The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-05-04
The Panama Canal Opens
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

When the slides pinched the Panama
Canal closed all the world knew it. Now
that it has been re-opened with better
prospect of remaining so than ever be-
fore, the fact is scarcely realized away
from the zone. Three ships of the
United States navy passed through the
big waterway in March and since that
time regular commercial traffic has been
resumed.
1t is notable fact that although the
public confidence in the canal sagged
practically when the slides blocked its
channel the shipping world never lost
faith IN it for a moment. All through
the period of dredging, vessels kept
coming to Colon and Balboa, ready to
wait for passage through the Canal
if the zone government would give
them any assurances. But the officials
would make no promise and the ships
went their long way via the
Straits of Magellan. When at last the
canal was announced to be open, there
were vessels waiting. Also the South
American Steamship Company, operat-
ing between Panama and Chila, which
gets most Of its business through the
canal, has increased its fleet from three
vessels 20 i've, and now schedules five
sailing IN six weeks.
So the shipping world has kept its
faith in the canal, and meantime, the
canal government, by means of its little
railroad, has done its best to handle the
business across the Isthmus. A dozen
big lines have been wholly dependent on
thePanama railroad, and they have been
fairly well served, though not without a
terrific straining of resources. The
force of the railroad was increased by a
thousand men, audit was run to capacity.
1t might have handled regular through
business fairly well, but great deal of
cargo was delivered at the Atlantic
terminals, to be trans-shipped when
ever Pacific bottoms could be found to
accommodate it.
/ The shipping business was exceeding
ly lively. Vessels soon became booked
with orders far ahead, and began to re-
fuse the cheaper kinds of freight.
Hence. cargoes piled up mountain high
OF the great government terminals,
leaving just space enough between the
piles for the toiling trucks and black
men to move about. The berths were
filled with vessels waiting a chance to
unload. Worst of all, rolling stock of
the railroad was left under load when it
was badly needed. The railroad finally
declared an embargo on all cargo destin-
ed for points south of Calao.
Now the stress and overcrowding will
be quickly relieved, and the Panama
Canal will take its place again in the
worlds commerce, better equipped to
do its work than ever before. While
the dredges have been clearing out
Culebra cut, great Improvements have
been under way at the Pacific terminals.
An immense coaling plant, drydock a
thousand feet long. and new piers are
now nearing completion. A new water
tank has been built at Balboa. and a
signal station established on the top of
Sosa hill. which is 363 feet high and
overlooks an important stretch of the
canal. By means of time ball signals,
it will be possible to control vessels
from this eminence.
There is hardly department of the
canal government that has not strength
ened itself while the canal was idle.
The commissary department, which has
built up an immense business in fresh
meat is laying out pasture of forty
thousand acres. The sea-going dredge
caribbean has been adapted for use as
cattle boat. In this vessel native cattle
will be brought in, and then fattened
on the government pastures. The com
missary department already uses SOC
head monthly, and the demand is stead
lily growing.
The health department is also busy
1t may be said to have practically
eliminated malaria and yellow fever
from the canal zone, and is now turning
its attention more particularly to bu-
bonic plague. The quarantine, OF
course, is a pretty certain guard against
this terrible disease, but the canal zone
is in constant touch with infected ports
by reason of the traffic passing through
the canal, and the health officials are
determined to take no chances. Rats
are the great carriers of bubonic
plague. Hence, all the government
buildings have been made rat proof.
But that Is not all. Recently the edict
went forth that no chickens were to be
kept within the limits of the canal zone.
There was howl of protest from the