The chronicle=news., 1913-11-22
Crank Parker SlokJriJse. [,


"i III. world. The vision reesne u
reality on Oetober -. 1913. when
President Woodrow Wilson in the
Whit. house at Washington. pressed
Il button which cent the electric eur
rent eco. miles to crpiod. 10 tons
VI dyhamit. which blew up the last
barrier TO IA free waterway across
the isIhmus.
'Gamboa'r busted" exclaimed tn-
president. ~ h. pressed the i-ie-
sraph key. The sasuain.-s al his
remark Mas tribute io the sasi-
n.srs Of the United States army. To
whom III. dissins Oiihs .anai has
been simply another job" in In.
routine of their regular work. nnd
on. that called for NO bras. bands
al special ceremonies io siorify IL,
Wi,h III. sam. simplicity. the first
vessel ,o pans through the famous
'ui.Jra cut. after tn. breaking at III.
aanitsoa Iika haa let ia the water.
",s an ordinary faAbs'ai. while y
hnmbi. bUi useful ius:,cai Mas til.
'irs' craft OF nGy Kind 'o make the
passage through til. sr.ai Gaiun
Io-.s
while the work at Panama Ia still
lar from completed. yet the canal
which the nrsi Spanish explorer. ,i.-
gsiIs--i is today an a.oh,i'iisa.d fact,
for the Tin, time since tbs .iouh.
,aigs russ frum the s~s. th-r- IL a
".n'inuou. water I.asssk- across tho
is,a,nu. SHIP. as large as most Of
these of iiaiioas isy .an already b~
Tioati- :Fuu o-ran to o.-an.
TN september :a, 1918. vssso
NGn~I de- iiai,,oa climbed thr peaks
Of the .ontinrntai divide and .is-
covered the Pacific ocean. which he
named the south s~a" trom where
iiaibna stood his n-s orrah las lii
f-,,iy south. b,.aus" %! the S-shsp-d
i~is, of the i.ihmus. watch nriass
the Pacific entrance io tac canal ne,
AiIahii. terminal. When iis!boa
report at his discovery reached spain.
II va. accompanied sy the r-rnui-
mrriaiion that y canal b. tnsn-IIs
the explorer haa IN nit u ~.s = s.a
level canal. Tor although t.ronp rio
ia Niaci. the great italian laiaict.
engineer. had rrrrnii, !ns-aisJ the
AA.tsgssstIsa vssssf
ior iifiias s-es-is over elevations. II
had ho, .-.on- ~.i.i. known. Hos.
ever. sliusins as u seemed. ta- 'aasi
uIui-,t Mas di.nis.-'is According To
so'.- historians iis r-i-,t'oa ~ss due
uaipi' to the influence of the
church. To the simple faith of that
da, IL appeared ri-as that " tod
hal inicnd-i the waters to flow
s,ro.s ta- .s,hmu.. lie would have
created "a -hanH-i there
III. discovery Of Gold in Ca.iIor.
mia. in is.>. VAS followed by y itc-
m-nIaus volume "r train, bsi~.cn
the Atlantic aud Pacific coasts ahd
for fifteen years practically all "f
tat. ir,fn. was by way ofih- 18th
Wus. over the Panama railroad.
"Iyu-'i IN 1885 d, >ncri-ans under
= concession from the republic o'
New Granada. nov known rs Co!oni-
b... The explorations aud survey
turth- railroad. u work tha, is sstd
to have cc<i the ii;r Of man Tor
every tic. led to - much more a.cu-
rate knowledge OF the topography
and geology OF the isthmus than haa
previously been available. i'rcs!-
den, Grant. 1853. asked congress To
take up the matter of a canal. The
only action was u resolution proyid-
ing for an exploration b. officers ot
the navy and the creation OF COM
mis.iyn. in 1879. to consider their re-
ports. Then. in MAY. 1876. the re-
public Of Colombia granted - concc--
ston for the construction Of a canal
from Colon to Panama. the icrmin-
!, ais OF the Panama railroad. to Lieu
tenant Lucicnt Napoleon ''onapar,c
wysc. an officer ot the French ARM.
In 1891. new French COMPANY
was organized and work was rcs'im-
cd, In 1899. the United states con-
vrcss created the isihmian canal
commission. to examine all praciic-
able routes and to report which was
the most practicable and feasible for
n canal under the control. manage.
mcnt and ownership OF the United
states" The commission reported
Two alternative plans. one for canal
,i pnnuInn and The nthcr aCrOns Nira-