The Elbert County tribune., 1913-09-05

Colon, c. with the completion OF
the Panama canal the importance of
the Panama railway will decline al
most to the vanishing point
For nearly sixty years this railway
has been carrying people and freight
from ocean to ocean. Though only Al
miles long, 1t has been, for certain
periods, one of the most important and
most interesting railroad lines in the
world. During the building Of the
canal, under the ownership of the
United States. it has become one OF
the best equipped and most efficient of
railways. 1t has given great help in
the construction of the canal that will
prove its virtual death
The finding of gold in California wac
the cause of the building of the Pana-
ma railroad. For long years before
the wild rush of argonauts in 1849 the
isthmus was almost forgotten by the
civilized world, but when the yellow
metal was discovered on the west
coast 1t became once more a great
trade route. In order to avoid the long
trip across the plains in prairie
schooners." thousands of gold-seekers
went by boat to Chagres. up the Cha
gres river to Gorgona or Cruces and
thence over the old Spanish road to
Panama. This, too, was a long route
and In the rainy season a painful and
dangerous one because of the preva-
lence of disease.
To the rescue of the gold hunters
came three bold Americans, w. f. As
r,fx,
Stevens. In 1S48 these men had asked
the government of New Granada for a
concession for the road, and in 1850
Stevens obtained it at Bogota The
Pacific terminus could not be otherwise
than at Panama, but at first the har-
Dor of Porto Bello was selected for the
Atlantic terminus. However, a New
York speculator spoiled this plan by
buying up all the land about the har-
Dor and holding 1t at very high price,
so Navy Bay was chosen instead.
When work on the line was begun in
May, 1850, there was no celebration,
no turning of the first spadeful of
earth with golden shovel.
Two Americans with a gang of In
dams landed on Manzanillo island. now
dcsolate, uninhabited spot, and began
the tremndous task of clearing the
route through the dense Jungle The
surveying party suffered intensely, for
the land was SO swampy and SO infest-
ed with malaria and yellow fever bear
Ing mosquitoes that they were COM
PEELED to sleep aboard a ship Much
of the time they carried their lunches
tied on their heads and ate them
standing waistdeep in the water.
The efforts of the company to OBJ
tain laborers were attended by a ter
rible tragedy. Eight hundred Chinese
were brought over from Hong Kong,
but within week of their landing
scores of them died. Opium was given
the survivors and for a short time
checked the ravages of disease. But
the supply of the drug was shut of on
account of its cost, and again the
deaths became numerous. The poor
Orientals in despair began to commit
suicide, some by hanging, others by
implement, while some deliberately
sattdown upon the seashore and wait
ed for the rising tide to overwhelm
them . In few weeks scarce two hun
dred were left, and these, broken in
health and spirits, were sent to ia
maica.
Another shipload of laborers, this
time from Ireland, met no better fate,
for nearly every man died.
The material difficulties that con-
fronted the railway builders are thus
summarized by Tones in his Panama
in 1856" "The isthmus did not sup
ply single resource necessary for the
undertaking. Not only the capital,
skill and enterprise. but the labor. the
wood. and iron, the daily food. the
clothing, the roof to cover and the in
struments to work with came from
abroad. :. Most of the material
I used for the construction of the road
was brought from vast distances.
Although the country abounded
in forests, 1t was found necessary,
from the expense of labor and the
want of routes OF communication, to
send the timber, for the most part.
from the United States, and not only
were the rails, to a considerable ex-
tent, laid on American pine. but the
bridges, and the houses and work
shops of the various settlements were
of the same wood, all fashioned in
Maine and Georgia. The metal work,
the rails, the locomotives and the tools
were brought either from England or
the United States. The daily food of
the laborers, even. came from New
York market"
The first section of the road was
! laid through mangrove swamp in
which no bottom was found. the tracks
being floated on an immense pontoon.