ,,panama ,that garden spot in the ,bay of ,panama where the ,french left the sanitarium building we now use is worth a brief description4 ,you go thither in a small steamboat from ,balboa or ,panama and after about three hours' steaming a flock of little white boats1 each with a single oarsman1 puts out from the shore to meet you like a flock of gulls as you drop anchor in a bay of truly ,mediterranean hue4 ,to the traveled visitor the scene is irresistibly reminiscent of some little port of ,southern ,italy1 and the reminder is all the more vivid when one gets ashore and finds the narrow ways betwixt the elbowing houses quite ,neapolitan for dirt and ill odor4 ,but from the sea one looks upon a towering hill1 bare toward its summit1 closely covered lower down by mango1 wild fig1 and ceiba trees1 bordered just above the red roofs of the little town by a fringe of the graceful cocoanut palms4 ,then come the houses1 row below row1 until they descend to the curving beach where the fishing boats are drawn up out of reach of the tide which rises some #bj feet4 ,from the bay the village with its red-tiled roofs and yellow-white walls looks substantial1 a bit like ,villefranche1 the port of ,nice1 but this impression is speedily dispelled when one lands in one of the boats1 propelled by the oarsman standing and facing the bow--a fashion seldom seen save in ,italian waters4 ,for seen near at hand the houses are discovered to be of the flimsiest frame construction1 save for a few clustering about the little church and sharing with it a general decrepitude and down-at-the-heels air that makes us think they have seen better days4 ,as indeed they have and worse days too1 for ,taboga once shared in the prosperity of the early ,spanish rule1 and enjoyed the honor of having entertained for a few weeks ,sir ,henry ,morgan1 that murderous pirate1 who later became a baronet and a colonial governor1 as a fine finish after his deeds of piracy and rapine4 ,taboga must have treated the buccaneer well1 for not only did he forbear to sack the town1 but so deep was the devotion paid by him and his men to certain tuns of excellent wine there discovered that they let a ,spanish galleon1 deep-laden with gold and silver1 slip through their fingers rather than interrupt their drinking bout4 ,tradition has it that the galleon was sunk nearby to save it and its cargo from the pirates1 and treasure seekers have been hunting it ever since with the luck that ordinarily attends aspirants for dead men's gold4 ,illustration3 ,,burden ,,bearers ,,on ,,the ,,savanna ,just now the wine and wassail of ,taboga is limited to about six grog shops1 which seems an oversupply for the handful of fishermen who inhabit its tumble-down hovels4 ,each bar1 too1 has its billiard table and one is reminded of ,mark ,twain's islands in the ,south ,sea where the people earned an honest living by taking in each other's washing4 ,one wonders if the sole industry of the ,tabogans is playing billiards4 ,there is indeed little to support the town save fishing1 and that1 if one may judge from specimens carried through the lanes1 must be good4 ,some of the boats at anchor or drawn up on the beach attest to some prosperity amongst them that go down to the sea in ships4 ,one that ,i saw rigged with a fore-and-aft sail and a jigger was hewn out of a single log like a river cayuca and had a beam exceeding four feet4 ,before many of the houses were lines hung with long strips of fish hanging out to dry1 for it is a curious property of this atmosphere that despite its humidity it will cure animal tissues1 both fish and flesh1 quickly and without taint4 ,illustration3 ,,hotel ,,at ,,bouquette1 ,,chiriqui ,the only point in ,panama at which ,canal employees may spend their vacations ,agriculture in ,taboga is limited to the culture of the pineapple1 and the local variety is so highly esteemed in the ,panama markets that some measure of prosperity might attend upon the ,tabogans would they but undertake the raising of pines systematically and extensively4 ,but not they4 ,their town was founded in #aedi when1 at the instance of ,las ,casas1 the ,king of ,spain gave freedom to all ,indian slaves4 ,taboga was set apart as a residence for a certain part of these freedmen4 ,now what did the freedom from slavery mean but freedom from work8 ,this view was probably held in the #afth century and certainly obtains in ,taboga today1 having been enhanced no doubt by the liberal mixture of negro blood with that of the native ,indians4 ,if the pineapples grow without too much attention well and good4 ,they will be sold and the grog shops will know that real money has come into town4 ,but as for seriously extending the business--well1 that is a thing to think of for a long1 long time and the thought has not yet ripened4 ,it is a wonder that the ,chinese who hold the retail trade of the island and who are painstaking gardeners have not taken up this industry4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,bit ,,of ,,ancon ,,hospital ,,grounds ,we may laugh at the easy-going ,tabogan if we will1 but ,i do not think that anyone will come out of his church without a certain respect for his real religious sentiment4 ',tis but a little church1 of stuccoed rubble1 fallen badly into decay1 flanked by a square tower holding two bells1 and penetrated by so winding and narrow a stair that one ascending it may feel as a corkscrew penetrating a cork4 ,but within it shows signs of a reverent affection by its flock not common in ,latin-,american churches4 ,we may laugh a little at the altar decorations which are certainly not costly and may be a little tawdry1 but they show evidences of patient work on the part of the women1 and contributions by the men from the slender gains permitted them by the harsh land and the reluctant sea4 ,about the walls hang memorial tablets1 not richly sculptured indeed1 but showing a pious desire on the part of bygone generations to have the virtue of their loved ones commemorated within hallowed walls4 ,standing in a side aisle was an effigy of ,christ1 of human size1 bearing the cross up the hill of ,gethsemane4 ,the figure stood on a sort of platform1 surrounded by six quaint lanterns of panes of glass set in leaded frames of a design seen in the street lamps of the earlier ,spanish cities4 ,the platform was on poles for bearers1 after the fashion of a sedan chair1 and we learned from one who1 more fortunate than we1 had been there to see1 that in ,holy ,week there is a sort of ,passion ,play--rude and elementary it is true1 but bringing to the surface all the religious emotionalism of the simple people4 ,the village is crowded with the faithful from afar1 who make light of any lack of shelter in that kindly tropic air4 ,the ,taboga young men dress as ,roman soldiers1 the village maidens take their parts in the simple pageant4 ,the floats1 such as the one we saw1 are borne up and down the village streets which no horse could ever tread1 and the church is crowded with devotional worshipers until ,easter comes with the joyous tidings of the ,resurrection4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,chief ,,industry ,,of ,,the ,,natives ,,is ,,fishing ,illustration3 ,,nurses' ,,quarters ,,at ,,ancon ,as to the part of ,taboga in the economy of the ,canal work1 we have there a sanitarium inherited from the ,french1 and used as a place of convalescence for almost recovered patients from the hospitals of the ,zone4 ,after breathing the clear1 soft air1 glancing at the comfortable quarters and enjoying to the fullest a lunch costing fifty cents that would put ,broadway's best to the test1 and make the expensive ,tivoli dining-room seem unappetizing in comparison1 we could well understand why every employee with thirty days' sick leave to his credit gets just such a slight ailment as needs a rest at ,taboga for its cure4 ,near ,taboga is the leper hospital and the steamer stops for a moment to send ashore supplies in a small boat4 ,always there are about #ge victims of this dread and incurable disease there1 mostly ,panamanians with some ,west ,india negroes4 ,a native of ,north ,america with the disease is practically unknown4 ,the affliction is horrible enough in itself1 but some cause operating for ages back has caused mankind to regard it with more fear than the facts justify4 ,it is not readily communicable to healthy persons1 even personal contact with a leper not necessarily causing infection unless there be some scratch or wound on the person of the healthy individual into which the virus may enter4 ,visitors to the ,isthmus1 who find interest in the spectacle of hopeless human suffering1 frequently visit the colony without marked precautions and with no reported case of infection4 ,to what extent the sanitation system so painstakingly built up by ,col4 ,gorgas and his associates will be continued after the seal 8complete0 shall be stamped upon the ,canal work1 and the workers scattered to all parts of the land1 is not now determined4 ,panama and ,colon will1 of course1 be kept up to their present standards1 but whether the war against the malarial mosquito will be pursued in the jungle as it is today when the health of #dj1jjj human beings is dependent upon it is another question4 ,the plan of the army authorities is to abandon the ,zone to nature--which presumably includes the anopheles4 ,whether that plan shall prevail or whether the ,united ,states shall maintain it as an object lesson in government1 including sanitation1 is a matter yet to be determined4 ,in a hearing before a congressional committee in #aiac ,col4 ,gorgas estimated the cost for a system of permanent sanitation for the ,zone1 including the quarantine1 at #ij1jjj a year4 ,as his total estimates for the years #aiac-ad amounted to #ebd1jjj1 this is indicative of a very decided abandonment of activity in sanitary work4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,leper ,,settlement ,,on ,,panama ,,bay ,at all times during his campaign against the forces of fever and infection ,col4 ,gorgas has had to meet the opposition charge of extravagance and the waste of money4 ,it has been flippantly asserted that it cost him #e to kill a mosquito--of course an utterly baseless assertion1 but one which is readily met by the truth that the bite of a single infected mosquito has more than once cost a life worth many thousand times five dollars4 ,to fix precisely the cost of bringing the ,zone to its present state of healthfulness is impossible1 because the activities of the sanitary department comprehended many functions in addition to the actual work of sanitation4 ,col4 ,gorgas figures that the average expenses of sanitation during the whole construction period were about #cfe1jjj a year and he points out that for the same period ,chicago spent #fjj1jjj without any quarantine or mosquito work4 ,the total expenditures for sanitation when the ,canal is finished will have amounted to less than one per cent of the cost of that great public work and without this sanitation the ,canal could never have been built4 ,that simple statement of fact seems sufficiently to cover the contribution of ,col4 ,gorgas to the work1 and to measure the credit he deserves for its completion4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,the ,,republic ,,of ,,panama ,the ,republic of ,panama has an area of from #cj1jjj to #ce1jjj square miles1 roughly approximating that of the state of ,indiana4 ,no complete survey of the country has ever been made and there is pending now a boundary dispute with ,costa ,rica in which the ,united ,states is arbitrator4 ,the only other boundary1 not formed by the sea1 is that at which ,panama and ,colombia join4 ,but ,colombia says there is no boundary at all1 but that ,panama is one of her provinces in a state of rebellion4 ,so the real size and bounds of the ,republic must be set down as somewhat indeterminate4 ,the circumstances under which ,panama became an independent nation have been set forth in an earlier chapter4 ,it is safe to say that with the heavy investment made by the ,united ,states in the ,canal ,zone1 on the strength of a treaty with the infant republic1 the sovereignty of ,panama will be forever maintained against all comers--except the ,united ,states itself4 ,there are political philosophers who think that the ,isthmus state may yet be the southern boundary of the ,great ,republic of the ,north4 ,for the present however ,uncle ,sam is quite content with the ,canal ,zone and a certain amount of diplomatic influence over the government of ,panama4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,gorge ,,of ,,salamanca ,panama is divided into seven provinces1 ,bocas del ,toro1 ,cocle1 ,colon1 ,chiriqui1 ,los ,santos1 ,panama and ,veragua4 ,its total population by the census of #aiaa was #chf1gdi1 a trifle more than the ,district of ,columbia which has about one five-thousandth of its area1 and almost precisely the same population as ,montana which has less than half its size4 ,so it is clearly not over-populated4 ,of its population #ea1cbc are set down by its own census takers as white1 #aia1icc as mestizo1 or a cross between white and ,indian1 #dh1ifg as negro2 #bcac ,mongol1 and #ad1abh ,indian4 ,the census takers estimated that other ,indians1 living in barbarism remote from civilization and unapproachable by the enumerators1 numbered #cf1ach4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,family ,,in ,,chorrera ,all these figures have to be qualified somewhat4 ,the mestizos are theoretically a cross between whites and ,indians1 but the negro blood is very generally present4 ,it is doubtful1 too1 whether those classed as white are not often of mixed blood4 ,a singularly large proportion of the population lives in the towns4 ,in #ab towns1 exceeding #gjjj inhabitants each1 are more than #aej1jjj people4 ,more than one-third of the people therefore are town dwellers1 which is to say they are unproductive citizens4 ,meanwhile more than five-eighths of the arable land in the country is not under cultivation4 ,the five chief towns of ,panama with their population in #aiaa are3 ,panama #cg1eje ,colon #ag1gdh ,david #ae1jei ,santiago #ac1jha ,bocas del ,toro #i1gei ,of these towns ,david is the capital of the ,chiriqui province1 the portion of the republic in which cattle growing and agriculture have been most developed4 ,bocas del ,toro is a banana port1 dependent upon that nutritious fruit for its very existence1 and the center of the business of the ,united ,fruit ,company in ,panama4 ,at present the former town is reached by a #cjj mile water trip from ,panama ,city2 the latter by boat from ,colon4 ,the government has under way plans for a railroad from ,panama to ,david which give every indication of being consummated4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,street ,,in ,,penenome ,the soil of the ,republic differs widely in its varying sections1 from the rich vegetable loam of the lowlands along the ,atlantic ,coast1 the outcome of years of falling leaves and twigs from the trees to the swamp below1 to the high dry lands of the savannas and the hillsides of the ,chiriqui province4 ,all are undeniably fertile1 that is demonstrated by the rapid and rank growth of the jungle4 ,but opinions differ as to the extent to which they are available for useful agriculture4 ,some hold that the jungle soil is so rich that the plants run to wood and leaves to the exclusion of fruits4 ,others declare that on the hillsides the heavy rains of the rainy seasons wash away the surface soil leaving only the harsh and arid substratum4 ,this theory seems to be overthrown by the fact that it is rare to see a hillside in all ,panama not covered with dense vegetation4 ,a fact that is well worth bearing in mind is that there has never been a systematic and scientific effort to utilize any part of the soil of ,panama for productive purposes that has not been a success4 ,the ,united ,fruit ,company in its plantations about ,bocas del ,toro has developed a fruitful province and created a prosperous town4 ,in the province of ,cocle a ,german company has set out about #ge1jjj cacao trees1 #ej1jjj coffee bushes and #be1jjj rubber trees1 all of which have made good progress4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,hotel ,,at ,,david ,the obstacles in the path of the fuller development of the national resources of ,panama have sprung wholly from the nature of its population4 ,the ,indian is1 of course1 not primarily an agriculturist1 not a developer of the possibilities of the land he inhabits4 ,the ,spanish infusion brought to the native population no qualities of energy1 of well-directed effort1 of the laborious determination to build up a new and thriving commonwealth4 ,spanish ideals run directly counter to those involved in empire building4 ,such energy1 such determination as built up our great northwest and is building in ,british ,columbia the greatest agricultural empire in the world1 despite seven months annually of drifting snow and frozen ground1 would make of the ,panama savannas and valleys the garden spot of the world4 ,that will never be accomplished by the present agrarian population1 but it is incredible that with population absorbing and overrunning the available agricultural lands of other zones1 the tropics should long be left dormant in control of a lethargic and indolent people4 ,illustration3 ,,view ,,of ,,bocas ,,del ,,toro ,illustration3 ,photo by ,critchlow ,,vista ,,on ,,the ,,rio ,,grande ,benjamin ,kidd1 in his stimulative book1 8,social ,evolution01 says on this subject3 8,with the filling up to the full limit of the remaining territories suitable for ,european occupation1 and the growing pressure of population therein1 it may be expected that the inexpediency of allowing a great extent of territory in the richest region of the globe--that comprised within the tropics--to remain undeveloped1 with its resources running largely to waste under the management of races of low social efficiency1 will be brought home with ever-growing force to the minds of the ,western 7,northern7 peoples4 ,the day is probably not far distant when1 with the advance science is making1 we shall recognize that it is in the tropics and not in the temperate zones we have the greatest food-producing and material-producing regions of the earth2 that the natural highways of commerce in the world are those which run north and south2 and that we have the highest possible interest in the proper development and efficient administration of the tropical regions1 and in an exchange of products therewith on a far larger scale than has yet been attempted or imagined4444 ,it will probably be made clear1 and that at no distant date1 that the last thing our civilization is likely to permanently tolerate is the wasting of the resources of the richest regions of the earth through lack of the elementary qualities of social efficiency in the races possessing them04 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,at ,,the ,,cattle ,,port ,,of ,,aguadulce ,this is one of the chief shipping points for the cattle ranches of ,chiriqui4 ,the industry is one little developed ,some of the modern psychologists who are so expert in solving the riddles of human consciousness that they hardly hesitate to approach the supreme problem of life after death may perhaps determine whether the indolence of the ,panamanian is racial1 climatic1 or merely bred of consciousness that he does not have to work hard in order to get all the comforts of which he has knowledge4 ,the life-story of an imaginary couple will serve as the short and simple annals of tens of thousands of ,panama's poor3 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,royal ,,road ,,near ,,panama ,miguel lived on the banks of the ,chagres ,river1 about half way between ,cruces and ,alhajuela4 ,to him ,cruces was a city4 ,were there not at least thirty huts of bamboo and clay thatched with palmetto like the one in which he lived8 ,was there not a church of sawn boards1 with an altar to which a priest came twice a month to say mass1 and a school where a gringo taught the children strange things in the hated ,english tongue8 ,where he lived there was no other hut within two or three hours poling up the river1 but down at ,cruces the houses were so close together you could almost reach one while sitting in the shade of another4 ,at home after dark you only heard the cry of the whippoorwill1 or occasionally the wail of a tiger cat in the jungle1 but at ,cruces there was always the loud talk of the men in the cantina1 and a tom-tom dance at least once a week1 when everybody sat up till dawn dancing to the beat of the drums and drinking the good rum that made them all so jolly4 ,but greater than ,cruces was the ,yankee town of ,matachin down on the banks of the river where the crazy ,americans said there was going to be a lake that some day would cover all the country1 and drown out ,cruces and even his father's house4 ,they were paying all the natives along the river for their lands that would be sunken1 and the people were taking the pesos gladly and spending them gaily4 ,they did not trouble to move away4 ,many years ago the ,french too said there would be a lake1 but it never came and the ,french suddenly disappeared4 ,the ,americans would vanish the same way1 and a good thing1 too1 for their thunderous noises where they were working frightened away all the good game1 and you could hardly find an iguana1 or a wild hog in a day's hunting4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,meeting ,,place ,,of ,,the ,,cayucas ,once a week ,miguel's father went down to market at ,matachin1 and sometimes the boy went along4 ,the long1 narrow cayuca was loaded with oranges1 bananas and yams1 all covered with big banana leaves1 and with ,miguel in the bow and his father in the stern the voyage commenced4 ,going down stream was easy enough1 and the canoists plied their paddles idly1 trusting chiefly to the current to carry them along4 ,but coming back would be the real work1 then they would have to bend to their poles and push savagely to force the boat along4 ,at places they would have to get overboard and fairly carry the boat through the swift1 shallow rapids4 ,but ,miguel welcomed the work for it showed him the wonders of ,matachin1 where great iron machines rushed along like horses1 drawing long trains of cars2 where more people worked with shovels tending queer machines than there were in ten towns like ,cruces2 where folk gave pesos for bananas and gave cloth1 powder and shot1 things to eat in cans1 and rum in big bottles for the pesos again4 ,it was an exciting place this ,matachin and made ,miguel understand what the gringoes meant when they talked about ,new ,york1 ,chicago and other cities like it4 ,illustration3 ,,banana ,,market ,,at ,,matachin ,when he grew older ,miguel worked awhile for the men who were digging away all this dirt1 and earned enough to buy himself a machete and a gun and a few ornaments for a girl named ,maria who lived in another hut near the river4 ,but what was the use of working in that mad way--picking up your shovel when a whistle blew and toiling away until it blew again1 with a boss always scolding at you and ready with a kick if you tried to take a little siesta4 ,the pesos once a week were good1 that was true4 ,if you worked long enough you might get enough to buy one of those boxes that made music1 but quien sabe8 ,it might get broken anyway1 and the iguanas in the jungle1 the fish in the river and the yams and bananas in the clearing needed no silver to come to his table4 ,besides he was preparing to become a man of family4 ,maria was quite willing1 and so one day they strolled off together hand in hand to a clearing ,miguel had made with his machete on the river bank4 ,with that same useful tool he cut some wooden posts1 set them erect in the ground and covered them with a heavy thatch of palmetto leaves impervious to sun or rain4 ,the sides of the shelter were left open during the first months of wedded life4 ,later perhaps1 when they had time they would go to ,cruces at the period of the priest's regular visit and get regularly married4 ,when the rainy season came on and walls were as necessary as a roof against the driving rain1 they would build a little better4 ,when that time came he would set ten stout uprights of bamboo in the ground in the shape of an oblong1 and across the tops would fasten six cross pieces of girders with withes of vine well soaked to make them pliable4 ,this would make the frame of the first floor of his house4 ,the walls he would make by weaving reeds1 or young bamboo stalks in and out betwixt the posts until a fairly tight basketwork filled the space4 ,this was then plastered outside with clay4 ,the dirt1 which in time would be stamped down hard1 formed the floor4 ,for his second story a tent-shaped frame of lighter bamboo tightly tied together was fastened to the posts1 and cane was tied to each of the rafters as we nail laths to scantling4 ,thus a strong peaked roof1 about eight feet high from the second floor to the ridgepole was constructed1 and thatched with palm leaves4 ,its angle being exceedingly steep it sheds water in the fierce tropic rain storms4 ,the floor of the second story is made of bamboo poles laid transversely1 and covered heavily with rushes and palmetto4 ,this is used only as the family sleeping apartment1 and to give access to it ,miguel takes an #h-;inch bamboo and cuts notches in it1 into which the prehensile toes of his family may fit as they clamber up to the land of ,nod4 ,furniture to the chamber floor there is none4 ,the family herd together like so many squirrels1 and with the bamboo climbing pole drawn up there is no danger of intrusion by the beasts of the field4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,chiriqui ,,country ,in the typical ,indian hut there is no furniture on the ground floor other than a rough hewn bench1 a few pieces of pottery and gourds1 iron cooking vessels and what they call a kitchen1 which is in fact a large flat box with raised edges1 about eight square feet in surface and about as high from the floor as a table4 ,this is filled with sand and slabs of stone4 ,in it a little fire is built of wood or charcoal1 the stones laid about the fire support the pots and pans and cooking goes on as gaily as in any modern electric kitchen4 ,the contrivance sounds primitive1 but ,i have eaten a number of excellent meals cooked on just such an apparatus4 ,illustration3 ,,banana ,,plant2 ,,note ,,size ,,of ,,man ,now it will be noticed that in all this habitation1 sufficient for the needs of an ,indian1 there is nothing except the iron pots and possibly some pottery for which money was needed1 and there are thousands of families living in just this fashion in ,panama today4 ,true1 luxury approaches in its insidious fashion and here and there you will see a #a4be white iron bed on the main floor1 real chairs1 canned goods on the shelves and--final evidence of ,indian prosperity6--a crayon portrait of the head of the family and a phonograph1 of a make usually discarded at home4 ,but when ,miguel and ,maria start out on the journey of life a machete1 a gun and the good will of their neighbors who will lend them yams until their own planting begins to yield forms a quite sufficient capital on which to establish their family4 ,therefore1 why work8 ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,a ,,typical ,,native ,,hut ,while native architecture is not stately it is artistic in that it harmonizes with its natural surroundings and is eminently adapted to the needs of the people who inhabit the huts4 ,it is beyond doubt to the ease with which life can be sustained1 and the torpidity of the native imagination which depicts no joys to spur one on to effort that the unwillingness of the native to do systematic work is due4 ,and from this difficulty in getting labor follows the fact that not one quarter of the natural resources of ,panama are developed4 ,whether the labor problem will be solved by the distribution throughout the republic of the ,caribbean blacks who have worked so well on the ,zone is yet to be seen4 ,it may be possible that because of this the fertile lands of ,panama1 or the savannas so admirably fitted for grazing1 can only be utilized by great corporations who will do things on so great a scale as to justify the importation of labor4 ,today the man who should take up a large tract of land in the ,chiriqui country with a view to tilling it would be risking disaster because of the uncertainty of the labor supply4 ,illustration3 ,,construction ,,of ,,roof ,,of ,a ,,native ,,house ,the photograph is taken looking directly upward from the ground floor ,another obstacle in the way of foreign settlement of ,panama has been the uncertainty of land titles4 ,early surveyors seem to have been in the habit of noting as the identification marks of their lines such volatile objects as a blackbird in a tree1 or such perishable ones as an ant hill or a decaying stump4 ,facilities for recording titles also have been ill arranged4 ,one of the first tasks of the new ,republic was to take up this matter and it has been reduced to fairly systematic form4 ,the ,republic is offering for sale great quantities of public lands long held as commons by various municipalities4 ,much of this land lies along the line of the railroad from ,panama to ,david1 and is of varying grades suitable for grazing1 forestry or agriculture4 ,a fixed price of #ej cents per hectare is charged1 a hectare being practically #b acres4 ,the government has gone quite efficiently into the task of disposing of these lands1 and pamphlets explanatory of methods of securing titles1 terms1 etc41 can be obtained by addressing the ,administrator-,general at ,panama4 ,the ,pan-,american ,union1 of ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 has issued a pamphlet giving a summary in ,english of the ,panamanian law bearing upon the subject4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,native ,,living ,,room ,,and ,,stairway ,by pulling up the bamboo ladder1 or turning it1 communication with the upper floor is closed ,with the lack of labor1 and the uncertainty of land titles1 the final impediment to the general development of the interior of ,panama is to be found in the lack of roads4 ,it is not that the roads are bad--that is the case in many of our own commonwealths4 ,but in a great part of ,panama there are literally no roads at all4 ,trails1 choked by the jungle and so washed by the rains that they are merely lanes floored with boulders1 are the rule4 ,the heavy ox-cart is the only vehicle that will stand the going1 and our light ,american farm wagons would be speedily racked to pieces4 ,in the ,canal ,zone the ,commission has built some of the best roads in the world1 utilizing the labor of employees convicted of minor offenses4 ,stimulated by this example the ,panama government has built one excellent road from the chief city across the savannas to ,old ,panama and thence onward into the interior4 ,it is hoped that the spectacle of the admirable roads in the ,zone will encourage the authorities of the ,republic to go into road building on a large scale in their own country4 ,in no other way can its possibilities be realized4 ,at present the rivers afford the surest highways and land abutting them brings higher prices4 ,illustration3 ,,rubber ,,plantation ,,near ,,cocle ,the planter's original hut in the foreground4 ,the board cabin with corrugated iron roof shows prosperity ,david1 the largest interior town of ,panama1 is the central point of the cattle industry4 ,all around it are woods1 or jungles1 plentifully interspersed with broad prairies1 or llanos1 covered with grass1 and on which no trees grow save here and there a wild fig or a ceibo4 ,cattle graze on the llanos1 sleek reddish beasts with spreading horns like our ,texas cattle4 ,there are no huge herds as on our western ranges4 ,droves of from ten to twenty are about the average among the small owners who rely on the public range for subsistence4 ,the grass is not sufficiently nutritious to bring the cattle up to market form1 so the small owners sell to the owners of big ranches who maintain potreros1 or fattening ground sown with better grasses4 ,a range fed steer will fetch #ae to #ah1 and after six or eight months on the potrero it will bring #cj to #ce from the cattle shipper at ,david4 ,since the cost of feeding a beeve for that period is only about one dollar1 and as the demand is fairly steady the profit of the ranchman is a good one4 ,but like all other industries in ,panama1 this one is pursued in only a retail way4 ,the market is great enough to enrich ranchmen who would go into the business on a large scale1 but for some reason none do4 ,illustration3 ,,bolivar ,,park ,,at ,,bocas ,,del ,,toro ,passing from llano to llano the road cuts through the forest which towers dense and impenetrable on either side1 broken only here and there by small clearings made by some native with the indispensable machete4 ,these in the main are less than four acres4 ,the average ,panamanian farmer will never incur the scriptural curse laid upon them that lay field unto field4 ,he farms just enough for his daily needs1 no more4 ,the ambition that leads our northern farmer to always covet the lands on the other side of his boundary fence does not operate in ,panama4 ,one reason is1 of course1 the aggressiveness of the jungle4 ,stubborn to clear away1 it is determined in its efforts to regain the land from which it has been ousted4 ,such a thing as allowing a field to lie fallow for two or three years is unknown in ,panama4 ,there would be no field visible for the new jungle growth4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,ford ,,near ,,ancon ,agriculture therefore is conducted in a small way only1 except for the great corporations that have just begun the exploitation of ,panama4 ,whether the country affords a hopeful field for the individual settler is at least doubtful4 ,its climate is excellent4 ,the days are warm but never scorchingly hot as are customary in ,washington and frequent in ,new ,york4 ,the nights are cool4 ,from ,december to ,may a steady trade wind blows over the ,isthmus from north to south1 carrying away the clouds so that there is no rain4 ,in this dry season the fruits mature1 so that it corresponds to the northern summer2 on the other hand such vegetation as sheds its leaves1 or dies down annually1 does so at this season1 giving it a seeming correspondence to the northern winter4 ,in a temperature sense there is neither summer nor winter1 and the variation of the thermometer is within narrow limits4 ,the highest temperature in years at ,culebra1 a typical inland point1 was #if degrees2 the lowest #fa4 ,the list of natural products of the ,isthmus is impressive in its length and variety1 but for most of them even the home demand is not met or supplied by the production4 ,only where some stimulating force from the outside has intervened1 like the ,united ,fruit ,company with the banana1 has production been brought up to anything like its possibility4 ,in the ,chiriqui country you can see sugar cane fields that have gone on producing practically without attention for fifteen seasons4 ,cornfields have been worked for half a century without fertilizing or rotation of crops4 ,the soil there is volcanic detritus washed down during past ages from the mountainsides1 and lies from six to twenty feet thick4 ,it will grow anything that needs no frost1 but the province supports less than four people to the square mile1 nine-tenths of the land is unbroken and ,panama imports fruit from ,jamaica1 sugar from ,cuba and tobacco and food stuffs from the ,united ,states4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,banana ,,trees ,illustration3 ,,pineapples ,,in ,,the ,,field ,the fruits of ,panama are the orange1 which grows wild and for the proper cultivation of which no effort has been made1 which is equally the case with the lemon and the lime2 the banana1 which plays so large a part in the economic development of the country that ,i shall treat of it at length later2 the pineapple1 cultivated in a haphazard way1 still attains so high an order of excellence that ,taboga pines are the standard for lusciousness2 the mango1 which grows in clusters so dense that the very trees bend under their weight1 but for which as yet little market has been found1 as they require an acquired taste2 the mamei1 hard to ship and difficult to eat because of its construction but withal a toothsome fruit2 the paypaya1 a melon not unlike our cantaloupe which has the eccentricity of growing on trees2 the sapodillo1 a fruit of excellent flavor tasting not unlike a ripe persimmon1 but containing no pit4 ,with cultivation all of these fruits could be grown in great quantities in all parts of the ,republic1 but to give them any economic importance some special arrangement for their regular and speedy marketing would have to be made1 as with the banana1 most of them being by nature extremely perishable4 ,northern companies are finding some profit in exploiting such natural resources of ,panama as are available in their wild state4 ,of these the most promising is rubber1 the tree being found in practically every part of the country4 ,one concern1 the ,boston-,panama ,company1 has an estate approximating #djj square miles on which are about #ajj1jjj wild rubber trees1 and which is being further developed by the planting of bananas1 pineapples1 cocoanuts and other tropical fruits4 ,illustration3 ,,waiting ,,for ,,the ,,boat ,coffee1 sugar and cacao are raised on the ,isthmus1 but of the two former not enough to supply the local demand4 ,the development of the cacao industry to large proportions seems probable1 as several foreign corporations are experimenting on a considerable scale4 ,cocoanuts are easily grown along both coasts of the ,isthmus4 ,a new grove takes about five years to come into bearing1 costing an average of about three dollars a tree4 ,once established the trees bring in a revenue of about one dollar each at present prices and1 as the demand for ,panama cocoanuts is steady1 the industry seems to offer attractive possibilities4 ,the groves must be near the coast1 as the cocoanut tree needs salt air to reach its best estate4 ,given the right atmospheric conditions they will thrive where no other plant will take root4 ,growing at the edge of the sea1 water transportation is easy4 ,illustration3 ,,country ,,house ,,of ,a ,,cacao ,,planter ,,at ,,choria ,this industry is in its infancy in ,panama1 but promises to be a considerable resource ,illustration3 ,,started ,,for ,,market ,there is still much land available for cocoanut planting1 though but little of it is government land4 ,both coasts are fit for this industry1 unlike the banana industry1 which thrives only on the ,atlantic shore4 ,panama is outside of the hurricane belt1 which gives an added advantage to the cocoanut planter4 ,elsewhere in the ,caribbean the trees suffer severely from the high winds4 ,the lumber of ,panama will in time come to be one of its richest assets4 ,in the dense forests hardwoods of a dozen varieties or more are to be found1 but as yet the cost of getting it out is prohibitive in most sections4 ,only those forests adjacent to streams are economically valuable and such activity as is shown is mainly along the ,bayano1 ,chucunaque1 and ,tuyra ,rivers4 ,the list of woods is almost interminable4 ,the prospectus of one of the companies with an extended territory on the ,bayano ,river notes eighteen varieties of timber1 commercially valuable on its territory4 ,among those the names of which are unfamiliar are the espav 7sometimes spelled espev71 the cocobolo1 the espinosa cedar1 the zoro and the sangre4 ,all are hard woods serviceable in cabinet making4 ,the espav is as hard as mahogany and of similar color and marking4 ,the trees will run four to five feet thick at the stump with saw timber #fj to #gj feet in length4 ,espinosa trees are of the cedar type1 growing to enormous size1 frequently exceeding #af feet in circumference4 ,the cocobolo is a hard wood1 but without the beauty to fit it for cabinet work4 ,the sangre derives its name from its red sap which exudes from a gash like blood4 ,it takes a high polish1 and is in its general characteristics not unlike our cherry4 ,for the casual tourist the lumber district most easy of access is that along the ,bayano ,river reached by a motor boat or steam launch in a few hours from ,panama4 ,the trip is frequently made by pleasure seekers1 for perhaps nowhere in the world is the beauty of a phosphorescent sea at night so marvelously shown1 and few places easily found by man show such a horde of alligators or crocodiles1 as are seen in ,crocodile ,creek1 one of the affluents of the ,bayano4 ,this river1 which empties into the ,gulf of ,panama1 is in its lower reaches a tide-water stream and perhaps because of the mingling of the salt and the fresh the water is densely filled with the microscopic infusoria which at night blaze forth in coldly phosphorescent gleams suggestive of the sparkling of a spray of diamonds4 ,put your hand into the stream1 lift it and let the water trickle through your fingers4 ,every drop gleams and glistens as it falls with a radiance comparable with nothing in nature unless it be the great fire-flies of the tropics4 ,even diamonds have to pass through the hands of the cutter before they will blaze with any such effulgence as the trickling waters of this tropical stream4 ,one who has passed a night upon it may well feel that he has lived with one of the world's marvels1 and can but wonder at the matter-of-fact manner in which the natives go about their tasks unmoved by the contact with so much shining glory4 ,illustration3 ,,loading ,,cattle ,,at ,,aguadulce ,there is always controversy on the ,isthmus over the question whether the gigantic saurians of ,crocodile ,creek are in fact crocodiles or alligators4 ,whether expert scientific opinion has ever been called upon to settle the problem ,i do not know1 but ,i rather suspect that crocodile was determined upon because it gave to the name of ,crocodile ,creek in which they are so plentifully found 8apt alliteration's artful aid0 to make it picturesque4 ,whatever the precise zoological classification given to the huge lizards may be is likely to be relatively unimportant before long1 because the greatest joy of every tourist is found in killing them4 ,the fascination which slaughter possesses for men is always hard to understand1 but just what gives the killing of alligators its peculiar zest ,i could never understand4 ,the beasts are slow1 torpid and do not afford a peculiarly difficult test of marksmanship1 even though the vulnerable part of their bodies is small4 ,they are timid and will not fight for their lives4 ,there is nothing of the sporting proposition in pursuing them that is to be found in hunting the tiger or the grizzly4 ,they are practically harmless1 and in the ,bayano region wholly so1 as there are no domestic animals upon which they can prey4 ,it is true their teeth and skins have a certain value in the market1 but it is not for these the tourist kills them4 ,most of those slain for 8sport0 sink instantly and cannot be recovered4 ,illustration3 ,,dolega ,,in ,,the ,,chiriqui ,,province ,however if you visit ,crocodile ,creek with a typical party you will be given a very fair imitation of a lively skirmish in actual war4 ,from every part of the deck1 from