The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-09-28
GOETHE FORESAW
PANAMA CANAL

In view of the recent report which
the chief of the American operations
on the Panama canal, Colonel Goethals,
has submitted to the commission, there
seems to be but little room for doubt
but that the canal will be completed
by the year 1915, and that the longing
of four centuries for an interoceanic
water street through Middle America
will be realized.
II is little known that the thought
of Panama canal, as well as of the
Suez canal, once busted the world.com-
prehensive brain of Goethe, and filed
him with youthful enthusiasm in his
old age. In Eckerman well-known
work we find under date of February
2l, 1927, the following remarkable no.
| tice of a talk with Goethe:
He spoke of Alexander Won Hum
boldt, whose work about Cuba and CO.
lumbia he had begun to read, and his
observations concerning the project
for cutting through Panama seemed to
have for him wonderful interest.
Humboldt said Goethe, has, with his
great knowledge of affairs, pointed out
a different way by which, through the
use of several rivers which flow into
the Gulf of Mexico, the end can better
be arrived at than by way of Panama.
SO much, however, is certain, that when
a canal is cut from the American gulf
to the Pacific Ocean, countless good
i Will result therefrom, both to the civil
lied and uncivilized world.
But it would cause me wonder if
the United States should allow the OPP
portunity of taking such a work in its
own hands to escape. One can wei
foresee that this young empire, which
is SO rapidly conquering the West, will
within the next thirty or forty years
have taken possession of, and popu
lated, the vast territory on the far side
of the Rocky Mountains.
One can further foresee that along
this great Pacific Ocean coast, on which
nature has lavished the roomiest and
safest of harbors, important CONNER
cial cities will grow up, and through
them the trade of the United States
with China and Asia will pass.
- 'ln such case, it would seem moi
only desirable, but absolutely neces
sary, that faster communication be
tween the east and west coasts OF
America, than the long, uncomfortable
and expensive trip around the Horn
should be secured, not only for mer
chant ships, but for war vessels as well
repeat, therefore, that it will be alb
solutely essential for the United States
to make a passage from the gulf to the
Pacific Ocean; and / am certain that
that country will do it. Will l live tc
see iti That will hardly be the case
/ should also like to see another
great work brought about-the linking
| nf hn ha hn N
But this undertaking is so giganti,
that i am somewhat doubtful when
think of our German sources of help
Third and last, l should like to SEE
England in possession of cana
through the Isthmus of Suez. Could
but live to see these three great works
] the effort, on that account alone, t,
live for another fifty years.
One must read with wonder these ut
terances of Goethe, which point on
with such astonishing clearness tn,
works mentioned by him were actually
completed within the fifty years tina
he wanted to live in order to see then
accomplished. The canal between tn,
Danube and the Rhine. which to Goeth,
seemed the most unlikely of realiza
ton, was commenced within ten year,
of the death of the Weimar Olympian
namely in 1886, and was finished il
1s45 as the Ludwig's canal The Sue,
canal has been completed since 1863
though it is only since 1882 that it ha
been in the possession of the English
in accordance with the wishes o
Goethe. And now it will not be mucl
longer until the third of these tire
projects is completed, exactly in tn
manner that Goethe foresaw, as tn
: work of the Americans whose conques
, of the West has made it necessary 10
them to take up the work in whicl
the French under the leadership of d
} Lesseps failed.-Berlinisch Zeitung.