Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-07-11

Chagres. 1t is a concrete lined chan
mel 2S5 feet wide cut through a hill
OF rock and across it is built a curved
dam OF concrete or top of which Is a
row OF regulating gates. Just below
the spillway, out Of u sight, is the
hydroelectric station which supplies
power for the operation of the entire
canal and the lighting of the whole
one
Our channel through the lake-for
we still must follow a path indicated
by range towers on the shores-is
now a thousand feet wide and leads
US somewhat ~tortuously through .
maze OF islands. Look down as we
near some Of them and you will see
below the surface the tops Of giant
trees. For we are sailing over what
but a few months g was the valley
OF the Chagres, dense with tropic
vegetation and dotted with native vii
lagos surrounded by banana and CO
coanut plantations. Close to the
shores the stoutest of the trees still
stretch their naked, lead limbs above
the water, but before long these, too,
will have rotted and fallen, leaving
the luxuriant landscape unmarried.
Passing over the sites OF Bohio,
Frijoles and Chagresito, we now come
to the place where Tabernilla nee
stood, and here both lake and channel
narrow down, the latter being nrst
800. then 700 and finally 500 feet wide.
On the hillsides to the right stand q
few abandoned houses, all that re-
mains of Mamei, Juan Grande, Cor
gona and Matachin, busy places while
the canal was building. now covered
by the spreading waters. Along the
left shore of the channel runs the re-
located Panama railway and here ct
Gambia it crosses the Chagres river.
which our vessel now leaves to enter
the far famed Culebra cut. This great
cash through the spine OF the conti-
nent is 800 feet wide at the bottom.
but, because of the tremendous earth
slides which cost Uncle Sam SO much
money and time, its width at the top
is astonishing, being half a mile Just
here opposite the town OF Culebra.
Beyond, on our left, towers Gold hill.
495 feet above the bottom of,the ca
nal. Far up on it's rocky slope we dis
Germ a streak OF white paint which
marks the level to which the French
company carried its excavations.
Nearly opposite is Contractors hill.
364 feet high. AS we move between
these. the Hottest hills along the
route, and pas the location of that
notorious "cockroach," the Cucaracha
slide, the Pedro Miguel lock stands
before us, white in the MONDAY sun.
This. a single fight lock, is 80 feet
high, the highest on the canal. Again
we are taken In tow by electric mules
and In less than half an hour we have
been lowered those 80 feet and steam
into another artificial body Of water.
Mirafiores lake, only. a mile long. At
it's southern end we pass the town OF
Miraflores and enter the locks OF the
same name, a double flight that lets
US down once more to sea levels
The exciting part OF the passage Is
over, but there is yet much Of interest
to see Down the broad channel we
look clear out onto the glittering
waters OF the Pacific ocean. Nearer
at hand, on the left, Ancon hill raises
its %verdure-clad summit, and clustered
on its slopes We see the many struc-
lures Of the big hospital, the new
administration buildings Of the canal
and the barracks of the marines. And
now, steaming between flled-in swamp
lands, we come to Balboa, which the
government has made into a fine naval
station, with an immense dry dock
and extensive machine shops.
Stretching out from Balboa into the
Pacific is a breakwater, two miles
long, which protects the harbor from
storms. AT Its outer end is q cluster
Of little islands. Naos. Perico, Culebra
and Flamenco, and here we pass
under the powerful guns that guard
the Pacific end of the canal. They
are mounted high up IN the SUBMITS
lsof these rock islets, rifled cannon, one
shot from which would sink a battle
ship, and huge mortars whose shells
can be dropped behind Tobago island
IL miles away in the direction OF
Japan.
In ten hours we have crossed
through the continent and now float
on the broad Pacific. AS we look
back the picturesque city of Panama
lies bathed in the light OF the wester-
ing sun and on the side OF Ancon hill
shines the big white Tivon hotel. The
sudden night Of the tropics Is soon to
fall, and already, as far back as we
can see along our route and beside the
ocean channel, r twinkling the
lights that Uncle Sam has set up to
guide the worlds commerce through
this most wonderful Of canals which
he has built.