the roof of the cabin1 and from the pilot house shots ring out from repeating rifles in a fierce desire to kill4 ,the ,emersonian doctrine of compensation is often given illustration by the killing of one of the hunters in the eagerness to get at the quarry4 ,in fact that is one of the commonest accidents of the tourist season in ,panama4 ,illustration3 ,,mahogany ,,trees ,,with ,,orchids ,crocodile ,creek is a deep1 sluggish black stream1 almost arched over by the boughs of the thick forest along the shores4 ,here and there the jungle is broken by a broad shelving beach on which the ungainly beasts love to sun themselves1 and to which the females resort to deposit their eggs4 ,at the sound of a voice or a paddle in the stream the awkward brutes take to the water in terror1 for there are few animals more timid than they4 ,when in the water the crocodile floats lazily1 displaying only three small bumps above the surface--the nostrils and the horny protruberances above the eyes4 ,once the pool in which they float is disturbed they sink to the bottom and lurk there for hours4 ,alligator hunting for business purposes is not as yet generally pursued on the ,isthmus1 though one hunter and trapper is said to have secured as many as #fj1jjj in a year4 ,but as the demand for the skins1 and to a lesser degree for the teeth1 of the animals is a constant one1 it is probable that with the aid of the tourists they will be exterminated there as thoroughly as they have been in the settled parts of ,florida4 ,while on the subject of slaughter and the extermination of game it may be noted that the ,canal ,commission has already established very stringent game laws on the ,zone1 particularly for the protection of plumed birds like the egret1 and it is seriously proposed to make of that part of ,gatun ,lake within the ,zone a refuge for birds in which no shooting shall be permitted4 ,such action would stop mere wanton slaughter from the decks of passing steamers1 and in the end would greatly enhance the beauty and interest of the trip through the lake which would be fairly alive with birds and other animal life4 ,illustration3 ,,bayano ,,cedar1 ,,eight ,,feet ,,diameter ,illustration3 ,,the ,,cacao ,,tree ,illustration3 ,,street ,,in ,,david ,the ,bayano ,river region beside being the center of such lumbering activities as the ,zone knows at present is the section in which are found the curious vegetable ivory nuts which1 though growing wild1 have become one of the principal products of ,panama4 ,only a few years ago they were looked upon merely as curiosities but are now a useful new material4 ,they are gathered by the natives and sold to dealers in ,panama who ship them north to be made into buttons and other articles of general use4 ,nobody has yet experimented with the cultivation of the tree1 and there is reason to believe that with cultivation larger nuts could be obtained1 and1 by planting1 considerable groves established4 ,the trees grow well in every part of the ,darien1 and the demand1 with the rapid diminution in the supply of real ivory1 should be a growing one4 ,indeed1 the more one studies ,panama and its resources the more one is convinced that all that is necessary to make the country a rich and prosperous one1 or at any rate to cause it to create riches and prosperity for investors1 is the application of capital1 labor and systematic management to the resources it already possesses4 ,in its #djj years of ,spanish and mestizo control these three factors have been continuously lacking4 ,there are men in ,panama1 of native birth and of ,spanish origin1 who have undertaken to develop certain of the land's resources and have moderately enriched themselves4 ,but the most striking evidence of the success to be obtained from attacking the industrial problem in ,panama systematically and in a big way is that furnished by the operations of the ,united ,fruit ,company1 the biggest business fact in the tropics4 ,panama is1 of course1 only one link in the colossal chain of the operations of this company in the tropics4 ,the rapidly increasing prosperity of many of the ,central ,republics is due largely to the sweeping scope of the ,united ,fruit ,company1 and its impress is in evidence all along the north coast of ,south ,america and throughout the ,west ,indies4 ,its interests in ,jamaica are enormous4 ,cuba put ,jamaica off the sugar map1 but the ,united ,fruit ,company came to her rescue with an offer to purchase all the bananas her planters could furnish1 and ,jamaica now leads the ,american tropics with #ag1jjj1jjj bunches annually1 of which the ,united ,fruit ,company obtains nearly half1 the balance being handled by its competitors4 ,the company also owns the famous ,titchfield ,hotel of ,port ,antonio1 and operates the ,myrtle ,bank ,hotel of ,kingston4 ,in ,cuba the company owns #fj1jjj acres of sugar plantations and its two great sugar mills will this year add to the world's product an amount with a market value in excess of #aj1jjj1jjj4 ,its scores of white steamships1 amazingly well contrived and fitted for tropical service1 constitute one of the pleasantest features of travel on these sunlit seas4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,banana ,,country ,illustration3 ,,market ,,place ,,at ,,ancon ,illustration3 ,,fruit ,,company ,,steamer ,,at ,,wharf ,the ,united ,fruit ,company is by far the greatest agricultural enterprise the world has ever known4 ,its fruit plantations constitute a farm half a mile wide and more than seven hundred miles long4 ,all of its farm lands exceed in area the #accb square miles which constitute the sovereign ,state of ,rhode ,island4 ,on these farms are more than #be1jjj head of live stock4 ,this agricultural empire is traversed by nearly #ajjj miles of railroad4 ,to carry the fruits from the plantations to the seaports there are employed #ajj locomotives and #cjjj freight cars4 ,an army of nearly #dj1jjj men is employed in this new and mammoth industry4 ,the republics of ,central ,america were inland nations before the ,united ,fruit ,company made gardens of the low ,caribbean coast lands and created from the virgin wilderness such ports as ,barrios1 ,cortez1 ,limon and ,bocas del ,toro4 ,illustration3 ,,united ,,fruit ,,company ,,train ,this narrow gauge railroad carries no freight except bananas4 ,nearly #ajjj miles of such road are maintained ,illustration3 ,,sanitary ,,office1 ,,bocas ,,del ,,toro ,this ,yankee enterprise has erected and maintains at its own expense many of the lighthouses which serve its own great fleet and the ships of all the world4 ,it has dredged new channels and marked them with buoys4 ,it has installed along the ,central and ,south ,american coasts a wireless telegraph service of the highest power and efficiency4 ,it has constructed hundreds of miles of public roads1 maintains public schools1 and in other ways renders at its own expense the services which are presumed to fall on governments4 ,the ,american financiers associated with it are now pushing to completion the ,pan-,american railroad which soon will connect ,new ,york with ,panama by an all-rail route1 and thus realize what once was esteemed an impractical dream4 ,but it is the ,united ,fruit ,company's activities in ,panama only that are pertinent to this book4 ,they demonstrate strikingly how readily one natural opportunity afforded by this land responded to the call of systematic effort1 and there are a dozen products beside the banana which might thus be exploited4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,pile ,,of ,,rejected ,,bananas ,the fruit is thrown out by the company's inspectors for scarcely visible flaws ,on the ,atlantic coast1 only a night's sail from ,colon1 is the port of ,bocas del ,toro 7,the ,mouths of the ,bull71 a town of about #ijjj inhabitants1 built and largely maintained by the banana trade4 ,here is the largest and most beautiful natural harbor in the ,american tropics1 and here some day will be established a winter resort to which will flock people from all parts of the world4 ,almirante ,bay and the ,chiriqui ,lagoon extend thirty or forty miles1 dotted with thousands of islands decked with tropical verdure1 and flanked to the north and west by superb mountain ranges with peaks of from seven to ten thousand feet in height4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,perfect ,,bunch ,,of ,,bananas ,the towns of ,bocas del ,toro and ,almirante are maintained almost entirely by the banana trade4 ,other companies than the ,united ,fruit raise and buy bananas here1 but it was the initiative of the leading company which by systematic work put the prosperity of this section on a firm basis4 ,lands that a few years ago were miasmatic swamps are now improved and planted with bananas4 ,over #d1jjj1jjj bunches were exported from this plantation in #aiaa1 and #ce1jjj acres are under cultivation there4 ,a narrow gauge railway carries bananas exclusively4 ,the great white steamships sail almost daily carrying away little except bananas4 ,the money spent over the counters of the stores in ,bocas del ,toro comes from natives who have no way of getting money except by raising bananas and selling them1 mostly to the ,united ,fruit ,company4 ,it has its competitors1 but it invented the business and has brought it to its highest development4 ,at this ,panama town1 and for that matter in the other territories it controls1 the company has established and enforces the sanitary reforms which ,col4 ,gorgas applied so effectively in ,colon and ,panama4 ,its officials proudly claim that they were the pioneers in inventing and applying the methods which have conquered tropical diseases4 ,at ,bocas del ,toro the company maintains a hospital which lacks nothing of the equipment of the ,ancon ,hospital1 though of course not so large4 ,it has successfully adopted the commissary system established on the ,canal ,zone4 ,labor has always been the troublesome factor in industrial enterprises in ,central ,america4 ,the ,fruit ,company has joined with the ,isthmian ,commission in the systematic endeavor to keep labor contented and therefore efficient4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,astor ,,yacht ,,at ,,cristobal ,probably it will be the policy which any corporation attempting to do work on a large scale will be compelled to adopt4 ,to my mind the ,united ,fruit ,company1 next to the ,panama ,canal1 is the great phenomenon of the ,caribbean world today4 ,some day some one with knowledge will write a book about it as men have written the history of the ,british ,east ,india ,company1 or the ,worshipful ,company of ,hudson ,bay ,adventurers1 for this distinctly ,american enterprise has accomplished a creative work so wonderful and so romantic as to entitle it to equal literary consideration4 ,its coperation with the ,republic of ,panama and the manner in which it has followed the plans formulated by the ,isthmian ,commission entitles it to attention in a book treating of ,panama4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bay ,,of ,,bocas ,this harbor of the chief banana port of ,panama would accommodate a navy ,the banana business is the great trade of the tropics1 and one that cannot be reduced in volume by new competition1 as cane sugar was checked by beet sugar4 ,but it is a business which requires special machinery of distribution for its success4 ,from the day the banana is picked until it is in the stomach of the ultimate consumer the time should not exceed three weeks4 ,the fruit must be picked green1 as1 if allowed to ripen on the trees1 it splits open and the tropical insects infect it4 ,this same condition1 by the way1 affects all tropical fruits4 ,all must be gathered while still unripe4 ,the nearest wholesale market for bananas is ,new ,orleans1 five days' steaming4 ,new ,york is seven days away4 ,that means that once landed the fruit must be distributed to commission houses and agents all over the ,united ,states with the utmost expedition lest it spoil in transit4 ,there can be no holding it in storage1 cold or otherwise1 for a stronger demand or a higher market4 ,this means that the corporation must deal with agents who can be relied upon to absorb the cargoes of the ships as regularly as they arrive4 ,from its budding near the ,panama ,canal to its finish in the alimentary canal of its final purchaser the banana has to be handled systematically and swiftly4 ,illustration3 ,,bringing ,,home ,,the ,,crocodile ,illustration3 ,a ,,morning',s ,,shooting ,to establish this machinery the ,united ,fruit ,company has invested more than #aij1jjj1jjj in the tropics--doubtless the greatest investment next to the ,panama ,canal made in that ,zone4 ,how much of this is properly a ,panama investment can hardly be told1 since for example the ,fruit ,company's ships which ply to ,colon and ,bocas del ,toro call at other banana ports as well4 ,these ships are peculiarly attractive in design and in their clothing of snowy white1 and ,i do not think there is any ,american who1 seeing them in ,caribbean ports1 does not wonder at the sight of the ,british flag flying at the stern4 ,his astonishment is not allayed when he learns that the company has in all more than #ajj ships of various sizes1 and nearly all of ,british registry4 ,the transfer of that fleet alone to ,american registry would be a notable and most desirable step4 ,illustration3 ,,on ,,crocodile ,,creek ,each spot looking like a leaf on the water is the nose of a submerged saurian ,from officials of the company ,i learned that they would welcome the opportunity to transfer their ships to ,american registry1 except for certain requirements of the navigation laws which make such a change hazardous4 ,practically all the ownership of the ships is vested in ,americans1 but to fly the ,british flag is for them a business necessity4 ,chief among the objections is the clause which would give the ,united ,states authority to seize the vessels in time of war4 ,it is quite evident that this power might be employed to the complete destruction of the ,fruit ,company's trade2 in fact to its practical extinction as a business concern4 ,a like power existing in ,england or ,germany would not be of equal menace to any single company flying the flag of that nation1 for there the government's needs could be fully supplied by a proper apportionment of requisitions for ships among the many companies4 ,but with the exceedingly restricted merchant marine of the ,united ,states the danger of the enforcement of this right would be an ever-present menace4 ,it is for this reason that the ,fruit ,company steamers fly the ,british flag1 and the ,american in ,colon may see1 as ,i did one day1 nine great ocean ships in the port with only one flying the stars and stripes4 ,the opening of the canal will not wholly remedy this4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,carl ,hayden ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,crocodile ,in all respects save the registry of its ships1 however1 the ,fruit ,company is a thoroughly ,american concern and to its operations in the ,caribbean is due much of the good feeling toward the ,united ,states which is observable there4 ,in #aiab it carried #a1aac1gda tons of freight1 of which #cei1fhf was general freight1 carried for the public in addition to company freight4 ,this is a notable public service1 profitable no doubt but vital to the interests of the ,american tropics4 ,it owns or holds under leases #heb1fej acres1 and in #aiab carried to the ,united ,states about #be1jjj1jjj bunches of bananas1 and #af1jjj1jjj bunches to ,great ,britain and the ,continent4 ,viewed from the standpoint of the consumer its work certainly has operated to cheapen bananas and to place them on sale at points where they were never before seen4 ,the banana has not participated in the high cost of living nor has one company monopolized the market1 for the trade statistics show #ag1jjj1jjj bunches of bananas imported by rival companies in #aiab4 ,as for its stimulation of the business of the ports of ,new ,orleans1 ,galveston and ,mobile1 and its revivifying of trade along the ,caribbean1 both are matters of common knowledge4 ,illustration3 ,,above ,,the ,,clouds1 ,,chiriqui ,,volcano ,the banana thrives best in rich soil covered with alluvial deposits and in a climate of great humidity where the temperature never falls below #ge degrees ,fahrenheit4 ,once established the plantation needs little attention1 the plant being self-propagating from suckers which shoot off from the 8mat10 the tangled roots of the mother plant4 ,it begins to bear fruit at the age of ten or eleven months1 and with the maturing of one bunch of fruit the parent plant is at once cut down so that the strength of the soil may go into the suckers that succeed it4 ,perhaps the most technical work of the cultivator is to select the suckers so that the plantation will not bring all its fruit to maturity in one season1 but rather yield a regular succession of crops1 month after month4 ,it was interesting to learn from a representative of the ,united ,fruit ,company at ,bocas del ,toro1 that the banana has its dull season--not in production but in the demand for it which falls off heavily in winter1 though one would suppose that summer1 when our own fruits are in the market1 would be the period of its eclipse4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,chiriqui ,,volcano ,illustration3 ,,native ,,market ,,boat ,,at ,,chorrera ,while most of the fruit gathered in the neighborhood of ,bocas del ,toro is grown on land owned and tilled by the ,company1 there are hundreds of small individual growers with plantations of from half an acre to fifty acres or even more4 ,all fruit is delivered along the railway lines1 and the larger growers have tramways1 the cars drawn by oxen or mules1 to carry their fruit to the stipulated point4 ,notice is given the growers of the date on which the fruit will be called for1 and within twelve to eighteen hours after it has been cut it is in the hold of the vessel4 ,it is subjected to a rigid inspection at the docks1 and the flaws for which whole bunches are rejected would often be quite undiscernible to the ordinary observer4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,bouquette ,,valley1 ,,the ,,most ,,fertile ,,part ,,of ,,chiriqui ,the banana is one of the few fruits which are free from insect pests1 being protected by its thick1 bitter skin4 ,if allowed to ripen in the open1 however1 it speedily falls a prey to a multitude of egg-laying insects4 ,the tree itself is not so immune4 ,lately a small rodent1 something like the gopher of our ,american states1 has discovered that banana roots are good to eat4 ,from time immemorial he lived in the jungle1 burrowing and nibbling the roots of the plants there1 but in an unlucky moment for the fruit companies he discovered that tunneling in soil that had been worked was easier and the roots of the cultivated banana more succulent than his normal diet4 ,therefore a large importation of scientists from ,europe and the ,united ,states to find some way of eradicating the industrious pest that has attacked the chief industry of the tropics at the root1 so to speak4 ,illustration3 ,,coffee ,,plant ,,at ,,bouquette ,baron ,humboldt is said to have first called the attention of civilized people to the food value of the banana1 but it was one of the founders of the ,united ,fruit ,company1 a ,new ,england sea captain trading to ,colon1 who first introduced it to the general market in the ,united ,states4 ,for a time he carried home a few bunches in the cabin of his schooner for his family and friends1 but1 finding a certain demand for the fruit1 later began to import it systematically4 ,from this casual start the ,united ,fruit ,company and its hustling competitors have grown4 ,the whole business is the development of a few decades and people still young can remember when bananas were sold1 each wrapped in tissue paper1 for five or ten cents1 while today ten or fifteen cents a dozen is a fair price4 ,the fruit can be prepared in a multitude of fashions1 particularly the coarser varieties of plantains1 and the ,fruit ,company has compiled a banana cook book but has taken little pains to circulate it1 the demand for the fruit being at times still in excess of the supply4 ,there seems every indication that the demand is constant and new banana territory is being steadily developed4 ,illustration3 ,,drying ,,the ,,coffee ,,beans ,several companies share with the ,united ,fruit ,company the ,panama market4 ,the methods of gathering and marketing the crop employed by all are practically the same1 but the ,united ,fruit ,company is used as an illustration here because its business is the largest and because it has so closely followed the ,isthmian ,canal ,commission in its welfare work4 ,the banana country lies close to the ocean and mainly on the ,atlantic side of the ,isthmus4 ,the lumber industry nestles close to the rivers1 mainly in the ,bayano region4 ,cocoanuts need the beaches and the sea breezes4 ,native rubber is found in every part of the ,republic1 though at present it is collected mainly in the ,darien1 which is true also of vegetable ivory4 ,the only gold which is mined on a large scale is taken from the neighborhood of the ,tuyra ,river in the ,darien4 ,but for products requiring cultivation like cacao and coffee the high lands in the ,chiriqui province offer the best opportunity4 ,illustration3 ,,drying ,,cloths ,,for ,,coffee ,where the planter has no regular drying floor1 cloths are spread on which the berries are exposed ,david is really the center of this territory4 ,it is a typical ,central ,american town of about #ae1jjj people1 with a plaza1 a cathedral1 a hotel and all the appurtenances of metropolitan life in ,panama4 ,the place is attractive in its way1 with its streets of white-walled1 red-tiled dwellings1 with blue or green doors and shutters4 ,it seems to have grown with some steadiness1 for though the ,panama census for #aiab gave it #ae1jjj inhabitants1 travelers like ,mr4 ,forbes ,lindsay and ,albert ,edwards1 who visited it only a year or two earlier1 gave it only from #ejjj to #hjjj people4 ,its growth1 however1 is natural and healthy1 for the country round it is developing rapidly4 ,you reach ,david now by boats of the ,pacific ,mail and the ,national ,navigation ,company from ,panama4 ,the quickest trip takes thirty hours4 ,when the government railroad is built1 about which there is some slight doubt1 the whole country will be opened and should be quickly settled4 ,the road in all probability will be continued to ,bocas del ,toro on the ,atlantic coast4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,breadfruit ,,tree ,while the cattle business of the ,chiriqui region is its chief mainstay1 it is far from being developed to its natural extent4 ,the ,commissary officials of the ,canal organization tried to interest cattle growers to the extent of raising enough beef for the need of the ,canal workers1 but failed4 ,practically all of the meat thus used is furnished by the so-called 8,beef ,trust0 of the ,united ,states4 ,it is believed that there are not more than #ej1jjj head of cattle all told in ,panama4 ,i was told on the ,isthmus that agents of a large ,chicago firm had traveled through ,chiriqui with a view to establishing a packing house there1 but reported that the supply of cattle was inadequate for even the smallest establishment4 ,yet the country is admirably adapted for cattle raising4 ,illustration3 ,,primitive ,,sugar ,,mill ,the climate of this region is equable1 both as to temperature and humidity4 ,epidemic diseases are practically unknown among either men or beasts4 ,should irrigation in future seem needful to agriculture the multitude of streams furnish an ample water supply and innumerable sites for reservoirs4 ,westward from ,david the face of the country rises gently until you come to the ,caldera ,valley which lies at the foot of the ,chiriqui ,peak1 an extinct volcano perhaps #hjjj feet high4 ,nowhere in ,panama do the mountains rise very high1 though the range is clearly a connection of the ,cordilleras of ,north and ,south ,america4 ,the ,chiriqui ,peak has not in the memory of man been in eruption1 but the traces of its volcanic character are unmistakable4 ,its crater is a circular plain about half a mile in diameter surrounded by a densely wooded precipitous ridge4 ,as the ascent is continued the woods give way to grass and rocks4 ,while there is a distinct timber line1 no snow line is attained4 ,at the foot of the mountain is ,el ,bouquette1 much esteemed by the ,panamanians as a health resort4 ,thither go ,canal workers who1 not being permitted to remain on the ,zone during their vacations1 wish to avoid the long voyage to ,north ,american ports4 ,illustration3 ,,chiriqui ,,natives ,,in ,,an ,,ox-,,cart ,this neighborhood is the center of the coffee-growing industry which should be profitable in ,panama if a heavy protective tariff could make it so4 ,but not even enough of the fragrant berries are grown to supply home needs1 and the industry is as yet largely prosecuted in an unsystematic and haphazard manner4 ,it is claimed that sample shipments of coffee brought high prices in ,new ,york1 but as yet not enough is grown to permit exportation4 ,cacao1 which thrives1 is grown chiefly by ,english and ,german planters1 but as yet in a small way only4 ,cotton1 tobacco and fiber plants also grow readily in this region but are little cultivated4 ,illustration3 ,,proclaiming ,a ,,law ,,at ,,david ,there being a dearth of newspapers and readers1 new laws are promulgated by being read aloud ,a curious industry of the ,chiriqui country1 now nearly abandoned1 was the collection of gold ornaments which the ,guaymi ,indians formerly buried with their dead4 ,these images sometimes in human form1 more often in that of a fish1 sometimes like frogs and alligators1 jointed and flexible1 were at one time found in great quantities and formed a conspicuous feature of the ,panama curiosity shops4 ,in seeking these the hunters walked back and forth over the grounds known to be ,indian burial places1 tapping the ground with rods4 ,when the earth gave forth a hollow sound the spade was resorted to1 and usually a grave was uncovered4 ,jars which had contained wine and food were usually found in the graves1 which were in fact subterranean tombs carefully built with flat stones4 ,the diggers tell of finding skulls perfectly preserved apparently but which crumbled to pieces at a touch4 ,evidently the burial places which can be identified through local tradition have been nearly exhausted1 for the ancient trinkets cannot longer be readily found in the ,panama shops4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,cattle ,,range ,,near ,,david ,in ,chiriqui province there is much of this open savanna or prairie land bordered by thick jungle ,another ,panamanian product which the tourists buy eagerly but which is rapidly becoming rare is the pearl4 ,in the ,gulf of ,panama are a group of islands which have been known as ,las ,islas des ,perlas--the ,pearl ,islands4 ,this archipelago is about thirty miles long1 with sixteen big islands and a quantity of small ones1 and lies about sixty miles south of ,panama ,city4 ,balboa saw them from the shore and intended to visit them but never did4 ,pizarro stopped there on his way to ,peru and plundered them to his heart's content4 ,otherwise their history has been uneventful4 ,saboga on the island of the same name is a beautiful little tropical village of about #cjj huts1 on a high bluff bordering a bay that affords excellent anchorage4 ,whales are plentiful in these waters and ,pacific whalers are often seen in port4 ,san ,miguel1 the largest town of the archipelago1 is on ,rey ,island and has about #ajjj inhabitants4 ,the tower of its old church is thickly inlaid with glistening1 pearly shell4 ,illustration3 ,,despoiling ,,old ,,guaymi ,,graves ,the pearl fisheries have been overworked for years1 perhaps centuries1 and begin to show signs of being exhausted4 ,nevertheless the tourist who takes the trip to the islands from the ,city of ,panama will find himself beset by children as he lands offering seed pearls in quantities4 ,occasionally real bargains may be had from 8beach combers0 not only at ,rey ,island1 but even at ,taboga1 where ,i knew an ,american visitor to pick up for eleven dollars three pearls valued at ten or twelve times as much when shown in the ,united ,states4 ,there are stories of lucky finds among divers that vie with the tales of nuggets among gold prospectors4 ,once a native boy diving for sport in one of the channels near ,naos ,island brought up an oyster in which was a black pearl that was sold in ,panama for #cjjj4 ,the report does not say how much of this the boy got1 but as the pearl was afterward sold in ,paris for #ab1jjj it is quite evident that the share of the middleman1 of whom political economists just now talk so much1 was heavy4 ,the ,panama pearls are sometimes of beautiful colors1 green1 pale blue and a delicate pink4 ,on the ,chiriqui coast a year or two ago a pearl weighing about forty-two carats1 about the size and shape of a partridge egg1 greenish black at the base and shading to a steel gray at the tip1 was found4 ,it was sold in ,paris for #ejjj4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,day',s ,,shooting1 ,,game ,,mostly ,,monkeys ,it is a curious fact that the use of mussels from our western rivers is one cause for the decadence of the ,panama pearl industry4 ,for years the actual expense of maintaining these fisheries was met by the sale of the shell for use in making buttons and mother-of-pearl ornaments4 ,the pearls represented the profit of the enterprise1 which was always therefore more or less of a gamble--but a game in which it was impossible to lose1 though the winnings might be great or small according to luck4 ,now that the demand for pearl oyster shells has fallen off1 owing to the competition of mussels1 the chances in the game are rather against the player and the sport languishes4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,government ,,school ,,of ,,hat ,,making ,illustration3 ,,beginning ,a ,,panama ,,hat ,the authorities of the ,republic are making some effort to establish a system of industrial schools which may lead to the fuller utilization of the natural resources of the country4 ,every tourist who visits the ,isthmus is immediately taught by one who has been there a day or two longer than he that ,panama hats are not made in ,panama4 ,this seems to be the most precious information that anyone on the ,zone has to impart4 ,most of the hats there sold are indeed made in ,ecuador and the name 8,panama0 was first attached to them years ago1 because their chief market was found in ,panama ,city1 whence they were distributed to more northern countries4 ,the palm of which they are made however grows generally in ,panama and the government has established in the ,chiriqui province a school in which native boys are taught the art of hat making4 ,in the ,national ,institute at ,panama ,city there is also a government trades school where boys are given a three years' course in the elements of the carpenters' and machinists' trades4 ,indeed the rulers of the ,republic1 which was so abruptly created1 deserve great credit for the steps they are taking for the creation of a general system of public education1 both literary and practical4 ,the school system is not yet on a par with that of states of longer existence1 nor will it in all probability ever quite conform to more northern ideas of an educational establishment4 ,for example1 the ,national ,institute is closed to girls1 who for their higher education are limited to the schools maintained by the church4 ,a normal school1 however1 in which girls are prepared for teaching in the primary grades is maintained with about #abe students4 ,the school system of ,panama must be regarded merely as a nucleus from which a larger organism may grow4 ,yet when one recalls the state of society which has resulted from revolutions in other ,central ,american states1 one is impelled to a certain admiration for the promptitude with which the men who erected the ,republic of ,panama gave thought to the educational needs of people4 ,they were suddenly put in authority over an infant state which had no debt1 but1 on the contrary1 possessed a capital of #aj1jjj1jjj equivalent to about #cj for every man1 woman and child of its population4 ,instead of creating an army1 buying a navy and thus wasting the money on mere militarism which appeals so strongly to the ,latin-,american mind1 they organized a civil government1 equipped it with the necessary buildings1 established a university and laid the foundation of a national system of education4 ,illustration3 ,,coffee ,,plantation ,,at ,,bouquette ,the thoughtful traveler will concede to the ,republic of ,panama great natural resources and a most happy entrance to the family of nations4 ,it is the especial protg of the ,united ,states and under the watchful care of its patron will be free from the apprehension of misuse1 revolution or invasion from without which has kept other ,central ,american governments in a constant state of unrest4 ,about the international morality of the proceedings which created the relations now existing between the ,united ,states and ,panama perhaps the least said the better4 ,but even if we reprobate the sale of ,joseph by his brethren1 in the scripture story1 we must at least admit that he did better in ,egypt than in his father's house and that the protection and favor of the mighty ,pharaoh was of the highest advantage to him1 and in time to his unnatural brethren as well4 ,illustration3 ,,work ,,of ,,indian ,,students ,,in ,,the ,,national ,,institute ,at present the ,republic suffers not only from its own checkered past1 but from the varied failings of its neighbors4 ,its monetary system affords one illustration4 ,the highest coin of the land is the peso1 a piece the size of our silver dollar but circulating at a value of fifty cents4 ,if a man should want to pay a debt of #ejj he would have to deliver #ajjj pesos unless he was possessed of a bank account and could settle by check4 ,no paper money is issued4 8,who would take paper money issued by a ,central ,american republic80 ask the knowing ones scornfully when you inquire about this seeming lack in the monetary system4 ,yet the ,republic of ,panama is the most solvent of nations1 having no national debt and with money in bank4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,crater ,,of ,,the ,,chiriqui ,,volcano ,probably the one obstacle to the progress of the ,republic to greatness is the one common to all tropical countries on which ,benjamin ,kidd laid an unerring finger when he referred to the unwisdom of longer permitting the riches of the tropics to 8remain undeveloped with resources running to waste under the management of races of low social efficiency04 ,the ,panamanian authorities are making apparently sincere endeavors to attract new settlers of greater efficiency4 ,in proportion to the success that attends the efforts the future of ,panama will be bright4 ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,,vendor ,,of ,,fruit ,,and ,,pottery ,like all tropical towns ,panama displays interesting bits of outdoor life in its street markets and vendors4 ,the sidewalks are the true shops and almost the homes of the people4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,the ,,indians ,,of ,,panama ,while that portion of the ,panama territory that lies along the border of ,colombia known as the ,darien is rather ill-defined as to area and to boundaries1 it is known to be rich in timber and is believed to possess gold mines of great richness4 ,but it is practically impenetrable by the white man4 ,through this country ,balboa led his force on his expedition to the unknown ,pacific1 and was followed by the bloodthirsty ,pedrarias who bred up in the ,indians a hatred of the white man that has grown as the ages passed4 ,no expedition can enter this region even today except as an armed force ready to fight for the right of passage4 ,in #aghf the ,spaniards sought to subdue the territory1 built forts on both the ,atlantic and ,pacific coasts and established a line of trading posts connecting them4 ,but the effort failed4 ,the posts were abandoned4 ,today the white man who tries to enter the ,darien does so at the risk of his life4 ,in #ahed a navy exploring expedition of twenty-seven men1 under command of ,lieutenant ,isaac ,c4 ,strain1 entered the jungle of the ,darien at ,caledonia ,bay1 on the ,atlantic side1 the site of ,patterson's ill-fated colony4 ,they purposed crossing the ,isthmus and making a survey for a canal route1 as an ,english adventurer not long before had asserted--falsely as it proved--that he had discovered a route by which a canal could be built with but three or four miles of cutting4 ,the party carried ten days' provisions and forty rounds of ball cartridge per man4 ,they expected to have to traverse about forty or fifty miles1 for which the supply of provisions seemed wholly adequate4 ,but when they had cut their way through the jungle1 waded through swamps and climbed hills until their muscles were exhausted and their clothing torn to tatters1 they found themselves lost in the very interior of the ,isthmus with all their food gone4 ,diaries kept by members of the party show that they lived in constant terror of the ,indians4 ,but no attack was made upon them4 ,the inhabitants contented themselves with disappearing before the white men's advance1 sweeping their huts and fields clear of any sort of food4 ,the jungle not its people fought the invaders4 ,for food they had mainly nuts with a few birds and the diet disturbed their stomachs1 caused sores and loosened their teeth4 ,the bite of a certain insect deposited under the skin a kind of larva1 or worm1 which grew to the length of an inch and caused the most frightful torments4 ,despairing of getting his full party out alive1 after they had been twenty-three days fighting with the jungle1 ,strain took three men and pushed ahead to secure and send back relief4 ,it was thirty-nine days before the men left behind saw him again4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,trapping ,,an ,,aborigine ,in houses and clothing the ,darien ,indians are decidedly primitive ,illustration3 ,,native ,,village ,,on ,,panama ,,bay ,death came fast to those in the jungle4 ,the agonies they suffered from starvation1 exposure and insect pests baffle description4 8,truxton in casting his eyes on the ground saw a toad01 wrote the historian4 8,instantly snatching it up1 he bit off the head and1 spitting it away1 devoured the body4 ,maury looked at him a moment1 and then picked up the rejected head1 saying1 #8,well1 ,truxton1 you are getting quite particular4 ,something of an epicure1 eh'8 ,with these words he quietly devoured the head himself40 ,nine of the twenty-seven men who entered the ,darien with ,strain died4 ,when the leader returned with the relief party they were found1 like ,greely at ,camp ,starvation1 unable to move and slowly dying4 ,those who retained life never fully regained strength4 ,every condition which brought such frightful disaster upon the ,strain party exists in the ,darien today4 ,the ,indians are as hostile1 the trails as faintly outlined1 the jungle as dense1 the insects as savage4 ,only along the banks of the rivers has civilization made some little headway1 but the richest gold field twenty miles back in the interior is as safe from civilized workings as though it were walled in with steel and guarded by dragons4 ,every speculative man you meet in ,panama will assure you that the gold is there but all agree that conditions must be radically changed before it can be gotten out unless a regiment and a subsistence train shall follow the miners4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,river ,,landing ,,place ,the authorities of ,panama estimate that there are about #cf1jjj tribal ,indians1 that is to say aborigines1 still holding their tribal organizations and acknowledging fealty to no other government now in the ,isthmus4 ,the estimate is of course largely guesswork1 for few of the wild ,indians leave the jungle and fewer still of the census enumerators enter it4 ,most of these ,indians live in the mountains of the provinces of ,bocas del ,toro1 ,chiriqui and ,veragua1 or in the ,darien4 ,their tribes are many and the sources of information concerning them but few4 ,the most accessible and complete record of the various tribes is in a pamphlet issued by the ,smithsonian ,institution1 and now obtainable only through public libraries1 as the edition for distribution has been exhausted4 ,the author1 ,miss ,eleanor ,yorke ,bell1 beside studies made at first hand has diligently examined the authorities on the subject and has presented the only considerable treatise on the subject of which ,i have knowledge4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,falls ,,at ,,chorrera ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood1 ,underwood ,,on ,,the ,,rio ,,grande ,of life among the more civilized natives she says3 8,the natives of the ,isthmus in general1 even in the larger towns1 live together without any marriage ceremony1 separating at will and dividing the children4 ,as there is little or no personal property1 this is accomplished amicably as a rule1 though should disputes arise the alcalde of the district is appealed to1 who settles the matter4 ,this informal system is always stoutly defended by the women1 even more than by the men1 for1 as among all people low in the scale of civilization1 it is generally held that the women receive better treatment when not bound and therefore free to depart at any time4 ,recently an effort has been made to bring more of the inhabitants under the marriage laws1 with rather amusing results in many instances4 ,the majority of the population is nominally ,catholic1 but the teachings of the church are only vaguely understood1 and its practices consist in the adoration of a few battered images of saints whose particular degree of sanctity is not even guessed at and who1 when their owners are displeased with them1 receive rather harsh treatment1 as these people have usually no real idea of ,christianity beyond a few distorted and superstitious beliefs4 ,after the widespread surveys of the ,french engineers1 a sincere effort was made to re-,christianize the inhabitants of the towns in ,darien as well as elsewhere1 for1 until this time1 nothing had been done toward their spiritual welfare since the days of the early ,jesuits4 ,in the last thirty years spasmodic efforts have been made to reach the people with little result1 and1 excepting at ,penonome1 ,david1 and ,santiago1 there are few churches where services are held outside of ,panama and the towns along the railroad4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,spanish ,,church1 ,,chorrera 8,the chief amusements of the ,isthmian are gambling1 cock-fighting1 and dancing1 the latter assisted by the music of the tom-tom and by dried beans rattled in a calabash4 ,after feasts or burials1 when much bad rum and whisky is consumed1 the hilarity keeps up all night and can be heard for miles1 increased by the incessant howls of the cur dogs lying under every shack4 ,seldom does an opportunity come to the stranger to witness the really characteristic dances1 as the natives do not care to perform before