Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1913-10-17

hours. 1t took the battleship Oregon
six weeks TO pass around the Horn
during the Spanish-Ameriean war
from deep water IN the Caribbean
Sea on the east 10 deep water in the
Paeific Ocean on the west, Tie canal
measures a length OF 90 miles. Yes
sells will reach its summit elevation
by flight OF three locks located al
Gatun, on the Atlantic side, and by
one lock at Pedro Miguel ana d Tight
OF two al Mirafiores on the Pacific
side. These steps in the great water
way vary in height from AZ TO So
feet, and those at Gatun, the largest
ever designed, can be mounted BY
the greatest vessels in less than half
an hour each The locks at every
point have been built in duplicate
the better TO accommodate tratiic.
The canal has been designed to take
care OF SO,000,OOO tons OF traffic
year, or four times the amount OF
commerce now passing through the
American 500" canal.
Uncle Sam began the construction
OF the canal nearly seven years ago.
Back of that time runs period OF
four centuries, during which time
men were talking Of Panama canal,
a period frightened by big dreams,
and darkened by the. lost fortunes
of those who sought to make these
dreams ma:erialize. Since the first
hardy adventures of the old world
began seeking a western passage to
the riches of the Far East the thought
OF canal across the Isthmus of Pan
anna has been fixed IN the mind of
the world. Spain, England, Portugal
and France have all at some time
embarked on the undertaking. only
to fail. II was President Grant who
first gave official utterance to the
policy of IAN American canal under
American control; and it was Pre-
sident Roosevelt who substituted the
work for the words.
Balboa, driven from home by his
creditors, landed on the Isthmus in
1900. To him belongs the credit for
first conceiying the idea of canal
and being the first to trahsmit the
thought to the world after having
organized an expedition which cross
ed afoot to the Pacific over what is
now known among the multitude of
canal lines that have been proposed
as the Caledonian route. A survey
was undertaken but the report was
made that the scheme was imprac-
table. In 1857 Philip II. sent engin-
eers to survey the Nicaragua route,
but their report likewise was unfav-
orable. Spain in 1914, feeling the
need OF restoring her waning pres
tige in Central America. entered up
on construction by decree. Before
any actual work could be started,
however, the Central and South Am
erican colonies obtained their indie
pendence. England took a hand in
the proposition in the latter part of
the eighteenth century and early
nineteenth, when she had Lord Nell
son and Baron Won Humboldt make
surveys of various routes. President
Bolivar of the Republic of New Gran
ada in 1926 gave franchise for a
canal at Panama to Baron Thierry.
a Frenchman, and then commission
ed j. A, Lloyd, British engineer. to
survey the fsthmus for either road
or a canal.
The year 1885 really marks the
entrance of Uncle Sam into the his
tory of the canal. 1t was in chat
year that Henry Clay introduced in
the senate resolution which result
ed in President Jackson commission
ing Charles Biddle to visit the 18th
mus and report on the availability
of the various routes proposed Bid
die had Just obtained franchise to
build railroad as substitute for
canal when the panic OF 1897 in
this country caused the whole pro-
ject to fall through. II was not until
the close of the Mexican war, which
brought us California and the prob
lem OF establishing communication
through the dangerous territory in
tervening between the east and the
west, that the project of trans
isthmus communication was revived.
Otherwise the intercourse must be
overland or by way of Cape Horn. II
was this problem that gave birth to
the line of steamships established by
American capital from New York 10
the lsthmus and from the Isthmus