The Hartford republican., 1913-12-12

sumed. In 1899, the United States
congress created the Isthmus Cana
Commission, to examine all practic.
able routes and to report which was
the most practicable and feasible fol
a canal under the control, manage
ment and ownership of the United
States The commission reported
I two alternative plans, ,one for a cana
at Panama and the othr across Mic
aragua. 1t estimated the cost of a
! Panama caal at $156,S7S,25 and OF
the Nicaragua canal at S200,540 ,00C
But because the route from New
York to San Francisco wuold be sew
eral hundred miles shorter by way
of Nicaragua and considering exist
ing French concessions in Panama,
the commission gave it as its belief
that the Nicaragua rout was more
The effect of this report was to in
duce the French Panama company
to offer its concession to the United
States for s4O,OO0,0O0, in January.
1902. The Isthmian Canal Commits
sion advised the purchase and con-
gress authorized the president to buy
all the property of the Panama COM
pany, including a majority of the
stock of the Panama Railroad COM
nd fn Ohfoir from rnlon,hia a
perpetual control of strip OF land
six miles wide, through which to
build the canal. Colombia refused
to grant this control, but in Novem-
Der, 1903, ten months later, the state
of Panama declared itself independ-
ent. Within a month a treaty had
been negotiated with the new re-
public by which the United States
was given control Of a strip OF land
ten miles wide for the purpose ofa
canal. The French company's prop
erty was bought and. in February,
1904, commission for the construc-
ton of a canal was appointed. In
May of that year, work was begun
where the French company had
abandoned it. In June, 1905, a
board of consulting engineers was
appointed to consider whether the
canal should he at sea level or with
elevating locks.
The greatest and most difficult
problem which the American build
ers of the canal had to solve was not
one of ensineering, but OF health.
Under the French company's opera
tons more than 50 per cent OF the
workmen were continually incapaci-
tated by disease. In one year the
death rate among them reached 60
per cent. To Col. w. C. Gorgas, OF
the Army Medical Corps, was in
trusted the sanitation of the Canal
Zone. Recent medical research had
proved that yellow fever and malaria
alike were transmitted only by mos
luitces and Col. Gorgas organized a
corps, the main object of
which was to eXterminate every mos
quito and every fly on the isthmlus.
As a result the Canal Zone death rate
Is lower than in most American
cities.
Having made the Canal Zone safe
place in which to work, the commits
sion went farther and made it a
comfortable place in which to live.
Quarters for the working force were !
at a number OF conven- .
ent points, and for them aried men ,
houses were provided, ,
md the commissions commissary de- !
)artment arranged for resular shi- ,
nents of food supplies, which were
sold to the employees at cost. Nor
vas the social life OF the workers
overlooked. Club houses were built |
md furnished at the principal settle
nents along the route of the canal.
mostly operated under the direction
If the Y. M. C. A..and a little later,
clubs were organized in the
principal towns.
The canal itself. from deep water
o deep water. is fifty miles long.
is general direction from the Allan
ic entrance to the Pacific end is
rom northwest 20 southeast. the
iorthern terminal being about TWEEN
y-two and one-half miles farther
vest than the southern entrance from
he Pacific. The first seven miles OF (
he canal, beginning at the Atlantic
nd, are at sea level. Five miles of
'hannel. 500 feet wide. have been