them1 though a little money will sometimes work wonders4 ,occasionally1 their dancing is really remarkably interesting1 when a large amount of pantomime enters into it and they develop the story of some primitive action1 as1 for instance1 the drawing of the water1 cutting the wood1 making the fire1 cooking the food1 etc41 ending in a burst of song symbolizing the joys of the new prepared feast4 ,in an extremely crude form it reminds one of the old opera ballets and seems to be a composite of the original ,african and the ancient ,spanish1 which is very probably the case4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,church ,,at ,,ancon 8,the ,orientals of the ,isthmus deserve a word in passing4 ,they are chiefly ,chinese coolies and form a large part of the small merchant class4 ,others1 in the hill districts1 cultivate large truck gardens1 bringing their produce swinging over the shoulders on poles to the city markets4 ,their houses and grounds are very attractive1 built of reed or bamboo in the eastern fashion and marked everywhere by extreme neatness1 contrasting so strikingly with the homes and surroundings of their negro neighbors4 ,many cultivate fields of cane or rice as well1 and amidst the silvery greens1 stretching for some distance1 the quaint blue figures of the workmen in their huge hats make a charming picture4 ,through the rubber sections ,chinese #8middlemen' are of late frequently found buying that valuable commodity for their fellow countrymen in ,panama ,city1 who are now doing quite a large business in rubber4 ,these people live much as in their native land1 seldom learning more than a few words of ,spanish 7except those living in the towns71 and they form a very substantial and good element of the population04 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,pearl ,,island ,,village ,,of ,,saboga ,to enumerate even by names the aboriginal tribes would be tedious and unavailing4 ,among the more notable are the ,doracho-,changuina1 of ,chiriqui1 light of color1 believing that the ,great ,spirit lived in the volcano of ,chiriqui1 and occasionally showing their displeasure with him by shooting arrows at the mountain4 ,the ,guaymies1 of whom perhaps #fjjj are left1 are the tribe that buried with their dead the curious golden images that were once plentiful in the bazaars of ,panama1 but are now hard to find4 ,they have a pleasant practice of putting a calabash of water and some plantains by a man they think dying and leaving him to his fate1 usually in some lonesome part of the jungle4 ,the ,cunas or ,caribs are the tribes inhabiting the ,darien4 ,all were1 and some are1 believed still to be cannibals4 ,eleven lesser tribes are grouped under this general name4 ,as a rule they are small and muscular4 ,most of them have abandoned their ancient gaudy dress1 and so far as they are clothed at all wear ordinary cotton clothing4 ,painting the face and body is still practiced4 ,the dead often are swung in hammocks from trees and supplied with fresh provisions until the cords rot and the body falls to the ground4 ,then the spirit's journey to the promised land is held to be ended and provisions are no longer needed4 ,sorcery and soothsaying are much in vogue1 and the sorcerers who correspond to the medicine men of our ,north ,american ,indians will sometimes shut themselves up in a small hut shrieking1 beating tom-toms and imitating the cries of wild animals4 ,when they emerge in a sort of self-hypnotized state they are held to be peculiarly fit for prophesying4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,village ,,at ,,capera ,all the ,indians drink heavily1 and the white man's rum is to some extent displacing the native drink of chica4 ,this is manufactured by the women1 usually the old ones1 who sit in a circle chewing yam roots or cassava and expectorating the saliva into a large bowl in the center4 ,this ferments and is made the basis of a highly intoxicating drink4 ,curiously enough the same drink is similarly made in far-away ,samoa4 ,the dutiful wives after thus manufacturing the material upon which their spouses get drunk complete their service by swinging their hammocks1 sprinkling them with cold water and fanning them as they lie in a stupor4 ,smoking is another social custom1 but the cigars are mere hollow rolls of tobacco and the lighted end is held in the mouth4 ,among some of the tribes in ,comagre the bodies of the caciques1 or chief men1 were preserved after death by surrounding them with a ring of fire built at a sufficient distance to gradually dry the body until skin and bone alone remained4 ,the ,indians with whom the visitor to ,panama most frequently comes into contact are those of the ,san ,blas or ,manzanillo country4 ,these ,indians hover curiously about the bounds of civilization1 and approach without actually crossing them4 ,they are fishermen and sailors1 and many of their young men ship on the vessels touching at ,colon1 and1 after visiting the chief seaports of the ,united ,states1 and even of ,france and ,england1 are swallowed up again in their tribe without affecting its customs to any appreciable degree4 ,if in their wanderings they gain new ideas or new desires they are not apparent4 ,the man who silently offers you fish1 fruits or vegetables from his cayuca on the beach at ,colon may have trod the docks at ,havre or ,liverpool1 the levee at ,new ,orleans or wandered along ,south ,street in ,new ,york4 ,not a word of that can you coax from him4 ,even in proffering his wares he does so with the fewest possible words1 and an air of lofty indifference4 ,uncas of the ,leather-,stocking ,tales was no more silent and self-possessed a red-skin than he4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,a ,,choco ,,indian ,,in ,,full ,,costume ,his cuffs are silver2 his head adorned with flowers ,in physiognomy the ,san ,blas ,indians are heavy of feature and stocky of frame4 ,their color is dark olive1 with no trace of the negro apparent1 for it has been their unceasing study for centuries to retain their racial purity4 ,their features are regular and pleasing and1 among the children particularly1 a high order of beauty is often found4 ,to get a glimpse of their women is almost impossible1 and a photograph of one is practically unknown4 ,if overtaken on the water1 to which they often resort in their cayucas1 the women will wrap their clothing about their faces1 rather heedless of what other portions of their bodies may be exposed1 and make all speed for the shore4 ,these women paint their faces in glaring colors1 wear nose rings1 and always blacken their teeth on being married4 ,among them more pains is taken with clothing than among most of the savage ,indians1 many of their garments being made of a sort of appliqu work in gaudy colors1 with figures1 often in representation of the human form1 cut out and inset in the garment4 ,so determined are the men of this tribe to maintain its blood untarnished by any admixture whatsoever1 that they long made it an invariable rule to expel every white man from their territory at nightfall4 ,of late years there has been a very slight relaxation of this severity4 ,dr4 ,henri ,pittier of the ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture1 one of the best-equipped scientific explorers in the tropics1 several of whose photographs elucidate this volume1 has lived much among the ,san ,blas and the ,cuna-,cuna ,indians and won their friendship4 ,illustration3 ,,some ,,san ,,blas ,,girls ,the dresses are covered with elaborate designs in appliqu work ,it was the ancestors of these ,indians who made welcome ,patterson and his luckless ,scotchmen1 and in the #bjj years that have elapsed they have clung to the tradition of friendship for the ,briton and hatred for the ,spaniard4 ,dr4 ,pittier reports having found that ,queen ,victoria occupied in their villages the position of a patron saint1 and that they refused to believe his assertion that she was dead4 ,his account of the attitude of these ,indians toward outsiders1 recently printed in the ,national ,geographic ,magazine1 is an authoritative statement on the subject3 8,the often circulated reports of the difficulty of penetrating into the territory of the ,cuna-,cuna are true only in part01 he says4 8,the backwoods aborigines1 in the valleys of the ,bayano and ,chucunaque rivers1 have nourished to this day their hatred for all strangers1 especially those of ,spanish blood4 ,that feeling is not a reasoned one3 it is the instinctive distrust of the savage for the unknown or inexplicable1 intensified in this particular case by the tradition of a long series of wrongs at the hands of the hated ,spaniards4 8,so they feel that isolation is their best policy1 and it would not be safe for anybody to penetrate into their forests without a strong escort and continual watchfulness4 ,many instances of murders1 some confirmed and others only suspected1 are on record1 and even the natives of the ,san ,blas coast are not a little afraid of their brothers of the mountains4 8,of late1 however1 conditions seem to have bettered1 owing to a more frequent intercourse with the surrounding settlements4 ,a negro of ,la ,palma1 at the mouth of the ,tuyra ,river1 told me of his crossing1 some time ago1 from the latter place to ,chepo1 through the ,chucunaque and ,bayano territories1 gathering rubber as he went along with his party4 ,at the headwaters of the ,canaza ,river he and his companions were held up by the #8bravos'1 who contented themselves with taking away the rubber and part of the equipment and then let their prisoners go with the warning not to come again4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy of ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,,chief ,,don ,,carlos ,,of ,,the ,,chocoes ,,and ,,his ,,son 8,the narrative of that expedition was supplemented by the reflection of an old man among the hearers that twenty years ago none of the party would have come out alive4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy of ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,,the ,,village ,,of ,,playon ,,grand1 ,,eighty-,,five ,,miles ,,east ,,of ,,the ,,canal ,the houses are about #aej x #ej feet and each shelters #af to #bj families4 ,the members of each family herd together in a single room ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,nat'l ,geographic ,magazine ,,san ,,blas ,,woman ,,in ,,daily ,,garb 8,among the ,san ,blas ,indians1 who are at a far higher level of civilization1 the exclusion of aliens is the result of well-founded political reasons4 ,their respected traditions are a long record of proud independence2 they have maintained the purity of their race and enjoyed freely for hundreds of years every inch of their territory4 ,they feel that the day the negro or the white man acquires a foothold in their midst these privileges will become a thing of the past4 ,this is why1 without undue hostility to strangers1 they discourage their incursions4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,nat'l ,geographic ,magazine ,a ,,girl ,,of ,,the ,,choco ,,tribe 8,their means of persuasion are adjusted to the importance of the intruder4 ,they do not hesitate to shoot at any negro of the nearby settlements poaching on their cocoanuts or other products2 the trader or any occasional visitor is very seldom allowed to stay ashore at night2 the adventurers who try to go prospecting into ,indian territory are invariably caught and shipped back to the next ,panamanian port04 ,among the men of the ,san ,blas tribe the land held by their people is regarded as a sacred trust1 bequeathed to them by their ancestors and to be handed down by them to the remotest posterity4 ,during the early days of the ,canal project it was desired to dig sand from a beach in the ,san ,blas country4 ,a small ,united ,states man-of-war was sent thither to broach the subject to the ,indians1 and the ,captain held parley with the chief4 ,after hearing the plea and all the arguments and promises with which it was strengthened the old ,indian courteously refused the privilege3 8,he who made this land01 said he1 8made it for ,cuna-,cuna who live no longer1 for those who are here today and also for the ones to come4 ,so it is not ours only and we could not sell it04 ,to this decision the tribe adhered1 and the wishes of the aborigines have been respected4 ,it has been the policy of the ,united ,states to avoid any possibility of giving offense to the native population of the ,isthmus1 and even a request from the chief that the war vessel that brought the negotiator on his fruitless errand should leave was acceded to4 ,it is quite unlikely1 however1 that the ,indians will be able to maintain their isolation much longer4 ,already there are signs of its breaking down4 ,while ,i was in ,panama they sent a request that a missionary1 a woman it is true1 who had been much among them1 should come and live with them permanently4 ,they also expressed a desire that she should bring her melodeon1 thus giving new illustration to the poetic adage1 8,music hath charms to soothe the savage breast04 ,perhaps the phonograph may in time prove the open sesame to many savage bosoms4 ,among this people it is the women who cling most tenaciously to the primitive customs1 as might be expected1 since they have been so assiduously guarded against the wiles of the world4 ,but ,catholic missionaries have made some headway in the country1 and at ,nargan schools for girls have been opened under auspices of the church4 ,it is probably due to the feminine influence that the ,san ,blas men return so unfailingly to primitive customs after the voyages that have made them familiar with civilization4 ,if the women yield to the desire for novelty the splendid isolation of the ,san ,blas will not long endure4 ,perhaps that would be unfortunate1 for all other primitive peoples who have surrendered to the wiles of the white men have suffered and disappeared4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,,daughter ,,of ,,chief ,,don ,,carlos ,this young girl is merry1 plump and fond of finger rings ,illustration3 ,,native ,,bridge ,,over ,,the ,,caldera ,,river ,in their present state the ,san ,blas are relatively rich4 ,all the land belongs to all the people--that is why the old chief declined to sell the sandy beach4 ,there is a sort of private property in improvements4 ,a banana plantation1 a cocoanut grove or an orange tree planted and cared for1 becomes a positive possession handed down to descendants of the owner through the female line4 ,perhaps one reason for keeping the women so shut off from the world is that they are the real owners of all individual property4 ,ownership does not1 however1 attach to trees or plants growing wild2 they are as much communal as the land4 ,so the vegetable ivory1 balata and cocoanuts which form the marketable products are gathered by whomsoever may take the trouble4 ,land that has been tilled belongs to the one who improved it4 ,if he let it lapse into wilderness it reverts to the community4 ,the ,san ,blas ,indians have the essence of the single tax theory without the tax4 ,they have a hazily defined religious system1 and have curiously reversed the position held by their priests or sorcerers4 ,these influential persons are not representatives of the spirit of good1 but of the bad spirit4 ,very logically the ,san ,blas savages hold that any one may represent the good spirit by being himself good1 and that the unsupported prayers of such a one are sure to be heard4 ,but to reach the devil1 to induce that malicious practitioner of evil to rest from his persecutions and to abandon the pursuit of the unfortunate1 it is desirable to have as intermediary some one who possesses his confidence and high regard4 ,hence the strong position of the sorcerers in the villages4 ,the people defer to them on the principle that it is well to make friends with 8the ,mammon of ,unrighteousness04 ,polygamy is permitted among these ,indians1 but little practiced4 ,even the chiefs whose high estate gives them the right to more than one wife seldom avail themselves of the privilege4 ,the women1 as in most primitive tribes1 are the hewers of wood and drawers of water4 ,dress is rather a more serious matter with them than among some of the other ,indians1 the ,chocoes for example4 ,they wear as a rule blouses and two skirts1 where other denizens of the ,darien dispense with clothing above the waist altogether4 ,their hair is usually kept short4 ,the nose ring is looked upon as indispensable1 and other ornaments of both gold and silver are worn by both sexes4 ,americans who have had much to do with the ,indians of the ,darien always comment on the extreme reticence shown by them in speaking of their golden ornaments1 or the spot whence they were obtained4 ,it is as though vague traditions had kept alive the story of the pestilence of fire and sword which ravaged their land when the ,spaniards swept over it in search of the yellow metal4 ,gold is in the ,darien in plenty4 ,everybody knows that1 and the one or two mines near the rivers now being worked afford sufficient proof that the region is auriferous4 ,but no ,indian will tell of the existence of these mines1 nor will any guide a white man to the spot where it is rumored gold is to be found4 ,seemingly ineradicably fixed in the inner consciousness of the ,indian is the conviction that the white man's lust for the yellow metal is the greatest menace that confronts the well-being of himself and his people4 ,the ,san ,blas are decidedly a town-dwelling tribe4 ,they seem to hate solitude and even today1 in their comparatively reduced state1 build villages of a size that make understandable ,balboa's records of the size and state of the chief with whom he first fought1 and then made friends4 ,at ,nargan are two large islands1 fairly covered with spacious houses about #aej feet long by #ej broad4 ,the ridge pole of the palm-thatched roof is #cj to #dj feet from the ground4 ,a long corridor runs through the house longitudinally1 and on either side the space is divided by upright posts into square compartments1 each of which is supposed to house an entire family4 ,the side walls are made of wattled reeds caked with clay4 ,one of these houses holds from sixteen to twenty families1 and the edifices are packed so closely together as to leave scarce room between for a razor-back hog to browse4 ,the people within must be packed about as closely and the precise parental relationship sustained to each other by the various members of the family would be an interesting study4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,,guaymi ,,indian ,,man ,note the tattoed marking of face and the negroid lips ,the ,choco ,indians are one of the smaller and least known tribes of the ,darien4 ,prof4 ,pittier--who may without disrespect be described as the most seasoned 8tropical tramp0 of all ,central ,america--described them so vividly that extracts from his article in the ,national ,geographic ,magazine will be of interest3 8,never1 in our twenty-five years of tropical experience1 have we met with such a sun-loving1 bright and trusting people1 living nearest to nature and ignoring the most elementary wiles of so-called civilization4 ,they are several hundred in number and their dwellings are scattered along the meandrous ,sambu and its main reaches1 always at short distance1 but never near enough to each other to form real villages4 ,like their houses1 their small plantations are close to the river1 but mostly far enough to escape the eye of the casual passer-by4 8,dugouts drawn up on the beach and a narrow trail breaking the reed wall at the edge of the bank are the only visible signs of human presence1 except at the morning hours and near sunset1 when a crowd of women and children will be seen playing in the water1 and the men1 armed with their bows and long harpooned arrows1 scrutinizing the deeper places for fish or looking for iguanas and crabs hidden in the holes of the banks4 8,physically the ,chocoes are a fine and healthy race4 ,they are tall1 as compared with the ,cuna-,cuna1 well proportioned1 and with a graceful bearing4 ,the men have wiry limbs and faces that are at once kind and energetic1 while as a rule the girls are plump1 fat1 and full of mischief4 ,the grown women preserve their good looks and attractiveness much longer than is generally the case in primitive peoples1 in which their sex bears the heaviest share of every day's work4 8,both males and females have unusually fine white teeth1 which they sometimes dye black by chewing the shoots of one of the numerous wild peppers growing in the forests4 ,the skin is of a rich olive-brown color and1 as usual1 a little lighter in women and children4 ,though all go almost naked1 they look fairer than the ,san ,blas ,cunas1 and some of the women would compare advantageously in this respect with certain ,mediterranean types of the white race4 8,the hair is left by all to grow to its natural length1 except in a few cases1 in which the men have it cropped at the neck4 ,it is coarse and not jet black1 as reported of most ,indians1 but with a reddish hue1 which is better noticed when the sun is playing through the thick mass4 8,in young children it decidedly turns at times to a blond color1 the only difference from the ,caucasian hair being the pronounced coarseness of the former4 ,as there are no white people living within a radius of fifty miles1 but only negroes1 mulattoes and zambos1 this peculiarity cannot be explained by miscegenation1 and may therefore be considered as a racial feature of the ,choco tribe4 8,in men the every-day dress consists of a scanty clout1 made of a strip of red calico about one foot broad and five feet long4 ,this clout is passed in front and back of the body over a string tied around the hips1 the forward extremity being left longer and flowing like an apron4 ,on feast days the string is replaced by a broad band of white beads4 ,around the neck and chest they wear thick cords of the same beads and on their wrists broad silver cuffs4 ,hats are not used2 the hair is usually tied with a red ribbon and often adorned with the bright flowers of the forest4 8,the female outfit is not less simple1 consisting of a piece of calico less than three feet wide and about nine feet long1 wrapped around the lower part of the body and reaching a little below the knees4 ,this is all1 except that the neck is more or less loaded with beads or silver coins4 ,but for this the women display less coquetry than the men1 which may be because they feel sufficiently adorned with their mere natural charms4 ,fondness for cheap rings is1 however1 common to both sexes1 and little children often wear earrings or pendants4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,,indian ,,girl ,,of ,,the ,,darien 8,the scantiness of the clothing is remedied very effectually by face and body painting1 in which black and red colors are used1 the first exclusively for daily wear4 ,at times men and women are painted black from the waist down2 at other times it is the whole body or only the hands and feet1 etc41 all according to the day's fashion1 as was explained by one of our guides4 ,for feast days the paintings are an elaborate and artistic affair1 consisting of elegantly drawn lines and patterns--red and black or simply black--which clothe the body as effectually as any costly dress4 8,from the above one might conclude that cleanliness and modesty are not the rule among the ,chocos4 ,as a matter of fact1 the first thing they do in the morning is to jump into the near-by river1 and these ablutions are repeated several times in the course of the day4 8,the kitchen utensils are always thoroughly washed before using1 and1 contrary to our former experience1 their simple dishes1 prepared mostly in our presence1 looked almost always inviting4 ,during our stay among these good people nothing was noticed that would hurt the most delicate sense of decency4 8,the ,chocoes seem to be exclusively monogamist1 and both parents surround their babies with tender care1 being mindful1 however1 to prepare them early for the hard and struggling life ahead of them4 ,small bows and arrows1 dexterously handled by tiny hands1 are the favorite toys of the boys1 while the girls spend more time in the water playing with miniature dugouts1 washing1 and swimming4 ,the only dolls seen among them were imported ones1 and they seemed to be as much in favor among grown women as among children4 ,these latter go naked until they are about five years old1 when the girls receive a large handkerchief to be used as a #8paruma'1 or skirt1 and the boys a strip of some old maternal dress for an #8antia' or clout4 8,the ,chocoes are very industrious4 ,during the dry spells their life1 of course1 is an out-of-door one1 planting and watching their crops1 hunting1 fishing and canoeing4 ,but when the heavy rains come they stay at home1 weaving baskets of all kinds--a work in which the women are proficient--making ropes and hammocks1 carving dishes1 mortars1 stools1 and other objects out of tree trunks04 ,in the country which will be traversed by the ,panama-,david ,railroad are found the ,guaymies1 the only primitive people living in large numbers outside the ,darien4 ,there are about #ejjj of them1 living for the most part in the valley of ,mirando which lies high up in the ,cordilleras1 and in a region cut off from the plains4 ,here they have successfully defended their independence against the assaults of both whites and blacks4 ,to remain in their country without consent of the ,great ,chief is practically impossible1 for they are savage fighters and in earlier days it was rare to see a man whose body was not covered with scars4 ,it is apparent that in some ways progress has destroyed their industries and made the people less rather than more civilized1 for they now buy cloth1 arms1 tools1 and utensils which they were once able to make4 ,at one time they were much under the influence of the ,catholic missionaries1 but of late mission work has languished in wild ,panama and perhaps the chief relic of that earlier religious influence is the fact that the women go clothed in a single garment4 ,this simple raiment1 not needed for warmth1 seems to be prized1 for if caught in a rainstorm the women will quickly strip off their clothing1 wrap it in a large banana or palm leaf that it may not get wet1 and continue their work1 or their play1 in nature's garb4 ,it is said1 too1 that when strangers are not near clothes are never thought of4 ,the men follow a like custom1 and invariably when pursuing a quarry strip off their trousers1 tying their shirts about their loins4 ,trousers seem to impede their movements1 and if a lone traveler in ,chiriqui comes on a row of blue cotton trousers tied to the bushes he may be sure that a band of ,guaymies is somewhere in the neighborhood pursuing an ant bear or a deer4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,,choco ,,indian ,,of ,,sambu ,,valley ,silver beads about his neck and leg4 ,face painted in glaring colors ,as a rule these ,indians--men or women--are not pleasing to the eye4 ,the lips are thick1 the nose flat and broad1 the hair coarse and always jet black4 ,yet the children are not infrequently really beautiful4 ,any traveler in ,panama who forsakes the beaten track up and down the ,canal ,zone will be impressed by the wide extent to which beauty is found among the children1 whatever their race or combination of races4 ,but the charm soon fades4 ,it is seldom that one sees a mature woman who is attractive to ,caucasian eyes4 ,among the women of the ,guaymies face painting is practiced only on great occasions1 black1 red and white being the usual colors4 ,the men go painted at all times1 the invariable pattern being a sort of inverted ,v1 with the apex between the eyes1 and the two arms extending to points1 half an inch or so from the corners of the mouth4 ,the lips are colored to make them seem thicker than normal1 and heavy shadows are painted in under the eyes4 ,among some tribes the wealth of a man is reckoned by the number of his cattle2 among the ,guaymies by the number of his wives4 ,for this reason1 perhaps1 the attainment of marriageable age is an occasion of much festivity for children of both sexes4 ,the boy is exposed to tests of his manly and war-like qualities1 and1 in company with his fellows of equal age1 is taken by the wisemen of the tribe into the solitude of the forest that by performing tasks assigned to him he may prove himself a man4 ,there1 too1 they learn from the elders1 who go masked and crowned with wreaths1 the traditions of their tribes told in rude chants like the ,norse sagas4 ,until this ceremony has been fulfilled the youth has no name whatsoever4 ,after it he is named and celebrates his first birthday4 ,the ceremonies in which the girls play the chief part are less elaborate1 but one would think rather painful1 since they include the breaking of a front tooth in sign that they are ready for marriage4 ,they marry young and mothers at twelve years are not uncommon4 ,once a year the ,guaymies have a great tribal feast--8balceria0 the ,spaniards call it4 ,word is sent to all outlying huts and villages by a mystic symbol of knotted rags1 which is also tied to the branches of the trees along the more frequented trails4 ,on the appointed day several hundred will gather on the banks of some river in which a general bath is taken1 with much frolicking and horseplay4 ,then the women employ several hours in painting the men with red and blue colors1 following the figures still to be seen on the old pottery1 after which the men garb themselves uncouthly in bark or in pelts like children 8dressing up0 for a frolic4 ,at night is a curious ceremonial dance and game called balsa1 in which the ,indians strike each other with heavy sticks1 and are knocked down amid the pile of broken boughs4 ,the music--if it could be so called--the incantations of the wisemen1 the frenzy of the dancers1 all combine to produce a sort of self-hypnotism1 during which the ,indians feel no pain from injuries which a day later often prove to be very serious4 ,illustration3 ,,panamanian ,,father ,,and ,,child ,there are a multitude of distinct ,indian tribes on the ,isthmus1 each with its own tribal government1 its distinctive customs and its allotted territory1 though boundaries are1 of course1 exceedingly vague and the territories overlap4 ,the ,smithsonian pamphlet enumerates #ba such tribes in the ,darien region alone4 ,but there seems to be among them no such condition of continual tribal warfare as existed between our ,north ,american ,indians as long as they survived in any considerable numbers the aggressions of the white settlers4 ,it is true that the historian of ,balboa's expedition records that the great leader was besought by chieftains to assist them in their affrays with rival tribes1 and made more than one alliance by giving such assistance4 ,but the later atrocities perpetrated by the ,spaniards seem to have had the effect of uniting the ,indians in a tacit peaceful bond against the whites4 ,picturesque and graphic as are the writings of men like ,esquemeling1 the ,fray d',acosta and ,wafer1 who saw the ,indians in the days of their earliest experience with the sort of civilization that ,pedrarias and ,pizarro brought to their villages1 they do not bear more convincing evidence of the savagery of the invaders1 than is afforded by the sullen aloofness with which the ,darien ,indians of today regard white men of any race4 ,more than the third and fourth generation have passed away but the sins of the ,spaniards are still recalled among a people who have no written records whatsoever1 and the memory or tradition causes them to withhold their friendship from the remotest descendants of the historic oppressors4 ,there seems to have been no written language1 nor even any system of hieroglyphics among the tribes of ,panama1 a fact that places them far below our ,north ,american ,indians in the scale of mental development4 ,on the other hand in weaving and in fashioning articles for domestic use they were in advance of the ,north ,american aborigines4 ,their domestic architecture was more substantial1 and they were less nomadic1 the latter fact being probably due to the slight encouragement given to wandering by the jungle4 ,the great houses of the ,san ,blas ,indians in their villages recall the 8,long houses0 of the ,iroquois as described by ,parkman4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,,choco ,,indian ,,in ,,every-,,day ,,dress ,thus far what we call civilization has dealt less harshly with the ,indians of the ,isthmus than with our own4 ,they have at least survived it and kept a great part of their territory for their own4 ,the 8squaw-man0 who figures so largely in our own southwestern ,indian country is unknown there4 ,unquestionably during the feverish days of the ,spaniards' hunt for gold the tribes were frightfully thinned out1 and even today sections of the country which writers of ,balboa's time describe as thickly populated are desert and untenanted4 ,yet much land is still held by its aboriginal owners1 and unless the operation of the ,canal shall turn ,american settlement that way will continue so to be held4 ,the ,panamanian has not the energy to dislodge the ,indians nor to till their lands if he should possess them4 ,many studies of the ,panama ,indians as a body1 or of isolated tribes1 have been made by explorers or scientists1 and mainly by ,french or ,spanish students4 ,the ,smithsonian ,institution catalogues forty-seven publications dealing with the subject4 ,but there is an immense mine of anthropological information yet to be worked in the ,isthmus4 ,it is not to be acquired readily or without heavy expenditure of energy1 patience and money4 ,a thoroughly scientific exploring expedition to unravel the riddle of the ,darien1 to count and describe the ,indian tribes of the ,isthmus1 and to record and authenticate traditions dating back to the ,spanish days1 would be well worth the while of a geographical society1 a university or some patron of exploring enterprises4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,social ,,life ,,on ,,the ,,canal ,,zone ,from ocean to ocean the territory which is called the ,canal ,zone is about forty-three miles long1 ten miles wide and contains about #dcf square miles1 about ninety-five of which are under the waters of the ,canal1 and ,miraflores and ,gatun ,lakes4 ,it is bounded on the north by the ,caribbean ,sea1 on the south by the ,pacific ,ocean1 and on the east and west by the ,republic of ,panama4 ,it traverses the narrowest part of ,panama1 the waist so to speak1 and has been taken out of that body politic by the diplomatic surgeons as neatly as though it had been an obnoxious vermiform appendix4 ,its territory does not terminate at low water-mark1 but extends three marine miles out to sea1 and1 as ,i write1 a question of jurisdiction has arisen between the two ,republics--hardly twin ,republics--of ,panama and the ,united ,states concerning jurisdiction over three malefactors captured by the ,zone police in a motor boat out at sea4 ,it may be noted in passing that ,panama is properly tenacious of its rights and dignity1 and that cases of conflicting jurisdiction are continually arising when any offender has only to foot it a mile or two to be out of the territory in which his offense was committed4 ,the police officials of the ,zone affect to think that the ,panama authorities are inclined to deal lightly with native offenders who commit robbery or murder on the ,zone and then stroll across the line to be arrested in their native ,state4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,squad ,,of ,,canal ,,zone ,,police ,,officers ,there was a quarrel on while ,i was on the ,zone over the custody of a ,panamanian who killed his wife1 with attendant circumstances of peculiar brutality1 and then balked the vengeance of the ,zone criminal authorities by getting himself arrested in ,panama4 8,we want to show these fellows01 remarked a high police official of the ,zone1 8that if they do murder in our territory we are going to do the hanging04 ,that seemed a laudable purpose--that is if hanging is ever laudable--but the ,panama officials are quite as determined to keep the wheels of their criminal law moving4 ,the proprietors of machines like to see them run--which is one of the reasons why too many battleships are not good for a nation4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,primitive ,,sugar ,,mill ,to return1 however1 to the statistics of the ,zone4 ,its population is shifting1 of course1 and varies somewhat in its size according to the extent to which labor is in demand4 ,the completion of a part of the work occasionally reduces the force4 ,in ,january1 #aiab1 the total population of the ,zone1 according to the official census1 was #fb1haj2 at the same time1 by the same authority1 there were employed by the ,canal ,commission and the ,panama ,railroad #cf1fjj men4 ,these figures emphasize the fact that the working force on the ,zone is made up mainly of unmarried men1 for a working population of #cf1fjj would1 under the conditions existing in the ordinary ,american community1 give a population of well over #ajj1jjj4 ,though statistics are not on hand1 and would probably be impossible to compile among the foreign laborers1 it is probable that not more than one man in four on the ,zone is married4 ,from this situation it results that the average maiden who visits the ,zone for a brief holiday goes rushing home to get her trousseau ready before some young engineer's next annual vacation shall give him time to go like a young ,lochinvar in search of his bride4 ,indeed1 the life of the ,zone for many reasons has been singularly conducive to matrimony1 and as a game preserve for the exciting sport of husband-hunting1 it has been unexcelled4 ,illustration3 ,,vine-,,clad ,,family ,,quarters ,illustration3 ,,quarters ,,of ,a ,,bachelor ,,teacher ,perhaps it may be as well to turn aside from the orderly and informative discussion of the statistics of the ,zone to expand a little further here upon the remarkable matrimonial phenomena it presented in its halcyon days--for it must be remembered that even as ,i am writing1 that society1 which ,i found so hospitable and so admirable1 has begun to disintegrate4 ,marriage1 it must be admitted1 is a somewhat cosmopolitan passion4 ,it attacks spiggotty and gringo alike4 ,in an earlier chapter ,i have described how the low cost of living enabled ,miguel of the ,chagres country to set up a home of his own4 ,let us consider how the benevolent arrangements made by the ,isthmian ,canal ,commission impelled a typical ,american boy to the same step4 ,probably it was more a desire for experience and adventure than any idea of increased financial returns that led young ,jack ,maxon to seek a job in engineering on the ,canal4 ,graduated from the engineering department of a ,state university1 with two years or so of active experience in the field1 ,jack was a fair type of young ,american--clean1 wholesome1 healthy1 technically trained1 ambitious for his future but quite solicitious about the pleasures of the present1 as becomes a youth of twenty-three4 ,illustration3 ,,main ,,street ,,at ,,gorgona ,the job he obtained seemed at the outset quite ideal4 ,in the ,states he could earn about #bbe a month4 ,the day he took his number on the ,canal ,zone he began to draw #bej a month4 ,and that #bej was quite as good as #cjj at home4 ,to begin with he had no room-rent to pay1 but was assigned comfortable if not elegant quarters1 which he shared with one other man2 carefully screened and protected from all insects by netting1 lighted by electricity1 with a shower-bath handy and all janitor or chambermaid service free4 ,instead of a boarding-house table or a cheap city restaurant1 he took his meals at a ,commission hotel at a charge of thirty cents a meal4 ,people say that the fare could not be duplicated in the ,states for seventy-five cents1 but ,i prefer to quote that statement rather than to make it on my own authority4 ,by taking two meals a day and making the third of fruit1 or a sandwich at a ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 clubhouse1 he would cut his restaurant charges to #ah a month2 the whole three meals would come to #bg4hj1 so however voracious his appetite ,bachelor ,jack's charges for food are light and for shelter nothing4 ,clothing troubles him little2 his working clothes of khaki1 and several suits of white cotton duck will cost him less than one woolen suit such as he must have 8up home04 ,all seasons are alike on the ,zone1 and there is no need of various types of hats1 overcoats and underwear4 ,all in all ,bachelor ,jack thinks he has come in for a good thing4 ,moreover1 he gets a vacation of forty-two days on pay1 a sick leave of thirty days on pay--and the sanitarium on the ,island of ,taboga being a very pleasant resort few fail to have slight ailments requiring precisely thirty days' rest--and nine holidays also with pay4 ,all in all ,jack is neither overworked nor underpaid4 ,his letters to his chums at home tell no stories of adversity but rather indicate that he is enjoying exceedingly good times4 ,with reasonable care he will have ample means for really lavish expenditures on his vacation4 ,indeed it would require rather unreasonable effort to spend an engineer's salary on the zone unless it went in riotous living in ,panama ,city or ,colon4 ,but a vision of better things opens before him--is always spread out before his enraptured vision4 ,his friend who came down a year or two before him and who is earning only a little bit more money sets a standard of living which arouses new ambitions in ,jack's mind4 ,his friend is married4 ,instead of one room shared with one or more tired engineers subject to grouches1 he has a four-room apartment with bath--really a five-room flat1 for the broad sheltered balconies shaded by vines form the real living room4 ,instead of eating at the crowded1 noisy hotels1 he has his quiet dining-room1 and menus dictated by individual taste instead of by the mechanical methods of a ,chief of ,subsistence4 ,practically everything that can be done for the household by official hands is done free by the ,commission--free rent1 free light1 free janitor service1 free distilled water1 free fuel for cooking--the climate saves that bugbear of married life at home1 the annual coal bill4 ,moreover the flat or house comes to its tenant freely furnished4 ,the smallest equipment supplied consists of a range1 two kitchen chairs1 a double bed1 a mosquito bar1 two pillows1 a chiffonier1 a double dresser1 a double mattress1 a dining table1 six dining chairs1 a sideboard1 a bed-room mat1 two center tables and three wicker porch chairs4 ,this equipment is for the moderately paid employees who live in four-family quarters4 ,the outfit is made more comprehensive as salaries increase4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,lobby ,,of ,a ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,club ,housekeepers must buy their own tableware1 bedclothes1 light furniture and bric--brac4 ,but here again the paternal ,commission comes to the rescue1 for these purchases1 and all others needful for utility1 comfort or beauty1 are made at the ,commissary stores1 where goods are sold practically at cost4 ,moreover1 there is no protective tariff collected on imported goods and it would take another article to relate the