Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-07-16


Chagres. II is a concrete lined chan
mel 2S5 feet wide cut through a hill
OF rock and across It is built a curved
dam Of concrete on top Of which is a
row Of regulating gates. Just below
the spillway, out Of our sight, is the
hydroelectric station which supplies
power for the operation Of the entire
canal and the lighting OF the whole
zone. 4
Our channel through the lake-for
we still must follow a path indicated
by range towers on the shores-is
now a thousand feet wide and leads
US somewhat tortuously through a
maze of islands. Look down as we
near some of them and you will see
below the surface the tops of giant
trees, For we are sailing over what
but a few months ago was the valley
Of the Chagres, dense with tropic
vegetation and dotted with native VII
lagos surrounded by banana and CO
coanut plantations. Close to the
shores the stoutest of the trees still
stretch their naked, dead limbs above
the water, but before long these, too,
will have rotted and fallen, leaving
the luxuriant landscape unmarried.
Passing over the sites Of Bohio,
Frijoles and Chagresito, we now come
to the place where Tabernilla once
stood, and here both lake and channel
narrow down, the latter being first
800, then 700 and finally 200 feet wide.
On the hillsides to the fight stand a
few abandoned houses, all that re-
mains of Mamei, Juan iirande, Cor
COMA and Matachin, busy places while
the canal was building, now covered
by the spreading waters. Along the
left shore of the channel runs the re-
located Panama railway and here at
Gamboa it crosses the Chagres river,
which our vessel now leaves to enter
the far famed Culebra cut. This great
cash through the spine OF the CONT
nent is 300 feet wide at the bottom
but, because of the tremendous earth
slides which cost Uncle Sam so much
money and time, it's width at the tor
is astonishing, being half a mile just
here opposite the town of Culebra
Beyond, on our left, towers Gold hill
1876 feet above the bottom of the ca
nal. Far up on it's rocky slope we dis
Germ a streak of white paint which
marks the level to which the French
company carried its excavations
Nearly opposite. is Contractors hill
364 feet high. AS we move between
these, the Hottest hills along tn,
route, and pass the location Of tina
, notorious "cockroach," the Cucarach
slide, the Pedro Miguel lock stand
I before us, white in the MONDAY sur
This, a single flight lock, is 30 fee
, high, the highest on the canal. Agai
3 we are taken in tow by electric mule
. and in less than half an hour we haV
/ been lowered those 80 feet and stear
/ into another artificial body of watel
, Mirahores lake, only mile long A
4 it's southern end we pass the town {
g Miraf1ores and enter the locks of tn
D same name, a double flight that LET
I us down once more to sea level.
e The exciting part Of the passage
over, but there is yet much Of intere'
n to see. Down the broad channel "
s look clear out onto the glitterin
|, waters of the Pacific ocean. Neart
d at hand, on the left, Ancon hill raise
e its verdure-clad summit, and clustere
# on its slopes we see the many stru
o lures of the big hospital, the ne
h administration buildings Of the can
.. and the barracks of the marines. AL
q now, steaming between fllled.in swan
Is lands, we come to Balboa, which Il
r government has made into fine nav
o station. with an immense dry doc
o and extensive machine chops.
e Stretching out from Balboa into Il
Ie Pacific is a breakwater, two mill
IS long, which protects the harbor fro
,e storms. At its outer end is clust
le of little islands, Naos, Perico, Culeb
re and Flamenco, and here we pas
r. under the powerful guns that qua
IN the Pacific end of the canal. TIL
r, are mounted high up on the SUNNI
he of these rock islets, ri1ed cannon, o.
ic shot from which would sink bait
ship, and huge mortars whose she
er can be dropped behind Tobago islal
a. - miles away in the direction
at Japan.
a. In ten hours we have cross
%. through the continent and now flo
on the broad Pacific. AS we 10
m back the picturesque city of Panar
NJ lies bathed in the light Of the west
ly ing sun and on the side of Ancon b
re shines the big white Tivoli hotel T
ed sudden night of the tropics Is soon
er fall and already as far back as
nj. can see along our route and beside I
-o- ocean channel, are twinklipg
nd lights that Uncle Sam has set up
er guide the worlds commerce throu
ed this most wonderful of canals viii
he has built.
he
All Reassuring.