Omaha daily bee., 1912-03-17
tcopyrisht, isls, b. Frank q. carpen,or,

N THE Gulf OF Mexico, En-
IN Route for Panama---I am on
IoI my way TO, the Panama canal.
1x lleft New Orleans last satur-
BlM day on the good steamer
~sB Abaugarez OF the United Fruit
company and will land at Colon, at the
eastern end " our big ditch, at.7 a, m.
Thursday morning next. This viii be my
third visit 10 the canal WORKINGS. saw
thom first in 1897, at the beginning OF my
tour around South America Tho French
men, who were then In charge, took me
over the mountains and down the
chagres. They looked sad, for they were
loaded with a Gargantuan Job, which
hung around their necks as oppresslvely
as did the Old Man OF the Sea around
that of sinbad the Sailor. They had 5000
men In their employ. and they were la:
boring only with the hope of selling out
10 the United States or Great Britain.
My next visit TO the isthmus was eight
years later. when we had Just taken pos
session. then saw the first steam
shovel installed in the Culebra cut and
watched it as 1t began TO gouge out the
heart OF the Andes. That was when En-
glneer Wallace had just taken charge
and the work was at its beginning
Now the mighty construction is ap-
preaching completion. and / go with my
pen and camera to show you just how 1t
looks. BY the time / reach the isthmus
the first water should begin to fill In
Gatun lake. and before / leave 1t some
of the greatest Of the works will be COM.
pleied in preparation for the joining OF
the waters OF the oceans which will flow
together on or before a year from this
date.
ON the Worlds Great Canals.
But first. would like to take you on a
flying journey about the globe to show
what other nations have done in canal
building. have gone through the great
est OF such works which have yet been
created. and during my recent trip
around the world trayersed the suez
canal. the Canal OF corinth In Greece,
some Of the chief canals Of India and
the Grand canal Of China. which runs
from Tientsin for loo miles southwafd,
through the most thiclSly populated coun-
try on earth. This last summer, on a
flying visit 10 Europe, visited Holland.
which, as every one knows. is cut up by
canals, and l have made my way through
the big ditch the kaiser dug to give the
German navy an outlet from the Baltic,
and also over the Manchester ship canal,
which carries our cotton from the sea
right into the heart OF old England.
have obtained also recent information as
TO the plans OF some mighty ship canals
which the Russians propose to build con-
recting st. Petersburg with the Black
sea, and Of other schemes which VIII
make. almost every part Of Germany &C
eessible by steamer or barge.
Great-Grandfather of All Canals.
We shall begin our travels on the other
side of the globe. Our own canal will
be the newest thing upon earth. The
canal we shall first visit Is gray-haired
with the washing Of almost 1000 years.
j is the great-grandfather OF all canals.
1t was commenced long before Christ,
and. according to the Chinese records,
was nN finished until more than 100
years before the discovery Of America.
The southern part Of II. which I visited
Ia lsea, extending from the Yangtse south
10 the city Of Hangchow. was constructed
only few years after Jerusalem was
taken By Nebuchadnezzsr. at about the
time that monarch was chewing grass in
the gardens Of Babylon Thsupper part,
extending from the Yellow river 10 Ten
tsin. was completed by Emperor shitsu
Of China 10 the same century that King