rhapsodies of the ,zone women over the prices at which they can buy ,boulton tableware1 ,irish linen1 ,swiss and ,scandinavian delicatessen1 and ,french products of all sorts4 ,and finally1 to round out the privileges of married life on the ,zone1 medical service is free and little ,tommy's slightest ill may be prescribed for without fear of the doctor's bill--though1 indeed1 the children you see romping in the pleasant places do not look as though they ever needed a prescription or a pill4 ,so ,jack looks from his bachelor quarters over toward ,married ,row and it looks good to him4 ,his amusements are but limited and his life does verge on the monotonous4 ,his only place of recreation is the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a41 which1 while filling the want admirably week days1 is a bit solemn ,sundays--his only day off4 ,the only theaters on the ,zone are at ,colon and ,panama1 and those are in the main only exhibitions of 8movies40 ,moreover1 the ,panama ,railroad has thoughtfully arranged its schedule so that no ,zone employee can go to the theater save on ,saturday or ,sunday night without staying out all night4 ,as ,jack smokes in his half a room 7perhaps only a quarter7 or wrangles with his roommate for place at the table lighted by one electric light his mind naturally turns toward the comforts enjoyed by his married friends1 and he sees himself greeted on his return from toil in the jungle or the 8,cut0 by a cool1 trim divinity in white1 instead of by a lumbering giant in muddy khaki1 as weary1 hungry and grouchy as he4 ,illustration3 ,,street ,,scene ,,in ,,culebra ,were he at home prudence would compel the consideration of cost4 ,here the paternal ,commission puts a premium on matrimony4 ,very often1 so often1 indeed1 that it is almost the rule1 ,jack returns from his first vacation home with a wife1 or else coming alone is followed by the girl1 and all goes merry as a marriage bell4 ,but the time comes when ,jack1 a bachelor no longer1 but a husband and perhaps a father1 must leave the ,isthmus4 ,that time must come for all of them when the work is done4 ,enough1 however1 have already gone home to tell sad tales of the difficulty of readjusting themselves to normal conditions4 ,down comes the salary at least twenty-five per cent1 up go living expenses at least thirty per cent4 ,nothing at home is free--coal1 light1 rent1 and medical service least of all4 ,where ,jack used to be lordly1 he must be parsimonious2 where he once bought untaxed in the markets of the world1 he must buy in the most expensive of all market places1 the ,united ,states4 ,he absolutely cannot maintain at home the standard of life he adopted here1 and the change with the endless little economies and pettinesses it entails gets on the nerves of both husband and wife4 ,to start life thriftily and learn to be free-handed as prosperity increases is the natural line of development and does not mar happiness4 ,but to be forced to pinch after a long period of lavishness is wearing4 ,back to the ,zone come so many stories of romances begun by the ,canal and ended in the divorce courts that one wonders if the paternalism of the ,commission has been good for those who enjoyed it4 ,but it has been good for the supreme purpose of digging the ,canal and that was the one end sought4 ,illustration3 ,,young ,,america ,,at ,,play ,let me return from this excursion into the domain of matrimonial philosophy and take up once again the account of the population of the ,zone and its characteristics4 ,it must be remembered that a very large part of the unskilled labor on the ,canal is done by negroes from ,jamaica and ,barbadoes4 ,but not all of it4 ,the cleavage was not so distinct that the skilled labor could be classed as white1 and the unskilled black1 for among the latter were many ,spaniards1 ,portuguese1 ,italians and the peoples of ,southwestern ,europe4 ,the brilliant idea occurred to someone in the early days of the ,american campaign that as the ,west ,indians1 ,panamanians and ,latin-,americans generally were accustomed to do their monetary thinking in terms of silver all day labor might be put on the silver pay roll2 the more highly paid workers on a gold pay roll4 ,thenceforward the metal line rather than the color line was drawn4 ,the latter indeed would have been difficult as the ,latin-,american peoples never drew it very definitely in their marital relations1 with the result that a sort of twilight zone made any very positive differentiation between whites and blacks practically impossible4 ,so despite ,bobby ,burns' historic dictum-- 8the gowd is but the guinea's stamp ,the man's the man for a' that01 on the ,zone the man is silver or gold according to the nature of his work and the size of his wages4 ,of gold employees there were in #aiac1 #ecfb1 of silver #ca1bih1 so it is easy to see which pay roll bore the names of the aristocracy4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,hindoo ,,merchants ,,at ,a ,,zone ,,town ,practically all of the gold force are ,americans4 ,it is for them1 in the main1 that the cool1 dark green houses with white trimmings1 and all carefully screened in1 are built4 ,for them the buyers of the ,commissary ransack the markets of the world1 buying only the best4 ,for them the ,hotel ,tivoli at ,ancon and the ,washington ,hotel at ,colon were built1 though it is true that tourist trade rather than the patronage of the ,canal workers supports them4 ,for them are eighteen hotels1 so-called--really only eating houses--scattered along the line1 serving excellent meals for thirty cents each4 ,indeed1 most of the features of ,isthmian life which catch the eye of the tourist and make him think existence there quite ideal are planned to make the place attractive enough to keep the gold employees on the job4 ,to him that hath shall be given1 and it required greater inducements to anchor to a desk in ,panama the man capable of earning a good salary at home than it did to hold the negro from ,jamaica or ,martinique1 or the ,spaniard or ,italian steady to his job4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,native ,,mills ,,grind ,,slowly ,in endeavoring to make things pleasant and easy for the gold employee the ,isthmian ,commission has made so many provisions for his comfort that many timid souls at home raised the cry of 8socialism0 and professed to discern in the system perfected by ,col4 ,goethals the entering wedge that would split in pieces the ancient system of free competition and the contract system for public work4 ,while ,i was on the ,zone a very distinguished financier of ,new ,york1 a banker of the modern type with fingers in a host of industrial enterprises1 delivered himself of this interesting forecast of the results of the education in collectivism which the ,united ,states government is giving to some thousands of men upon the ,isthmus3 8,the big thing is the spirit of paternalism1 of modern socialism1 of governmental parenthood1 if you will1 which is being engendered and nursed to full strength by ,federal control of the ,canal4 ,this is no idle dream1 and within five years1 yes1 within three years1 it will begin to be felt in the ,united ,states4 ,illustration3 ,,commission ,,road ,,near ,,empire 8,quietly large corporations are studying this feature of the unloading of the skilled1 highly intelligent ,canal workers on the industries of the ,united ,states4 ,there are thousands of trained employees of the ,panama ,canal ,commission--which is to say of the ,united ,states government4 ,when these well paid1 lightly worked1 well and cheaply fed men return to their native land they will form a powerful addition to the ,socialist party4 8,these workmen will take up tasks for private corporations4 ,they will find lower salaries1 longer hours and a greatly increased cost of living4 ,the conveniences and amusements which they have found either free or very cheap in the ,canal ,zone will be beyond the reach of many of them1 and they are going to chafe under the changed conditions4 8,they will compare private or corporate ownership with government control as manifested in the ,canal works1 and the comparison will inevitably result to the detriment of the methods followed in the ,united ,states4 ,this will be in no sense an array of capital against labor4 ,it will be a psychological and political movement for the betterment of the conditions of the trained worker irrespective of party or class or union affiliations4 ,that is one reason that it will be so powerful4 8,these men will be engaged in industries subject to strikes and other industrial and sociological disturbances4 ,they will give their fellow workmen1 who have always been employed in the ,united ,states1 a new and logical idea of the value of government ownership and its advantages to the workingman as shown on the ,canal ,zone4 8,around them will gather the socialists1 the union men who think for themselves and all other upper class workingmen4 ,do not mistake my meaning4 ,this will be no ,coxey's army movement1 no gathering of the riffraff of failures seeking to rob the toiler of his gains or the investor of his dollars1 but earnest men1 whose weapon will not be the torch and the dynamite bomb1 but the ballot4 ,by their votes and the enormous following they can rally to their standard they will force the government to take over the public utilities1 if not all the large corporations1 of the country4 ,they will force the adoption of government standards of work1 wages and cost of living as exemplified in the work on the ,canal4 ,in other words the influx of workers will lead directly to paternalism04 ,let us1 however1 consider this bogy of socialism fairly4 ,before proceeding to a more detailed account of the manner of life upon the ,canal ,zone let me outline hastily the conditions which regarded superficially seem socialistic1 and with a line or two show why they are not so at all4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,fire ,,force ,,of ,,cristobal ,our ,uncle ,sam owns and manages a line of steamships plying between ,new ,york and ,panama1 carrying both passengers and freight and competing successfully with several lines of foreign-built ships4 ,the largest vessels are of ten thousand tons and would rank well with the lesser transatlantic liners4 ,on them ,congressmen and ,panama ,zone officials are carried free1 while employees of the ,isthmian ,canal ,commission get an exceedingly low rate for themselves and their families4 ,the government also owns and conducts the ,panama ,railroad1 which crosses in less than three hours from the ,atlantic to the ,pacific1 while the privately owned railroads of the ,united ,states take about seven days to pass from one ocean to the other4 ,this sounds like a mighty good argument for government ownership and it is not much more fallacious than some others drawn from ,isthmian conditions4 ,the ,president of the ,panama ,railroad is ,col4 ,george ,w4 ,goethals4 ,the government caught him young1 educated him at its excellent ,west ,point school1 paying him a salary while he was learning to be useful1 and has been employing and paying him ever since4 ,like a citizen of the ideal ,co-operative ,commonwealth he has never had to worry about a job4 ,the ,state has always employed him and paid him4 ,while he has done his work better than others of equal rank1 he has only recently begun to draw any more pay than other colonels4 ,sounds very socialistic1 doesn't it8 ,and he seems to make a very good railroad president too1 though the shuffling of shares in ,wall ,street had nothing to do with his appointment1 and he hasn't got a director on his board interlocked with ,j4 ,p4 ,morgan ,co41 or the ,city ,national ,bank4 ,illustration3 ,,orchids ,,on ,,gov4 ,,thatcher',s ,,porch ,the government which runs this railroad and steamship line doesn't confine its activity to big things4 ,it will wash a shirt for one of its ,canal employees at about half the price that ,john ,chinaman doing business nearby would charge1 press his clothing1 or it will send a man into your home--if you live in the ,zone--to chloroform any stray mosquitoes lurking there and convey them away in a bottle4 ,it will house in an electric-lighted1 wire-screened tenement1 a ,jamaica negro who at home lived in a basket-work shack1 plastered with mud and thatched with palmetto leaves4 ,it is very democratic too1 this government1 for it won't issue to ,mrs4 ,highflyer more than three wicker arm-chairs1 even if she does entertain every day1 while her neighbor ,mrs4 ,domus who gets just exactly as many never entertains at all4 ,it can be just too mean for anything1 like socialism1 which we are so often told 8puts everybody on a dead level40 ,the dream of the late ,edward ,bellamy is given actuality on the ,zone where we find a great central authority1 buying everything imaginable in all the markets of the world1 at the moment when prices are lowest--an authority big enough to snap its fingers at any trust--and selling again without profit to the ultimate consumers4 ,there are no trust profits1 no middleman's profits included in prices of things bought at the ,commissary stores4 ,there are eighteen such stores in the ,zone4 ,the total business of the ,commissary stores amounts to about #f1jjj1jjj annually4 ,everything is sold at prices materially less than it can be bought in the ,united ,states1 yet the department shows an actual profit1 which is at once put back into the business4 ,a ,zone housewife told me that a steak for her family that would cost at least ninety cents in her home in ,brooklyn cost her forty here4 ,shoddy or merely 8cheap0 goods are not carried and the ,united ,states pure food law is strictly observed4 ,that terrible problem of the 8higher cost of living0 hardly presents itself to ,zone dwellers except purchasers of purely native products2 those1 thanks to the tourists1 have doubled in price several times in the last five years4 ,but articles purveyed by ,uncle ,sam are furnished to his nephews and nieces here for about one-third less than the luckless ones must pay who are sticking to the old homestead instead of faring forth to the tropics4 ,i have already enumerated the valuable privileges1 like free quarters1 light1 furniture1 medical service1 etc41 supplied to the ,zone worker without charge4 ,if all these apparent gratuities were accompanied by a rate of pay lower than that in force for like occupations in the ,states it might be fair to say1 as one of the most careful writers on ,isthmian topics says1 8these form part of the contract the employee makes with the government1 and are just as much part of his pay as his monthly salary04 ,but that pay averages twenty-five per cent higher than at home4 ,the things enumerated are looked upon by those who receive them as gratuities1 and rightly so4 ,they are1 in fact1 extra inducements offered by ,uncle ,sam to persuade men to come and work on his ,canal and to keep them happy and contented while doing so4 ,now the chief material argument for the socialistic state1 the co-operative commonwealth1 is that it will secure for every citizen comfort and contentment1 so far as contentment is possible to restless human minds2 that it will abolish at a stroke monopoly and privilege1 purge society of parasites1 add to the efficiency of labor and proportionately increase its rewards4 ,all of which is measurably accomplished on the ,canal ,zone and the less cautious socialists--the well-grounded ones see the difference--are excusable for hailing the government there as an evidence of the practicability of socialism4 ,but it isn't--at least not quite4 ,the incarnation of the difference between this and socialism is ,col4 ,george ,w4 ,goethals4 ,nobody on the ,zone had part in electing ,goethals2 nobody can say him nay1 or abate or hinder in any degree his complete personal control of all that is done here4 ,this is not the co-operative commonwealth we long have sought4 ,rather is it like the commonwealth of old with ,oliver ,cromwell as ,lord ,protector--and at that ,goethals has no parliament to purge4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,,the ,,catasetum ,,scurra ,a curiously shaped orchid rediscovered by ,mrs4 ,h4 ,h4 ,rousseau ,this is a benevolent despotism1 the sort of government that philosophers agree would be ideal if the benevolence of the despot could only be assured invariably and eternally4 ,the ,czar of ,russia could do what is being done down there were he vested with ,goethals' intolerance of bureaucracies1 red-tape1 parasites1 grafters1 disobedience and delay4 ,but ,goethals is equally intolerant of opposition1 argument1 even advice from below4 ,his is the military method of personal command and personal responsibility4 ,i don't believe he is over-fond even of the council of war4 ,in a socialistic community1 where every man had a voice in the government1 he would last only long enough for a new election to be called4 ,though his popularity there is universal1 it would not withstand the attacks of demagogues were there field for demagogy4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,married ,,quarters ,,at ,,corozal ,but what has been done1 and is still doing1 on the ,zone is not socialistic1 because it is done from the top1 by the orders of an autocrat1 instead of by an act of a town meeting4 ,one might as well say that the patience1 prudence1 attention to detail1 insistence on proper sanitation which enabled ,japan's great ,general ,nogi to keep his army in the field with the minimum loss from preventable sickness was all socialistic4 ,col4 ,goethals commanded an army4 ,the ,isthmus was the enemy4 ,the army must be fed and clothed1 hence the ,commissary4 ,its communications must be kept open1 hence the steamship line and the railroad4 ,the soldiers must be housed1 and as it became early apparent that the siege was to be a long one the camps were built of timber instead of tents4 ,there is nothing new about that4 ,back in the fifteenth century ,queen ,isabella1 concluding that it would take a long time to starve the ,moors out of ,granada1 kept her soldiers busy building a city of stone and mortar before the walls of the beleaguered town4 ,culebra has been a more stubborn fortress than was ever ,granada4 ,illustration3 ,,fighting ,,the ,,industrious ,,ant ,no4 ,the organization of the ,zone has been purely military1 not socialistic4 ,it was created for a purpose and it will vanish when that purpose has been attained4 ,admirably adapted to its end it had many elements of charm to those living under it4 ,the ,zone villages1 even those like ,culebra and ,gorgona which are to be abandoned1 were beautiful in appearance1 delightful in social refinement4 ,culebra with its winding streets1 bordered by tropical shrubbery in which nestled the cool and commodious houses of the engineers and higher employees1 leading up to the hill crested by the residence of the ,colonel--of course there were five colonels on the ,commission1 but only one 8,the ,colonel0--,culebra was a delight to the visitor and must have been a joy to the resident4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,foliage ,,on ,,the ,,zone ,illustration ,try to figure to yourself the home of a young engineer as ,i saw it4 ,the house is two storeys with a pent-house roof1 painted dark green1 with the window frames1 door casings and posts of the broad verandas1 by which it is nearly surrounded1 done in shining white4 ,between the posts is wire netting and behind is a piazza probably twelve feet wide which in that climate is as good as a room for living1 eating or sleeping purposes4 ,the main body of the house is oblong1 about fifty feet long by thirty to forty feet deep4 ,a living-room and dining-room fill the entire front4 ,the hall1 instead of running from the front to the back of the house1 as is customary with us1 runs across the house1 back of these two rooms4 ,it is in no sense an entry1 though it has a door opening from the garden1 but separates the living-rooms from the kitchen and other working rooms4 ,the stairway ascends from this hall to the second floor where two large bed-rooms fill the front of the house1 a big bath-room1 a bed-room and the dry-room being in the rear4 ,about that last apartment let me go into some detail4 ,the climate of the ,zone is always rather humid1 and in the rainy season you can wring water out of everything that can absorb it4 ,so in each house is a room kept tightly closed with two electric lights in it burning day and night4 ,therein are kept all clothes1 shoes1 etc41 not in actual use1 and the combined heat and light keep damp and mold out of the goods thus stored4 ,mold is one of the chief pests of the ,panama housekeeper4 ,you will see few books in even the most tastefully furnished houses1 because the mold attacks their bindings4 ,every piano has an electric light inserted within its case and kept burning constantly to dispel the damp4 ,by way of quieting the alarm of readers it may be mentioned again that electric light is furnished free to ,isthmian ,commission employees4 8,we always laugh01 said a hostess one night1 as she looked back at my darkened room in her house from the walk outside1 8at the care people from the ,states take to turn out the lights4 ,we enjoy being extravagant and let them burn all day if we feel like it04 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,the ,,chief ,,commissary ,,at ,,cristobal ,in such a house there is no plaster4 ,from within you see the entire frame of the house--uprights1 joists1 stanchions1 floor beams1 all--and the interior is painted as a rule precisely like the exterior without the white trimming4 ,you don't notice this at first4 ,then it fascinates you4 ,you think it amusing and improper to see a house's underpinning so indecently exposed4 ,all that we cover with laths1 plaster1 calcimine and wall paper is here naked to the eye4 ,only a skin of half-inch lumber intervenes between you and the outer world1 or the people in the next room4 ,you notice the windows look strange4 ,there is no sash4 ,to a house of the sort ,i am describing four or six glass windows are allotted to be put in the orifices the housekeeper may select4 ,the other windows are unclosed except at night1 when you may1 if you wish1 swing heavy board shutters across them4 ,a house of the type ,i have described is known as ,type #aj1 and is assigned to employees drawing from #cjj to #djj a month4 ,those getting from #bjj to #cjj a month are assigned either to quarters in a two-family house1 or to a small cottage of six or seven rooms1 though1 as the supply of the latter is limited1 they are greatly prized4 ,employees drawing less than #bjj a month have four-room flats in buildings accommodating four families4 ,those who receive more than #djj a month are given large houses of a type distinguished by spaciousness and artistic design4 ,when you come to analyze it such houses are only large shacks1 and yet their proportions and coloring1 coupled with their obvious fitness for the climate1 make them1 when tastefully furnished and decorated1 thoroughly artistic homes4 ,for these homes the ,commission furnishes all the bare essentials4 ,with mechanical precision it furnishes the number of tables1 chairs1 beds and dressers which the ,commission in its sovereign wisdom has decided to be proper for a gentleman of the station in life to which that house is fitted4 ,for the merely sthetic the ,commission cares nothing1 though it is fair to say that the furniture it supplies1 though commonplace1 is not in bad taste4 ,but for decoration the ,zone dwellers must go down into their own pockets and to a greater or less degree all do so4 ,the authorities have not gone to the extent of prohibiting this rivalry as at ,west ,point and ,annapolis where the cadets are not permitted to decorate their rooms lest inequality and mortification result4 ,but in ,panama the climate enforces such a prohibition to some extent4 ,luxury there would be positive discomfort4 ,costly rugs and hangings1 richly upholstered furniture are out of place4 ,air space is the greatest luxury1 and a room cluttered with objects of priceless art would be scarcely habitable4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,what ,,the ,,slide ,,did ,,to ,,the ,,railroad ,the pernicious activity of slides occasionally creates this novel condition in railroad construction ,within their limitations1 however1 the hostesses of the ,zone have made their homes thoroughly charming4 ,the visitor was1 ,i think1 most impressed by those who frankly used the trimmings of the tropics for their chief decorations4 ,the orchid-lined porches of ,mrs4 ,m4 ,h4 ,thatcher1 wife of the civil commissioner1 or ,mrs4 ,h4 ,h4 ,rousseau1 wife of the naval representative on the ,commission1 were a veritable fairyland when the swift tropic night had fallen and the colored lights began to glow among the rustling palms and delicately tinted orchids4 ,no more beautiful apartment could possibly be imagined4 ,illustration3 ,,not ,,from ,,jamaica ,,but ,,the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,housekeeping is vastly simplified by the ,commissary4 ,when there is but one place to shop1 and only one quality of goods to select from--namely the best1 for that is all the ,commissary carries--the shopping tasks of the housekeeper are reduced to a minimum4 ,nevertheless they grumble--perhaps because women like to shop1 more probably because this situation creates a dull and monotonous sameness amongst the families4 8,what's the good of giving a dinner party01 asked a hostess plaintively1 8when your guests all know exactly what everything on your table costs1 and they can guess just what you are going to serve8 ,they say1 #8,i wish she'd bought lamb at the ,commissary1 it costs just the same as turkey'4 ,or #8the ,commissary had new asparagus today4 ,wonder why she took cauliflower'8 ,they get the ,commissary list just as ,i do and know exactly to what ,i am limited1 as we can only buy at the ,commissary4 ,there is no chance for the little surprises that make an interesting dinner party04 ,illustration3 ,a ,,bachelor',s ,,quarters ,that is perhaps a trifle disquieting to the adventurous housekeeper1 but1 except for the purpose of entertaining1 the ,commissary must be a great boon4 ,its selection of household necessities is sufficiently varied to meet every need2 the quality the best and its prices are uniformly lower than in the ,united ,states4 ,this comparative cheapness in prices is1 of course1 due to the elimination of the middlemen1 the buying by the commissary in large quantities and the disregard of profit as an element in the business4 ,there is but one step between the ,beef ,trust1 or other manufacturers1 and the ultimate consumers on the ,zone4 ,the one intermediary is the ,commissary4 ,it buys in such quantities that it can be sure of the lowest prices4 ,it buys in markets #c1jjj miles or more away from its stores1 but it gets the lowest freight rates and an all-water carriage from ,new ,york4 ,finally it pays no rent and seeks no profit1 hence its prices should be the lowest4 ,here is a selection from the printed list issued in ,april1 #aiac1 from which any house-keeper can judge of ,zone prices3 ,veal ,cutlets1 per pound #ag;c ,lamb ,chops1 per pound #bd;c ,corned ,beef1 ,no4 #a #ad;c ,sirloin ,steak1 per pound #ai;c ,halibut1 fresh1 per pound #ae;c ,chickens1 fancy roasting1 #e pounds each #a4be ,ducks1 blackhead1 pair #fj;c ,pork1 salt1 family #ad;c ,eggs1 fresh1 dozen #be;c ,butter1 creamery1 special #da;c ,american ,cheese1 per pound #bb;c ,celery1 per head #aa;c ,cabbage1 per pound #c;c ,onions1 per pound #c;c ,potatoes1 white1 per pound #c;c ,turnips1 per pound #c;c ,grapefruit1 each #d;c ,oranges1 ,jamaica1 per dozen #ab;c ,illustration3 ,,the ,,tivoli ,,hotel ,illustration3 ,,the ,,grape ,,fruit ,,of ,,panama ,if1 however1 the ,commissary system reduces life to something of a general uniformity and destroys shopping as a subject of conversation1 the ladies of the ,zone still have the eternal servant problem of which to talk4 ,de ,amicis1 the travel writer1 said that servants formed the one universal topic for conversation and that he bid a hasty farewell to his mother in ,naples after a monologue on the sins of servants1 only to find1 at his first dinner in ,amsterdam1 whither he had traveled with all possible speed1 that the same topic engrossed the mind of his hostess there4 ,in ,panama the matter is somewhat simplified by the fact that only one type of servant is obtainable1 namely the ,jamaica negress4 ,it is complicated by the complete lack of intelligence offices4 ,if a housekeeper wants a maid she asks her friends to spread the tidings to their servants1 and then waits1 supine1 until the treasure comes to the door4 ,servants out of employment seek it by trudging from house to house and from village to village4 ,once hired they do what they have to do and no more4 ,among them is none of the spirit of loyalty which makes the 8old ,southern mammy0 a figure in our fiction1 nor any of the energy which in the ,northern ,states ,bridget contributes to household life--though1 indeed1 ,bridget is disappearing from domestic service before the flood of ,scandinavians and ,germans4 ,the only wail ,i heard on the ,isthmus about the increasing cost of living had to do with the wages of servants4 8,in the earlier days01 said one of my hostesses reminiscently1 8it was possible to get servants for very low wages4 ,they were accustomed to doing little and getting little1 as in ,jamaica and other ,west ,indian islands1 where many servants are employed by one family1 each with a particular #8line'4 ,people say that in ,panama ,city servants can still be found who will work for #e silver 7#b4ej7 per month1 and that ,americans have spoiled them by paying too much4 ,but ,i think they have developed a capacity for work and management equal to that of servants in the ,states and deserve their increased wages4 ,i pay #ae1 gold1 a month to my one capable servant4 ,occasionally you will find one who will work for #aj1 but many get #bj if they are good cooks and help with baby4 ,probably #ab to #ae is an average price4 8,these ,jamaica servants speak very ,english ,english--you can't call it ,cockney1 for they don't drop their h's1 but it differs greatly from our ,american ,english4 ,they are very fond of big words1 which they usually use incorrectly1 especially the men4 ,a ,commissary salesman1 to whom ,i sent a note asking for five pounds of salt meat1 sent back the child who carried it to #8ask her mother to differentiate'1 meaning what kind of salt meat4 ,a cook asked me once #8the potatoes to crush1 ma'am'8 meaning to ask if they were to be mashed4 ,another after seizing time to air a blanket between showers reported exultantly1 #8the rain did let it sun1 mum'4 ,and always when they wish to know if you want hot water they inquire1 #8the water to hot1 mum'8 ,illustration3 ,,pure ,,panama1 ,,pure ,,indian ,,and ,,all ,,between 8,their names are usually elaborate4 ,celeste1 ,geraldine1 ,katherine1 ,eugenie1 are some that ,i recall4 ,my own maid is ,susannah1 which reminds me--without reflecting on this particular one--that as a class they are hopelessly unmoral1 though extremely religious withal4 ,i have known them to be clean and efficient1 but as a rule they are quite the reverse4 ,some are woefully ignorant of modern utensils4 ,one for example1 being new to kitchen ranges1 built a fire in the oven on the first day of her service4 ,another1 having been carefully instructed always to take a visitor's card on a tray1 neglected the trim salver provided for that purpose and extended to the astonished caller a huge lacquered tin tray used for carrying dishes from the kitchen4 ,illustration3 ,,copyright1 #aiac1 ,,by ,f4 ,e4 ,,wright ,,old ,,landing ,,at ,,taboga ,the concrete walls leading from the beach up to the level of the street were built as a memorial of the successful revolution of #aije4 8,i'll never forget01 concluded my hostess between smiles1 and sorrow1 8how ,i felt when ,i saw that lonesome little card reposing on the broad black and battered expanse of that nasty old tray06 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,interior ,,of ,,gatun ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,club ,social life on the ,zone is rather complex4 ,at the apex1 of course1 are the ,commissioners and their families4 ,the presence of an ,envoy ,extraordinary and ,minister ,plenipotentiary of the ,united ,states in ,panama ,city adds another factor to the always vexed question of precedence1 while the maintenance of a military post with a full regiment1 and a marine camp with a battalion does not help to simplify matters4 ,social affiliations among those not in the ,commission or the ,army set are based with primitive simplicity upon the amount of the husband's earnings4 ,one advantage of this system is that it is based upon perfectly accurate information1 for everybody on the ,zone works for the ,commission and the payrolls are periodically published4 ,but it jars the ingenuous outsider to have a woman1 apparently without a trace of snobbery1 remark casually of another1 8well1 we don't see much of her4 ,her husband is in the #bjjj class you know04 ,illustration3 ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,club ,,at ,,gatun ,these clubs are the true centers of the social life of the zone ,social life is further complicated by the fact that the people of the ,zone came from all parts of the ,united ,states1 with a few from ,europe4 ,they have no common home associations4 ,when the settlement of the ,zone first began the women were dismally lonely1 and the ,commission called in a professional organizer of women's clubs to get them together4 ,clubs were organized from ,ancon to ,cristobal and federated with ,mrs4 ,goethals for ,president and ,mrs4 ,gorgas for ,vice-,president4 ,culebra entertained ,gorgona with tea and ,tolstoi1 and ,empire challenged ,corozal to an interchange of views on eugenics over the coffee cups and wafers4 ,in a recent number of ,the ,canal ,record1 the official paper of the ,zone1 ,i find nearly a page given over to an account of the activities of the women's societies and church work4 ,it appears that there were in ,april1 #aiac1 twenty-five societies of various sorts existing among the women on the ,zone4 ,the ,canal ,zone ,federation of ,women's ,clubs had five subsidiary clubs with a membership of fifty-eight4 ,there were twelve church organizations with a membership of #bci4 ,nearly #bij women were enrolled in auxiliaries to men's organizations4 ,but these organizations were rapidly breaking up even then and the completion of the ,canal will witness their general disintegration4 ,they served their purpose4 ,only a mind that could mix the ideal with the practical could have foreseen that discussions of the ,baconian ,cipher1 or the philosophy of ,nietzsche might have a bearing on the job of digging a canal1 but whoever conceived the idea was right4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,marine ,,post ,,at ,,camp ,,elliott ,a force of about #ejj marines will be kept permanently on the ,zone ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,tourists ,,in ,,the ,,culebra ,,cut ,the same clear foresight that led the ,commission to encourage the establishment of women's clubs caused the installation of the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 on the ,isthmus1 where it has become perhaps the dominating social force4 ,with a host of young bachelors employed far away from home there was need of social meeting places other than the saloons of ,panama and ,colon4 ,many schemes were suggested before it was determined to turn over the whole organization of social clubs to the governing body of the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,there were at the period of the greatest activity on the ,zone seven ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 clubs located at ,cristobal1 ,gatun1 ,porto ,bello1 ,gorgona1 ,empire1 ,culebra and ,corozal4 ,the buildings are spacious1 and1 as shown by the illustrations1 of pleasing architectural style4 ,on the first floor are a lobby1 reading-room and library1 pool and billiard room1 bowling alley1 a business-like bar which serves only soft drinks1 a quick lunch counter1 and in some cases a barber shop and baths4 ,on the second floor is always a large assembly-room used for entertainments and dances4 ,this matter of dancing was at first embarrassing to the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a41 for at home this organization does not encourage the dreamy mazes of the waltz1 and ,i am quite sure frowns disapprovingly on the swaying tango and terrible turkey trot4 ,but conditions on the ,isthmus were different and though the organization does not itself give dances1 it permits the use of its halls by other clubs which do4 ,the halls also are used for moving picture shows1 concerts and lectures4 ,the ,superintendent of ,club ,houses1 ,mr4 ,a4 ,b4 ,dickson1 acts as a sort of impressario1 but the task of filling dates with desirable attractions is rather a complicated one #bjjj miles away from the lyceum bureaus of ,new ,york4 ,the service of the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 is not gratuitous4 ,members pay an annual fee of #aj each4 ,this1 however1 does not wholly meet the cost of maintenance and the deficit is taken care of by the ,commission1 which built the club houses at the outset4 ,that the service of the organization is useful is shown by the fact that ,col4 ,goethals has recommended the erection of a concrete club house to cost #eb1ejj in the permanent town of ,balboa4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,lobby ,,in ,,tivoli ,,hotel ,social intercourse on the ,zone is further impeded by the fact that the few thousand 8gold0 employees are scattered over a strip of territory #dc miles long traversed by a railroad which runs but three passenger trains daily in each direction4 ,dances are held on alternate ,saturday nights at the ,tivoli and ,washington ,hotels and guests cross from the ,atlantic to the ,pacific or vice-versa to attend them1 but on these nights a special train takes the merrymakers home4 ,if1 however1 a lady living at ,culebra desires to have guests from ,cristobal to dinner1 she must keep them all night1 while a popular bachelor with half a dozen dinner or party calls to make needs about three uninterrupted days to cover his list4 ,church work1 too1 has been fostered by the ,commission4 ,twenty-six of the churches are owned by it1 and all but two are on land it owns4 ,in #aiab there were forty churches on the ,zone--seven ,roman ,catholic1 thirteen ,episcopal1 seven ,baptist1 two ,wesleyan and eight undenominational4 ,fifteen chaplains are maintained by the government1 apportioned among the denominations in proportion to their numbers4 ,much good work is done by the churches1 but one scarcely feels that the church spirit is as strong as it would be among the same group of people in the ,states4 ,the changed order of life1 due to the need of deferring to tropical conditions1 has something to do with this4 ,the stroll home from church at midday is not so pleasant a ,sunday function under a glaring tropical sun4 ,moreover no one town can support churches of every denomination1 the railroad is at least impartial in that it does not encourage one to go down the line to church any more than to a dance or the theater4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,altar ,,in ,,gatun ,,catholic ,,church ,even as ,i write the disintegration of this society has begun4 ,on the tables of the ,zone dwellers you find books about ,south ,america or ,alaska--the widely separated points at which opportunity for engineering activity seems to be most promising4 ,alaska particularly was at the time engaging the speculative thought of the young engineers in view of the discussion in ,congress of the advisability of building two government railroads in that territory4 ,the preparation of moving thither the ,canal organization was highly pleasing to the younger men who seemed to think that working over glacial moraines and running lines over snow fields would form a pleasing sequel to several years in the tropical jungles and swamps4 ,you will see on the ,isthmus bronzed and swarthy men who are pointed out to you as 8,t ,t's0 which is to say tropical tramps who served first in the ,philippines4 ,just what appellation will be given those who go from the tropics to the arctic is yet to be discovered4 ,in the ,canal ,record ,i read of the final dissolution of the ,federation of ,women's ,clubs4 ,stories of the ambitions of individual commissioners for new employment are appearing in the public prints4 ,only the pernicious activity of the slides at ,culebra and ,cucaracha can much longer delay the dissolution of the social life that has so pleasingly flourished under the benevolent despotism of ,col4 ,goethals4 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,labor ,,and ,,the ,,government ,,of ,,the ,,zone ,by its provision for the comfort of the unmarried employees the ,isthmian ,commission has justified the allegation that it systematically encourages matrimony among the men4 ,the bachelor employee upon the gold roll is housed in large barracks which rarely afford him a room to himself1 but ordinarily force upon him one1 two or even three 8chums40 ,the intimacies of chumming are delightful when sought1 but apt to be irksome when involuntary4 ,the bachelor quarters house from twelve to sixty men1 and are wholly made up of sleeping rooms4 ,the broad screened verandas constitute the only living room or social hall4 ,if that does not serve the young bachelor's purpose he has the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 which is quite as public4 ,in fact1 unless he be one of the few favored with a room to himself1 he must wander off1 like a misanthrope1 into the heart of the jungle to meditate in solitude4 ,as hard outdoor work does not make for misanthropy most of them wander off to the church and get married4 ,the unmarried employees take their meals in what are called ,commission ,hotels1 though these are hotels only in the sense of being great eating houses4 ,here men and women on the gold roll are served1 for there are bachelor girls on the ,zone and at these hotels special veranda tables are reserved for them and for such men as retain enough of the frills of civilization as to prefer wearing their coats at their meals4 ,meals for employees cost thirty cents each1 or fifty cents for non-employees4 ,there is some divergence of judgment concerning the excellence of this food4 ,col4 ,roosevelt1 while on the ,isthmus1 evaded his guides1 dashed into a ,commission hotel and devoured a thirty-cent meal1 pronouncing it bully and declaring it unapproachable by any ,broadway meal at #a4jj4 ,the ,colonel sincerely believed that his approach was unheralded1 but they do say on the ,zone that his descent was 8tipped off0 like a raid in the 8,tenderloin10 and that a meal costing the contractors many times thirty cents was set before him4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,la ,,boca ,,from ,,the ,,city ,undoubtedly one who should order the same variety of dishes in a city restaurant in the ,states would have to pay more than fifty cents1 although there are country hotels in which equal variety and excellence for the price are not unattainable4 ,a typical dinner menu includes soup1 two kinds of meat1 four kinds of vegetables1 hot rolls or light bread1 a salad1 