Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-26
By WILLIAM R. SCOTT
aTr CHAPTER vi. ~
The Geography Of Panama.


diana. On the Atlantic side 1t Is
S7s miles long and on the Pacific side
674 miles by the coast line. The popu-
lation. native and foreign, is 100000.
Our treaty with the republic of Pan
anna ceded us a strip Of territory ten
miles wide from deep water In the At.
lant1c to deep water In the Pacific. The
area of the canal zone Is 44S square
miles. While within the limits Of the
canal zone. the cities Of Panama and
Colon, at the terminals. remain under
the sovereignty Of the republic OF Pan.
anna. a&e1 SH!- -" 'a.'5s '.' w
Some confusion is caused by the fact
that the isthmus of Panama runs near
ly east and west instead Of north and
south. as might be imagined. at the
point where the canal traverses 1t.
Panama city Is almost due south OF
Buffalo and Is southeast Of Colon. the
Atlantic terminal The canal route.
therefore, runs in southeastern direc-
tion from the Atlantic to the Pacific:
and, to the establishment Of the tour
ist the sun rises in the Pacific and sets
In the Atlantic. lsl Sle E"' @.lH
We are not building our canal at the
narrowest point on the isthmus. This
point Is found at the gulf Of San Bias.
sixty miles east OF Colon. where the
isthmus Is only thirty miles wide.
whereas ut Panama 1t Is forty-seven
miles wide. a5R sJI~yHo1 f
The Chagres river pronounced Shag-
gressl originates In the San Bias noun
tains and drains basin Of 1920
square miles After running parallel
with the coast line nearly midway be-
tween the oceans II turns sharply at
right angles and empties into the Car
ibbean sea few miles west Of Co
Ion. The point where the Chagres
makes this turn Ii within the canal
zone and about thirty miles from the
Caribbean. running through the canal
zone for that distance. From the Car
ibbean sea to Bohio, about seventeen
miles, the bed of the river Is only
slightly above sea level. and from Bo-
hio to about the entrance Of the Guile
bra cut It rises to forty-eight feet
above sea level. '..' ''r-". ...
Engineers were divided on the utility
OF this natural geographical situation.
Those who favored the lock type canal
believed that the Chagres river could
be damned up 90 as to form the longest
part Of the canal and thus save vast
amount of excavation that would be
required La a sea level type. While
not denying the saving In excavation
in q lock type. the engineers who IA
vored a sea level canal believed that
the fixed limitations Of the lock type
made It inadvisable when the expan-
sion In the size Of ships was consid-
cred. ..... ...l ..
At Gatun the natural formation Of
the mountains permitted the Chagres
river to escape into the Caribbean sea
through a gap less than two miles
wide The lock type advocates said
this gap could be filed in and SO Gre
ate a basin to be filed by the stagnat-
ed water Of the Chagres river. The
idea was to build a dam high enough
to back the accumulated river water
toward the Pacific for a distance Of
thirty-two miles and at an average
depth in the canal channel OF forty
Eve feet throughout Another dam
would prevent the lake so formed from
spilling down the Pacific slope. Thus
all but about fifteen miles Of the canal
would be made by an inland. artificial
lake. 1874 square miles In extent
But even In a lock type there would
have to be an impressive amount OF
excavation. Not only would the sea
level channels approaching this lake
on either side Of the isthmus have to
be dredged. but the mountain barrier,
running lengthwise with the isthmus,
would have to be pierced with chan
mel so as to permit the waters Of the
Gatun lake to reach the point On the
Pacific side where the locks would
afford the descent to the ocean.
The area to be excavated In this lake
channel. thirty-two miles long. was
from Gatun to Obispo. following the
Chagres river in general and requiring
only about 100000 cubic yards to be
removed in twenty-three miles. Then
the mountains began. fcrty-five feet
above sea level. and reached their
highest point In the center line OF the
canal. at Gold hill. 312 feet above sea
level. thence sloping toward the Pa
cif1c to the proposed lock site at Pedro
Miguel. a distance of nine miles. The
average depth Of the cut would be 100
feet throughout the nine miles, and the
deepest point of excavation at Gold hill
would require going down 272 feet
The Culebra cut. as this channel
through the mountains was called. was
to be 200 feet wide. In 1880 the
French had begun work there. and
they removed ls.646.OO0 cubic yards
that were useful to the Americans.
Their machinery was used the first
year Of our occupation.
At Gatun. on the Atlantic side Of the
proposed lake. there would be locks to
lift ships to the lake. and at Pedro
Miguel and La Boca. on the Pacific
side. the locks would lower the ships
to sea level again.
The Americans came to the canal
zone in 1904 with the question Of the
kind of canal to be built unsettled.
They were to be there more than two
years before the violently discussed Is
sue was to be settled. Meanwhile,
however. 1t was recognized that there
was vast amount Of pioneer and
preparatory work to be accomplished
that would absorb the activities Of the
organization pending the solution Of
this problem.
What kind Of country as to tenn
perature. rainfall. vegetable and ami
NAL life and healthfulness had we Sc
cured? Az to the first characteristic.
Panama is only nine degrees from the
equator But 1t is far from being as
hot as that proximity might suggest
Throughout the year the temperature
averages about s. degrees. The high