The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-05-06
THE TRIUMPH AT
PANAMA CANAL
The Obstacles Overcome
By the Builders in it's
Construction
The Theory Of an isthmus Waterway at Pan
ANA was a Matter Of Discussion and
Negotiation for Centuries But Now A
Present Fact
Chautauqua Paper NJ. s. N

Chautauqua Paper NJ. S. N
In looking up this subject the first
thing that arouses our curiosity is
the ancient matter we have to deal
with, in fact. we find Columbus was
looking for this very gateway of
ours to find passage to the West
Indies. The first record we have of
a white man crossing the Isthmus
was in 1918, when Balboa crossed
the Darian divide and viewed the
broad Pacific. Three years later
came the first proposal of a canal by
the Spaniards. William Paterson
proposed to construct a canal in
1886, but his scheme was looked on
as visionary.
From 1914 to the time the Pana-
ma railway was built, this gateway
was in constant use by the Spaniards
and paved road was constructed
from sea to sea. This was the rich
est trade route in the world and ex-
tended from Panama to Nombre-de-
Dios and Puerto o-Bello. In 1850. the
Panama Railway Company received
concession from New Granada, and
in the same year construction work
was started at Navy Bay. The first
eight miles are through mangrove
swamp and the track was practically
foated on an immense pontoon. This
portion of the track was completed
as far as Gautun, by October, 1851,
where they found solid ground, and
work was pushed through the con-
tinental divide. By January, of 1854.
thirty miles of the line was in oper-
alton, and at midnight of January
27, 1855, the last rail was laid. The
next day trains passed from sea to
sea.
The entire length of the line is
forty-seven miles and cost in the
neighborhood of seven million dol
lars. In the meantime the company
had taken in for passengers and
freight. 50, 2,250,00 The gross earn
ings of the road up to the end of
December, 1858, was a little over
eight million dollars; the expenses
of depreciation etc., amounted to
two million, leaving a net balance of
nearly SIX million dollars for the first
eight years.
1t has been estimated that a life
was sacrificed fol every tie laid in
the road bed. this is exaggerated,
and as no record was kept it is i'm
possible to determine the exact num-
ber of lives that were lost in the
undertaking. The frst-class pas
senger tariff was $25.0O; second
class, $1,000; baggage, five cents per.
h.; express, $1.S0 per. cubic foot;
first-class freight, fifty cents per. Gu.
it,; second-class. $1.5j per. hundred;
mail, twenty-five cents per. pound;
and coal five dollars a ton. This
tariff held for over twenty years and
was the ultimate cause of the failure
of the enterprise. The Pacific Steam
Navigation Co.. refused to pay the
above tariff, and built several large
vessels for the Liverpool trade via.
Cape Horn. This was the first blow,
the next was the completion of the
Union Pacific; and to complete the
ruin, the Bogota Government refus-
ed to renew their charter except on
disasterous conditions. The Com
pany went into the hands of receiv-
ers, and corrupt management and
speculation completed the ruin.
The coming of the French canal
diggers, gave the old Panama Rail-
way a new lease of life, and it was
practically rebuilt to assist in the
construction work.
When the United States brought
out the French Company in 1904, it