tea1 coffee1 or cocoa and for dessert pie or ice cream4 ,the ,isthmian appetite for ice cream is a truly tropical wonder4 ,in the early days of the work the novice on the ,isthmus was likely to mistake an open bowl of quinine on the table for pulverized sugar1 but this has very generally disappeared4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,los ,,angosturas ,some ,panama rivers flow through dales like those of the ,wisconsin ,no money changes hands at the ,commission hotels1 unless the diner happens to be a non-employee4 ,meals are paid for by coupons from books purchased at the ,commissary4 ,by omitting the luncheon1 and filling its place with a little fruit1 or a sandwich1 the ,canal employee can make his food cost only #ah a month4 ,he has no lodging to pay2 clothes are the cheapest imaginable1 for there are no seasons to provide for1 nor any rotations of fashions to be observed2 theaters are practically non-existent and away from ,panama ,city temptation to riotous living are slight4 ,the ,zone worker is the most solvent individual in all industry and ought to close up a four or five years' service with a comfortable nest egg4 ,the economy and comfort of life on the ,canal ,zone are mainly due to the ,commissary system which has grown up under the ,american rgime4 ,this is part of the ,subsistence ,department1 which is divided into two branches--hotel and commissary4 ,the hotel department not only runs the ,commission hotels already described1 but the two large hotels patronized by tourists--the ,tivoli at ,ancon and the ,washington at ,colon4 ,though a special rate is made at these two hotels for employees1 their prices are still too high for them to be patronized by any except the most highly paid workers4 ,even the pleasure seeker on the ,isthmus is likely to regard their rates as rather exorbitant4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,water ,,front ,,at ,,colon ,cocoanut palms are picturesque but beware of the falling nuts ,their prices1 however1 are essentially those of the native ,panamanian hotels in the city1 and in cleanliness they are vastly superior4 ,the visitor to ,panama1 however1 who seeks local color or native food need not expect to find either at the ,tivoli4 ,that is a typical resort hotel which might have been moved down to the ,isthmus from the ,jersey beaches or ,saratoga ,springs4 ,its only local color resides in its ,jamaica waiters1 and as ,i am assured that they are no less a trial to the managers than to the guests1 criticism would be perhaps ungenerous4 ,as for native fruits and food1 you must go away from the hotel to seek them4 ,an infrequent papaya appears on the menu1 but for the mamei1 mango1 sapodilla and other fruits1 the guests at the time of my visit sought the native fruit stores4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,negro ,,quarters ,,at ,,cristobal ,the ,jamaica negroes frequently elect to live in the shacks rather than the commission barracks ,after all1 however1 the two big hotels are the least of the tasks imposed on the ,subsistence ,department4 ,the string of ,commission hotels1 #ah in all1 serve about #bjj1jjj meals monthly4 ,there are also #ag messes for ,european laborers who pay #dj cents per ration of three meals a day4 ,sixteen kitchens serve the ,west ,india laborers who get three meals for #bg cents4 ,about #ajj1jjj meals of this sort are served monthly4 ,receipts and expenditures for the line hotels1 messes and kitchens are very nicely adjusted4 ,the ,official ,handbook puts receipts at about #aje1jjj a month2 expenditures1 #ajd1ejj4 ,the ,tivoli ,hotel earns a profit1 but the ,washington ,hotel1 being newly built1 had not at the time of publication of this book made a financial report4 ,as ,i have noted1 the hotels are not open to all sorts and conditions of men4 ,those which ,i have described are established for the use of gold employees only4 ,different methods had to be adopted in providing lodging and eating places for the more than #cj1jjj silver employees1 most of whom belong to the unskilled labor class4 ,about #be1jjj of the silver employees are ,west ,indians1 mainly from ,jamaica or the ,barbados1 though some ,french are found4 ,a very few ,chinese are employed4 ,in #aijf ,engineer ,stevens advertised for #bejj ,chinese coolies1 and planned to take #ae1jjj if they offered themselves1 but there was no considerable response4 ,perhaps the story of the unhappy ,chinamen who destroyed themselves during the ,french rgime rather than live on the ,isthmus may have been told in the ,flowery ,kingdom and deterred others from coming4 ,but few ,japanese laborers are enrolled1 which is the more strange when the part they took in railroad building in the ,pacific northwest is remembered4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,labor ,,train ,,at ,,ancon ,in all forty nationalities and eighty-five geographical subdivisions were noted in the census of #aiab4 ,greenland is missing1 but if we amend the hymn to 8,from ,iceland's icy mountains to ,india's coral strand10 it will fit the situation4 ,when work was busiest the ,west ,indian laborers were paid #aj cents an hour1 for an eight-hour day1 except in the case of those doing special work who got #af and #bj cents4 ,the next higher type of manual labor1 largely composed of ,spaniards1 drew #bj cents4 ,artisans received from #af to #dd cents an hour4 ,in figuring the cost of work it was the custom of the engineers to reckon the ,west ,indian labor as only #cc per cent as efficient as ,american labor4 ,that is to say1 #c paid to a ,jamaican produced no greater results than #a paid to an ,american4 ,reckoned by results therefore1 the prices paid for native labor were high4 ,illustration3 ,,negro ,,sleeping ,,quarters ,all extra clothing etc41 is piled on shelf above4 ,the floor is flushed daily ,quarters and a ,commissary service were of course provided for the silver employees4 ,their quarters were as a rule huge barracks1 though many of the natives and ,west ,indians spurn the free quarters provided by the ,commission and make their homes in shacks of their own4 ,this is particularly the case with those who are married1 or living in the free unions not uncommon among the ,jamaica negroes4 ,the visitor who saw first the trim and really attractive houses and bachelor quarters assigned to the gold employees could hardly avoid a certain revulsion of opinion as to the sweetness and light of ,isthmian life when he wandered into the negro quarters across the railroad in front of the ,tivoli ,hotel at ,ancon1 or in some of the back streets of ,empire or ,gorgona4 ,the best kept barracks for silver employees were at ,cristobal1 but even there the restlessness and independence of the ,jamaicans were so great that many moved across into the frame rookeries of the native town of ,colon4 ,in the crowded negro quarters one evidence of the activities of the sanitation department was largely missing4 ,no attempt was made to screen all the barracks and shacks that housed the workers4 ,but the self-closing garbage can1 the oil-sprinkled gutters1 the clean pavement and all the other evidences of the activities of ,col4 ,gorgas' men were there4 ,perhaps the feature of the barracks which most puzzled and amused visitors to the ,zone were the kitchens4 ,imagine a frame building #cjj feet long by #ge feet wide1 three stories high with railed balconies at every story4 ,perched on the rails of the balustrades1 at intervals of #bj feet1 and usually facing a door leading into the building are boxes of corrugated iron about #c feet high1 the top sloping upward like one side of a roof and the inner side open4 ,these are the kitchens--one to each family4 ,within is room for a smoldering fire of soft coal1 or charcoal1 and a few pots and frying pans4 ,here the family meal is prepared1 or heated up if1 as is usually the case1 the ingredients are obtained at the ,commissary kitchen4 ,the reader may notice that the gold employees are supplied with food at a fixed price per meal2 the silver employees at so much per ration of three meals4 ,the reason for this is that it was early discovered that the laborers were apt to economize by irregularity in eating--seldom taking more than two meals a day and often limiting themselves to one1 making that one of such prodigious proportions as to unfit them for work for some hours1 after which they went unfed until too weak to work properly4 ,as the ,commission lost by this practice at both ends1 the evil was corrected by making the laborers pay for three meals1 whether they ate them or not--and naturally they did4 ,it is a matter of record that the quality of the work improved notably after this expedient was adopted4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,a ,,workmen',s ,,sleeping ,,car ,the gold messes are principally for the foreign laborers1 ,italians1 ,spaniards and ,portuguese1 and pains are taken to give them food of the sort they are accustomed to at home4 ,spaghetti is consumed by the ton1 as well as rice1 garlic1 lentils and other vegetables sought by the people of southern ,europe4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,a ,,workmen',s ,,dining ,,car ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,old ,,french ,,bucket ,,dredges ,some of these dredges are still in use for wet dredging ,in #aiji the ,commission reported with satisfaction that 8the rations at the messes for ,european laborers have been increased1 among the additions being wine three time a week instead of twice a week04 ,this record of accomplishment suggests some account of the way in which the problem of the liquor traffic was handled on the ,zone during the most active period of construction work and prior to the order abolishing all liquor selling4 ,the problem was a difficult one1 for the ,zone was in effect a government reservation1 and under a general law of ,congress the sale of liquor on such reservations is prohibited4 ,but on this reservation there were at divers times from #cd to #fc licensed saloons4 ,july #a1 #aiac1 all licenses were canceled and the ,zone went 8dry04 ,the earlier latitude granted to liquor sellers was excused by the necessities of the case4 ,the ,spanish and ,italian laborers were accustomed to have wine with their meals and were not contented without it4 ,but at the later date the end of the work was in sight4 ,there was no longer need to secure contented labor at the expense of violating a national statute4 ,hence the imposition of a stern prohibition law4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,french ,,bridge ,,at ,,bas ,,obispo ,that system of regulating the sale of liquor on the ,canal ,zone is brimful of anomalies and inconsistencies1 but fairly well characterized by a robust common sense4 ,there is no liquor sold or served at the ,commissary hotels or kitchens1 with the result that the ,spanish and ,italian laborers to some extent refuse to patronize either1 but get their meals at some cantina where the wine of their country can be had4 ,there is no bar at the ,hotel ,tivoli4 ,that tavern being owned by the ,united ,states government and in a government reservation the law is nominally obeyed4 ,but as the tastes of men are not fixed by law1 and only imperfectly regulated by it1 you will find the tables of this hospitable inn plentifully dotted by comfortable looking bottles4 ,according to report the hotel authorities 8send out0 to some mysterious spot for these supplies as ordered1 but ,i never happened to see the messenger of ,bacchus on his errand and rather suspect that the hotel cellar contains the cheering spring4 ,at any rate the ,united ,states as a hotel-keeper does not encourage liquor drinking at a bar1 though it does not absolutely prohibit it at table4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,relaxation ,,of ,,pay ,,day ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,bas ,,obispo ,,as ,,the ,,french ,,left ,,it ,the saloons of the ,zone1 viewed superficially1 seemed to be conducted for the convenience and comfort of the day laboring class--the silver employees--mainly4 ,the police regulations made any particular attractiveness other than that supplied by their stock in trade quite impossible4 ,they could not have chairs or tables--8perpendicular drinking0 was the rigid rule4 ,they could not have cozy corners1 snuggeries1 or screens--all drinking must be done at the bar and in full view of the passers-by4 ,perhaps these rules discouraged the saloonkeepers from any attempt to attract the better class of custom4 ,at any rate the glitter of mirrors and of cut glass was notably absent and the sheen of mahogany was more apparent in the complexions of the patrons than on the woodwork of the bar4 ,they were frankly rough1 frontier whisky shops1 places that cater to men who want drink rather than companionship1 and who when tired of standing at the bar can get out4 ,accordingly most of the saloons were in the day laborer quarters1 and it was seldom indeed that a 8gold employee0 or salaried man above the grade of day laborer was seen in one4 ,the saloons paid a high license tax which was appropriated to the schools of the ,zone1 and they were shut sharp at eleven o'clock because1 as the chief of police explained1 8we want all the laborers fit and hearty for work when the morning whistle blows04 ,illustration3 ,,convicts ,,building ,a ,,commission ,,road ,the excellence of these roads should be an object lesson to ,central ,america ,that is the keynote of all law and rule on the ,zone--to keep the employees fit for work4 ,if morals and sobriety are advanced why so much the better1 but they are only by-products of the machine which is set to grind out so many units of human labor per working day4 ,unhappily all the safeguards made and provided on the ,zone are missing in the code by which the saloons of ,colon and ,panama are regulated--if a wide-open policy is to be described as regulation4 ,these two towns at the two ends of the ,panama ,railroad are1 one or the other1 within an hour's ride of any village on the line4 ,their saloons are many1 varied and largely disreputable4 ,the more sequestered ones have attached to them the evils which commonly hang about low drinking places1 and the doors swing hospitably open to the resident of the ,zone1 whether he be a ,canal worker or a soldier or marine from one of the camps4 ,the uniformed men are more in evidence than they ought to be--more than they would be if an erratic and uninformed public sentiment at home had not led ,congress to close the army canteens in which the soldier could have his beer or light wine amid orderly surroundings4 ,if the good ladies of the ,w4 ,c4 ,t4 ,u4 who hold the abolition of the army canteen one of their triumphs could see the surroundings into which the enlisted man is driven1 and know the sort of stuff he is led to drink1 they might doubt the wisdom of their perfected work4 ,but as one after another ,secretaries of ,war and ,generals of the ,army have unavailingly pleaded for a return to the canteen system1 it is unlikely that facts presented by a mere writer will have any effect on the narrow illiberality which prompted the ,congressional action4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,construction ,,work ,,showing ,,concrete ,,carriers ,,and ,,moulds ,the buckets containing concrete are controlled from a station in the steel scaffolding--run out1 stopped and emptied at the proper point ,it is a curious fact that in the tropics where one would expect to find cooling rather than heating beverages as a rule the demand is chiefly for the 8hard stuff40 ,the walls of the saloons1 the floors of the cantinas1 or native drinking places1 are covered with bottles or barrels of whisky1 rum1 brandy and gin4 ,only in places frequented by the ,spanish and ,italians are the lighter wines often seen4 ,the ,jamaica negro is devoted to the rum of his country1 and one sees him continually in the most unexpected places producing a quart bottle from some mysterious hiding place in his scanty clothing1 and benevolently treating his crowd4 ,in excess--and that is what he aims at--it makes him quarrelsome and a very fair share of the #gjjj annual arrests on the ,zone are due to the fortuitous combination of the two chief products of ,jamaica--rum and the black4 ,it is doubtful1 however1 whether the ,jamaican could be kept to his work without his tipple1 and it was for that reason that the unusual expedient of permitting liquor selling on a government reservation was adopted4 ,the ,commissary branch of the ,subsistence ,department is a colossal business run by the government for the good of the dwellers on the ,zone4 ,it gathers together from the ends of the earth everything needful for these pampered wards of ,uncle ,sam1 and sells its stock practically at cost price4 ,from pins to pianos1 from pigs-knuckles to pt de foie gras you can get every article of use or luxury at the ,commissary4 ,at least you can in theory1 in fact the statement needs toning down a little1 for you will hear plenty of grumbling on the ,zone about the scanty satisfaction derived from shopping in 8that old ,commissary40 ,illustration3 ,,how ,,the ,,natives ,,gather ,,cocoanuts ,all the same its activities are amazing4 ,it launders linen at prices that make the tourist who has to pay the charges of the ,tivoli ,laundry envy the employees their privileges4 ,it bakes bread1 cake and pies for the whole #fe1jjj of the working population1 and does it with such nice calculation that there is never an overstock and the bread is always fresh4 ,everything of course is done by machinery4 ,kneading dough for bread and mixing cement and gravel to make concrete are merely co-ordinate tasks in the process of building the ,canal and both are performed in the way to get the best results in the least time4 ,everything is done by wholesale1 ,hamburger steak is much liked on the ,isthmus1 so the ,commissary has a neat machine which makes #ejj pounds of it in a batch4 ,that reminds me1 of a hostess who preferred to make her own ,hamburger steak1 and so told her ,jamaica cook to mince up a piece of beef4 ,being disquieted by the noise of chopping1 she returned to the kitchen to find the cook diligently performing the appointed task with a hatchet4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,elliott ,,looking ,,down ,,miraflores ,,locks ,in the icy depths of the cold storage plant at ,cristobal1 where the temperature hovers around #ad degrees1 while it is averaging #if outside1 you walk through long avenues of dressed beef1 broad pergolas hung with frozen chicken1 ducks and game1 sunken gardens of cabbage1 carrots1 cauliflower and other vegetable provender4 ,you come to a spot where a light flashes fitfully from an orifice which is presently closed as a man bows his head before it4 ,he straightens up1 the light flashes and is again blotted out4 ,you find1 on closer approach1 two men testing eggs by peering through them at an electric light4 ,betwixt them they gaze thus into the very soul of this germ of life #cj1jjj times a day1 for thus many eggs do they handle4 ,yet the odds are that neither has read the answer to the riddle1 8did the first hen lay the first egg1 or the first egg hatch the first chicken80 ,unless relieved by some such philosophical problem to occupy the mind one might think the egg tester's job would savor of monotony4 ,illustration3 ,,hospital ,,at ,,bocas ,out of the railroad yards at ,cristobal at #c3de every morning starts the ,commissary train1 usually of #ba cars1 #aa of which are refrigerated4 ,its business is to deliver to all the consumers along the #dg miles of ,canal villages and camps the supplies for the day4 ,nineteen stores1 and as many kitchens1 messes and hotels1 must be supplied4 ,ice must be delivered to each household by eight in the morning4 ,ice is one of the things that the employees do not get free1 but though nature has no share in making it1 they get it cheaper than our own people1 for whom nature manufactures it gratis and a few men monopolize the supply4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,new ,,american ,,docks ,,at ,,cristobal ,if one is fond of big figures the records of the ,commissary ,department furnish them4 ,the bakery for example puts forth over #f1jjj1jjj loaves of bread1 #fea1hdd rolls and #aad1acd pounds of cake annually4 ,panama is a clean country4 ,every tourist exclaims at the multitudinous companies of native women perpetually washing at the river's brink and in the interior ,i never saw a native hut without quantities of wash spread out to dry4 ,but the ,commissary laundry beats native industry with a record in one year of #c1eha1ibc pieces laundered--and it isn't much of a climate for 8biled0 shirts and starched collars either4 ,there is a really enterprising proposition under consideration for the retention of this laundry4 ,a ship going west would land all its laundry work at ,cristobal and by the time it had made the passage of the ,canal--#aj hours--all would be delivered clean at ,balboa via the railroad4 ,east bound ships would send their laundry from ,balboa by rail4 ,it is an amazing climate for ice cream1 however1 and the ,commissary supplied #aaj1bjh gallons of that4 ,some other annual figures that help to complete the picture of mere size are butter1 #dbi1bfg pounds2 eggs1 #gib1jdc dozen2 poultry1 #efj1jjj pounds2 flour1 #cbj1dia pounds4 ,illustration3 ,,ox ,,method ,,of ,,transportation ,as ,i said before1 the population of the ,zone1 fed mainly through the ,commissary1 numbers about #fe1jjj4 ,when one reads of the quantity of food needed one wonders at the skill and energy that must have been employed in our ,civil ,war to keep armies of #cjj1jjj and more in the field4 ,however1 in those days perhaps eggs and ice cream did not figure in the ,commissariat1 and we have no statistics as to poultry1 though the poet laureate of ,sherman's army referred feelingly to 8how the turkeys gobbled that our ,commissaries found40 ,illustration3 ,,road ,,making ,,by ,,convicts ,the ,commissary is not wholly popular4 ,native shop keepers1 of course1 are against it4 ,for a time ,zone employees were permitted to use their books of coupons for purchases in native stores1 the storekeepers afterwards exchanging them for cash at the ,commissary4 ,this practice for some reason has been ruled out1 and the native stores lost a certain amount of trade by the ruling4 ,nor are the natives the only discontented ones4 ,americans in ,panama1 not in the employ of the ,isthmian ,canal ,commission1 are inclined to grumble because they are not permitted to make purchases at the ,commissary4 ,that1 however1 was a matter of serious agreement between the ,united ,states and the ,republic of ,panama4 ,when the ,united ,states first announced its purpose of taking over the ,zone and building the ,canal1 there was joy among the business folks of ,panama and ,colon4 ,they saw fat pickings in purveying the necessities of life for a new population of considerable size4 ,visions of the return of the flush times of the ,french engaged their imaginations4 ,all these pleasurable anticipations were doused under the wet blanket of the ,commissary into which goes the major part of the spending money of the employees4 ,but there are ,americans on the ,zone1 other than employees and their families1 and these by a solemn international compact are handed over to the ,panamanian mercies4 ,to buy at the ,commissary you must have a coupon book1 and without an employee's number and brass check no coupon book will be forthcoming4 ,of course many evade the rule by borrowing a book from a friend1 but after one has thus evaded the provisions of a treaty1 one usually finds there is nothing special to buy after all4 ,my own opinion is that for the necessities of life the ,commissary is all very well1 but lacks in those superfluities for which every one yearns4 ,the two governments1 by the way1 which protected the ,panama merchants against ,american competition also protected a handful of ,panamanians in their clutch upon certain municipal monopolies4 ,with the completion of its power house at ,gatun the ,canal ,commission will have a great volume of power to sell or waste4 ,wasted it will have to be1 for a group of capitalists control the light and power company in ,panama ,city1 and the ,united ,states has agreed not to compete with them4 ,illustration3 ,,entrance ,,to ,,bouquette ,,valley ,illustration3 ,,cocoanut ,,palms ,,near ,,ancon ,salaries on the ,zone during the period of the 8big job0 were much higher than in the ,states1 but it is probable that upon reorganization they will be materially reduced for those who remain in permanent service--of these ,col4 ,goethals reckons that there will be for the ,canal alone about #bgjj4 ,if the ,panama ,railroad organization should be kept up to its present strength there will be in all about #ggjj men employed4 ,this is altogether unlikely however4 ,the railroad will no longer have the construction work and dbris of the ,canal to carry1 and the ships will take much of its commercial business away4 ,during the construction period the wages paid were as follows3 ,col4 ,goethals #ba1jjj ,other ,commissioners1 each #ad1jjj ,clerks #ge to #bej monthly ,foremen #ge #bge ,engineers #bbe #fjj ,draftsmen #ajj #bej ,master mechanics #bbe #bge ,physicians #aej #cjj ,teachers #fj #aaj ,policemen #hj #ajg4ej ,the minimum wage of a gold employee is #ge a month2 the maximum1 except in the case of heads of departments1 #fjj4 ,the hourly pay in some sample trades was1 blacksmith1 #cj to #ge cents2 bricklayers1 #fe cents2 carpenters1 #cb to #fe cents2 iron workers1 #dd to #gj cents2 painters1 #cb to #fe cents2 plumbers1 #cb to #ge cents4 ,in the higher paid trades steam engineers earned #ge to #bjj a month2 locomotive engineers from #abe to #baj1 and steam shovel engineers #baj to #bdj4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,religious ,,procession ,,at ,,chorrera ,the figure of the ,savior is faintly shown behind the central crucifix1 riding on a mule ,some of the hourly rates are said to be nearly double those paid in the ,united ,states1 and the workers had the added advantages of free quarters and the other perquisites of employment heretofore described4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,opening ,,the ,,cocoanut ,the natives cut open the green nuts with swift cuts of their heavy machetes4 ,a miss would cost a finger ,the ,canal ,zone is not a democracy4 ,it has no constitution so far as its residents are concerned4 ,there are no elections and no elected officers4 ,naturally1 however1 it must needs have a government1 though the individual will of ,col4 ,goethals has sufficient authority to override that government if he chooses to exert it4 ,but for the orderly discharge of public business there exists the ,department of ,civil ,administration with ,commissioner ,maurice ,h4 ,thatcher as its chief during the last year of the constructive work4 ,gov4 ,thatcher was appointed in #aiji and brought his department to a high state of efficiency4 ,this department has supervision over the posts1 revenues and customs1 the police and fire departments1 the ,division of ,public ,works1 and schools1 churches and the judiciary4 ,illustration3 ,,rice ,,stacked ,,for ,,drying ,there were1 during the period of greatest activity1 #ag post offices on the ,zone4 ,the stamps used are ,panama stamps1 purchased from the ,republic at #dj per cent of their face value and with the words 8,canal ,zone0 printed across their face4 ,stamps to the amount of about #hj1jjj were sold annually and the money order business during the active years exceeded #e1jjj1jjj annually1 most of which represented the savings of the workers4 ,the ,zone police force compels admiration4 ,it is not spectacular1 but is eminently business-like and with the heterogeneous population with which it has to deal it has no doubt been busy4 ,at the outset ,president ,roosevelt sent down to command it an old time ,rough ,rider comrade of his4 ,in late years a regular army officer has been ,chief of ,police4 ,at that period it was a problem4 ,not only was the population rough and of mixed antecedents1 but many foreign nations were looking on the ,isthmus as an excellent dumping place for their criminals and other undesirable citizens4 ,it was not quite ,botany ,bay1 but bade fair to rival that unsavory penal colony4 ,closer scrutiny of applicants for employment checked that tendency1 and a vigorous enforcement of the criminal law together with the application of the power to deport undesirables soon reduced the population to order4 ,illustration3 ,,bullock ,,cart ,,in ,,chorrera ,in the early days crimes of violence were common4 ,if one carried money it was wise to carry a gun as well4 ,organized bandits used to tear up the railroad tracks and wantonly destroy property for no reason save to satisfy a grudge against the ,commission4 ,but the organization of the police force stopped it all4 ,in the cities of ,colon and ,panama is little or no public gambling1 and the brood of outlaws that follow the goddess chance are not to be found there4 ,on the ,zone is no gambling at all4 ,even private poker games1 if they become habitual1 are broken up by quiet warnings from the police4 ,it isn't that there is any great moral aversion to poker1 but men who sit up all night with cards and chips are not good at the drawing board or with a transit the next day4 ,everything on the ,zone1 from the food in the ,commissary to the moral code1 is designed with an eye single to its effect on the working capacity of the men4 ,it is a fortunate thing that bad morals do not as a rule conduce to industrial efficiency1 else ,i shudder at what ,col4 ,goethals might be tempted to do to the ,decalogue4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,sun ,,setting ,,in ,,the ,,atlantic ,,at ,,lighthouse ,,point ,the police force in its latter days was in the command of a regular army officer4 ,in #aiac it numbered #ccb policemen1 two inspectors and a chief4 ,of the policemen #ij were negroes1 all of whom had been in the ,west ,india constabulary or in ,west ,indian regiments of the ,british army4 ,the white policemen had all served in the ,united ,states army1 navy or marine corps4 ,the men are garbed in khaki1 and look more like cavalrymen than police officers--indeed a stalwart1 well-setup body of a high order of intelligence and excellent carriage4 ,arrests are numerous1 yet not more so than in an ,american city of #fe1jjj people4 ,of about #aej convicts nearly all are black and these are employed in the construction of roads within the ,zone4 ,the work of the police is greatly expedited by the celerity of practice in the courts4 ,that ,anglo-,saxon fetish1 trial by jury1 is religiously observed1 but the juries are of three men instead of twelve and are held strictly to the consideration of questions of fact alone4 ,there is a full equipment of civil and criminal courts with an appellate division1 but no appeal lies to the courts of the ,united ,states4 ,there do not seem to be many lawyers in the ,zone1 hence there is little litigation--or perhaps because there is little litigation there are few lawyers4 ,it is always a mooted question whether lawyers are the cause or the effect of litigation1 the bane or the antidote4 ,children thrive on the ,canal ,zone4 ,nearly every visitor who has had the time to go into the residence sections of ,culebra1 ,gorgona and other large ,canal villages has exclaimed at the number of children visible and their uniform good health4 ,naturally therefore a school system has grown up of which ,americans1 who lead the world in public education1 may well be proud4 ,three thousand pupils are enrolled1 and besides a superintendent and general officials1 eighty teachers attend to their education4 ,the school buildings are planned and equipped according to the most approved requirements for school hygiene1 and are especially adapted to the tropics--which means that the rooms are open to the air on at least two sides1 and that wide aisles and spaces between the desks give every child at least twice the air space he would have had in a northern school4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,fruitful ,,mango ,,tree ,the children like their elders come in for the beneficence of the ,commission4 ,free books1 free stationery1 free medical treatment and free transportation are provided for all4 ,prof4 ,frank ,a4 ,gause1 superintendent of the ,zone schools1 is an ,indianian and has taken a justifiable pride in developing the school system there so that it shall be on a par with the school of like grades in 8the ,states40 ,he declares that so far as the colored schools are concerned they are of a higher degree of excellence than those in our more northern communities4 ,native and ,west ,indian children attend the schools of this class1 in which the teachers are colored men who have graduated in the best ,west ,indian colleges and who have had ample teaching experience in ,west ,indian schools4 ,the curriculum of the ,zone schools covers all the grades up to the eighth1 that is the primary and grammar school grades1 and a well-conducted high school as well4 ,pupils have been prepared for ,harvard1 ,wellesley1 ,vassar and the ,university of ,chicago4 ,the white schools are all taught by ,american teachers1 each of whom must have had four years' high school training1 two years in either a university or a normal school and two years of practical teaching experience4 ,these requirements are obviously higher than those of the average ,american city school system4 ,prof4 ,gause declares that politics and the recommendation of politicians have no share in the administration of the ,zone schools1 though the efforts of ,washington statesmen to place their relatives on the payroll have been frequent and persistent4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,completed ,,canal ,,near ,,gatun ,for the native and ,west ,indian children a course in horticulture is given and school gardens established in which radishes1 beans1 peas1 okra1 papayas1 bananas1 turnips1 cabbages1 lettuce1 tomatoes1 and yams are cultivated4 ,it is worth noting that considerable success has been achieved with products of the temperate zone1 though especial care was needed for their cultivation4 ,one garden of three-quarters of an acre produced vegetables worth #cej4 ,there is a tendency among ,americans on the ,zone to decry the soil as unfit for any profitable agriculture4 ,a very excellent report on 8,the ,agricultural ,possibilities of the ,canal ,zone01 issued by the ,department of ,agriculture1 should effectually still this sort of talk4 ,to the mere superficial observer it seems incredible that a soil which produces such a wealth of useless vegetation should be unable to produce anything useful1 and the scientists of the ,department of ,agriculture have shown that that paradoxical condition does not exist4 ,practically all our northern vegetables and many of our most desirable fruits can be raised on the ,zone according to this report1 and it goes on to say3 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,travelling ,,cranes ,,at ,,miraflores 8,opportunities for establishing paying dairy herds appear good1 444 there is unquestionably a good opening for raising both pork and poultry4 ,small farming1 including the production of vegetables and choice tropical fruits1 such as the avocado1 mango1 papaya1 pineapple1 orange1 guava1 anona1 etc41 can be carried on profitably with the application of intensive methods1 coupled with proper care in the selection of crop varieties and soil4 ,the supply of pineapples1 avocados1 and papayas is very much below the demand1 notwithstanding the fact that these fruits are apparently well adapted to a considerable portion of the ,zone4 ,with the introduction of varieties of mangos better than the seedling types now grown this fruit could be made very much more popular with the northern population4 ,as an evidence of the good opportunities for the production of choice fruits not only to supply local demand1 but for export trade1 the ,island of ,taboga in ,panama may be cited4 ,here upon very steep slopes1 including much extremely stony land1 large quantities of delightfully flavored pineapples are grown for shipment4 ,the mango and avocada 7aguacate7 are also shipped from this small island with profit04 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,review ,,at ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,roosevelt ,,receptions ,illustration3 ,,pacific ,,flats ,,left ,,by ,,receding ,,tide ,the fall is #ah feet and the receding tide leaves more than a mile thus bare ,consideration of the agricultural and industrial possibilities of the ,canal ,zone is made desirable1 indeed imperative1 by the proposition of the military authorities to abandon the whole territory to the jungle--to expel from it every human being not employed by the ,canal ,commission or the ,panama ,railroad1 or not having business of some sort in connection with those organizations4 ,this was not in contemplation in the early days of the ,zone4 ,it was planned to invite settlement1 though retaining the actual ownership of the land to the ,united ,states4 ,by way of encouraging such settlement the ,isthmian ,commission was authorized to lease to settlers farms not exceeding #ej hectares 7#abe acres7 each1 at an annual rental of #c a hectare4 ,this was not particularly attractive and the proposition was made less so by limiting the period of leases to twenty-five years4 ,moreover the limitation on the size of the individual farm made cattle farming quite impossible1 and even ordinary farming doubtful1 for in #ej hectares the actual area of good farming land is likely to be small4 ,although criticism of these provisions was current1 in #aiac nothing was done for their correction because of the vigor with which the military authorities urged the entire depopulation of the ,zone4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,whaler ,,at ,,pearl ,,island ,that proposition has not yet come before the ,american people4 ,it has not even been debated in ,congress1 but at the moment of the publication of this book the ,commission is proceeding calmly with its arrangements1 as though the program were definitely fixed4 ,the argument advanced by ,col4 ,goethals and other military experts is that the ,canal is primarily a military work4 ,that the ,canal ,zone exists only because of and for the ,canal1 and should be so governed as to protect the dams and locks from any treacherous assault is admitted4 ,the advocates of the depopulation program insist that with a residence on the ,zone refused to any save those employed by the ,commission and subject to its daily control1 with the land grown up once more into an impenetrable jungle so that access to the ,canal can be had only through its two ends1 or by the ,panama ,railroad--both easily guarded--the ,canal will be safe from the dynamiter hired by some hostile government4 ,it may be so1 but there is another side to the question4 ,the ,canal ,zone is an outpost of a high civilization in the tropics4 ,it affords object lessons to the neighboring republics of ,central ,america in architecture1 sanitation1 road building1 education1 civil government and indeed all the practical arts that go to make a ,state comfortable and prosperous4 ,without intention to offend any of the neighboring ,states it may fairly be said that the ,zone1 if maintained according to its present standards1 should exercise an influence for good on all of them4 ,it is the little leaven that may leaven the whole lump4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,old ,,well ,,at ,,chiriqui ,that it can be maintained with its present population is of course impossible4 ,when the employment1 furnished by the construction of the ,canal is finished1 the army of engineers and laborers will disintegrate and scatter to other fields of industry4 ,this process is already begun4 ,our government in securing labor from the ,west ,india islands assumed the task of returning the laborers to their homes at the expiration of their term of service and this is now being done1 though not so rapidly as would have been the case except for the persistent activity of the slides at ,culebra4 ,it has been suggested that gifts of land1 instead of passage money home1 would be acceptable to these laborers1 not merely ,west ,indians1 but ,europeans as well4 ,thrown open to settlement under proper conditions the ,zone would no doubt attract a certain class of agriculturists from the ,states4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,good ,,yield ,,of ,,cocoanuts ,undoubtedly there will be a field for skilled agricultural endeavor there4 ,as ,i have already noted ,col4 ,goethals estimates the necessary force for the operation of the ,canal at #bgjj4 ,for the operation of the ,panama ,railroad in #aiac five thousand men were required but with the cessation of ,canal work this number would be largely reduced4 ,probably #fjjj men would constitute the working force of both ,canal and railroad4 ,a working force of that number would create a population of about #ae1jjj4 ,there is further the military force to be considered4 ,col4 ,goethals strenuously urged that #be1jjj men be kept on the ,isthmus permanently1 but the opinion of ,congress1 toward the period of the opening of the ,canal1 seemed to be that about #gjjj would be sufficient4 ,in all probability the latter figure will be the smallest number of men that will go to make up the military establishment4 ,illustration3 ,,cholo ,,girls ,,at ,,the ,,stream ,there is every reason to believe that at ,balboa particularly the shipping interests will create a large and prosperous town1 while already the cities of ,panama and ,colon1 geographically part of the ,zone1 though politically independent1 have a population of at least #fj1jjj4 ,when the ,canal is once in operation there will be from #ge1jjj to #ajj1jjj people on the ,zone and in the two native cities within it to furnish a market for the food products that can be raised on that fertile strip of land4 ,today the vegetables of the temperate zone are brought #cjjj miles to the ,zone dwellers1 sometimes in cold storage1 but chiefly in cans4 ,as for those who live in the ,panama towns and are denied access to the ,commissary1 they get fresh vegetables only from the limited supply furnished by the few ,chinese market gardens4 ,according to the ,department of ,agriculture nearly all vegetables of the temperate clime and all tropical fruits can be grown on the ,zone lands4 ,this being the case it seems a flat affront to civilization and to the intelligent utilization of natural resources to permit these lands to revert to the jungle1 and force our citizens and soldiers in these tropic lands to go without the health-giving vegetable food that could easily be raised in the outskirts of their towns and camps4 ,of the sufficiency of the market for the output of all the farms for which the ,zone has space and arable soil there can be no doubt1 for to the townspeople1 the ,canal operatives and the garrisons there will be added the ships which reach ,colon or ,balboa after long voyages and with larders empty of fresh green vegetables4 ,to the mind not wholly given over to militarism the idea that this region in which so admirable1 so unparalleled a beginning of industrial development has been made should be now abandoned is intolerable4 ,and it does not seem at all plausible that our locks and dams and spillways would be