Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1910-03-11
PANAMA EDITORIAL TRIP
Letter No. 18.

GOu Was manifest Dy the IdcL Indl
He had created an isthmus instead
of strait, and that it would be
impiety for man to attempt to u
mite the waters of the two oceans
that God had separated. A religious
decree was promulgated by this
Philip II declaring the project sac
religious, and this was followed by
an edict forbidding under penalty Of
death anyone from considering such
a project. The Advise Lord thus
used the mind of the half supersti-
tious King of Spain to interpose as
a barrier to the opening of this
gateway to the seas beyond, as he
did old Pharaoh to obstruct the de-
sires for long time of the Israel
ties to leave Egypt. The people in
the latter case thought they were
ready but God knew they were not.
Time was not quite ripe for their
Exodus. Even so with this canal
project.
God saw that mankind had not
attained to those heights of pure
religion and civilization that was
necessary to carry forward his
plans in unlocking this door to the
Orient to the Occident world. That
plan he was reserving until more
orthodox, liberal-miEded and pro-
gressive nation than the naughty
cruel and laggard though brave
Castillian, That nation has grown
up under Gods fostering hand and
is the one today called the United
States of America, and by chain
of circumstances marvellous to
trace has finally and is successfully
handling this Panama Canal. I'm
der its benifcient administration
mankind will be more abundantly
served and blessed and the Crea-
tors will better subserved, than
that of any other power in whose
hands it might have fallen.
It's in this Cuiebra cut where we
stood and those reflections came to
mind that the slides which have
caused occasional alarm at home
and taxed the skill and ingenuity
of the engineers and is still doing
so, for the conquering of these is a
task in which time plays a part,
Most of the walls cf the cut are Of
rock, but there is enough dirt and
loose material in some places to
cause these gradual slippings which
somewhat resemble a sand cave in
on small ditch in this country or
on a diminitive scale a landslide in
a mountain, as they move slowly
sometimes advancing but a couple
of feet day, A recent slide will
cost one million dollars to remove
but the engineers are profiting by
their own experiences and that of
the French engineers who preceded
them, and learning better and bet
ter how to obviate these trouble
some drawbacks.
Mr.. Bryan who has run in there
just as we write up this install
ment of our trip, says in speaking
of these slides: 1 have learned a
new engineering phrase the angle
of repose' The slides will stop
when the angle of repose is reach
ed but as the angle varies with
different material and in different
weather it furnishes a delightful
subject for discussion, calculation
and speculation" We employ his
language as it gives a better in
sight into the problem than we
could describe in so few words. We
might add that this element of I'M
as he calls it increases
naturally as the canal cut goes deep
ar down and will do so until the
proposed depth is reached, though
The articles of the workers to con-
-rol it grow in proportions the 9TH
er way.
I notice that Mr.. Bryan holds to
he view that the work will be
within five years, and
will be opened for traffic January
|. 1916. | am willing to accept |
lis figures though from what we
nave read of other projects and the
statement of its directing spirits,
We perceive that there is a chance
or the Panama Canal to be thrown
open to the world even sooner.
From three to five years. it alto
yether depending on conditions
and circumstances. An earthquake |
Town there might delay the work |.
still longer, but its doubtful if it
10 so unless much severer than COM
non to those regions scarcely, any
1t all. At any rate we can assure
'ur readers that they can be as GER
ain in their reliance on the gov
eminent finishing this stupendious
ask, as in other projects. The tun-
leling under rivers, through noun
aims and stretching Of suspension |
bridges etc. It's merely a question
1t time, men and money and our
government has all three at its
While we did not travel through
out little over two miles of it. this
cut is about nine miles long, While
treading our way along we got
caught in one of those tropical
showers, the season for which was
Just opening. The danky dark even
ing reminded US very much of
such days at home We had an
but got pretty we'll soaked |
and mud-splashed, as the rain pep |
oered down pretty lively. AS we
rushed along, the writer stopped |
occasionally and picked up an as
,ortment of small rocks as souven-
ers to bring along back to the