Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-01

| Facilities and conveniences have been
| worked out to such a fine point by
Uncle Sam for the ships
Panama using his Panama canal
rn that he even receives their
o' soiled laundry when they
enter the waterway and has it waiting
for them spotlessly clean when they
reach the other end. This and other
| services for ships and passengers are
told of, methods of operating the canal
are explained, the salient features OF
the big engineering accomplishment
are described and pictured, and indica-
| lions are given of the great extent to
which the waterway is remodeling the
trade routes of the world in an official
handbook of the canal just issued by
the isthmian canal commission.
Operation of the canal since last
August, the book shows, has brought
out the fact that % per cent of the
ships making use of the waterway pass
over one of four routes. These in the
order of their Importance are the routes
of coaStwise trade between Atlantic
and Pacific ports of the United States:
between the west coast of South Amer
lea and Atlantic ports of North Amerf-
ca and Europe: between Pacific ports
Of North America and Europe, and be-
tween Atlantic ports of North America
and the far east
Over each of these routes. it has been
found, the ships carry more or less
characteristic cargoes. In the east
bound coastwise traffic the principal
items of freight are canned fruit and
fish, lumber and wine, while westbound
ships carry chiefly coal tsince the Alas
kan railway is not yet in operation), a
variety Of merchandise and machinery.
Most of the grain passing through the
canal comes from Pacific ports of the
United States and Canada and is bound
for Europe. Ships from the Pacific
ports of South America to Europe
carry mostly nitrates. and the trade
from Atlantic ports of North America
to the orient is largely in petroleum
and raw cotton.
through the canal since it's opening
August Is. 1914, have averaged. in
spite of the European war. close to
100000 tons month, and it is ex-
of operation will show. therefore. a
total tonnage not far from 100000.
What this means is shown strikingly
by comparison with railroad haul
age. During the year ended June 30
before the opening of the canal the
Panama railroad. which was then said
to be handling more freight per mile
than any other line in existence, car
ried 643,11S tons of through freight.
Approximately this same amount of
freight was carried through the canal
by ships in the one month of March,
1918.
Laden vessels using the canal in
March carried on an average 5000
tons of freight each A train on the
Panama railroad, when it was hauling
all the isthmian freight the preceding
year, was made up of about twenty
cars and carried about $50 tons-just
one fourteenth of shipload. To carry
the probable canal tonnage of the first
year, therefore. more than 1900 such
trains would be REQUIRED. 1t would
mean the starting of a train in each
direction practically every hour in the
year.
The canal handbook lists the many
and varied facilities for shipping and
passengers and crews furnished by the
canal authorities. These include dry
dockage, oil and coal handling plants.
pure water supply. food, clothing and
general supplies. ice, laundry service.
repairs. hotel and hospital accommoda-
lions. cable and radio communication.
launches, tugs, divers and pilots. In
addition. the book contains much other
information, especially valuable for
shipmasters and yacht owners. con-
corning the business relations with the
government during a transit of the
isthmus. and designed to eliminate un-
certainty and red tame and to make for
la speedy passage through the water
way.