The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-10-12
This will give Brander Matthews
great opening for sarcasm.
THE GAMBoA CELEBRATION.


an enthusiastic one and the speaking
was appreciative and jubilant. The
blowing up of this dyke is step to.
wards the near completion and utiliza-
tion of this great canal, the dream of
the ages, the flower Of accomplishment
in hydraulic engineering, chief above
everything achieved by man in this
direction. The construction Of the Suez
canal was mere ditch-digging in COM
parison, and although an enormously
useful passageway, it sinks into insig-
nificance as an engineering work com.
pared with the tremendous work Of
tho Panama Canal.
From the first Of the discovery Of
! the Great South Sea by Balboa, it has
| been the dream of all navigators and
of all great commercial thought, to cut
| the Isthmus so that ships could pass
through. There have been various
| routes proposed, and until almost the
last moment this government favored,
as many engineers had favored thereto
fore, the Nicaraguan route above this
route Of Panama Probably an even
better route than the present one would
have been the San Bias route, which is
ten miles shorter, but the merits Of
which appear not to have been fully
realized when the choice Of site for the
canal was made.
The dominant note Of the Tabernacle
meeting was exultation at the approach
ing completion Of this great work, and
the fame and profit which it would
give to the United States. A quite
proper sentiment, surely, and one that
was especially appropriate on this occa-
sion. There was recognition also Of
the great things that the canal would
do for this immediate western region,
but there was disappointment ex-
pressed by some Of the hearers that
more was not made Of the great things
that this canal would do for Utah, and
the Utah spirit that ought to be devel-
oped to local advantage through the
construction of this canal. This is not
to say that the local note was omitted,
because it was not; only some thought
it was not insisted upon strongly
enough.
The great things that the canal will
do for Utah are evident on the face Of
the proposition. AS it is now, we are
practically put into an eclipse so far as
connection with the great ocean com
merce Of the world is concerned The
Pacific ocean, huge as it is and tre-
mendous as is the population which
borders it, is remote from the great
which is the big commerce Of the
world on both sides of that ocean. We
are SO remote from that as to be almost
shut out altogether. The Panama Ca
nal will bring US into immediate con-
tact with that great commerce, and our
Pacific shore will be practically the
same as the Atlantic shore has been
heretofore We are now connected by
rail and have good rail service to the
East, but that is not the same as ship
service, and at present ship service Is
practically eliminated SO far as we are
concerned.
But the benefit Of this ship service
will be opened up to US now in way
that will be of enormous advantage.
There are five great ports on the Pa
cific which will give us the benefit Of
deep.sca shipping; being, SO far as we
are concerned here, first, San Pedro
Harbor at Los Angeles, then San Fran
cisco, then San Diego, then Portland,
and, last, Seattle. So far as the great
world commerce is concerned, these
ports now offer practically nothing to
us. After the completion of tho Pan
ANA Canal and its operation, these
ports will give us everything that any
city OF State could enjoy, In the facili-
ties that they will afford for easy, rap
id, and comparatively short comuiuni-
cation with these great ports. If any
one should wish to make shipment
by sea of heavy goods through the Pan
anna Canal, the order could be filled in
comparatively brief time, and the rail
communication would be rapid and
complete. By reason Of our location
The Salt Lake Route will be our great
route Of transportation for all this
trade. Shipments from the Atlantic
coast Of heavy goods, will be taken to
San Pedro harbor, and a. comparatively
short run from Los Angeles to this
city will deliver the goods, over that
short route by rail.
The Utah spirit, which ought to be
made most prominent in connection
with the opening Of this tremendous
business through the Panama Canal,
should be strengthened and cultivated.
We should be prepared to take advan.
tage of our opportunities, and to use
the canal to the utmost possible extent
1t will put us in direct communication
with all parts Of the world in way
that has been heretofore absolutely out
Of the question Utah is 80 near to the
seaboard, and The Salt Lake Route
will be SO direct, that we shall attract
colonies and invite development, which
has been heretofore sad lack Of the
State Utah oupht within a. eomDara-