The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-01-22
Items, General and Personal,
Of Interest to q. p O. Workers

The following from William NJ. Garrett,
former secretary of Columbia Typo
graphical Union. now chief OF the print
in:; department of the ISthmian Canal
commission. will no doubt prove interest
Ing to his thousands of friends here and
elsewhere:
|n--clal. Canal H.rc Ian. II. 1911.
NJ. Gc re N. i;atns y, Wa.hiuEt'n u. &
i'car 'i'.'-s Ir'''S..l hr'l rh't"grarh If the
J n Ting I!AIj e fh.. I-fhniiaU canal 'tmmissI,r
On >U.IdaN. IcCr.irr Is. took a TIM with the
/. e. :. Band 10 Port Belle. This f the
Oldest settlements en- the ithnus and Is situated
+I'ut tWcrtl four miles GSn tn" coast from toI,'n.
II hCre that {, lun,hS at ngt in L5sG and this
w. ~ II Il" lfacrS that nlad'. the Trey
OF EuCrErccr Morgan in 1865 or th,r1af-EIIS ThC.,e
m,it,1s CNl lain the AlI'Ia ard umga If its
h.s'H until Inr- sam dis yer, } that the country
thu AIM cntairird stone enough t" supply the
dDma for the Atlantic entrance "f th' canal and
etabised quarry there. A. l." the gold and
II' "irlIS stores that IcI.tvd I" 10 toInti-
full there :riur M'rgan> acll. hr must have
90 tcu thfn all. Most any cmr"yr # the l. &. {.
w Md -:""r d" :ri"k in Jail at the rate at
Jan than t. h. sent /" Porto Belle. The minis 81
the I'D fortress with n'ml.~ of old ,lilalidatCd
GIn+ streNn around resembling jardicrc~ with
thick tr TiCa growth CntwInnS them. ard the old
Catholic church. with its hideuIs Garrny,el staring
down at you. Is at-ut the only thing If interest t"
III" Sightseeing tourist. Wthn the Confines If the
church walls ar numerous graves covered with mar
b. labs bearing the usual prolific obituary Of the
deceased taIt knowledge Of Spanish and Latin
too limited to dc,ipher ANYTHING more than the
date # the death # tho ilhlStr4Is dead for such
G"dfcrNakcn slnt centuries ago Most Ct the stones
here the date Of l51l-12 According tradition the
lace that tine visited by plague that took
oil 90 PCT of the inhabitants.
From the jauntS Jarvis NCuldcn has lCcn taking
since his arrival the isinus, would h. led
10 believe that he special envoy sent here TO
investigate conditions. He puts in all his siar
time taking in everything along the route If the
He Is by tncSu
"f his recent trp up the old French canal to ,iatun
thence through roriOn If the lake. and hcGneward
b. way uf the Canal. You will note that in
speaking Of the French canal put it down. and
when referring to the American project capitalize
il. This is not only custom ard style Of the Canal
Record hut il is reliGiorsly carried down here
by everybody. Even in conversation you notice
the distinction by the rise and fall ii the voice.
TncrC must h motive back of it. but have
failed 10 comprehend it yet.
When Uncle sam lsIrchassIi the Panama Canal
from the French a number uf sensational news
paper articles appeared simultaneously, Throughout
the country questioning the wisdom Of the deal and
cliticsing the government expenditure Of much
money for 80 little return. Prom the knowledge
have gained since coming here of what purchased
from the French. think that France received the
lemon in the deal. The work of the French
men and the amount ACCOMPLISHED by them under
the most adverse circumstances appears 10 have
been little short Of marvellous. and sailing would not
be 70 fair and smooth for Uncle Sam if it were
not for the foundation laid by them and the profit
gained by their failures
few weeks ago l visited GatIn. where tho
great locks the Atlantic side OF the canal are
located. Notwithstanding that I have been reading
weekly Of the progress and advancement being made
at that point, I could hardly realize the wonderful
changes sincr last visit. less than nine months
ago. The waters Of the Chaeres River have been
turned into the artificial lake that to extend
frun this point for distance of twenty four miles
to Bias Otispo. and you look south from the locks
over the broad cxpanse Of water with 4 depth Of
twenty feet, picture the vessels of the
world awaiting their turn to enter the lock gates
There are a few persons on the sthmus who like
Philip ii, think that ii God had intended the
waters Of the Atlantic and Pacific to unite He
would have created strait instead of an isthmus
and that It would be sacrleSious to pierce it and
fraught with disaster; but they arc few and not
Americans. We have ceased 10 be sanguine of its
completion in time: but, like chairman d re-
ported to have iptimsted to tho Resjdmt in