safer in a wilderness patrolled by perfunctory guards than they would be in a well-settled and thriving community every man in which would know that his prosperity was wholly dependent upon the peaceful and uninterrupted operation of the ,canal4 ,doubtless there will be some discussion before acquiescence is given to the military proposition that the ,canal ,zone--as large as the ,state of ,indiana--shall be allowed to revert to jungle1 be given over to the serpent1 the sloth and the jaguar4 ,that would be a sorry anti-climax to the work of ,gorgas in banishing yellow fever and malaria1 and of ,goethals in showing how an industrial community could be organized1 housed and fed4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,underwood ,underwood ,,shipping ,,at ,,balboa ,,docks ,,chapter ,,xix ,,fortifications2 ,,tolls2 ,,commerce ,,and ,,quarantine ,with the completion of the ,canal appeared many problems other than the engineering ones which had for so many years engrossed public attention4 ,some of these problems--like the question whether the ,canal should be fortified or its neutrality guaranteed by international agreement--had reached a conclusion during the last year of the constructive work4 ,but the question of ,canal tolls1 the future management of the ,canal ,zone and the broad speculation as to the general effect upon the trade of the world were still subjects of discussion4 ,that there should have been any serious opposition to the fortification of the ,canal seems amazing1 but the promptitude with which it died out seems to indicate that1 while noisy1 it had no very solid foundation in public sentiment4 ,indeed it was urged mainly by well-meaning theorists who condemn upon principle any addition to the already heavy burden which the need for the national defense has laid upon the shoulders of the people4 ,that in theory they were right is undeniable4 ,perhaps the greatest anomaly of the twentieth century is the proportions of our preparations for war contrasted with our oratorical protestations of a desire for peace4 ,but the inconsistencies of the ,united ,states are trivial in comparison with those of other nations1 and while the whole world is armed--nominally for defense1 but in a way to encourage aggressions--it is wise that the ,united ,states put bolts on its front gate4 ,and that in effect is what forts and coast defenses are4 ,they are not aggressive1 and cannot be a menace to any one--either to a foreign land1 as a great navy might conceivably be1 or to our people1 as a great standing army might prove4 ,the guns at ,toro ,point and ,naos ,island will never speak1 save in ceremonial salute1 unless some foreign foe menaces the ,canal which the ,united ,states gives freely to the peaceful trade of the world4 ,but if the menace should be presented1 it will be well not for our nation alone1 but for all the peoples of the earth1 that we are prepared to defend the integrity of the strait of which man has dreamed for more than #djj years1 and in the creation of which thousands of useful lives have been sacrificed4 ,illustration3 ,,explaining ,,it ,,to ,,the ,,boss ,mistaken but well-meaning opponents of fortification have insisted that it was a violation of our pact with ,great ,britain1 and a breach of international comity4 ,this1 however1 is an error4 ,true1 in the ,clayton-,bulwer treaty of #ahej1 both the ,united ,states and ,great ,britain expressly agreed not to fortify or assume any dominion over any part of ,central ,america through which a canal might be dug4 ,but that treaty was expressly abrogated by the ,hay-,pauncefote treaty4 ,in its first draft this latter treaty contained the anti-fortification clause and was rejected by the ,united ,states ,senate for that very reason4 ,in its second draft the treaty omitted the reference to fortifications and was ratified4 ,lord ,lansdowne1 one of the negotiators for the ,british government1 explicitly said that he thoroughly understood the ,united ,states wished to reserve the right to fortify the ,canal4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,american ,press ,ass'n ,,spanish ,,monastery ,,at ,,panama ,it was so clear that no question of treaty obligations was involved that the opponents of fortification early dropped that line of argument4 ,the discussion of the treaty in the ,senate silenced them4 ,they fell back upon the question of expediency4 8,why01 they asked1 8go to the expense of building and manning fortifications and maintaining a heavy garrison on the ,zone8 ,why not1 through international agreement1 make it neutral and protect it from seizure or blockade in time of war8 ,look at ,suez06 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,,choco ,,indian ,,of ,,sanbu ,,valley ,this was more plausible4 ,at first glance the questions seem answerable in only one way4 ,but consideration weakens their force4 ,there is a ,latin copy-book maxim1 8,inter armas silent leges0--8,in time of war the law is silent04 ,it is cynically correct4 ,international agreements to maintain the integrity or neutrality of a territory last only until one of the parties to the agreement thinks it profitable to break it4 ,it then becomes the business of all the other parties to enforce the pact1 and it is usually shown that what is everybody's business is nobody's business4 ,consider a partial record3 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,rising ,,generation ,the independence of ,korea was guaranteed by four ,great ,powers in #aijb4 ,inside of two years the ,japanese ,admiral ,uriu violated the independence of the ,korean port of ,chemulpo by sinking two ,russian cruisers in it1 and shortly thereafter ,japan practically annexed the country4 ,none of the ,powers that had 8guaranteed0 its independence protested4 ,austria-,hungary in #aijh annexed ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 despite the fact that seven ,powers1 including ,austria-,hungary herself1 had fixed the sovereignty of those provinces in ,turkey4 ,the signatory powers grumbled a little1 but that was all4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,e4 ,hall1 recognized as the greatest living authority on international law1 observes cynically1 and truthfully1 that 8treaties are only permanently obeyed when they represent the continued wishes of the contracting parties04 ,prussia once guaranteed the independence of ,poland1 and in two years took the leading part in blotting it off the roll of nations4 ,illustration3 ,,ancon ,,hill1 ,,where ,,americans ,,live ,,in ,,comfort ,illustrations of the failure of nations to observe the rights of neutrals are common4 ,turkey and ,korea afford recent illustrations of nations that have entrusted their national integrity to international agreements4 ,nothing remains of ,korea's nationality but a name1 and the ,allies are rapidly carving ,turkey to bits while the ,great ,powers that guaranteed her integrity look on in amazed and impotent alarm4 ,the ,united ,states itself has not been wholly without share in such high-handed proceedings4 ,in the event of a general war ,panama ,canal would be kept neutral just so long as our military and naval power could defend its neutrality and no longer4 ,moreover1 we do not want it neutral in a quarrel in which we are involved4 ,the ,canal is dug by our money and in our territory and is part of our line of defense4 ,we do not propose to permit its passage by an enemy4 ,that would be strict neutrality indeed1 but it would make the ,canal a weakness instead of a defense4 ,without it our ,pacific ,coast is practically safe from ,european aggression2 our ,atlantic coast protected by thousands of miles of ocean from any foe whose naval strength is in the ,pacific4 ,to throw open the ,canal to our foes as well as to our friends would be like supplying the key to the bank vaults to the cracksmen as well as to the cashier4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,american ,press ,ass'n ,,gatun ,,lake1 ,,showing ,,small ,,floating ,,islands ,the parallel with the ,suez ,canal strenuously urged by the advocates of neutrality does not hold4 ,the waterway between the ,mediterranean and the ,red ,sea was not dug as a government enterprise4 ,it was a distinctly commercial enterprise1 with its shares listed upon the exchanges and bought and sold in the open market4 ,by the purchase of a majority of those shares the ownership of the ,canal passed into the hands of the ,british government1 but all the nations had joined in the international agreement to protect their individual rights before the ,british ownership was effected4 ,moreover1 ,great ,britain is by no means content with the safeguards provided by the ,constantinople convention1 but has planted her great fortresses at ,malta and at ,aden1 near the ends of the ,canal1 and maintains in the ,mediterranean a naval force equal to that of any other two nations4 ,the ,caribbean is to be the ,american ,mediterranean1 and the visible and effective power of the ,united ,states in those waters must be equal1 probably vastly superior1 to that of ,england in ,europe's great inland sea4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,spectacular ,,blast ,nor does the existence of a powerful navy1 even the material multiplication of our present naval force1 obviate to any considerable degree the necessity for powerful forts at either end of the ,canal4 ,our fleet cannot be anchored during the continuance of a war to any one fixed point4 ,the navy is essentially an offensive force1 its part in the defense of our country being best performed by keeping the enemy busy defending his own4 ,farragut said that the best defense against the attack of any enemy is the rapid fire of your own guns4 ,extend this principle and it appears that the best way to defend our own coasts is to menace those of the enemy4 ,this principle was not applied in our recent war with ,spain1 but we had not the navy then1 and diplomatic considerations further intervened to prevent our employing against ,spain's sea coast cities such vessels as we had4 ,should we rely wholly on the navy to defend our ,canal entrances a mere demonstration against those points would tie up a considerable portion of our floating force1 while an enemy's main fleet might ravage our thickly populated sea coasts4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,first ,,view ,,of ,,colon ,discussion of this question1 however1 is largely academic1 for the fortification of the ,canal has been determined upon1 and construction of the forts is well advanced4 ,there is1 however1 some disquietude over a fear1 expressed by the late ,admiral ,evans1 that the topography at the ,atlantic terminus of the ,canal is such that fortifications1 however great their strength1 would not be sufficient to prevent the enemy holding a position so near the ,canal's mouth as to be able to concentrate its fire on each ship as it emerged and thus destroy seriatim any fleet seeking to make the passage of the ,canal4 ,the criticism was a serious one4 ,even to the civilian mind the inequalities of a battle in which six or eight battleships can concentrate their broadside fire on a single ship navigating a narrow and tortuous channel and able to reply with her bow guns only are sufficiently obvious4 ,indeed the criticism was held of sufficient force to be referred to the ,general ,board of the ,navy1 which1 after due consideration1 made a report of which the following quotations form the substance3 8,the ,general ,board believes that the proposed fortifications at the termini of the ,isthmian ,canal would be invaluable in assisting the transfer of a ,united ,states fleet from one ocean to the other through the ,canal1 in the face of an opposing fleet4 ,the function of the fortifications in this particular is precisely the same at the ,canal termini as it is at any fortified place from which a fleet may have to issue in the face of an enemy's fleet4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,porch ,,at ,,culebra 8,guns mounted on shore are on an unsinkable and steady platform1 and they can be provided with unlimited protection and accurate range-finding devices4 ,guns mounted on board ship are on a sinkable1 unsteady platform1 their protection is limited1 and range-finding devices on board ship have a very limited range of accuracy4 ,the shore gun of equal power has thus a great advantage over the ship gun which is universally recognized1 and this advantage is increased if the former be mounted on disappearing carriages1 as are the seacoast guns of the ,united ,states4 ,the mere statement of these elementary facts is a sufficient proof of the value of seacoast guns to assist a fleet in passing out from behind them to engage a waiting hostile fleet outside1 provided the shore guns are mounted in advance of1 or abreast1 the point where the ship channel joins the open sea4 ,even if somewhat retired from that point they would be useful1 but to a less extent4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,american ,press ,ass'n ,,avenida ,,centrale1 ,,panama1 ,,near ,,the ,,station ,illustration3 ,copyright1 #aiac1 ,f4 ,e4 ,wright4 ,,swimming ,,pool ,,at ,,panama ,some say that before the days of the city water supply this pool held water for protection against fire4 ,nowadays it is chiefly used for the aquatic revels of the boys4 8,at the ,pacific terminus of the ,canal there are outlying islands that afford sites for fortifications1 the usefulness of which in assisting the egress of a fleet in the face of opposition is universally admitted1 as far as the ,general ,board knows2 but there has been unfavorable criticism of the possibility of fortifications at the ,atlantic end to serve this purpose4 ,the ,general ,board regards these criticisms as unfounded and believes1 on the contrary1 that the conditions at the ,atlantic terminus of the ,canal are unusually favorable for the emplacement of guns that would be of assistance to a fleet issuing in the face of hostile ships4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,a ,,chiriqui ,,town 8,on both sides of ,limon ,bay1 in which the ,canal terminates at the ,atlantic end1 there are excellent sites for forts1 well advanced on outlying points4 ,the line joining these sites is #cjjj yards in front of the point where the ,canal prism reaches a low-water depth sufficient for battleships1 and ,limon ,bay from this point outward is wide enough for a formation of eight ships abreast4 ,the outer end of the most advanced breakwater proposed is only #fjj yards in front of the line joining the sites for the forts2 and as long as ships remain behind the breakwater1 it will afford them a considerable amount of protection from the enemy's fire1 while they will themselves be able to fire over it4 ,in order to make his fire effective against the issuing ships the enemy must come within the effective fire of the fortifications4 ,under these circumstances it is impossible to deny the usefulness of fortifications in assisting the issue of a fleet against opposition4 ,the conditions in this respect at the ,atlantic end of the ,canal are incomparably better than those existing at ,sandy ,hook1 whose forts nobody would dream of dismantling04 ,illustration3 ,a ,,mountain ,,river ,,in ,,chiriqui ,concerning the type of fortifications now building there is little to be said4 ,the ,war ,department is not as eager for publicity as are certain other departments of our federal administration4 ,in ,november1 #aiab1 ,secretary of ,war ,stimson made a formal statement of the general plan of defense4 ,no change has been made in this plan1 and it may be quoted as representing the general scheme as fixed upon by the ,war ,department and authorized by ,congress3 8,the defenses to the ,isthmus are divided into two general heads3 8#a4 ,a seacoast armament with submarine mines at the termini of the ,canal1 for protection against a sea attack and to secure a safe exit for our fleet in the face of a hostile fleet4 8#b4 ,the construction of field works and a mobile force of troops to protect the locks and assure important utilities against an attack by land04 8,the seacoast fortifications will include #af-;inch1 #ad-;inch and #f-;inch rifles and #ab-;inch mortars4 ,this armament will be of more powerful and effective types than that installed in any other locality in the world4 ,at the ,atlantic end of the ,canal the armament will be located on both sides of ,limon ,bay4 ,at the ,pacific end the greater part of the armament will be located on several small islands1 ,flamenco1 ,perico and ,naos1 which lie abreast of the terminus4 ,submarine mines will complete the seacoast armament and will prevent actual entry into the ,canal and harbors by hostile vessels4 ,illustration3 ,,biting ,,through ,a ,,slide3 ,,five ,,cubic ,,yards ,,per ,,bite 8,in addition to these fortifications1 and the necessary coast artillery and garrison to man them1 the defensive plans provide for the erection of field works1 and for the maintenance at all times on the ,panama ,canal ,zone of a mobile force consisting of three regiments of infantry1 at a war strength of nearly #bjjj men for each regiment1 a squadron of cavalry1 and a battalion of field artillery4 ,these latter fortifications and the mobile garrison are intended to repel any attacks that might be made by landing parties from an enemy's fleet against the locks and other important elements or accessories to the ,canal4 ,as an attack of this character might be coincident with or even precede an actual declaration of war1 it is necessary that a force of the strength above outlined should be maintained on the ,canal ,zone at all times4 ,this mobile garrison will furnish the necessary police force to protect the ,zone and preserve order within its limits in time of peace4 ,congress has made the initial appropriations for the construction of these fortifications1 and they are now under construction4 ,a portion of the mobile garrison is also on the ,isthmus1 and the remainder will be sent there as soon as provision is made for its being housed04 ,it is to be noted that these plans contemplate only the garrisoning of the ,isthmus in time of peace4 ,the department has steadfastly refused1 even in response to congressional inquiry1 to make public its plans for action in war time4 ,the only hint offered on the subject is the estimate of ,col4 ,goethals that #be1jjj men would be needed there in such a contingency and his urgency that such a garrison be maintained on the ,zone at all times4 ,illustration3 ,,commissary ,,building ,,and ,,front ,,street1 ,,colon ,the most vulnerable point of the ,canal is of course the locks4 ,the destruction or interruption of the electrical machinery which operates the great gates would put the entire ,canal out of commission4 ,if in war time it should be vitally necessary to shift our ,atlantic fleet to the ,pacific1 or vice versa1 the enemy could effectively check that operation by a bomb dropped on the lock machinery at ,gatun1 ,pedro ,miguel or ,miraflores4 ,it is1 however1 the universal opinion of the military experts that this danger is guarded against to the utmost extent demanded by extraordinary prudence4 ,against the miraculous1 such as the presence of an aeroplane with an operator so skilled as to drop bombs upon a target of less than #dj feet square1 no defense could fully prevail4 ,the lock gates themselves are necessarily exposed and an injury to them would as effectually put the lock out of commission as would the wrecking of the controlling machinery4 ,col4 ,goethals has repeatedly declared his belief that the construction of the locks is sufficiently massive to withstand any ordinary assaults with explosives4 ,no one man could carry and place secretly enough dynamite to wreck or even seriously impair the immediate usefulness of the locks4 ,even in time of peace they will be continually guarded and patroled1 while in time of war they will naturally be protected from enemies on every side and even in the air above4 ,the locks are not out of range of a fleet in ,limon ,bay and a very few #ac-;inch naval shells would put them out of commission4 ,but for that very reason we are building forts at ,toro ,point and its neighborhood to keep hostile fleets out of ,limon ,bay1 and the ,united ,states navy1 which has usually given a good account of itself in time of war1 will be further charged with this duty and will no doubt duly discharge it4 ,that the locks make the ,canal more vulnerable than a sea-level canal would have been is doubtless true4 ,the fact only adds to the argument in behalf of defending it by powerful forts and an adequate navy4 ,illustration3 ,,pedro ,,miguel ,,locks ,the deep arched recesses are provided that the gates may fold flush with the walls ,general ,weaver1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 raised the only serious question as to the sufficiency of the defenses on the ,pacific side in his testimony before the ,house ,committee on ,appropriations3 8,my views are entirely in harmony with those expressed by ,col4 ,goethals4 ,i think that the defenses are wholly adequate4 ,the only question ,i have noted raised as to the adequacy of the defense has been as to whether guns would not be mounted by an enemy on ,taboga ,island1 and as to whether an enemy's ships could not stand behind ,taboga ,island1 and as to whether these land guns and naval guns could not from there control the water area in front of the ,pacific terminus8 ,the new type of mortars that the ,ordnance ,department is making for the fortifications at ,panama will have a range of #bj1jjj yards4 ,they will cover the water well over beyond ,taboga ,island1 and have under fire all of ,taboga ,island and the water for a considerable distance beyond the outermost shore lines of ,taboga ,island4 ,it is about #ab1jjj yards from the fortifications at the ,canal terminus to ,taboga ,island4 ,the mortars will reach #hjjj yards beyond ,taboga4 ,the #af-;inch gun on ,perico will have a range of #bj1jjj yards4 ,the #ad-;inch guns on ,flamenco and ,naos ,islands will have ranges of #ah1djj yards4 ,the #f-;inch guns on ,naos ,island and on the mainland have a range of #fjjj yards1 and are well placed to oppose any attempt at landing on the lands on which the fortifications are located4 8,mr4 ,sherley4--#8,so far you have spoken only of the ,pacific side4 ,now1 what have you to say about the defense on the ,atlantic side'8 8,gen4 ,weaver4--#8,on the ,atlantic side the defense is1 in my opinion1 equally adequate4 ,at ,fort ,randolph1 on ,margarita ,island1 there are eight mortars of the new type1 two #ad-;inch guns and two #f-;inch guns4 ,that armament will protect the ,margarita ,island side of the entrance and it also controls the waters to the south4 ,on the ,toro ,point side at ,fort ,sherman we have eight mortars1 two #ad-;inch guns1 and two #f-;inch guns4 ,there are in addition two #f-;inch guns provided at ,manzanillo ,point1 city of ,colon4 ,in my opinion this armament is entirely adequate for the defense of the ,atlantic side'04 ,it is apparent1 therefore1 that the unfortified ,island of ,taboga is the one questionable point in our ,pacific line of defense4 ,it is wholly probable that steps will be taken to erect such defenses as will make the seizure of this island impracticable to any enemy4 ,illustration3 ,,detail ,,construction ,,of ,a ,,lock ,the great tube1 later covered by concrete1 carries the water for filling the chamber ,plans for the landward defenses of the coast forts had not been determined upon at the time of publication of this book4 ,necessary no doubt from a strictly military point of view1 they seem to the civilian mind rather superfluous in view of the character of the countryside along the borders of the ,zone4 ,the general who would undertake to lead an army through the jungle would encounter a natural foe such as armed forces have never had to overcome1 and his invading column would hardly emerge upon the ,zone in fit condition to give battle to any considerable army of occupation4 ,however1 should an enemy once effect a landing at any point within striking distance of ,panama or ,colon1 say on the ,chorrera coast1 or at ,nombre de ,dios or ,porto ,bello1 some defensive works would be needed to prevent their taking the coast forts in the rear4 ,such works are being planned and an extensive permanent camp is to be built at ,miraflores1 at which point the ,canal can be readily crossed--there are to be no permanent bridges--and smaller posts at ,margarita ,island1 ,toro ,point and ,culebra ,island4 ,to man the actual seacoast forts there will be #ab companies of coast artillery of #aji men each2 while distributed in the army camps will be1 according to present estimates1 three regiments of infantry1 a squadron of cavalry and a battalion of field artillery1 making in all rather more than #hjjj men4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,h4 ,pittier ,courtesy ,national ,geographic ,magazine ,a ,,group ,,of ,,guyami ,,girls ,the probable influence of the ,panama ,canal on commerce1 on trade routes1 on the commercial supremacy of this or that country1 on the development of hitherto dormant lands is a question that opens an endless variety of speculations4 ,discussion of it requires so broad a knowledge of international affairs as to be almost cosmic1 a foresight so gifted as to be prophetic4 ,a century from now the fullest results of the ,canal's completion will not have been fully attained4 ,this creation of a new waterway where a rocky barrier stood from the infinite past in the pathway of commerce will make great cities where hamlets now sit in somnolence1 and perhaps reduce to insignificance some of the present considerable ports of the world4 ,certain very common misbeliefs may be corrected with merely a word or two of explanation4 ,nothing is more common than to look upon all ,south ,america as a territory to be vastly benefited by the ,canal1 and brought by it nearer to our ,united ,states markets4 ,a moment's thought will show the error of this belief4 ,when we speak of ,south ,america we think first of all of the rich eastern coast1 of the cities of ,rio de ,janeiro1 ,montevideo and ,buenos ,ayres4 ,but it is not to this section that the greatest advantage will come from the ,canal4 ,vessels from our ,pacific coast can indeed carry the timber of ,puget ,sound1 the fish of ,alaska and the ,columbia ,river1 the fruits of ,california thither more cheaply than now1 but that is but a slight fraction of their trade4 ,nor are ,brazil and the ,argentine participators in ,oriental trade to any great extent1 though the ,canal may make them so4 ,the western coast of ,south ,america is chiefly affected by the ,canal1 and that to a degree rigidly limited by the distance of the point considered from the ,straits of ,magellan1 and the size of the ,canal tolls imposed4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,zone ,,sign ,,of ,,civilization ,nor will the ,suez ,canal be an abandoned waterway after our own cut at ,panama is completed4 ,it will1 indeed1 be not surprising to see the ,suez ,canal tonnage increase1 for trade breeds trade1 and the ,panama ,canal will be a stimulant as well as a competitor4 ,to all of ,british ,india and ,southern ,china the distance from ,liverpool via ,suez is less than via ,panama1 and to ,melbourne1 ,sidney and other ,australian ports the saving in distance via ,panama is less than #bjjj miles4 ,the ,suez ,canal1 it is to be remembered1 is owned by ,great ,britain and a very slight concession in rates will be all that is needed to keep ,british merchant vessels to their long accustomed routes4 ,we have had a harder task in digging our ,canal than the ,french had at ,suez1 but we need cherish no delusive idea that we are going to put the earlier waterway out of business4 ,illustration3 ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,completed ,,canal ,the really great material advantage which the ,united ,states is to derive from this monumental national undertaking will come from the all-water connection between our own ,atlantic and ,pacific coasts4 ,a ship going from ,new ,york to ,san ,francisco via the ,straits of ,magellan traverses #ad1jjj miles of sea--some of it the very most turbulent of all ,king ,neptune's tossing domain4 ,by ,panama the same ship will have but #ejjj miles to cover4 ,the amazing thing is that ships are going around the ,horn1 or at least through the ,straits1 but the high rates on transcontinental railroads make even that protracted voyage profitable4 ,what the ,canal will do to transcontinental rates is a matter that is giving some railroad managers deep concern4 ,it was in fact a consideration which led to prolonged and obstinate opposition to the building of any canal at all4 ,water carriage between the two coasts has long been a bogey to the railroad managers4 ,when coastwise steamships on the ,atlantic and ,pacific with the ,panama ,railroad for a connecting link offered some competition1 the five transcontinental railways pooled together and1 securing control of the ,pacific ,mail ,steamship line operating between ,san ,francisco and ,panama1 used it to cripple all competition4 ,for a time there was danger that the methods then employed might be adopted to destroy the usefulness of the ,panama ,canal1 and it was to guard against this that ,congress adopted the law denying the use of the ,canal to vessels owned by railroad companies4 ,illustration3 ,,his ,,morning ,,tub ,at the time of its passage this law created much discussion4 ,the reason for it was widely misunderstood4 ,its first effect was the canceling of several orders for ships placed by railroad companies with shipbuilders in anticipation of the ,canal's opening1 and the public naturally cried out against a measure which seemed to interpose an obstacle to the reappearance of the ,american flag on the high seas4 ,but the law was bred of bitter experience4 ,in bygone days it was discovered that both time and money could be saved on shipments from ,california to ,new ,york or other ,atlantic seaports by sending them to ,panama by water1 across the ,isthmus by rail1 and then by water from ,colon to their destination4 ,this route grew in favor until the transcontinental railroads intervened to check its further development4 ,getting control of the ,pacific ,mail line of steamers from ,san ,francisco to ,panama1 they first put their rates so low as to drive all competing ships from the route4 ,of course they lost money1 but the loss was apportioned among the companies forming the pool1 and when the competing concerns had been ruined or driven out of business1 the rates were put up again and the losses that had been incurred were speedily recouped4 ,once the complete monopoly on the ,pacific had been secured1 every effort was made to discourage shipments by that route4 ,the ships passed ,los ,angeles1 the greatest fruit port in the country1 without a call1 but touched at innumerable little mud villages in ,central ,america so as to make the time of through shipments intolerable4 ,they often sailed with half a cargo--refusing to take freight that lay at their docks on the plea that all their cargo space was disposed of4 ,it was--to the railroads who afterward gathered up the rejected freight and shipped it east over their own lines at prices to suit themselves4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,girl1 ,,chorrera ,,province ,illustration3 ,,native ,,boy1 ,,chorrera ,,province ,taught wisdom by these tactics--against which they had unavailingly employed all the expedients of law and of coperative competition--the shippers of ,california appealed to ,congress to act wisely lest the ,panama ,canal as a waterway for all and a regulator of transcontinental freight rates be throttled by the railroads4 ,they pointed out that the roads might in combination maintain one line of ships between ,new ,york and ,san ,francisco which would make rates so low that no other line could meet them and live4 ,doubtless such a line would lose money1 but the loss1 divided among the conspiring roads1 would be but a flea bite to each1 and would be more than recouped by the higher rail rates they might charge4 ,in response to this appeal ,congress enacted the law denying railroads the right to maintain lines of water carriage on what would be normally competitive routes4 ,the statute though planned primarily for the maintenance of the highest usefulness of the ,panama ,canal affects other routes1 notably ,long ,island ,sound4 ,it is denounced by the railroads and has doubtless checked to some extent ,american shipbuilding1 but it is nevertheless the only apparent weapon against a very real and harmful device in the railroads' efforts to maintain high rates4 ,illustration3 ,,park ,,at ,,david ,the question of the tolls to be charged for passage through the ,canal is one that has evoked a somewhat acrimonious discussion1 the end of which is not yet4 ,about the amount of the toll there was little dispute4 ,it was determined by taking the cost of maintenance of the ,canal1 which is estimated at about #d1jjj1jjj annually1 and the interest on its cost1 about #aj1jjj1jjj a year1 and comparing the total with the amount of tonnage which might reasonably be expected to pass through annually4 ,prof4 ,emory ,r4 ,johnson1 the government expert upon whose figures are based all estimates concerning canal revenues1 fixed the probable tonnage of the ,canal for the first year at #aj1ejj1jjj tons1 with an increase at the end of the first decade of operation to #ag1jjj1jjj1 and at the end of the second decade to #bg1jjj1jjj tons4 ,the annual expenses of the ,canal1 including interest1 approximates #ad1jjj1jjj1 and ,congress has accordingly fixed the tolls at #a4bj a ton for freight and #a4ej per passenger4 ,it is anticipated that these figures will cause a deficit in the first two or three years of operation1 but that the growth of commerce through the ,canal will speedily make it up4 ,illustration3 ,,main ,,street1 ,,chorrera ,illustration3 ,a ,,placid ,,back ,,water ,,in ,,chiriqui ,in legislating upon the question of tolls ,congress opened an international question which has been fiercely debated and which remains a subject of diplomatic negotiation between our ,state ,department and the ,british ,foreign ,office4 ,this was done by the section of the law which granted to ,american-built ships engaged in the coasting trade the right to use the ,canal without the payment of any tolls whatsoever4 ,at the time of its appearance in ,congress this proposition attracted little attention and evoked no discussion4 ,it seemed to be a perfectly obvious and entirely justifiable employment of the ,canal for the encouragement of ,american shipping4 ,the ,united ,states had bought the territory through which the ,canal extended and was paying every dollar of the cost of the great work4 ,what could be more natural than that it should concede to ,american shipping owners1 who had borne their share of the taxation which the cost of the ,canal necessitated1 the right of free passage through it8 ,the concession seemed the more obvious and proper because the privilege of free passage was limited to vessels in the coastwise trade4 ,under our navigation laws maritime trade between ports in the ,united ,states is confined to ships built in ,american shipyards4 ,this regulation is clearly intended to confer upon the ,united ,states a monopoly of the building of coastwise ships1 and the subsequent exemption of coastwise ships from ,panama ,canal tolls was a further benefaction to this monopoly4 ,as a matter of fact1 our coastwise trade was at the moment passing into monopolistic control1 and the wisdom of making so prodigious a gift to a monopolistic combination might have justly been questioned4 ,but the strictly business features of the ,canal have always been decorated with more or less sentimental declamation about restablishing the ,american flag on the high seas1 and it was to contribute to the latter desirable end that the tolls were to be remitted4 ,it seemed to occur to no one that the ships thus favored were either owned by railroad companies and used largely to stifle competition or by a somewhat notorious organizer of trusts whose ambition was to control water transportation from ,maine to the ,mexico border1 and who was checked in the attainment of his aim by a sentence to the ,federal penitentiary4 ,it is not only in war time that the flag is waved most enthusiastically by men who only want the bounty that goes with it4 ,nobody1 however1 at the time of the passage of the act regulating tolls thought it had any particular international significance4 ,its signature by the ,president was taken as a matter of course and it was not until some time afterward that the ,ambassador of ,great ,britain presented his country's claim that the exemption clause was in violation of the ,hay-,pauncefote treaty4 ,the section of that treaty which it is claimed is violated reads thus3 8,the ,canal shall be free and open to the vessels of commerce and of war of all nations observing these rules on terms of entire equality1 so that there shall be no discrimination against any such nation1 or its citizens or subjects1 in respect of the conditions or changes of traffic04 ,the outcry against the exemption clause soon became very vociferous4 ,perhaps the ,canadian railroads or some of their officials may have been instrumental in this1 seeing a possible profit in running ships from ,montreal or ,quebec to ,vancouver or ,victoria1 touching at various ,united ,states ports en route4 ,such a voyage would not constitute a 8coastwise passage0 under our laws1 and foreign vessels might engage in such traffic4 ,but they saw that the exemption in tolls by which a ,united ,states vessel of #ab1jjj tons would escape canal tolls amounting to #ae1jjj would put them at a serious disadvantage4 ,hence they appealed to ,great ,britain and the protest followed4 ,whether affected by the vigorous colonial protest or not1 the ,british government urges that the ,united ,states will very properly adjust its tolls to meet the needs of the ,canal for revenue1 and that if the coastwise shipping be exempted there will be a loss of some millions of dollars in revenue which will compel the imposition of higher tolls on other shipping4 ,it is urged also on behalf of the protestants that the word 8coastwise0 is capable of various constructions and that a vessel plying between ,new ,york and ,los ,angeles might be held not to have sacrificed her coastwise register if she continued her voyage to ,yokohama or ,hong ,kong4 ,illustration3 ,,gatun ,,lake4 ,,floating ,,islands ,,massed ,,against ,,trestle ,american public men and the ,american press are radically divided on the question4 ,a majority1 perhaps1 are inclined to thrust it aside with a mere declaration of our power in the matter4 8,we built the ,canal and paid for it01 they say1 8and our ships have the same rights in it that they have in the ,hudson ,river or the canal at the ,soo4 ,besides the ,british cannot engage in our coasting trade anyway1 and what we do to help our coastwise ships concerns no one but us04 ,which seems a pretty fair and reasonable statement of the case until the opponents of the exemption clause put in their rejoinder4 8,read the treaty01 they say4 8,it is perfectly clear in its agreement that the ,united ,states should not do this thing it now proposes to do4 ,treaties are1 by the ,constitution1 the supreme law of the land4 ,to violate one is to violate our national honor4 ,it would be disgraceful to let the word go out to all the world that the ,united ,states entered into sacred obligations by treaty and repudiated them the moment their fulfilment proved galling4 ,the protected shipyards1 the already subsidized coastwise steamship companies1 are asking for more gratuities at the cost of our national honor4 ,what is the use of restablishing on the high seas a flag which all peoples may point out as the emblem of a dishonorable state08 ,illustration3 ,,guide ,,wall ,,at ,,miraflores ,this picture shows method of lock construction4 ,the space within these two walls will be filled with dirt and cement4 ,the ground on either side will be inundated1 forming a small lake through which the ,canal passes4 ,so rests the argument4 ,the advocates of the remission of tolls to the coastwise ships of the ,united ,states have the best of the position1 since their contention is already enacted into law1 but the opposing forces are vigorously urging the repeal of the law4 ,congress will of course be the final arbiter1 and as the ,canal cannot be opened to commerce before #aiae there is ample time for deliberation and just judgment4 ,a phase of the problem which ,i do not recall having seen discussed arises out of the literal acceptance of the language of the treaty as bearing upon the use of the ,canal in war time4 ,it declares that the ,canal 8shall be free and open to the vessels of commerce and of war of all nations 444 on terms of entire equality01 and while it goes on to prescribe the rules to be followed in war time it nowhere declares the right of the ,united ,states to debar to the warships of a hostile nation the privilege of passing through the ,canal4 ,under the strictest construction of the language of the treaty the refusal of the ,united ,states to permit a ,german or a ,japanese fleet to pass through1 even though that nation was at war with us1 would be a violation of the treaty which would justify ,english interference to enforce the opening of the ,canal--which of course would be war4 ,no such contingency could possibly arise1 nor any such construction be put upon the language of the treaty by any reasonable and responsible party4 ,yet it is scarcely a more forced construction than the one applied in order to make it appear that we may not free our own ships in purely domestic trade from canal tolls4 ,illustration3 ,,poling ,,over ,,the ,,shallows ,the fundamental principle controlling the amount of the tolls is to fix them at such a figure as to minimize the competition of ,suez4 ,commerce proceeds by the cheapest route4 ,some slight advantage may accrue to the ,panama route if the government can make such contracts with ,american mines as to be able to furnish coal at the ,isthmus at a price materially less than is charged at ,suez4 ,the estimates1 supplied by ,prof4 ,johnson1 of probable commerce have been based on a price for coal at ,cristobal or ,colon of #e a ton and at ,balboa of #e4ej a ton4 ,at the time the prices for coal at ,port ,said on the ,suez ,canal were from #f4bj to #f4cb a ton4 ,this1 plus cheaper tolls1 will give ,panama a great advantage over ,suez4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,american ,press ,association ,,the ,,spillway ,,almost ,,complete4 ,the scaffolding will be removed and all towers built to height of those on left ,the first immediate and direct profit accruing to the people of the ,united ,states from the ,canal will come from the quick1 short and cheap communication it will afford between the eastern and western coasts of the ,united ,states4 ,people who think of passenger schedules when they speak of communication between distant cities will doubtless be surprised to learn that on freight an average of two weeks will be saved by the ,canal route between ,new ,york and ,san ,francisco4 ,the saving in money1 even should the railroads materially reduce their present transcontinental rates1 will be even more striking4 ,even now for many classes of freights there is a profit in shipping by way of the ,straits of ,magellan--a distance of #ac1ace miles4 ,by ,panama the distance between ,new ,york and ,san ,francisco is but #ebfb miles1 a saving of #ghgc miles or about the distance across the ,atlantic and back4 ,from ,new ,orleans to ,san ,francisco will be but #dfhc miles4 ,today there is little or no water communication between the two cities and their tributary territory4 ,at least one month's steaming will be saved by #ab-knot vessels going through the ,panama ,canal over those making the voyage by way of the ,straits of ,magellan4 ,a general idea of the saving in distance between points likely to be affected by the ,canal is given by the table prepared by ,hon4 ,john ,barrett1 ,director ,general of the ,pan-,american ,union and published on page #chd4 ,illustration3 ,,san ,,blas ,,lugger ,,in ,,port ,illustration3 ,photo by ,brown ,bros4 ,,the ,,beginning ,,of ,a ,,slide ,the great crack has opened in the side of a road2 note house in the distance about to go ,the ,pacific coasts both of the ,united ,states and of ,south and ,central ,america will be quickened into new life when the stream of commerce begins to flow through the new channel at ,panama4 ,it may be wise to lay emphasis at this point upon the fact that so far as industrial and commercial life on our own ,pacific coast is concerned it needs little quickening1 as the march to civic greatness of those communities has been unparalleled4 ,but even that magnificent advance has been impeded and harassed by the difficulty of communication with the markets of the ,atlantic coast4 ,the struggles of the ,pacific coast planters and lumbermen to break the bondage imposed upon them by the railroads have been fairly frantic1 and their uniform failure pathetic4 ,perhaps the railroad managers have demanded no more than a rightful care for the interests of their stockholders warranted4 ,this is no place to argue the railroad rate question4 ,but from the shipper's point of view the demands have been so intolerable that every expedient for resisting them has been tried and failed4 ,even now there is profit to a corporation--and to the shippers that patronize it--in carrying goods from ,san ,francisco to ,hawaii1 thence to ,tehuantepec and across that ,isthmus to the ,gulf and thence again to ,new ,york in competition with the direct railroad lines4 ,if freight can be thus handled profitably1 with two changes from ship to car and vice versa1 it is easy to see how vastly beneath the charges of the railroads will be the all-water route between ,new ,york and ,san ,francisco4 ,it is little exaggeration to say that for commercial purposes all the ,pacific seaboard will be brought as near ,new ,york and ,european markets as ,chicago is today4 ,the forward impetus given by this to the commercial interests of the ,pacific baffles computation4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,brown ,bros4 8,,making ,,the ,,dirt ,,fly0 ,but it is ,latin ,america that has reason to look forward with the utmost avidity to the results that will follow the opening of the ,canal4 ,for the people of that little developed and still mysterious coast line reaching from the ,united ,states-,mexico boundary1 as far south at least as ,valparaiso1 the ,united ,states has prepared a gift of incalculable richness4 ,our share in the benefit will come in increased trade1 if our merchants seize upon the opportunity offered4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,happy ,,children ,,of ,,the ,,zone ,from ,liverpool to ,valparaiso today is #hgdg miles and from ,new ,york #hchj4 ,but when the ships go through the ,canal the ,english vessels will save little4 ,for them the run will be reduced to #gbjg miles1 while from ,new ,york the distance will be cut to #dfcc4 ,with such a handicap in their favor ,new ,york shippers should control the commerce of ,pacific ,south ,america north of ,valparaiso4 ,guayaquil1 in ,ecuador1 will be but #bbcb miles from ,new ,orleans2 it has been #aj1fca4 ,callao1 with all ,peru at its back1 will be #ccfc miles from ,new ,york1 #bghd from ,new ,orleans4 ,in every instance the saving of distance by the ,panama route is more to the advantage of the ,united ,states than of ,great ,britain4 ,today the lion's share of the commerce of the ,south ,american countries goes to ,england or to ,germany4 ,,distance ,,saved ,,by ,,the ,,panama ,,cutoff ,,comparative ,,distances 7,,in ,,nautical ,,miles7 ,,in ,,the ,,world',s ,,sea ,,traffic ,,and ,,difference ,,in ,,distances ,,via ,,panama ,,canal ,,and ,,other ,,principal ,,routes ,from _/-------------------------------------- ----- ,new ,new ,liver- ,pana- ,to ,via ,york ,orleans pool ,hamburg ,suez ma ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,seattle ,magellan #ac1iec #ad1cfi #ad1cbj #ad1gja #ae1cig 444 ,panama #f1jhj #e1eja #h1fed #i1agc #aj1ddg #d1jfc ,distance saved #g1hgch1hfhe1fffe1ebhd1iej 444 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,san ,francisco,magellan #ac1ace #ac1eea #ac1ejb #ac1hhc #ad1egi 444 ,panama #e1bfb #d1fhc #g1hcf #h1cee #i1fbi #c1bde ,distance saved #g1hgch1hfhe1fffe1ebhd1iej 444 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,honolulu ,magellan #ac1cab #ac1gbh #ac1fgi #ad1jfj #ad1gef 444 ,panama #f1gjb #f1abc #i1bgf #i1gie #aa1jfi #d1fhe ,distance saved #f1fajg1fjed1djcd1bfec1fhg 444 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,guayaquil ,magellan #aj1bae #aj1fca #aj1ehb #aj1ifc #aa1fei 444 ,panama #b1haj #b1bca #e1chd #e1ijc #i1aib #gic ,distance saved #g1djeh1djje1aihe1jfjb1dfg 444 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,callao ,magellan #i1fac #aj1jbi #i1ihj #aj1cfa #aa1jeg 444 ,panama #c1cfc #b1ghd #e1icg #f1def #g1gcj #a1cdf ,distance saved #f1bejg1bded1jdcc1ijec1cbg 444 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,valparaiso ,magellan #h1chj #h1gif #h1gdg #i1abh #i1hbd 444 ,panama #d1fcc #d1jed #g1bjg #g1gbf #i1jjj #b1faf ,distance saved #c1gdgd1gdba1edja1djb #hbd 444 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,wellington ,magellan #aa1cdd #aa1gfj 444 #ac1cec #i1fid 444 ,suez 444 444 #ab1ihi 444 444 444 ,panama #h1heg #h1bgb #aa1dbe #aa1idd #i1bje #f1hcd ,distance saved #b1dicc1dhha1efda1dji #dhi 444 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,melbourne ,cape ,good ,hope#ac1afb #ad1jie 444 #aa1hde #h1ahf 444 ,suez 444 444 #aa1fed 444 444 444 ,panama #aj1cib #i1hac #ab1iff #ac1deb #aj1gac #h1cdb ,distance saved #b1ggjd1bhba1caba1fjgb1ebg 444 #a #a #a ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,manila ,suez #aa1ehi #ab1idc #i1gja #i1hib #f1bcc 444 ,panama #aa1edh #aj1ifi #ad1abb #ad1fjh #aa1hfi #i1cgj ,distance saved #daa1igdd1dbad1gafe1fcf 444 #a #a #a ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,hongkong ,suez #aa1fgc #ac1jca #i1ghe #i1igf #f1cag 444 ,panama #aa1fia #aa1aab #ac1ieg #ad1ddc #aa1gjd #i1agc ,distance saved #aha1iaid1agbd1dfge1chg 444 #a #a #a ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,yokohama ,suez #ac1eff #ad1ibd #aa1fgh #aa1hfi #h1baj 444 ,panama #i1gih #i1bai #ab1cgb #ac1heh #aa1aai #g1ffj ,distance saved #c1gfhe1gje #fida1ihib1iji 444 #a #a #a ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,panama #b1jag #a1dch #d1eia #e1aaj #f1chg 444 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,see also map on page #che #a ,distance saved in these cases is via ,suez or ,cape of ,good ,hope4 ,north of the ,canal are the ,central ,american countries of ,costa ,rica1 ,nicaragua1 ,honduras1 ,salvador1 ,guatemala and ,mexico4 ,on their ,gulf coasts harbors are infrequent and poor1 but on the ,pacific plentiful4 ,their territory is as yet little developed1 but with few manufacturers of their own they offer a still undeveloped market for ours4 ,in all1 the twelve ,latin-,american countries bordering on the ,pacific have an area of over #b1ejj1jjj square miles1 or about that of the ,united ,states exclusive of ,alaska and its insular possessions4 ,they have a population of #cg1jjj1jjj and their foreign trade is estimated at #gdj1jjj1jjj4 ,in this trade the ,united ,states is at the present time a sharer to the extent of #bgg1jjj1jjj or about #cg per cent4 ,with the ,canal in operation it is believed that the total commerce will be doubled and the share of the ,united ,states raised to #ej per cent4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,panama ,,cut ,,off ,,this ,,map ,,should ,,be ,,studied ,,in ,,connection ,,with ,,the ,,table ,,of ,,comparative ,,distances ,,on ,,page #chd ,however1 it is the great ,australasian and ,asiatic markets1 now scarcely touched about the outskirts1 to which the ,canal will give the readiest access4 ,here other nations will profit equally with ours unless our merchants show a greater energy in the pursuit of foreign trade than they have of late years4 ,time was that the old shipping merchants of ,boston1 ,philadelphia and ,new ,york asked odds of no man nor of any nation1 but had their own ships plying in the waters of all the world1 with captains who were at once navigators and traders--equally alert to avoid a typhoon and to secure a profitable cargo or charter4 ,but that sort of foreign trade is now vanished with the adventurous spirits who pursued it4 ,unless conditions governing the ,american merchant marine materially change within the next two years--of which there seems today no likelihood--it will be ,england and ,germany with their existing lines of ships that will chiefly benefit by the ,united ,states #djj1jjj1jjj gift to the commerce of the world4 ,curiously enough ,new ,york1 or for that matter any ,north ,atlantic seaport of the ,united ,states1 is in a sort a way station for ships from ,europe to ,north ,asiatic ports4 ,in navigation the straight course is not always the shortest course1 for the very simple reason that the equator is the longest way around the world4 ,on account of the curvature of the earth's surface a vessel from ,liverpool to ,hamburg to the ,panama ,canal by following the great circle route can make ,new ,york a stopping-place by adding only one day's steaming to the voyage4 ,on the other hand a vessel en route from ,panama to ,yokohama can touch at ,san ,diego and ,san ,francisco with only two days' extra steaming4 ,these facts make for the advantage of the shipper by adding to the vigor of competition for cargoes1 but they add to the fierceness of the rivalry which the ,american ship owner will have to meet and for which the kindly government prepares him by forcing him to buy his ships in the costliest market and operate them in accordance with a hampering and extravagant system of navigation laws4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,brown ,bros4 ,,an ,,eruption ,,of ,,the ,,canal ,,bed ,the pressure of the adjoining hills has forced up the soil at its weakest point1 namely the bed of the ,canal1 to a height of #ah feet1 as shown by the dotted line ,the ease however with which ,english or ,german ships en route to the ,far ,east may touch at ,new ,york1 ,boston or ,philadelphia will doubtless divert to ,panama some of the traffic that would find a shorter through route via ,suez4 ,for example1 from ,liverpool to ,melbourne is #acab miles less via ,suez than by way of ,panama1 while to ,hongkong it is #fid miles less4 ,yet it is quite conceivable that the advantage of taking ,new ,york or other ,united ,states ,atlantic ports on the way may secure some of this traffic for ,panama4 ,the really striking saving in time and distance is shown by a comparison of the present distances between our ,atlantic coast towns and ,australasia and the ,orient4 ,prof4 ,johnson has put this in two compact tables1 which ,i quote from ,the ,scientific ,american3 ,,table ,i4--,,distances ,,and ,,time ,,saved ,,via ,,the ,,panama ,,canal ,,as ,,contrasted ,,with ,,routes ,,via ,,the ,,suez ,,canal1 ,,the ,,cape ,,of ,,good ,,hope1 ,,and ,,the ,,straits ,,of ,,magellan ,,between ,,the ,,atlantic ,,gulf ,,seaboard ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,and ,,australasia ,,from ,,new ,,york ,,to ,dis- ,days saved for vessels of ,,remarks tance------------------------- saved #i #aj #ab #ad #af knotsknotsknotsknotsknots ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,miles ,adelaide #a1gdf #g4e #f4g #e4f #d4f #d4j ,difference between routes via ,panama1 ,tahiti1 ,sydney1 and ,melbourne1 and via ,st4 ,vincent and ,cape of ,good ,hope4 ,melbourne #b1ggjab4c #aa4j #i4a #g4g #f4g ,difference between routes via ,panama1 ,tahiti1 and ,sydney and via ,st4 ,vincent1 ,cape of ,good ,hope1 and ,adelaide4 ,sydney #c1icbag4g #ae4h #ac4a #aa4b #i4g ,difference between routes via ,panama and ,tahiti1 and via ,st4 ,vincent1 ,cape of ,good ,hope1 ,adelaide1 and ,melbourne4 ,wellington#b1dicaa4j #i4i #h4a #f4i #f4j ,difference between routes via ,panama and ,tahiti and via ,straits of ,magellan4 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,,from ,,new ,,orleans ,,to ,dis- ,days saved for vessels of ,,remarks tance------------------------- saved #i #aj #ab #ad #af knotsknotsknotsknotsknots ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,miles ,adelaide #c1behad4f #ac4a #aj4h #i4b #h4j ,difference between routes via ,panama1 ,tahiti1 ,sydney1 and ,melbourne1 and via ,st4 ,vincent and ,cape of ,good ,hope4 ,melbourne #d1bhbai4c #ag4c #ad4c #ab4b #aj4g ,difference between routes via ,panama1 ,tahiti1 and ,sydney and via ,st4 ,vincent1 ,cape of ,good ,hope1 and ,adelaide4 ,sydney #e1dddbd4f #bb4b #ah4d #ae4g #ac4g ,difference between routes via ,panama and ,tahiti1 and via ,st4 ,vincent1 ,cape of ,good ,hope1 ,adelaide1 and ,melbourne4 ,wellington#c1dhhae4f #ad4j #aa4f #i4i #h4f ,difference between routes via ,panama and ,tahiti and via ,straits of ,magellan4 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,,table ,,ii4--,,distances ,,and ,,days ,,saved ,,by ,,the ,,panama ,,or ,,the ,,suez ,,canal ,,between ,,the ,,atlantic ,,gulf ,,seaboard ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,and ,,japan1 ,,china1 ,,the ,,philippines1 ,,and ,,singapore ,,from ,,new ,,york ---------------------------------- ,,to ,,via ,days saved for vessels of ,,remarks ,dis-------------------------- tance #i #aj #ab #ad #af savedknotsknotsknotsknotsknots ---------------------------------------- ---------------------- ,miles ,yokohama ,panama#c1gfhaf4i #ae4b #ab4f #aj4g #i4c ,via ,san ,francisco4 ,suez 444 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,colombo1 ,singapore1 ,hongkong and ,shanghai4 ,shanghai ,panama#a1hgf #h4a #g4c #f4j #e4a #d4d ,via ,san ,francisco and ,yokohama4 ,suez 444 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,colombo1 ,singapore and ,hongkong4 ,hongkong ,panama 444 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,san ,francisco1 ,yokohama and ,shanghai4 ,suez #ah 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,colombo and ,singapore4 ,manila4 ,panama #da 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,san ,francisco and ,yokohama4 ,suez 444 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,colombo and ,singapore4 ,singapore,panama 444 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,san ,francisco and ,yokohama4 ,suez #b1dhdaa4j #i4h #h4d #f4i #e4i ,via ,colombo4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------- ,,from ,,new ,,orleans ---------------------------------- ,,to ,,via ,days saved for vessels of ,,remarks ,dis-------------------------- tance #i #aj #ab #ad #af savedknotsknotsknotsknotsknots ---------------------------------------- ---------------------- ,miles ,yokohama ,panama#e1gjebe4i #bc4c #ai4c #af4e #ad4d ,via ,san ,francisco4 ,suez 444 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,colombo1 ,singapore1 ,hongkong and ,shanghai4 ,shanghai ,panama#c1hacag4a #ae4d #ab4g #aj4h #i4d ,via ,san ,francisco and ,yokohama4 ,suez 444 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,colombo1 ,singapore and ,hongkong4 ,hongkong ,panama#a1iai #h4d #g4e #f4b #e4b #d4e ,via ,san ,francisco1 ,yokohama and ,shanghai4 ,suez 444 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,colombo and ,singapore4 ,manila4 ,panama#a1igh #h4f #g4g #f4d #e4d #d4g ,via ,san ,francisco and ,yokohama4 ,suez 444 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,colombo and ,singapore4 ,singapore,panama 444 444 444 444 444 444 ,via ,san ,francisco and ,yokohama4 ,suez #edg #b4j #a4g #a4d #a4a #j4i ,via ,colombo4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------- ,so far as ,asiatic traffic is concerned1 there is almost sure to be some overlapping of routes4 ,conditions other than those of time and space will occasionally control shipmasters in the choice of a route4 ,but so far as the trade of our ,atlantic ports with ,hongkong1 the ,philippines and points north and east thereof is concerned it will all go through ,panama4 ,so1 too1 with the vessels from ,english1 ,french or ,german ports4 ,if the contemplated economies offered by the price of coal and fuel oil at ,balboa are effected1 the inducements of this route will divert from ,suez all ,european shipping bound for ,asiatic ports north of ,india4 ,a careful study of the ,suez ,canal shows that the trade of the ,united ,states with all foreign countries made up #cc per cent of the total traffic1 and the commerce of ,europe with the west coast of ,south ,america comprised #ch per cent4 ,col4 ,johnson compiled for the benefit of the ,commission a table which showed the vessels which might advantageously have used the ,canal in #aiji and #aiaj1 and accompanied it with another giving his estimate of the amount of shipping that actually will use the ,canal in #aiae and thereafter4 ,as the expression of official opinion based upon the most careful research1 these tables are here republished4 ,,classification ,,of ,,estimated ,,net ,,tonnage ,,of ,,shipping ,,using ,,the ,,panama ,,canal ,,in #aiae1 #aibj ,,and #aibe ---------------------------------------- ------------------------ ,average per annum during #aiae and #aiaf #aibj #aibe ---------------------------------------- ------------------------ ,coast-to-coast ,american shipping #a1jjj1jjj #a1dad1jjj #b1jjj1jjj ,american shipping carrying foreign commerce of the ,united ,states #gbj1jjj #iaj1jjj #a1ejj1jjj ,foreign shipping carrying commerce of the ,united ,states and foreign countries #h1ghj1jjjaa1jbj1jjjac1hej1jjj ------------------------------ ,total #aj1ejj1jjjac1cdd1jjjag1jjj1jjj ---------------------------------------- ------------------------ ,illustration3 ,,culebra ,,cut ,,on ,a ,,hazy ,,day ,,net ,,tonnage ,,of ,,vessels ,,that ,,might ,,have ,,advantageously ,,used ,a ,,panama ,,canal ,,in #aiji-aj4 ---------------------------------------- --------------------------- ,total ,total ,total ,entrances ,entrances,clearances and ,clearances ---------------------------------------- --------------------------- ,europe with3 ,western ,south ,america #a1eec1hhg #a1eid1eac #c1adh1djj ,western ,central ,america and ,pacific ,mexico #hj1ghh #aah1gad #aii1ejb ,pacific ,united ,states1 ,british ,columbia1 and ,hawaii #dai1hfe #bfi1hec #fhi1gah ,pacific ,united ,states via ,suez ,canal 7#a7 7#a7 7#a7aeh1jjj ,oriental countries east of ,singapore and ,oceania #fah1gjd #eee1hha #a1agd1ehe ,eastern ,united ,states coast with3 ,western ,south ,america1 ,pacific ,mexico1 and ,hawaii #cji1iji #aff1fhf #dfg1eie ,pacific ,coast of ,united ,states 7via ,cape ,horn7 #aag1adg #ee1ejh #agb1fee ,pacific ,coast of ,united ,states and ,hawaii 7via ,american-,hawaiian ,s4,s4 ,co47 #aha1gac #aha1gac #cfc1dbf ,oriental countries east of ,singapore and ,oceania #fjj1jjj #ijj1jjj #a1ejj1jjj ,pacific traffic3 ,pacific ,coast #aeh1eeh #bei1icb #dah1dij ,atlantic ,coast -- -- -- ,eastern ,canada with ,alaska1 ,chile and ,australia #ac1daj #bb1bdh #ce1feh ---------------------------------------- --------------------------- ,total #d1jdd1iha #d1abe1jdh #h1cbh1jbi ---------------------------------------- --------------------------- ,,note4--7#a7 ,reported by ,suez ,canal ,company2 hence the total is not separable into entrances and clearances at ,american ports4 ,after all1 however1 the most patient investigation of the past and the most careful and scientific calculations of the probabilities of the future may produce a wholly inaccurate result4 ,the real effect of the ,canal on the world's commerce may be something wholly different from what the experts expect4 ,but we may proceed upon the well-established fact that no new route of swifter and cheaper transportation ever failed to create a great business1 and to develop thriving communities along its route4 ,this fact finds illustration in the building up of the suburbs and back country by the development of trolley lines1 and1 on a larger scale1 the prodigious growth of our ,pacific coast after the transcontinental railroads had fought their way to every corner of that empire still in the making4 ,much is uncertain about what the ,panama ,canal will do for the expansion of our trade and influence1 but the one thing that is certain is that no sane man is likely to put the figures of increase and extension too high4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,brown ,bros4 ,,bird',s-,,eye ,,view ,,of ,,miraflores ,,lock ,at the upper end of the lock the guide wall extends into ,miraflores lake2 the lower end opens into the tide-water ,canal4 ,more and more the exports of the ,united ,states are taking the form of manufactured goods4 ,the old times when we were the granary of the world are passing away and the moment is not far distant when we shall produce barely enough for our rapidly increasing population4 ,british ,columbia is taking up the task of feeding the world where we are dropping it4 ,on the other hand1 our manufacturing industry is progressing with giant strides and1 while a few years ago our manufacturers were content with their rigidly protected home market1 they are now reaching out for the markets of foreign lands4 ,figures just issued show that in #aj years our exports of manufactured goods have increased #gj per cent4 ,the possibilities of the ,asiatic market1 which the ,canal brings so much more closely to our doors1 are almost incalculable4 ,for cotton goods alone ,china and ,india will afford a market vastly exceeding any which is now open to our cotton mills1 and if1 as many hold1 the ,chinese shall themselves take up the manufacture of the fleecy staple they will have to turn to ,new ,england and ,pennsylvania for their machinery and to our cotton belt of states for the material4 ,the ships from ,charleston1 ,savannah1 ,new ,orleans and ,galveston1 which so long steamed eastward with their cargoes of cotton1 will in a few years turn their prows toward the setting sun4 ,indeed these southern ports should be among the first to feel the stimulating effect of the new markets4 ,southern tobacco1 lumber1 iron and coal will find a new outlet1 and freight which has been going to ,atlantic ports will go to the ,gulf--the front door to the ,canal4 ,illustration3 ,,handling ,,broken ,,rock ,illustration3 ,photo by ,american ,press ,association ,,lock ,,construction ,,showing ,,conduits ,how swiftly and efficiently ,american manufacturers and jobbers will seize upon the new conditions and avail themselves of this opening of new fields is yet to be determined4 ,the enemies of a protective tariff are not the only ones who hold that it has had the result of dulling the keen spirit of adventurous enterprise for which our people were once noted4 ,the absolute possession of a home market ever growing in size and into which no foreigner could enter with any hope of successful competition has naturally engaged at home the attention of our captains of industry4 ,bold and dashing spirits of the sort that one hundred years ago were covering the seas with ,baltimore clippers and the output of the ,new ,england shipyards turned their attention half a century ago to the building of railroads and the development of our western frontier4 ,when the middle-aged men of today were boys1 the heroes of their story books ran away to sea and after incredible adventures came home in command of clipper ships trading to ,china4 ,today the same class of fiction starts the aspiring boy in as a brakeman or a mill hand and he emerges as a railroad president or the head of a great manufacturing industry4 ,illustration3 ,,traveling ,,crane ,,handling ,,concrete ,,in ,,lock-,,building ,these cranes are the striking feature of the ,canal landscape1 handling thousands of tons of concrete daily ,illustration3 ,,tivoli ,,hotel ,,from ,,hospital ,,grounds ,illustration3 ,,mestizo ,,girl ,,of ,,chorrera ,whether the earlier spirit of world conquest will again spring up in the ,american mind so long content with the profits of its own national preserves is yet to be demonstrated4 ,to what extent it has vanished any thoughtful traveler in foreign lands observes with a sigh4 ,one sees evidences of its weakness at every foreign international exhibition1 for the ,american section is generally the least impressive there4 ,the opinion of our manufacturers is often that to show their products abroad is folly because foreign manufacturers will imitate them with cheaper materials and labor4 ,in most foreign markets1 in the cities of ,europe1 ,south ,america and the ,orient the chief ,american products you see displayed are those manufactured by one of those combinations of capital we call a trust1 and they are usually sold abroad at lower prices than at home4 ,typewriters1 adding machines1 sewing machines1 shoes and the divers products of the protean ,standard ,oil ,company seem to be the most vigorous representatives of ,american industrial activity abroad4 ,nevertheless the recent statistics show that our experts are on the up-grade1 and evidences of growing interest in our export trade multiply daily4 ,that the ,canal of itself will not make amends for indifference or lethargy on the part of our manufacturers goes without saying4 ,the nation may supply them with the waterway1 but it cannot compel them to use it1 or even teach them how4 ,every ,american traveler in ,south ,america has groaned over the reports that come from every side concerning the fatuity with which our manufacturers permit themselves to be distanced in the race for the trade of those republics4 ,our consular reports are filled with suggestions from consuls1 but the various associations of exporters are so busy passing platitudinous resolutions about the need of taking the consular service out of politics that they have no time to heed the really valuable suggestions offered4 ,our methods of packing goods1 and our systems of credits1 are repugnant to the ,south ,american needs and customs and the fact has been set forth in detail in innumerable consular reports without any response on the part of our exporters4 ,the ,american attitude is 8what is good enough at home is good enough abroad0--which is patriotic but not a good rule on which to attempt building up foreign trade4 ,incidentally sometimes what is good enough for a home market is often too good for a ,latin-,american one4 ,the ,english and the ,germans recognize this and govern themselves accordingly4 ,it is a far cry from digging a canal to the system of educating young men to represent a firm in foreign lands4 ,yet one finds in visiting ,south ,america1 or for that matter ,oriental cities1 that a great deal of the rapid expansion of ,german trade is due to the systematic education of boys for business in foreign lands4 ,the weakest part of the educational system of the ,united ,states is its indifference to foreign tongues1 an indifference possibly quite natural because but few ,americans have really any need for any language except their own4 ,but the ,german representatives sent to ,south ,america are at home in the ,spanish tongue1 and carefully schooled in the commercial needs and customs of the ,latin-,american countries before they reach them4 ,they are backed1 too1 by a strong semi-official organization in their own country4 ,they have in most of the principal ,south ,american towns ,german banks quite as interested as the salesmen themselves in the extension of ,german trade4 ,it is reported that whenever paper involved in an ,american transaction with a ,south ,american buyer passes through a ,german bank in ,south ,america a report of the transaction is sent to some central ,german agency which tries to divert the next business of the same sort into ,german hands4 ,i have no personal knowledge of such transactions1 but the story is current in ,south ,america and it is quite in accord with the ,german's infinite capacity for taking pains with little things4 ,illustration3 ,copyright1 #aiac1 ,f4 ,e4 ,wright4 ,,santa ,,ana ,,plaza1 ,,panama ,this plaza was built up largely during the ,french rgime and the open air cafs are relics of that period of pleasure4 ,it is the gayest of the town's rallying places4 ,illustration3 ,,how ,,corn ,,is ,,ground ,foreign ships1 no less than foreign banks and the excellence of foreign commercial schools1 are and will continue to be a factor in the building up of foreign trade via the ,canal4 ,just as the ,german banks report to their home commercial organizations the transactions of other countries in lands whose trade is sought1 so foreign ships naturally work for the advantage of the country whose flag they fly4 ,surprising as it may seem to many1 and disappointing as it must be to all1 it is the unfortunate fact that within a year of the time set for opening the ,panama ,canal to commerce there is not the slightest evidence that that great work is going to have any influence whatsoever toward the creation of a ,united ,states fleet in foreign trade4 ,england1 ,germany1 ,italy and ,japan are all establishing new lines1 the last three with the aid of heavy subsidies4 ,but in ,april1 #aiac1 a recognized authority on the ,american merchant marine published this statement3 8,so far as international commerce via ,panama is concerned not one new keel is being laid in the ,united ,states and not one new ship has even been projected4 ,the ,panama ,canal act of last ,august reversed our former policy and granted free ,american registry to foreign-built ships for international commerce through the ,panama ,canal or elsewhere4 ,but this #8free-ship' policy has utterly failed4 ,not one foreign ship has hoisted the ,american flag1 not one request for the flag has reached the ,bureau of ,navigation04 ,illustration3 ,,they ,,used ,,to ,,do ,,this ,,in ,,new ,,england ,the reason for this is the archaic condition of our navigation laws4 ,the first cost of a ship1 even though somewhat greater when built in ,american yards1 becomes a negligible factor in comparison with a law which makes every expense incurred in operating it #aj to #bj per cent higher than like charges on foreign vessels4 ,james ,j4 ,hill1 the great railroad builder1 who planned a line of steamships to the ,orient and built the two greatest ships that ever came from an ,american yard1 said once to the writer1 8,i can build ships in the ,united ,states as advantageously as on the ,clyde and operate them without a subsidy4 ,but neither ,i nor any other man can maintain a line of ,american ships at a profit while the navigation laws put us at a disadvantage in competition with those of every other nation04 ,those mainly responsible for the enactment and maintenance of the navigation laws declare them to be essential to secure proper wages and treatment of the ,american sailor1 but the effect has been to deprive the sailor of the ships necessary to earn his livelihood4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,brown ,bros4 ,,pile-,,driver ,,and ,,dredge ,,at ,,balboa ,,dock ,however1 coastwise shipping will be greatly stimulated by the ,canal4 ,in the midst of the lamentation about the disappearance of the ,american flag from the high seas it is gratifying to reflect that the merchant marine of the ,united ,states is really the second in the world1 though our share in international shipping is almost negligible4 ,that we rank second as a whole is due to the phenomenal development of our shipping on the great lakes where with a season barely eight months long a shipping business is done that dwarfs the ,mediterranean or the ,german ,ocean into insignificance4 ,this has built up a great shipbuilding business on the lakes1 and steel ships are even now being built on the ,detroit ,river to engage in ,panama trade4 ,there are not wanting those who hold that if the money which has been spent at ,panama for the good of the whole world1 had been expended in making a thirty-foot ship canal from ,lake ,erie to tide-water on the ,hudson1 the benefit to the people of the ,united ,states1 and to ,american shipping would have been vastly greater4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,brown ,bros4 ,,giant ,,cement ,,carriers ,,at ,,work ,placed in pairs on either side of a piece of work requiring concrete1 these frames support cables in which swing cars carrying concrete and controlled by a workman in the elevated house shown ,indeed one of the pathetic things in the history of commerce is the persistence with which enterprising ,chicagoans1 and other mid-westerners1 have tried to establish all-water routes to the ,european markets4 ,all such endeavors have failed1 costing their projectors heavily4 ,it will aid1 however1 if the success of the ,panama ,canal shall not reanimate the effort to secure deep-water channels from the ,lakes to the ,gulf and from the ,lakes to the ,atlantic4 ,after ,panama the nation is unlikely to be daunted by any canal-digging project4 ,having improved the ocean highway1 the people will demand easier access to it4 ,already there is discussion of whether the railroads will help or hamstring the ,canal4 ,cargoes for the ships have to be gathered in the interior4 ,when delivered at the seaport of their destination they have to be distributed to interior markets4 ,it is in the power of the railroads to make such charges for this service as would seriously impede the economic use of the ,canal4 ,among the great canals of the world that at ,panama ranks easily first in point of cost1 though in length it is outdone by many1 and its place as a carrier of traffic is yet to be determined4 ,there are now in operation nine artificial waterways which may properly be called ship canals1 namely3 #a4--,the ,suez ,canal1 begun in #ahei and completed in #ahfi4 #b4--,the ,cronstadt and ,st4 ,petersburg ,canal1 begun in #ahgg and completed in #ahij4 #c4--,the ,corinth ,canal1 begun in #ahhd and completed in #ahic4 #d4--,the ,manchester ,ship ,canal1 completed in #ahic4 #e4--,the ,kaiser ,wilhelm ,canal1 connecting the ,baltic and ,north ,seas1 completed in #ahie4 #f4--,the ,elbe and ,trave ,canal1 connecting the ,north ,sea and ,baltic1 opened in #aijj4 #g4--,the ,welland ,canal1 connecting ,lake ,erie with ,lake ,ontario4 #h and #i4--,the two canals1 ,united ,states and ,canadian1 respectively1 connecting ,lake ,superior with ,lake ,huron4 ,the ,suez ,canal naturally suggests itself for comparison1 though it falls far short in volume of traffic of either of the two canals at ,sault ,ste4 ,marie1 between ,lake ,superior and ,lake ,huron4 ,it is ninety miles long1 or just about twice the length of the ,panama1 and about two-thirds of its length is dredged through shallow lakes4 ,it is #ca feet deep as against ,panama's #de1 with a surface width of #dbj feet1 while the ,panama ,canal is from #cjj to #ajjj feet4 ,the ,suez ,canal cost slightly under #ajj1jjj1jjj and pays dividends at the rate of #ab per cent4 ,lord ,beaconsfield1 who bought control of it for ,england in face of fierce opposition and was savagely denounced for wild-cat financiering1 secured for the ,empire not merely its strongest bond1 but a highly profitable investment as well4 ,the tolls now charged are about #b a ton according to the ,united ,states net measurement4 ,illustration3 ,,tracks ,,ascending ,,from ,,lower ,,to ,,upper ,,lock ,doors giving access to service tunnels are shown at either side of the central ascent ,of the other canals enumerated some1 like the ,manchester and the ,elbe and ,trave ,canals1 are of purely local importance1 while others1 like the ,kaiser ,wilhelm 7better known as the ,kiel7 ,canal1 are mainly for naval and military purposes4 ,in volume of traffic the first of all canals in the world is the ,american canal at the 8,soo01 with the ,canadian canal paralleling it a fair second4 ,the volume of traffic passing through these waterways during the eight or nine months they are free from ice is incredible4 ,in #aiaa it approximated #dj1jjj1jjj tons and exceeded in volume ,suez and all the other ship canals heretofore enumerated together4 ,to the facilities for water carriage afforded by this and the neighboring ,canadian canal is due much of the rapid growth and development of the country about the western end of ,lake ,superior4 ,what countries will profit in the same way by the work at ,panama8 ,the ,pacific coast1 both of ,north and ,south ,america4 ,perhaps ,south ,america even more than our own land1 for its present state admits of such development4 ,one problem opened by the ,panama ,canal which seldom suggests itself to the merely casual mind is the one involved in keeping it clear of the infectious and epidemic diseases for which ,asiatic and tropical ports have a sinister reputation4 ,the opening of the ,suez ,canal was followed by new danger from plague1 cholera and yellow fever in ,mediterranean countries4 ,a like situation may arise at ,panama4 ,it is proposed1 though ,i think not yet officially1 to have passing vessels from infected ports inspected at the entrance to the ,canal4 ,if infection exists the ship can be fumigated during the passage through the ,canal1 which will take from ten to twelve hours1 while the subsequent voyage to her home port1 whether on our ,atlantic coast or in ,europe1 will make any subsequent delay in quarantine needless4 ,the plague is the disease most dreaded in civilized communities1 which it only enters by being brought by ship from some ,asiatic port in which it is prevalent4 ,its germs can be carried by rats as well as by human beings1 and for this reason in some ports vessels from suspected ports are not allowed to come up to a dock lest the rodents slip ashore carrying the pestilence4 ,sometimes in such ports you will see a vessel's hawsers obstructed by large metal disks1 past which no rat may slip if he tries the tight-rope route to the shore4 ,the new contracts for wharves1 docks and piers at all our ,zone ports prescribe that they shall be rat-proof4 ,indeed the rodents are very much under the ban in ,panama1 and the annual slaughter by the ,sanitary ,department exceeds #ab1jjj4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,brown ,bros4 ,,col4 ,,goethals' ,,house ,,at ,,culebra ,as is fitting1 8,the ,colonel's0 house tops the highest hill in ,culebra1 looking down the cut ,preparations are being made to make ,balboa a quarantine station of world-wide importance4 ,the mere proximity of the date for opening the ,canal has caused discussion of its effect upon the health of civilized nations4 ,at ,suez an ,international ,board exists for the purpose of so guarding that gateway from the ,east that none of the pestilences for which the ,orient has an ill-fame can slip through4 ,no suggestion has been made of international control at ,panama4 ,in fact such of the foreign articles as have come under my eye have been flattering to us as a nation1 asserting1 as they all do1 that in sanitary science the ,united ,states is so far ahead that the quarantine service may be safely entrusted to this nation alone4 ,despite this cheerful optimism of ,europe1 there has not yet been a very prompt acquiescence by ,congress in the estimates presented by ,col4 ,gorgas for the permanent housing and maintenance of the quarantine service4 ,since the ,united ,states is to give the ,canal to the world1 it should so equip the gift that it will not be a menace to the world's health4 ,illustration3 ,,electric ,,towing ,,locomotives ,,on ,a ,,lock ,,chapter ,,xx ,,diplomacy ,,and ,,politics ,,of ,,the ,,canal ,having built the ,panama ,canal at a heavy cost of treasure and no light cost of life1 having subdued to our will the greatest forces of nature and put a curb upon the malevolent powers of tropical miasma and infection1 we are about to give the completed result to the whole world4 ,it stands as a free gift1 for never can any tolls that will be imposed make of it a commercial success4 ,it was the failure to recognize this inevitable fact that made it impossible for the ,french to complete the task4 ,it will be a national asset1 not because of the income gathered at its two entrances1 but because of the cheapening of freight rates between our two coasts and the consequent reduction of prices to our citizens4 ,but this advantage will accrue to peoples who have not paid a dollar of taxation toward the construction of the ,canal4 ,there is absolutely no advantage which the ,canal may present to the people of ,new ,england that will not be shared equally by the people of the ,canadian provinces of ,quebec and ,ontario if they desire to avail themselves of the opportunity4 ,our gulf ports of ,mobile1 ,new ,orleans and ,galveston expect1 and reasonably so1 that the volume of their traffic will be greatly increased by the opening of the ,canal4 ,but if ,rio de ,janeiro1 ,buenos ,ayres and ,montevideo have products they desire to ship to the ,orient or to the western coast of their own continent of ,south ,america the ,canal is open to them as freely as to our ships4 ,having given to the world so great a benefaction1 it will be the part of the international statesmen of the ,united ,states1 the diplomatists1 to see to it that the gift is not distorted1 nor1 through any act of ours1 divided unequally among those sharing in it4 ,upon the diplomacy of the ,united ,states the opening of the ,canal will impose many new burdens and responsibilities4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,church ,,in ,,chorrera ,scarcely any general ,european war involved more intricate and delicate questions of the reciprocal rights of nations than did the acquisition of the ,suez ,canal by ,great ,britain4 ,volumes have been written on the subject of the diplomacy of ,suez4 ,the ,constantinople conference called for the discussion of that topic1 and the specific delimitation of the authority of ,great ,britain and the rights of other maritime nations was one of the most notable gatherings in the history of diplomacy4 ,the ,panama waterway will bring new problems and intensify old ones for the consideration of our statesmen4 ,the ,monroe ,doctrine is likely to come in for a very1 thorough testing and perhaps a new formulation4 ,the precise scope of that doctrine has of late years become somewhat ill defined4 ,foreign nations say that the tendency of the ,united ,states is to extend its powers and ignore its responsibilities under this theory4 ,in ,latin ,america1 where that doctrine should be hailed as a bulwark of protection1 it is looked upon askance4 ,that feeling is largely due to the attitude of this country toward the ,republic of ,colombia at the time of the secession of ,panama4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,native ,,kitchen ,a problem of the highest importance to the credit of the ,united ,states in ,latin ,america1 which should be settled in accordance with principles of national honor and international equity1 is the determination of what reparation we owe the ,republic of ,colombia for our part in the revolution which made ,panama an