The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-10-10

early nineteenth, when she had Lore
Nelson and Baron Won Humboldt MAKE
surveys OF various routes. Presiden
Bolivar Of the Republic Of New Ora
NADIA IN 1926 gave a franchise for g
canal al Panama 10 Baron Thierry {
Frcnchman. and then commissioned J
\. Lloyd. a British engineer TO survey
the isthmus for either road or q canal
The year 1895 really marked the en-
trance of Uncle sam into the history
Of the canal II was I'm that year that
Henry Cay introduced in the Sen
ate a resolution which resulted Ia
| president Jackson commissioning
Charles Biddle to visit the isthmus
and report on the availability Of the
various routes proposed. Biddle had
Just obtained franchise To build a
railroad as a substitute for a canal
when the panic Of 1897 in this country
caused the whole project 10 fan
through It was not until the close Of
the Mexican War which brought as
California and the problem of estab-
fishing communication through the
dangerous territory intervening be
tween the east and the west that the
projec, Of trans-isthmus communica-
ton was revived Otherwise the in
tercourse must bc overland or by way
of Cape Horn. II was this problem
that gave birth TO In" line of steam
ships established by American capital
from New York 10 he isthmus and
from the iSthmuS TO California and
oregon. its promoters having con-
structed railroad across Panama as
r. correcting line. Enormous divi-
deuds rolled in from the start Owners
of the road successfully STAYED off for
fourteen years all talk OF a canal AZ
FAR as the railroads territory was con-
cerned From 1853 - 1875 the road
paid dividends in stock and cash Of
S37 100000. or over coo per cent
In the meantime nineteen different
routes had been talked of. principal
among which We're Nicaragua and
Panama, The railroad not being al
together satisfactory in service and
charging enormous rates, President
Grant, in 1859, appointed canal com.
mission which in 1870 arranged n
treaty with Columbia by which this
country agreed to build canal if
a satisfactory route could be obtained
II was while officials Of this country
were debating routd that France
stepped in and for IS years. or until
1904, succeeded in controlling opera
tons The failure of several French |
is well known. Congress
on March g. 1899 passed an act au-
thorizing the President to appoint a !
commission to make a complete in. |
vestigltion with a view to construct. |
ing canal. This commission con.
sidered principally the Panama and
routes.
In 1901 the commission reported in
favor # the Nicaragua route, consid-
ring the demands Of the New Pana-
ma Canal company for its franchise
ana property more than balanced the
other advantages of the Panama
route In 1902 the commission made
q supplementary report in favor of
he Panama route, ana recommended
b lock canal Congress then passed
he ''Spooncr Act" authorizing the
President to proceed with the work
IN the Panama canal route. 1t was
lot, however, until the province Of
Panama had seeded from Columbia
ma established herself as an indepen-
lent state that satisfactory treaty
ould De made, involving the payments
o Panama under certain terms OF
lO,O000G0 as lump sum and annual
ayments Of S25O0OO beginning nine
ears after the signing Of the treaty.
lnter this treaty the United states
uaantccd the independence of Pana-
na and obtained absolute control over
he canal zone, "a strip ten miles wide ,,
With the canal i'm the center running
orty-livc miles from sea to sea with
n area Of AS square miles The !,
'nltci states also has jurisdiction
Yer tho adjacent water for miles
Fl shore at either end Of the canal
he formal transfer of the property
'oS place May 4, 1904. and, following .
roIiminary organization and other
dNauce work. actual construction was
.arted January 1907.
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GAMBLING WITH LIFE.