The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-08-30
FIRST TRIP THROUGH PANAMA,

FIRST TRIP THROUGH PANAMA.
Approach to the Canal-hiow Ships
Will be Lifted" Across the lsthmus
-Gatun Locks and Lake-The Gu
Zebra Outraged Scenery Along
Route.
A few weeks ago the Assistant Sec
rotary of State suggested that the
bones of Christopher Columbus, now
resting in the city of Santo Domingo,
Hayti, be placed aboard the first ship
to go through the Panama Canal A
few days ago, August s, the replicas of
the three caravels of Columbus, the
''Pinta," the nina" and the Santa
Maria" were taken from Jackson Park
lagoon in Chicago, and are now being
prepared for their voyage by way of
the Canal to the Panama-Pacific Ex-
position in San Francisco. 1t is within
the range of possibility then that one
of those caravels should bear the re-
mains of Columbus to the waters of
the Pacific. Many a time in our school
days and after, our admiring spirits
have accompanied the heroic admiral
across the unknown waters of the
Atlantic on that first voyage to the
western continent, which ended at
San Salvador, october II, 1892. Let
us accompany him once more in spirit
on the voyage to the Pacific; for fancy
may we'll picture the soul of the inn
mortal discoverer lowering again
above the deck of another Santa
Maria" on the first voyage through
the Canal that cuts in twain the con-
tinent he discovered four hundred
years ago.
Let us imagine ourselves, then on an
ocean vessel approaching the Allan
tic or northern entrance OF the great
canal, prepared to enjoy this initial
trim and to wonder at the sights in
store for us. In the word northern,
writes E. W. Pickard in the Child
APOSTLE, from which we take the &C
count which follows, lies the first sur
prise for many of the passengers who
did not know that the canal runs not
from east to west, but from northwest
to southeast This seeming anomaly
is due to the fact that the Isthmus
of Panama here trends almost east
and west.
It is still early morning when
watchful passenger shouts Land,
and all who are up rush to the port
rail to gaze upon the billy, jungly
coast of the isthmus between Porto
Bello and Colon. AS the vessel
plows swiftly through the waters as
blue as ever were those of the Med1-
terranean a cheer goes up from the
deck, for we have caught a glimpse OF
the Stars and Stripes fiuttering above
a fringe of cocoanut palms. That
marks the location of one of the big
forts built to protect the canal in time
of war and is on Margarita island,
virtually part of the mainland.
Colon, fat and unpicturesque, now
comes into view, and directly ahead
of us an immense breakwater stretches
a mile out from the shore on the
. Al 1LS Adhu OhNy OA WV POAAAN9
is another fort whose great guns are
masked by the tropical foliage.
Now we have virtually entered the
canal, for the 5OO-foot channel extends
far out from the shore line. At re-
duced speed we enter Colon harbor
and the Bay of Limon and steam past
the pretentious Washington Hotel,
Uncle Sam, proprietor; the docks of
Colon, crowded with shipping from
the United States, Europe and many
a port Of Latin America, and the
American town of Cristobal on whose
water front stands the statue of Co
lumbus sent over long years ago by
the Empress Eugene. Skipping about
the bay, looking like long, black water
beetles, are the cayukas or native dug
outs, and moving lazily before the sea
breeze are the little sailing craft in
which the queer San Bias Indians are
bringing their products to market.
Four miles and half we sail
through Limon Bay and the shores
narrow in on our 500-foot channel,