Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-10

now has vessels from that country to all
parts of Asia and to Europe, says his COM
pany will have six big steamers running
from Japan to England through the Pana-
ma canal, and that 1t will add twenty-five
small steamers to sail up and down the
Pacific and Atlantic coasts of our hemis-
phere, gathering goods for the larger ships,
to be transferred at Panama.
Two Mighty Ports.
1t may be that Colon, at the Atlantic end
of the canal, will also be made free port,
and if so Colon and Panama will grow as
Bremen and Hamburg have grown through
the free port facilities which have been Of
fered there. Hamburg with its suburbs has
already a million people and Bremen is
rapidly increasing in population and wealth.
Hongkong the English free port off the
coast of China, is another instance of how
cities grow through such advantages, and
the same may be said of Singapore, that
other halfway station around the world
lying between the Pacific and Indian oceans.
Not Like Port Said.
A comparison is often made of the Pan
ANA canal with that Of Suez, and the
prophecy added that the towns of Panama
and Colon will be as dead as Port Said and
tSuez when the canal in done. The engineers
say that the conditions here are far diff
ferent from those of Suez; that SueZ Is a
close nelRnDOF 10 the great COOfIneTclhi CcI.-
tiers of Europe, and as such. 1t offers no
inducement 10 trade. They aver that Pan
anna will be the halfway station on the
long trip from one side of the Atlantic to
the other side of the Pacific and that II Is
SO situated that it cannot but be one of the
great trading places of the nations, sur
passing Singapore, Hongkong or any similar
station on the highways Of commerce.
Panama Will grow also through its enor-
nous coal business, becoming one of the chief
coaing stations of the world. The biggest
fleet that sails the Pacific today is the coal
ing fleet. Vessels are always moving here
and there across that vast system of water
ways from Australia, Japan, Chile and
even England to supply the different
steamship companies with coal. When the
canal is finished the greater part of the
coal used in the Pacific will come from
our southern ports. 1t Is probable, SO the
chief engineer thinks that it can be then
taken to Panama and sold for So per ton,
including-the 81 per ton toll on the canal.
The coal which we now get here from
Australia brings So and So a ton, while our
Virginia coal Is selling for more than 81
largely owing to the freight charges of the
Panama railroad, which have already been
reduced under the new regime.
The New Panama.
But is there room at Panama for a large
city? The town today is crowded together
upon a little rocky peninsula, shaped like
a frying pan, which juts out into the sea,
inc VI Tie pan COlliltCiifIS IL NIlc
mainland. The peninsula, when the tide is
in has the ocean washing the walls which
surround It. but when the tide goes out a
great expanse of dirty brown coral rock Is
to be seen, and this coral rock runs for
several miles along the north shore above
Panama to La Boca, at the Pacific mouth
OF the canal 1t extends out from the land
into the ocean along the line where the
canal will be dredged into the deep waters
of Panama bay.
for city expansion, and 1t would be better
If half of the city buildings were cut out
for widening the streets Mr.. Wallace, how
ever, has a plan to build a retaining wall
about the edge OF this great coral reef,
taking In area several times as large
as the present Panama city and extending
the wall along the edge of the canal
to the wharves at La Boca. inside
this wall a part of the vast excavations
which must be made at the Culebra cut
could be dumped. There will be 100000, 600
cubic yards which must be disposed OF, and
this is about 100 times more than Is neces-
sary to fill such an area. Indeed, the dis
posal of the earth and rocks is one of the
problems of the canal construction. Not
more than 100000 cubic yards can be put
into the valleys Of the immediate vicinity.
The remainder must be carried far away or
thrown into the Pacific. BY this plan an
excellent site can be MADE TOT the new
city The earth and rock Of Culebra is
perfectly clean and sanitary. and It would
make an excellent foundation. The land
when prepared could be divided up into
wide boulevards, leaving plenty Of places
for parks and all modern city conveniences.
Enough might be sold to pay the cost OF
remodeling the present city. taking out
every alternate block and making the
streets wide and healthful. I understand
that the French had a similar plan. but
that it has never been presented to the
public
Old Panama
The Panama of today Is one of the oldest
towns of the hemisphere. being the success
sor OF the original Panama, which was
situated several miles beyond La Boca, in
. rich rolling country. now the summer