Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1913-02-09
FURNISHED THE COPPER ERA BY REQUEST

Inc history OF the Banama C3ndt
involves the history OF the West In
dies and Central America, and is one
of intense interest; il really dates
back 10 the voyages of Columbus, for
all II was not so much a new world
he wanted todiscoyer as a new route
10 India, and in trying 10 find chan
mel through the great barrier of land
he had encountered. in 1901 search
ed every cove along the lsthmus OF
Panama and died believing such a
channel still existed. The town Of
Colon, the port on the Atlantic end of
the Canal is named after him. Ii
is not likely, however. that Columbus
ever saw the Pacific Ocean, which dis
coyery is credited TO Balboa in 1873,
and the port at the Pacific end of
the Canal is named after him.
The Isthmus then became the
stamping ground of Spanish, French,
Portuguese and English priyateeTs.
buccaneers and all kinds of rascal
GERS, who pillaged the natives, plumb
cred the country and played the de =
il generally. in the name of God and
their king, for 300 years and more.
The first suggestion to construct 4
canal across the Isthmus is said to
have been made to Charles V. OF
Spain, by Cortez, the conquisadoT
of Mexico, and survey for a
canal was made by order of the
king in 1884, and while four different
routes for a canal across the 18th.
mus have been seriously considered
at various times by various peoples,
the original route surveyed in 1884 is
. a ~ al
for the present canal.
1t may be said that the subject
never grew cold, but little more than
surveys were made and a road con
structed across the Isthmus until 1914
when Spain took active steps towards
building the canal, bat internal poll
teal trouble brought about cessa-
ton of the work.
in lS49 gold was discovered in Cal
ifornia and as there was no trans
continental railway, and il took six
months TO reach California by OK
train from anywhere ia the east, the
Isthmus again came to the fore. as
a popular way of going around TO
San Francisco. Then the Panama
Railroad was build by American Gu
terprises. which proved a gold mine
in itself: il was completed in 1855.
But still the Canal hung fire.
At last, in 1881. the great work was
commenced in earnest. We all re-
member the French company which
Count Ferdinand De Lesseps Organi-
Zed to construct the Canal; with
what wonder and enthusiasm it was
talked of, to the credit Of the French
people and the renOwn OF the French
engineers.
The. story of this effort to perform
the greatest physical task ever at
tempted by man is at once gloriods
and sad A sea level canal was de-
cided upon, and the estimates called
for the expenditure OF s240,00O.UO0
TO complete the. work. De Lesse rs
had achieved a great reputation in
connection with the building OF the
Suez Canal, and was chosen to direct
the work. The magnitude OF the task
and the difficulties had been sadly
under estimated, but The romantic
nature Of the undertaking appealed
to the French people, and money
flowed into the Golfers of the COM
pany only TO be spilled like water
without getting anything like ade-
lndle ItNHIn. ne COMPANY bCNdilit
the milch COW for all kinds OF gait
ers; its management was extraya-
CANT in the extreme; anyone with
any kind OF a digging machine could
sell any number to the company by
granting a fat commission 10 some
official: all kinds OF machinery the
use for which was absolutely unfind-
able, was sent out from France 5y
the shiplpoad and dumped in the
Jungle. the wonder of all the alliga-
tor and wild boar. The unhealthy
conditions of the work decimated the
laborers; the cost of maintaining the
hospitals was enormous; floods, fires
and pestilence, obstacles natural and
artificial OF every conceivable kind
initiated against the work and rem
dered success under such an organi-
cation impossible.
De Lesseps himself. though a man
OF nearly so, pushed the work with
great courage and energy and, fired
with optimism m inimized every an
Guilty. and not until the money finally
ceased to flow into the Golfers OF the
company and unfulfHled promises