Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-12-18
The WONDER STORY OF
THE PANAMA CANAL

commission gave as its belief that thu
Nicaragua route was more desirabl Il
under the circumstances. The effect
Of this report was to induce the Frenc.,
Panama company to offer its conces.
sion to the United States for 100000,
900 in January. 1902. The isthmian
canal commission advised the pur-
chase and congress authorized the
president to buy all the property of the
Panama company. including a majority
OF the stock OF the Panama Railroad
company, and to obtain from Colombia
perpetual control of a strip of land
six miles wide, through which to build
the canal. Colombia refused to gran
this concession, but in November, 1908,
ten months later, the state of Panama
declared itself independent. Within a
month a treaty had been negotiated
with the new republic by which the
United States was given control of a
strip of land ten miles wide for the
purposes of canal. The French com
pany's property was bought and, in
February. 1904, commission for the
OF a canal was appointed
In May of that year, work was begun
where the French company had aband-
oned it. In June, 1905, a board Of
consulting engineers was appointed to
consider whether the canal should be
At sea level or with elevating locks.
The greatest and most difficult pro.
Dlem which the American builders of
the canal had to solve was not one OF
but of health. Under the
French company's operations more
than so per cent. Of the workmen were
incapacitatsd by disease, |
IA one year the death rate among them
90 per cent 70 Col. W. c. |
sergas, Of the army medical corps, was
ntrusted the sanitation OF the canal
zone. Recent medical research had
proved that yellow fever and malaria |
alike were transmitted only by mos
1uitoes, and Colonel Gorgss organized
4 sanitary corps. the main object of
which was to exterminate every mos
quito and every fly on the isthmus. AS
4 result the canal zone death rate is
ower than in most American cities.
Having made the canal zone safe
place in which to work, the commits
sion went farther and made 1t a COM |
'ortable place in which to live Quar-
.ers for the working force were con-
,tructed at q number OF convenient |
points and for the married men com
portable houses were provided, and
he commissions commissary depart
nent arranged for regular shipments |
# food supplies which were sold to the
employees at cost. Nor was the socia
life OF the workers overlooked. Cluo
houses were built and furnished at
he principal settlements along the
quite Of the canal. mostly operated un
Ter the direction of the Y. M. C. A. and
| little later, women's clubs were or
yanized in the principal towns.
The canal itself, from deep water t
ieep water, is so miles long. Its gen.
sral direction from the Atlantic to the |
Pacific is from northwest to southeast
the northern terminal being about q
IL miles farther west than the south
ern entrance from the Pacific The
first seven miles of the canal, begin
ming at the Atlantic end, are at sea
level. Five miles of channel, 500 IT
wide. have been dredged to a depth OF
Al #. directly south through Limon
bay, and the two miles of this sea level
section has been cut through loy-lying
land to the entrance to the Gatun locks,
where the ships are raised, in three
steps, to a height OF IS #. above the
sea level, into the great body OF fresh
water called Gatun lake.
T., -