The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-08-29
PASSENGER SHIP
FIRST IN CANAL
Panama Railroad Liner viii
Have the Honor.
COCKTAILS DISDAlNS pOMp.

| ceremony engineering Chief Will
Board Vessel on Regular Trip on At
lantie Side When All is Ready-ore-
son to Go Through Later.
Neither the battleship Oregon nor
the whaler Fran is to be the first ship
to go through the Panama canal when
that waterway is ready for the pas
sage of a vessel early next year. In
stead regular passenger boat of the
Panama Railroad and Steamship COM
pany leaving New York on a regular
trip will be scheduled to go to Pana-
ma city and will go directly through
the canal.
AT Colon Colonel Goethals and other
officials will be taken aboard for the
first trip, but otherwise there will be
no attempt to make great display of
the first passage.
Colonel Goethals himself has insisted
upon this plan being followed and has
put his foot down upon any sugges-
ton of sending the Oregon through
first. The Oregon may be the first of
the battleships to go through. and the
Fran may be the first foreign ship to
use the waterway, but Colonel Goe-
thals, never an advocate of pomp and
display, believes that whatever honor
is coming to any steamship belongs to
the Panama railroad boats.
No Decision as Yet.
As a matter of fact, the opening of
the canal will be regulated by the ar
rival at Colon of one of the regular
boats, so that there will be no delay
at the Atlantic end. 1t has not been
decided which boat will make the trip,
but the choice lies between two-the
Advance and the Alliance. Whichever
one Is due in Colon about the time the
canal is ready will be selected for the
journey to the Pacific.
There is to be no official opening of
the canal, to be followed by its closing
for period while more work is being
done. OF course work will 60 on all
the time, but when the Advance or the
Allianca makes the trip any other boat
can follow at once.
At the same time the harbors and
docks at each end. the supply depots
where SHIPS of all nations can get coal,
oil and food and the great repair
shops-greater than any navy yard or
shipyard in the world-will be prac-
tically finished. SO that once the wa
terway is thrown open everything will
be ready for any emergency, from
docking and supplying the requisites
Of a thousand foot ship to the repair
ing Of battIeships of the navy.
The terminal facilities for the canal.
now under construction. provide for a
system of piers at both entrances to
the waterway. with appliances. many
of them never before used. for the
rapid handling of cargo.
1t should be understood that a large
amount of the trade by way of the
canal will not be through traffic. That
is. ships from New York, New Orleans,
Liverpool and other ports will touch
at Cristobal, ON the Atlantic side, un-
load part of their cargo and then sail
to other ports on the Atlantic sea-
board. Ships for the west coast of the
AutiiSAS Uuu lOI lut OIituL VIII PICK
up this freight and carry it to it's des-
tination.
Great Harbor Built.
At the Atlantic entrance, where
there was no natural harbOr. u great
harbor has been built by the construc-
ton of mole, at right angles to the
canal channel, for distance of three
quarters of mile ont into the sea.
Projecting from this mole inland viii,
be the great terminal docks. A quay
wall and two piers are being built, and
space has been arranged for three
more piers should the traffic demand
it The piers are 1000 feet long and
the ships between them 800 feet wide.
so that two 1000 foot ships can dock
at one time without entering the canal
itself.
The piers and quay walls win be
equipped with cranes and modern ma.
chinery for rapid handling of cargo.
The direction of the mole is such with
relation to the canal and the immense
breakwater, which juts out from Toro
point, that 1t will break the force of
the heavy seas. which the violent
"northers" OF winter pile up in Colon
harbor. 1t is now thought that this
method OF construction will make un-
necessary the bailding OF an eastern |
breakwater. originally provided for in
the plans Of the canal