The Washington herald., 1908-07-24
THE PANAMA CANAL.
XIII-JHE COMPLETION.
By FREDERIC J. HASKN
By FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.

Special OorTssponasnos The Washington Herald
GatUn, Canal Zone. July 13-When the
last stroke OF work on the big dam al
this place has been struck. Uncle sam
will be ready 10 present his gigantic
ditch 10 an applauding world That time
viii be some years in the future. as there
IS uuch yet 10 be done Twenty million
cubic yards OF material VIII have 20 be
put into IL. the biggest set OF locks IN the
world. requiring $4,000 cubic yards Of
concrete masonry. viii have 10 be con-
structed. and fourteen pairs Of gates viii
have 70 be designed and built But when
al ths experiments have been completed
and the work Of constructing the dam be-
gins IN earnest, Z Will go forward with
q rush With the three main walls OF the
locks aggregating some 5000 linear feet. It
VIII be possible TO work twenty concrete
mixing plants at once. In a recent piece
OF construction work in the States a
single mixing plant maintained for a con-
siderable time an average OF 800 cubic
yards OF concrete put in place Per day.
and a maximum OF 500 cubic yards was
reached.
Assuming that. on the Zone. only ten
plants work constantly. with an output
OF 80 cubic yards each per day. they
could finish the locks IN so working days,
or two and a quarter years. At this rate
they would be using about 4-600 tons. or
about % carloads. Of material day,
which Is less than one-ffteenth OF the
weight OF material taken from Culebra
Cut every day Add 10 this time the four
years the board OF consulting engineers
estimated It would take to make the ex-
cavatiOns for the lock gates. and even II
The three operations could not be carried
forward al the same time. It would be
only little more than seven years from
the time the work began until It IS com
pleted- But the excavations are proceed
ing so much more rapidly that the work
VIII probably be done several years earlier
than the board OF engineers expected
It IS, therefore pretty safe 70 assume
that some time not long after the end OF
the year 1872 that eventful day VIII dawn
when the canal viii be opened 10 traffic
It IS easy 20 imagine that Il VIII be a
great day No nation IS so remote from
the center OF civilization that Il will not
feel the benefits the canal VIII afford. Il
IS probable that no nation viii consider
itself too far removed from the scene 10
have Representatives OF its navy. its mer-
chant marine. and its people there 10
take part IN the great celebration Long
before the last shovelful Of dirt has been
disposed CT the United States probably
viii send out invitations 10 the nations OF
the earth 10 help celebrate the successful
termination OF the immense task Of break
ing down the barrier which, since the be-
ginning Of time. has separated TWO oceans
Warships, steamships, sailing vessels.
every kind and condition Of craft. VIII
brave the dangers OF The deep 20 help
make memorable the event
No one IS prophet enough 10 foreteIl
how much the completed canal viii mean
70 the worlds commerce We know that
Il will bring every port OF Europe nearly
100 miles nearer 10 the western part OF
the United States. Canada. and Mexico.
We realize that Il viii bring our own At
lantic seaboard 5000 miles closer by water
TO our Pacific Coast than It now IS and
that Canada VIII enjoy q corresponding
benefit. We recall that IL took the Ore
gon sixty-five days 10 sail around Cape
Horn when. had the canal been built she
could have made the trip in nineteen
days We are told that 10J0.109 tons OF
merchandise are annually landed on the
isthmus by 5le LOO steamers which visit
its ports in that time. We recognize that
the vast trade which now goes through
Horn will pass through the Panama Ca
nal But We cannot more than roughly
predict the great diversion Of trade which
viii take place. or the changes on the
map Of the world which will result
The capture Of ConstantinopIe by the
Turks resulted IN the discovery Of Amer
lea Il cut on the great route to India
and the Orient, and stopped the ri,h
trade between the West and the East
Thus it was that Columbus was led 10
san west in search OF a passage which
the Turks could not cut on. Il started
de Cana on his trip around the Cape OF
Good Hope. also in search OF another
passsgeway 10 India and the East The
Panama Canal viii not lead TO the dis
cOvery Of another hemisphere. but as the
closing OF a line Of travel did lead 10 the
discovery of our world. so the opening OF
a new line Of travel-the canal-wiu lead
10 the discovery OF new worlds OF com
merce.
The action OF the Turks in cutting OF
route 10 the East ended the world su-
premacy OF Genoa OF Florence and OF
Venice Their harbOrs. once teeuing with
shipping from the ends OF the then known
world were deserted and all but aban-
dOued- Their commercial supremacy
Ef-H-EA away AtLERtT. ana WLlle they
were losing their grip on the maritime
situation. other cities began 10 rise and
figure as the centers Of the worlds COM
merce- SO viii It be with the opening Of
the Panama Canal With a deep water
way from the Great Lakes 10 the Gulf.
the whole OF the vast Mississippi basin
viii find an outlet direct 70 the markets
OF the world Grain rates from Chicago.
St Louis. Kansas City. New Orleans. and
Galveston 10 Pacific points will be cheaper
than railroad could ever give. The
great central plains OF Canada, with their
vast output, and still vsster possibilities.
OF grain, viii find it cheaper to reach
Oriental markets by way of the AIissis-
sippi River and the Panama Canal All
Of this E!l give the great Mississippi
Valley an important position IN the com
mercial affairs Of the nation even beyond
that she already holds.
Sir walter Raleigh once exclaimed that
the nation which controlled the Isthnus
OF Darien would rule the world. The full
dllment Of the prophecy seems near. A
United States waterway means q deep
United States interest IN the affairs OF
the Caribbean. and the day may yet come
when the dream Of Jefferson shall be
realized-a confederated West Indies IN
der A--a-f~a~, -,-o.s----.so