The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1914-08-15
CANAL IS TO Be OPENED
rot HE WORLDS COMMERCE TODAY

the Pacific ocean, and 1 am certain
they will do it."
First decision to build: In 1914,
just 100 years ago, the Spanish gov
eminent by decree entered upon the
construction of an Isthmian canal,
but the idea was blocked because the
Central American colonies succeeded
in throwing off the Spanish yoke.
First French interests came in
1925, when President Bolivar of the
republic or New Granada rave a
franchise for a canal at Panama to a
Frenchman, Baron Thierry, who fail
ed to raise the required capital.
First action by the United States:
In 1885, as the result of a resolution
introduced in the senate by Henry
Clay, Charles Biddle was sent by
President Jackson to visit the 18TH
mus and report on the various canal
routes proposed.
First report to the United States
government: BY Biddle in 1886,
favoring the Panama route. He had
been so struck with it that he return
| to the United States without ex-
aiming the Nicaraguan, Darien or
Tehauntepec routes. No action fol-
lowed.
First railroad built, from 1S49 to
1855, more than half as long a time
as has been taken to build the pres
ent canal. Fever killed so many
thousands that it was said a laborer
the Panama road.
First actual canal building begun:
In 1873 the Universal Interoceanic
Canal company incorporated in Paris
by Ferdinand de Lesseps, who had
built the Suez canal.
First blast on Culebra hill, now
Culebra cut, on January 10, 1880,
by the de Lesseps company, in the
presence of a distinguished gather
ing.
First failure: In 1887 the impos-
sibility of digging a sea-level canal
within the estimated IL years and at
the estimated cost of $3.50, 900, 900
became apparent. More than $780,
600 900 had already been spent. The
company went into bankruptcy.
First work on a local canal was
taken up by the new Panama canal
company in 1894, which practically
ceased operations after five years
work.
First digging by Americans, May
4, 1904, taking over the rights and
property of the French canal company
and obtaining necessary concession
from the republic of Panama.
First union of Atlantic and Pacific
waters: Blowing up of the Gamboa
due, when President Wilson touched
an electric button in Washington,
October 10, 1913.
First boat of any kind to make
tr~ansisthmian PASSAGE: A nameleSs
mudscow of the Panama railroad,
which passed from the Pacific en-
trance to Culebra cut in November,
1918, and west sent to the Atlantic
entrance in December, 1918.
III hioh ~ swim thIOuSu IhC
canal: The crane boat, Alexander
LaValley, an old French boat of 1900
tons, which passed from the Atlantic
to the Pacific on Jan. 7, 1914.
First man to swith through the
canal was Alfred Brown, an Amer
lean, who swan from Gatun Locks to
Balboa, a distance of thirty miles, on
November "a last in 16 hours, 35
minutes actual swimming time.
First vessel to pass completely
around South America by way of the
canal was the tug Reliance, Captain
R. c. Thompson, which sailed from
Colon, February II, 1912, voyaged
10,500 miles around South America
and returned to the Atlantic ocean
through Gatun locks, February first
Lost