independent state and gave us the ,canal ,zone4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,house ,,in ,,penomene ,in an earlier chapter ,i have tried to tell1 without bias1 the story of that revolution and to leave to the readers' own judgment the question whether our part in it was that merely of an innocent bystander1 a neutral looker-on1 or whether we did not1 by methods of indirection at least1 make it impossible for ,colombia to employ her own troops for the suppression of rebellion in her own territory4 ,as ,president1 and later as private citizen1 ,mr4 ,roosevelt was always exceedingly insistent that he had adhered to the strictest letter of the neutrality law--always that is except in that one impetuous speech in ,san ,francisco1 in which he blurted out the boast1 8,i took ,panama and left ,congress to debate about it afterward04 ,illustration3 ,,giant ,,cacti ,,often ,,used ,,for ,,hedging ,planted close together1 these cacti form a barrier impassible by animals ,illustration3 ,a ,,street ,,in ,,chorrera ,mr4 ,roosevelt's protestations of innocence had1 however1 little effect upon his own friends and party associates1 for early in the ,taft administration the conviction became general among men in high station that reparation of some sort was due to ,colombia for what was--to express it guardedly--our connivance at a conspiracy that cost that republic its richest province--cost it further a lump payment of #aj1jjj1jjj and an annual sum of #bej1jjj to eternity4 ,the records of diplomacy are enmeshed in many concealing veils1 but enough is known of the progress of the negotiations to reflect credit upon the diplomacy of ,colombia4 ,that country has neither threatened nor blustered--and the undeniable fact that the comparative power of ,colombia and the ,united ,states would make threats and bluster ridiculous would not ordinarily deter a ,latin-,american ,president from shrieking shrill defiance at least for the benefit of his compatriots4 ,colombia has been persistent but not petulant4 ,it has stated its case to two administrations and has wrung from both the confession that the ,united ,states in that revolution acted the part of an international bandit4 ,out of the recesses of the ,department of ,state has leaked the information that the ,united ,states has made to ,colombia a tentative offer of #aj1jjj1jjj1 but that it had been refused4 ,but the offer itself was a complete confession on the part of the ,united ,states of its guilt in the transaction complained of4 ,naturally1 ,colombia declined the proffered conscience money4 ,panama received from the ,united ,states not merely #aj1jjj1jjj1 but will get #bej1jjj a year for an indefinite period4 ,all this ,colombia lost and her valuable province as well because the captain of a ,united ,states man-of-war would not let the ,colombian colonels on that day of revolution use force to compel a railroad manager to carry their troops across the ,isthmus4 ,the grievance of the ,colombians is a very real and seemingly just one4 ,we hear much of the national honor in reference to canal tolls but less of it in relation to this controversy with ,colombia4 ,yet that controversy ought to be settled and settled justly4 ,it is inconceivable1 of course1 that it should be determined by restoring the status as it existed before that day of opera-bouffe revolution4 ,our investment in the ,canal ,zone1 our duty to the world which awaits the opening of the ,canal1 and our loyalty to our partner1 ,panama1 alike make that impossible4 ,the ,republic of ,panama is an accomplished fact not to be obliterated even in the interest of precise justice4 ,as the ,persian poet put it3 8,the moving finger writes1 and having writ ,moves on2 nor all your piety nor wit1 ,shall lure it back to cancel half a line1 ,nor all your tears wash out one word of it04 ,president ,roosevelt wrote the word ,panama on the list of nations and moved on vastly pleased with the record4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,brown ,bros4 ,,the ,,town ,,of ,,empire1 ,,soon ,,to ,,be ,,abandoned ,the situation at the same time is one not to be lightly dealt with4 ,the ,united ,states is none too popular at any point south of its own borders4 ,it is at the one time hated and feared4 ,the very ,panamanians whom we invested with independence have no liking for us and the hatred of the ,colombians for the nation that despoiled them is so general and extreme that their rulers are entitled to the utmost credit for having observed all the courtesies of diplomacy in their efforts to secure some measure of reparation4 ,the question presents itself1 is it wise to leave such a hot-bed of hatred1 of resentment perhaps justifiable1 in the very midst of ,latin ,america1 just when we are hoping by our new ,canal to extend and cement our commercial relations with them8 ,among the ,latin ,americans there is a very general feeling that our devotion to the ,monroe ,doctrine is indicative only of our purpose to protect our neighbors against any selfish aggressions except our own4 ,it is of the very highest importance that this feeling be dissipated1 and there is perhaps no more immediate way of beginning that task than by reaching such an agreement with ,colombia as shall indicate to other ,south ,american governments our purpose of doing exact justice among our neighbors1 be they great and powerful or small and weak4 ,illustration3 ,,panama ,,railroad ,,bridge ,,across ,,the ,,chagres ,with all the ,south ,american countries the commerce of the ,canal will tend to bring us into closer relations and to multiply the possibility of international dissension4 ,moreover1 the growing interests of ,united ,states business men in those countries form national outposts on which we must ever keep a friendly eye4 ,it is ridiculous to urge upon individuals the task of stimulating and extending our foreign trade if the government is to be wholly indifferent to their efforts4 ,it is known that the great beef packers of ,chicago have considerable plants in the ,argentine2 that a famous iron manufacturer of ,pittsburgh has in ,chile what is believed to be the largest iron mine in the world2 that the ,standard ,oil ,company has its agencies throughout the continent2 and the ,du ,pont ,powder ,company besides maintaining two nitrate plants in ,chile does a prodigious business in explosives with the various states--and not mainly for military purposes only4 ,the ,united ,states ,steel ,company has a vanadium mine in ,peru where #cjjj ,americans are working4 ,the equipment of street railways and electric-lighting plants in ,south ,american cities is almost wholly of ,american manufacture4 ,even without the systematic encouragement of their home government1 ,american business men have begun to make inroads upon ,german and ,english commercial power in ,south ,america1 and the opening of the ,canal will increase their activities4 ,today our ,pacific coast is practically shut off from any interchange of commodities with ,brazil and the ,argentine2 with the ,canal open a direct waterway will undoubtedly stimulate a considerable trade4 ,the more trade is stimulated1 the more general travel becomes between nations1 the less becomes the danger of war4 ,there is no inconsistency in the statement that the ,canal will become a powerful factor in the world's peace1 even though it does necessitate the maintenance of a bigger navy and the erection of powerful forts for its defense in the improbable event of war4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,street ,,in ,,chorrera ,this is but one phase of the influence the ,canal will exercise upon countries other than the ,united ,states4 ,what it will do for the ,latin-,american countries immediately adjacent to ,panama in the direction of leading them to establish improved sanitation systems1 or to perfect those they now maintain1 is beyond present estimate4 ,many such governments have had their representatives on the ,zone to study the methods there in force1 and while the present writer was there ,col4 ,gorgas was besought to visit ,guayaquil to give its rulers expert advice on the correction of the unsanitary state of that city4 ,members of the staff of ,col4 ,gorgas are in demand as experts in all parts of the world4 ,i know of one who in the last days of the ,canal construction was sent by the ,german government to establish in some of the ,german ,south ,african provinces the methods that brought health to the ,isthmus after the days of the futile ,french struggle with fever and malaria4 ,it is because of this influence upon foreign peoples1 already apparent1 that far-sighted people find intolerable the proposition to let the ,canal ,zone grow up into jungle and return to its original state of savagery4 ,it can and should be made an object lesson to the world4 ,from every ship that makes the ten-hour passage of the ,canal some passengers will go ashore for rest from the long voyage and to see what the ,zone may have to show them4 ,are we content to have them see only the hovels of ,colon and the languid streets of ,panama--exhibits that give no idea of the force1 the imagination1 the idealism that gave being to the ,canal8 ,today the ,zone is a little bit of typical ,united ,states life set down in the tropics4 ,so it might remain if due encouragement were given to industrious settlers4 ,there is not so much land in the world that this need be wasted1 nor have there been so many examples of the successful creation and continuance of such a community as the ,zone has been as to justify its obliteration before the world has grasped its greatest significance4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,pearl ,,island ,,village ,there are not lacking those philosophers who hold that the first political effect of the ,canal will be to force us to abandon that attitude of national isolation and aloofness prescribed in ,washington's deprecation of 8entangling alliances abroad04 ,they hold that this latest and greatest addition to our reasons for solicitude about the control of the ,pacific will compel us to seek the coperation of other powers--or another power--to make that control complete4 ,perhaps the proposition is most frankly stated in this paragraph from ,mr4 ,frank ,fox's 8,problems of the ,pacific04 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,,of ,,comparative ,,excavations ,,by ,,the ,,french ,,and ,,americans ,,in ,,culebra ,,cut 8,the friendly coperation between the ,united ,states and ,great ,britain would give to the ,anglo-,saxon race the mastery of the world's greatest ocean1 laying forever the fear of the ,yellow ,peril1 securing for the world that its greatest readjustment of the balance of power shall be effected in peace1 while rivalry between these two kindred nations may cause the gravest evils and possibly irreparable disasters04 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,w4 ,r4 ,burtis ,,view ,,of ,,pedro ,,miguel ,,locks ,,nearing ,,completion ,this is no place to discuss this thesis1 but even the most casual consideration shows how great a mutual interest the ,united ,states and ,great ,britain have in the ,panama ,canal and its safeguarding from any disturbing conditions in the ,pacific4 ,until conditions change and the ,united ,states regains its place among the maritime nations of the world the bulk of the trade passing through the ,canal will be in ,british ships4 ,for ,new ,zealand and all of the eastern part of ,british ,australia the ,panama route offers the most expeditious connection with ,liverpool4 ,canada1 too1 is vitally interested in the ,canal4 ,by the employment of the system of ,georgian ,bay and ,st4 ,lawrence ,canals1 which the ,dominion government has created1 with a foresight far greater than our own1 the wheat1 even of the ,winnipeg region1 may be sent by water to ,montreal and thence in sea-going ships to the further shore of the ,pacific4 ,even though owned by the ,united ,states1 the ,canal will be a powerful tie to bind closer together the widely separated parts of the ,british ,empire4 ,illustration3 ,,native ,,woman1 ,,cocle ,that being true it will further cement the spirit of friendliness between the ,united ,states and ,great ,britain4 ,it will accomplish this without formal treaties or proclaimed alliance4 ,the alliance will be tacit1 resulting from the very logic of the situation4 ,great ,britain cannot afford to be otherwise than friendly with the owner of the ,canal--the little passing tiff over the question of tolls on coastwise shipping notwithstanding4 ,it is idle to ask that the control of the ,pacific be assured by an ,anglo-,american compact4 ,more intelligent is it to assume that any effort to break down that control1 which now virtually exists1 would be met by action on the part of the two ,english-speaking nations quite as effective as though a treaty existed4 ,this1 too1 despite the present ,anglo-,japanese treaty which so disquiets our ,california citizens1 but quite needlessly1 in fact1 because of that convention for it promises no support to ,japan in the event of the latter being the aggressor4 ,illustration3 ,,river ,,village ,,in ,,chiriqui ,illustration3 ,,the ,,pearl ,,island ,,village ,,of ,,saboga ,any formal convention1 however1 any international agreement for the control of the ,pacific which should leave ,germany out1 would be an incentive to trouble rather than a bright harbinger of peace4 ,for no nation is making more active and intelligent preparations to reap to the fullest the advantages of the ,canal than are the ,germans4 ,their nation's great interests in ,brazil1 ,argentine1 and ,chile1 her colonizing activities in ,asia1 her ,chinese port of ,kiau-,chou1 forcibly wrested from ,china1 all impel her to take a lively interest in the ,canal and the ,pacific4 ,the ,kaiser would not look with any placid indifference upon such an ,anglo-,american agreement as has been urged1 and as its ends can be1 and probably will be attained without formal pronouncement1 any open diplomatic negotiations for such a convention would probably be unwise4 ,enough to say that while speculation concerning such an agreement is quite general among publicists today1 no discussion of it has yet engaged the attention of any statesmen4 ,after considering the problem of what the ,canal will be worth1 let us reverse the ordinary process and figure out what it will cost4 ,exact statement is still impossible1 for as this book is being printed the ,canal is months away from being usable and probably two years short of completion if we reckon terminals and fortifications as part of the completed work4 ,in an earlier chapter ,i have set forth some of the estimates of its cost from the figure of #aca1jjj1jjj set by the volatile ,de ,lesseps to the #cge1jjj1jjj of the better informed and more judicious ,goethals4 ,in ,june1 #aiac1 however1 we had at hand the official report of all expenditures to ,march1 #aiac1 duly classified as follows3 ,,classified ,,expenditures--,,isthmian ,,canal ,,commission ,a statement of classified expenditures of the ,isthmian ,canal ,commission to ,march #ca1 #aiac1 follows3 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------- ,department ,department ,department ,periods of ,civil of of ,administration ,law ,sanitation ---------------------------------------- ---------------------- ,total to ,june #cj1 #aiji #c1dbg1jij4bi #i1fgc1eci4bh ,total--,fiscal ,year1 #aiaj #gji1cea4cg #a1hjc1jdj4ie ,total--,fiscal ,year1 #aiaa #gee1jgi4dd #a1gag1gib4fb ,total--,fiscal ,year1 #aiab #hbj1cih4eg #bd1gbi4af #a1fbj1cia4ab ,july1 #aiab #fc1iac4ab #a1ddh4ec #abc1hjc4fd ,august1 #aiab #fb1ahb4ea #a1dfh4bf #abc1aed4dh ,september1 #aiab #ei1bja4ja #a1bjg4hb #abj1che4gj ,october1 #aiab #fd1chc4cg #b1jcc4ge #acg1egd4fa ,november1 #aiab #fb1bjj4ab #a1hib4ad #aai1jca4ff ,december1 #aiab #eh1ihg4if #a1dfb4ah #aae1hai4bf ,january1 #aiac #eg1fii4eh #a1dfi4ei #aad1efb4jd ,february1 #aiac #ef1ehf4jf #a1fdi4jj #abg1cbd4hj ,march1 #aiac #eh1gfa4jc #a1hii4bb #aje1hia4jh -------------------------------------- ,grand total #f1bee1hcd4dcci1bei4feae1ijb1caa4bd ---------------------------------------- ---------------------- ---------------------------------------- -------------- ,department of ,periods ,construction ,general ,items and ,engineering ---------------------------------------- -------------- ,total to ,june #cj1 #aiji #fi1fbb1efa4dbgh1jbb1fjf4aj ,total--,fiscal ,year1 #aiaj #bf1cjj1afg4je #b1hfc1jhh4hc ,total--,fiscal ,year1 #aiaa #bg1dgg1ggf4ai #c1jig1iei4gb ,total--,fiscal ,year1 #aiab #bh1hig1gch4aj #b1hai1ibf4ec ,july1 #aiab #b1fdi1bdf4fa #bjj1igj4ee ,august1 #aiab #b1eci1fhj4hc ,a#ih1jed4fa ,september1 #aiab #b1bhe1igi4hi #gg1jjc4ec ,october1 #aiab #b1dgc1bhj4gf #hc1ebc4cj ,november1 #aiab #b1dbj1jhe4gg #ge1ggi4ja ,december1 #aiab #b1hga1igg4jc #abj1idf4fa ,january1 #aiac #b1hbe1hgb4jf #f1dfc4gb ,february1 #aiac #c1ghd1cgj4ea #abc1jcd4ab ,march1 #aiac #b1gab1bah4aj #g1gjf4gj ------------------------------ ,grand total #agf1hfj1ied4cbhg1che1edj4ga ---------------------------------------- -------------- ---------------------------------------- ------------- ,periods ,fortifications ,total ---------------------------------------- ------------- ,total to ,june #cj1 #aiji #afj1gde1gig4ji ,total--,fiscal ,year1 #aiaj #ca1fge1fdh4bj ,total--,fiscal ,year1 #aiaa #cc1jdh1fjg4ig ,total--,fiscal ,year1 #aiab #a1bab1hha4ff #ce1cif1jfe4ad ,july1 #aiab #ajd1abf4ib #c1adc1eji4cg ,august1 #aiab #aaa1djb4ee #b1gci1hcd4jb ,september1 #aiab #abg1afh4be #b1fgj1idf4bj ,october1 #aiab #abi1gcf4cg #b1hij1ecb4af ,november1 #aiab #cjj1jaf4cc #b1igi1jje4jc ,december1 #aiab #aah1aeb4eg #c1bhg1cde4fa ,january1 #aiac #aai1bgb4gg #c1abe1cci4gf ,february1 #aiac #cad1iid4if #d1djg1iei4de ,march1 #aiac #aca1idj4ge #c1jjc1jjc4dh ----------------------------- ,grand total #b1ffi1fic4ac #bhi1aac1eic4dh ---------------------------------------- ------------- ,a ,denotes credit4 ,it will be observed that since the beginning of the fiscal year #aiac1 expenditures have averaged a trifle over #c1jjj1jjj a month4 ,this rate of expenditure may be expected to decrease somewhat during the eighteen months likely to elapse before the ,canal1 terminals and forts are completed4 ,probably if we allow #bej1jjj a month for this decrease we will be near the mark making the future expenditures average #b1gej1jjj monthly until ,january1 #aiae1 making in all #eg1gej1jjj4 ,adding this to the ,commission expenditures up to ,march #ca1 #aiac1 and adding further the #ej1jjj1jjj paid to the ,french stockholders and the ,republic of ,panama we reach the sum of #cif1hfc1eic--;a reasonable estimate of the final cost of the great world enterprise2 the measure in dollars and cents of the greatest gift ever made by a single nation to the world4 ,it is worth noting that all this colossal expenditure of money has been made without any evidence of graft1 and practically without charge of that all-pervading canker in ,american public work4 ,during a long stay on the ,isthmus1 associating constantly with men in every grade of the ,commission's service1 ,i never heard a definite charge of illegal profits being taken by anyone concerned in the work4 ,in certain publications dealing with the undertaking in its earlier days one will find assertions of underhanded collusion with contractors and of official raids upon the more select importations of the ,commissary without due payment therefore4 ,but even these charges were vague1 resting only on hearsay1 and had to do with an administration which vanished six or more years ago4 ,today that chronic libeler 8the man in the street0 has nothing to say about graft in connection with ,canal contracts1 and 8common notoriety01 which usually upholds all sorts of scandalous imputations1 and is cited to maintain various vague allegations1 is decidedly on the side of official integrity at ,panama4 ,this is not to say that the work has been conducted with an eye single to economy4 ,it has not4 ,that is to say it has not been conducted in accordance with the common idea of economy4 ,all over the land contractors1 apprehensive of the effect of the ,panama example of government efficiency in public work1 are telling how much more cheaply they could have dug the ,panama ,canal4 ,probably they could if they could have dug it at all4 ,but the sort of economy they are talking about was definitely abandoned when ,col4 ,gorgas convinced the ,commission that it was reckless extravagance to save #ej1jjj or so on wire screens and lose forty or fifty lives in a yellow-fever epidemic4 ,the contractor's idea of economy was emphatically set aside when ,col4 ,goethals determined that it was cheaper to pay engineers one-third more than the current rate at home1 and make such arrangements for their comfort on the ,zone that they would stay on the job1 rather than to pay ordinary prices and have them leave in haste after a month or two of dissatisfied and half-hearted work4 ,illustration3 ,copyright by ,underwood ,underwood4 ,,the ,,tug ,,bohio ,,with ,,barges ,,in ,,middle ,,gatun ,,lock ,from which it appears that a new definition of 8economy0 is needed in the application of the word to the ,canal work4 ,whatever may be the influence of the ,canal on the position of the ,united ,states as a world power1 its influence on the industrial life at home is likely to be all pervasive and revolutionary4 ,the government is the largest employer of labor in the land4 ,it ought to be the best employer4 ,on the ,zone it has been the best employer1 and has secured the best results4 ,when government work is to be done hereafter it will not be let out to private contractors without hesitation and discussion4 ,a consideration of the results obtained by the ,state of ,new ,york in its latest expenditure1 by the methods of private contract1 of the ,erie ,canal appropriation of #aja1jjj1jjj1 will go far to show the superiority of the ,panama system4 ,in a recent interview the ,secretary of the ,navy1 ,josephus ,daniels1 declared it to be the policy of the ,department to build battleships in navy yards so far as possible--a policy which the shipbuilding interests have steadily resisted in the past4 ,it is not too much to infer that the success of the army in digging a canal encouraged the ,secretary to show what the navy could do in building its own ships4 ,illustration3 ,copyright by ,underwood ,underwood4 ,,looking ,,down ,,canal ,,from ,,miraflores ,,lock ,,to ,,the ,,pacific ,if the system and conditions of employment that have existed in ,panama could be applied to public service in all other parts of the ,united ,states1 the condition of all labor1 all industry1 all professional service would be correspondingly improved4 ,for with the most extensive employer setting the pace all others would have to keep step with it4 ,when the long account comes to be balanced we may find that the ,united ,states will owe quite as much to the ,panama enterprise on the moral as on the material side4 ,of course it is going to increase our trade both foreign and domestic--that1 as the ,french say1 goes without saying4 ,it will cheapen the cost of building cottages in ,new ,york suburbs1 because lumber will be brought from the forests of ,oregon and ,washington for half the freight cost now exacted4 ,it will stimulate every manufacturing interest on the ,pacific coast for coal from ,west ,virginia will be laid down there at dollars per ton less than now4 ,the men who catch and can salmon in the rushing waters of the ,columbia1 the men who raise and pack the luscious oranges of southern ,california will have a new and cheaper way of carrying their products to the eager markets of the great cities along the ,atlantic coast4 ,at the same time the output of our eastern steel mills and ,new ,england cotton and woolen factories will find a more expeditious and cheaper route to the builders and workers of the ,pacific coast4 ,illustration3 ,copyright by ,underwood ,underwood4 ,,culebra ,,cut ,,partially ,,filled ,,with ,,water ,incidentally the labors of the ,interstate ,commerce ,commission are likely to be multiplied almost incalculably4 ,for it must be accepted as a fact that free competition is no longer a complete regulator of freight rates whether by rail or by water4 ,any one can charter a ship and send it through the ,canal with the same rights and privileges that a long established line will enjoy4 ,but not every independent ship can find dockage facilities at both ends of its voyage1 although it is true that the enterprising cities of the ,pacific coast are warding off monopoly by building municipal docks4 ,moreover1 the owner of the independent ship will have his troubles in getting the railroads at either end to handle his cargoes and distribute them at such charges as will leave him any profit4 ,indeed the independent ship will be but little of a factor in fixing rates4 ,that will be done by the regular lines4 ,normally there should be keen competition between the railroads and the steamships with a very marked drop in rates4 ,but it will not be well to base too great hopes on this possibility4 ,transportation rates1 even where there is nominally free competition1 are not often based wholly on the cost of the service4 ,what the traffic will bear is more often the chief factor in rate making4 ,because ships can carry freight from ,new ,york to ,san ,francisco for three dollars a traffic-ton less than the railroads does not imply that they will do so4 ,nor does it ensure that railroad rates will drop spasmodically in a vain effort to keep all the business away from the ships4 ,rather is it probable that certain classes of freight like lumber1 coal and ore will be left wholly to the ships1 and some form of agreement as to the essentials of the general rate card will be arrived at4 ,it is this agreement1 which in some form or other is sure to come1 that will engage the attention of the ,interstate ,commerce ,commission1 arouse its ceaseless vigilance and probably necessitate a material extension of its authority4 ,in other than material ways the nation will largely profit4 ,i think that the fact of the ,canal's having been built by army engineers will go far toward correcting a certain hostility toward the army which is common in ,american thought4 ,the ,canal proves that the organization of the army1 the education of its officers1 is worth something in peace as well as in war4 ,of course this has been shown before in countless public works scattered over the land1 but never hitherto in a fashion to command such attention and to compel such plaudits4 ,there were five ,colonels1 besides 8,the ,colonel10 on the ,commission which put the big job through1 and ,i do not believe that the most shrinking civilian who visited the ,isthmus on either business or pleasure found any ground to complain of militarism1 or was overawed by any display of 8fuss and feathers40 ,illustration3 ,copyright by ,underwood ,underwood4 ,,floating ,,islands ,,in ,,gatun ,,lock ,,entrance ,these islands1 formed of aquatic plants with entwined roots and a little soil1 must be towed away by tugs and sent over the spillway lest they block navigation4 ,the ,canal ,zone was1 of course1 a rural community harboring about #fe1jjj people scattered along a railroad #dg miles long4 ,yet in the story of its government there is much that is instructive to the rulers of our ,american cities4 ,every head of the ,department of ,sanitation in an ,american city would profit by a study of ,col4 ,gorgas's methods in dealing with the problems of dirt1 sewage1 and infection4 ,indeed many of the ideas he developed are already being adapted to the needs of ,north ,american municipalities4 ,it is becoming quite evident that the scientific method of controlling insect pests by destroying their breeding places is the only efficient one4 ,the larvacide man in the waste places1 or the covered garbage can1 and screened stable are not as melodramatic as newspaper shrieks of 8,swat the ,fly01 but they accomplish more in the end4 ,the management of the ,panama ,railroad by and for the government affords an object lesson that will be cited when we come to open ,alaska4 ,though over-capitalized in the time of its private ownership and operation the railroad under the direction of ,col4 ,goethals has paid a substantial profit4 ,though rushed with the work incident to the ,canal construction it has successfully dealt with its commercial business1 and has offered in many ways a true example of successful railway management4 ,illustration3 ,copyright by ,underwood ,underwood4 ,,the ,,first ,,boat ,,through4 ,i4 ,the commission tug ,gatun1 with members of the commission aboard1 is approaching the lower ,gatun lock from the ,atlantic end of the ,canal4 ,the two pairs of gates are opening for her admission4 ,but to my mind more important than any other outcome of the ,canal work1 is its complete demonstration of the ability of the ,united ,states to do its own work for its own people1 efficiently1 successfully and honestly4 ,that is an exhibit that will not down4 ,the expenditure of fully #cge1jjj1jjj with no perceptible taint of graft is a victory in itself4 ,there are exceedingly few of our great railroad corporations that can show as clean a record1 and the fact somewhat depreciates the hostility of some of their heads to the extension into their domain of the activities of the government4 ,in urging this point no one can be blind to the fact that the ,zone was governed and the ,canal work directed by an autocrat4 ,but the autocrat was directly subject to ,congress and had to come to that body annually for his supplies of money4 ,it was dug by the army1 but no one now doubts that the navy could have done as well1 and few will question that1 with the ,panama experience as a guide1 a mixed commission of civilians and military and naval officers could efficiently direct any public work the nation might undertake4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,flag ,,in ,,two ,,oceans4 ,the ,oregon steamed #aj1jjj miles in #ahih to carry the flag from the ,pacific to the theater of war in the ,atlantic4 ,ten hours of steaming through #ej miles of canal will henceforth make our fleet available in either ocean4 ,so with the ,panama ,canal approaching completion we can see that its effects are to be manifold--domestic as well as foreign1 moral as well as material1 political as well as economic4 ,if it be properly conducted in its completed state1 managed and directed upon the broad principle that1 though paid for wholly by the ,united ,states1 it is to exist for the general good of all mankind1 it should be1 in the ages to come1 the greatest glory attached to the ,american flag4 ,in abolishing human slavery we only followed last in the train of all civilized nations4 ,but in tearing away the most difficult barrier that nature has placed in the way of world-wide trade1 acquaintance1 friendship and peace1 we have done a service to the cause of universal progress and civilization the worth of which the passage of time will never dim4 99 99 99 99 99 ,early in the afternoon of ,october #aj1 #aiac1 ,president ,wilson1 standing in the executive offices of the ,white ,house1 pressed a telegrapher's key4 ,straightway a spark sped along the wires to ,galveston1 ,tex41 thence by cable to the ,canal ,zone and1 in an instant1 with a roar and a quaking of the earth a section of the ,gamboa ,dyke1 which from the beginning has barred the waters of ,gatun ,lake from the ,culebra ,cut1 was blown away4 ,the water gushed through1 though not in such a torrent as sightseers had hoped for1 since pumps1 started on ,oct4 #ast1 had already filled the cut to within six feet of the level of the lake4 ,but presently thereafter a native cayuca1 and then a few light power boats sped through the narrow opening1 and there remained no obstacle to the passage of the canal by such light craft from ocean to ocean4 ,by the destruction of the ,gamboa ,dyke on the date fixed ,colonel ,goethals carried out a promise he had made long before to himself and to the people4 ,it was on the #ajth of ,october1 #aeac1 that ,balboa strode thigh-deep into the ,pacific ,ocean1 and1 raising on high the standard of ,spain1 claimed that sea and all countries abutting upon it for his sovereign4 ,the ,united ,states just four centuries later celebrated one of the final steps in opening to the commerce of all the world the water-way between the oceans4 ,illustration3 ,copyright by ,underwood ,underwood4 ,,the ,,continent',s ,,backbone ,,broken ,the blast that destroyed ,gamboa ,dyke completed water connection between the ,atlantic and ,pacific4 ,the demolition of ,gamboa ,dyke was the culmination of a series of steps forward toward the completion of the canal during the first week in ,october4 ,on the #bfth of ,september the first vessel was raised from the ,atlantic level through the three steps of the ,gatun locks to ,gatun ,lake4 ,there was no particular pomp or ceremony observed4 ,the craft was merely an humble tug employed regularly in canal work4 ,indeed it is said that it was not at 8the colonel's0 initiative that the ceremony of having ,gamboa ,dyke blown up by wire from the ,white ,house was observed4 ,that quiet but efficient army engineer signalized his service on the canal rather by doing things than by celebrating them when done4 ,from the ,pacific end the first lockage was effected on ,october #ad1 when the tug ,miraflores with two barges was put through the ,miraflores locks1 and floated on ,lake ,miraflores4 ,the locks at ,pedro ,miguel were in condition to elevate the boats to the level of ,culebra ,cut1 but there was not at he moment enough water in the cut to receive and float them4 ,illustration3 ,copyright by ,underwood ,underwood4 ,,the ,,first ,,boat ,,through4 ,,ii4 ,the ,gatun is in the lock1 but the gates are not yet closed4 ,they can be seen folded flush with the wall4 ,when closed water will be admitted from the sides and bottom of the lock1 raising the boat #bh feet to the next lock4 ,not long before the first lockages to the level of ,gatun ,lake there occurred very great activity of the ,cucaracha slide1 filling the canal bed from side to side4 ,as a result no actual passage of the entire canal was then possible for boats of commercial size4 ,the material thus blocking the cut is mainly soft earth1 and suction dredges were speedily installed by which it was pumped out and deposited behind the hills bordering the canal and nearly two miles away4 ,when the ,gamboa ,dyke was blown away the villages on the south side of the canal became wholly inaccessible4 ,culebra1 ,matachin1 ,empire1 ,gorgona1--all stirring towns during the busy days of canal construction1--could no longer be reached by railroad1 and their abandonment1 determined upon long before1 became final4 ,the houses which had been the admiration of all visitors to the ,zone were taken down in sections and removed to sites of the new towns which the commission intends shall be permanent4 ,culebra lasted longest1 as it could still be reached by shuttle trains crossing the canal on a precarious bridge near the ,pedro ,miguel locks2 but it in the end vanished with the rest4 ,there remain no epoch-making events to be celebrated in the progress of the canal to completion4 ,as the dredges make further inroads upon the ,cucaracha slide1 larger and larger vessels will pass through1 without ceremony1 until the canal is open to all4 ,the final celebration1 ,january #a1 #aiae1 will not precede but follow long after the actual employment of the canal by the commerce of all nations4 ,list of ,syndicate ,publications ,,at ,,special ,,newspaper ,,prices ,for the past few years leading newspapers throughout the country have distributed to their readers millions upon millions of educational works issued by the ,syndicate ,publishing ,co4 ,such an enormous output has called for facilities which enable this company to produce high-grade publications at less than the usual cost of paper and binding4 ,this great undertaking could not be accomplished without the co-operation of the leading daily papers in both the ,united ,states and ,canada1 and to these enterprising newspapers all credit is due4 ,,the ,,books ,,listed ,,herein ,,are ,,not ,,sold ,,at ,,stores ,genuine ,limp ,leather ,dictionary ,,the #d4jj ,,new ,,modern ,,english ,,dictionary ,,illustrated ,it is the only entirely new compilation by the world's greatest authorities from leading universities2 is bound in full ,limp ,leather1 flexible1 stamped in gold on back and sides1 printed on ,bible paper1 with red edges and corners rounded2 beautiful1 strong1 durable4 ,besides the general contents1 there are maps and over #fjj subjects beautifully illustrated by three-color plates1 numerous subjects by monotones1 #af pages of educational charts and the latest ,united ,states ,census4 ,sent prepaid for #a4bj4 99,newspaper ,heading must accompany each order4 ,see bottom of next page4 ,the ,last ,word in ,dictionaries ,contains ,,all ,,the ,,new ,,words as well as ,simplified ,spelling1 ,synonyms and ,antonyms1 ,foreign ,words and ,phrases1 ,proverbs and ,quotations1 ,language of ,flowers1 ,language of ,gems1 ,states and ,their ,origin1 ,commercial and ,legal ,terms1 ,automobile ,terms1 ,aviation ,terms1 ,prose and ,poetry ,characters1 ,world's ,greatest ,battles and many subjects of equal importance to everybody4 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authorized version1 is self-pronouncing1 with copious marginal references1 maps and helps2 printed on thin bible paper1 flat opening at all pages2 beautiful1 readable type4 ,sent ,prepaid for #a4dj4 ,specify ,protestant or ,catholic4 99,newspaper ,heading ,must ,accompany ,each ,order4 ,also an ,edition for ,catholics ,through an exclusive arrangement1 we have been most fortunate in securing the ,catholic ,bible1 ,douay ,version1 endorsed by ,cardinal ,gibbons and ,archbishop 7now ,cardinal7 ,farley1 as well as by the various archbishops of the country4 ,the illustrations consist of the full-page engravings approved by the ,church1 without the ,tissot and text pictures4 ,same price as ,protestant ,edition4 ,whether one belongs to church or not1 the ,bible should be read as a part of one's education4 ,in this ,illustrated ,bible the 8eye-teaching0 pictures make plain the passages which they accompany1 appealing to the young1 as well as to the old4 ,for presentation purposes this 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in science and invention are ably handled by specialists4 ,volume ,v contains colored charts of universal history showing the world's most important events1 followed by chronological tables brought down to the very present4 ,also in this last volume will be found a complete library of educational data1 including all topics of live interest1 and ending with the latest census4 ,magnificent color plates1 engraved from original paintings by the world's greatest artists1 abound throughout the work4 ,text illustrations and beautiful monotones by expert photographers depict modern inventions and picture the progress of the entire earth4 ,educational charts1 compiled by government officials at ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 show the agricultural advancement of our great country4 ,this ,set ,sells ,regularly for #ab4jj4 ,illustration ,every volume is filled with useful information of interest to every man and woman and of rare educational value to children of school age4 ,complete #e ,volumes1 ,sent ,prepaid1 for #b4ih 99,newspaper ,heading ,must ,accompany ,each ,order 99,enclose with each order ,,one ,,heading clipped from the first page of the newspaper from which you purchased 8,panama and ,the ,canal02 this will entitle you to the special newspaper prices above quoted ,,all ,,orders ,,should ,,be ,,mailed ,,to ,,the ,,syndicate ,,publishing ,,company #i and #aa ,east #cgth ,street ,,new ,,york ,,city ,remit by ,express or ,postoffice ,money ,order or ,new ,york ,draft ,transcriber's ,notes ,inconsistent spelling1 hyphenation1 etc4 has been retained1 including those of proper and geographic names1 except as mentioned below 7,penonome and variants1 ,cocl _/ ,cocle1 ,nunez _/ ,nuez1 mosquitos _/ mosquitoes1 ,sambu _/ ,sanbu1 avocada _/ avocado1 etc47 ,the 7minor7 differences in wording between the ,list of ,illustrations and the illustration captions have not been rectified1 but the list has been corrected to correspond with the book 7see under ,changes below74 ,depending on the hard- and software used and their settings1 not all elements may display as intended4 ,adjusting the zoom factor may improve the looks and legibility of some elements 7illustrations and tables in particular74 ,page #h1 indebtedness or aid in the preparation of this book3 possibly an error for 444 for aid 4444 ,page #gc1 8several ladies of great quality 4443 the closing quote mark is missing4 ,page #ahj1 steel sheathing3 as printed in the source document4 ,page #bih1 ,therefore a large importation 444 so to speak3 part of the sentence appears to be missing4 ,page #cgh1 in respect of the conditions or changes of traffic3 as printed in the source document4 ,the treaty itself reads 444 charges of traffic 4444 ,page #chf1 a vessel from ,liverpool to ,hamburg to the ,panama ,canal3 possibly this should read 444 from ,liverpool or ,hamburg 4444 ,page #chh1 table3 the data for #aibe do not add up to the total given4 ,changes made ,some obvious minor typographical and punctuation errors and misprints have been corrected silently4 ,illustrations and tables have been moved out of text paragraphs4 ,some tables have been re-arranged or split in order to fit the available width4 ,illustration numbers have been added to the lists of illustrations4 ,page #d1 ,entrance to ,bouquette ,valley3 page number #cej changed to #cec1 and entry moved to appropriate place in list4 ,entries #ehh and #ehi have been replaced with the captions of the illustrations as present in the source document4 ,the original entries were as follows3 ,one ,step ,upward from a ,palm-,thatched ,hut1 #dje2 ,bird's-,eye ,view of the ,panama ,canal1 #dje4 ,the last six entries have also been replaced with the illustration captions as present in the source document4 ,the original entries were as follows3 ,the ,brook at ,taboga1 #djh2 ,one of the ,smaller ,slides1 #djh2 ,giant ,steam ,mixers1 #dji2 ,machinery ,wrecked by a ,slide1 #daj2 ,the ,great ,falls of ,chorrera1 #daa2 ,a ,twentieth ,century ,liner ,locking1 #dab4 ,page #cf3 ,goethal's changed to ,goethals'4 ,page #dj3 ,,mangoes changed to ,,mangroves 7also in ,list of ,illustrations74 ,page #db3 444 bought for a song those who had 444 changed to 444 bought for a song4 ,those who had 4444 ,page #ij3 ,camboa changed to ,gamboa4 ,page #ajb3 ,goethal's changed to ,goethals'4 ,page #afd3 caption ,,big ,,guns ,,for ,,canal ,,defence inserted4 ,page #agc3 ,illustrations ,,ii and ,,iii have been placed in numerical order2 the ,list of ,illustrations has been adjusted accordingly4 ,page #aib3 espanol changed to espaol4 ,page #bci3 our national capital changed to our national capitol4 ,page #bhj3 ,wherefore1 why work8 changed to ,therefore1 why work84 ,page #bhc3 ,a ,,ford ,,near ,,anton changed to ,a ,,ford ,,near ,,ancon4 ,page #bia3 ,limon and ,bocos del ,toro changed to ,limon and ,bocas del ,toro4 ,page #bib3 ,bocos del ,toro 7the ,mouths of the ,bull7 changed to ,bocas del ,toro 7the ,mouths of the ,bull74 ,page #cjh3 ,,the ,,church ,,at ,,anton changed to ,,the ,,church ,,at ,,ancon4 ,page #cae3 ,nargana changed to ,nargan4 ,page #cah3 men like ,esquemelin changed to men like ,esquemeling4