The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-10-26
A Birdseye View of the
Panama Canal.

AS feat OF Civil engineering it is
unique and future generations will place
its rank ahead of the seven wonders of
the world. After the French nation had
absorbed two hundred and sixty millions
of capital in a fruitless undertaking to
construct sea-level canal across the
isthmus of Panama they were easily in
duced to surrender their claim to Uncle
Sam for the sum of forty millions of dol
lars; and with further payment of ten
millions to the Republic of Panama and
perpetual annual rental of two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars, Uncle Sam
came in possession of a strip of land
across the isthmus five miles wide on
each side of the canal While it is but
thirty-fve miles in a straight line across
the isthmus the canal will be about fifty
miles long.
The starting point Of the canal on the
Atlantic side is in Limon Bay near Colon
and continues in the bay for about four
miles. At Gatum, about seven miles
from the starting point, monster dams
have been erected which hold back the
flood waters of the Chagress River and
its tributaries, thus forming lake about
thirty miles long and nearly eight mile
wide. The depth at the dam is seventy
five feet and the minimum depth is forty
five feet.
This lake is eighty five feet above sea
level and the process of lifting the levi
athans of the deep into this lake is by a
duplicate flight of three locks, each hav-
ing length Of one thousand feet, a
width Of one hundred feet and lift of
twenty-eight and one third feet, which
carries the vessel into the lake.
The steamer channel is tWenty-three
miles through this lake. This brings US
to the Culebra cut, which is through
highest point three hundred and thirty
feet. The channel up to this point has
varied from five hundred to one thousand
feet in width. 1t is narrowed to two
hundred feet at the base through the cut
and sloping at the top in places to as
much as six hundred feet in width.
About ten miles from the Panama Bay
the Miguel lock is located. The lock
takes the vessel down thirty feet into a
lake which is fifty-fve feet above the
Pacific ocean. The lake is formed by a
series of dams across the Rio Grande
River, (near La Boca) and is called Sosa
Lake. Five miles from Panama Bay the
Sosa Locks are located--a duplicate flight
of two, with lift of twenty-seven and a
half feet This brings the vessel down
to the level of Panama Bay.
The course of the canal is from north
west to southeast. The distance from
New York, via Cape Horn, to San Fran
cisco, is thirteen thousand and ninety
! five miles. The completion of the canal
will bring San Francisco within fourteen
days of New York by steamers making
sixteen knots an hour. From New York
to Honolulu saving of six thousand
I lOuI anu 1Ol " live llll6S lS
made. The distance from Boston to
Colon is two thousand and twenty-five
miles.
Panama is mountainous country. The
principal peaks are Chiriquel, 1865 #.
and Blanco with height of II, TAO it..
The climate is tropical 1t has coast
line on the Atlantic side of 478 miles and
on the Pacific side 767 miles. The rail-
road near the canal is At IL miles.
President Roosevelt said of the canal,
''This conquest of peace will, in it's great
and far reaching effect, stand as among
the very greatest conquests, whether OF
peace or of war, which have ever been
won by any of the people of mankind. ~
The time for completing the canal esti.
mated by the engineers was some time
in 1915, President Taft has said he
thought from present indications it might
be ready for use in 1912.
C0rr