Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-24
CHANGES NLLN GREAT
Panama Canal Will, to Large
Extent, ReAolutionize Com
mercial Highways
THE SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE
Great Advantage Of Panama Canal to
United States Will Be in Giving the
Latter Almost Complete Control Over
Trade of Entire Western Coast of
South America.

Washington, Jan. 24.-As a result of
the treaty signed yesterday Americans
will have to revise their geographical
ideas. When the Panama canal is built
new avenues of trade will be opened
up which will, to a large extent, revo-
lutionize commercial highways in and
around the United States.
1t will take from fifteen to twenty
years at least to get he Panama ana
into working order, SO that there is no
immediate necessity of selling stock in
the transcontinental railroads or antici-
pating a change in existing conditions.
The photographic office has made a
mariners, indicating the tracks best
adapted to steam vessels all over the
world, and on these charts are indi-
Gated the distances in nautical miles by
the best routes, so that 1t is possible to
figure up with little difficulty the most
obvious trade benefits which will re-
suit from cutting the isthn1us of Pana
ma.
Few remember the fact that the great
continent of South America lies well
to the east of the northern continent.
The meridian, which cuts thru Pitts
burg, bites off the end OF the WESTERN
most cape of South America, and Perm
ambuco on the east coast of Brazil is
only 1000 miles from Sierra Leone on
the African coast.
This peculiar twist Of the American
continent to the southeastward has an
important effect upon trade relations,
and the cutting OF the Panama canal
will sever commercial associations
which have been growing for q cen-
fury.
After a careful study Of the hydro
graphic charts, 1t will be seen that the
Panama canal will not Sivert trade be-
tween the United States and the far
east from its old channels to as great
an extent as most people have expected.
The distances from New York to Hong
kong, the great commercial port Of the
orient, do vary over 500 miles. as
between the Suez and the Panama
routes.
1t will be seen, therefore, that this
country will not be able to compete
with England and Germany so far as
freight rates to China are concerned.
The great advantage of the Panama
canal manifestly is to give to the
United States almost the absolute con-
troll of the trade of the entire west
coast of South America. 1t also reduces
the water route from New York to San
Francisco to an extent which must,
soon after the canal is completed, have
an appreciate effect upon the rates
to be charged by the transcontinental
railroad lines.
The practical monopoly OF trade on
the port of the United States. SO far
as freight rates can confer such a bene-
ut, also will be extended to the Hawai-
ian islands. They already are con-
trolled practically by San Francisco,
but are now brought by water so much
nearer to New York than to Europe as
to make trade competition almost de-
cisive.
There is considerable cutting off, too,
by way OF Panama, in the distances
| between New York and Melbourne, SO
that the manufactured articles of the
Atlantic coast ought to find a market
in Australia, with a benefit Of several
thousand miles of ocean traffic, as COM
pared with the route around Cape Of
Good Hope.
The easternmost point of Brazil Is
about as near to Liverpool as to New
York, and from there on southwark the
advantage is in favor OF the European
shippers. These trade conditions, OF
course, will not be affected by the Pan
anna canal at all. AS to h west coast
of South America, however, a CONNER
cial revolution is inevitable. 1t will
transfer the trade no only from Lon
don and Paris, but even more from San
Francisco, to New Orleans and New
York.
Owing to the continued eastwardly
trend of the South American continent
if a great cannon were mounted in New
York and fired at the south pole, VAL
paraiso, the commercial center of the
west coast of South America, would be
a little to the eastward of the line OF
fire.
The isthmus of Panama itself is about
on the meridian of Pittsburg, n from
there the great South American CONT
nent trends toward the cas- by an ex-
tremely sharp movement, so that Caps
| Horn is on the meridian which touches
the boundary between Maine and Nova
Scotia.
Some curious things from a CONNER
| cial standpoint result from this easterly
trend. From New York to Valparaiso
by the Straits OF Magellan the usual
route is $3.50 miles, while by the Pan
anna route 1t is only 1859 miles. From
San Francisco to VALPARAISO by sea
the distance is 5.140 miles, SO that it is
manifest that future shipments from
the United States to The west a o
South America will come from the At
lantic and gulf coasts n no from
San Francisco, except products exclu-
| siyely produced on II w Pacific
coast. AS a matter of fact, the wes'
coast Of South America is now sup
Piled almost exclusively by German ant
English shippers.
In round numbers, as compared witt
| the old routes thru the Straits of Ma
gellan. the Panama canal Will cut doWr
the distance to Honolulu $500 miles; tc
Melbolrne. $500 miles: to Valparaiso
| 4 900 miles. and to a Francisco, $500
miles.
h distance from New York to Sar
Francisco by water aow is $1,000 miles
When the Panama canal is finished this
will be reduced to 5,2bS miles. or mucf
less tina twice the regular route from
New York to Liverpool. This makes
water transportation from New YORK te