Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-25

WASHINGTON April 24.-when the slides
wv pinched the Panama canal closed, all the world
" knew it. Now that 1t has been reopened with
better of remaining than before, the
fact is scarcely realized away from the zone Three
ships of the United States passed through the
big waterway in March, and since that time regular
commercial traffic has been resumed
1t is a notable fact that although the public con-
hdence in the sagged perceptbly when the slides
blocked it's channel shipping world lost faith
in it for All through the period of dredg
ing vessels kept coming Colon and Balboa ready to
wait for passage through the canal if the zone gov
eminent would give them assurances. But the
officials would make no promise and the ships went
their long via the Straits of Magellan. When at
last the canal announced to be open there
company, operating between Panama and Chile which
gets of it's business through canal. in
creased its feet from three vessels to five,
schedules five sailings 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 it's handle the
business across the isthmus dozen big lines nave
been wholly dependent the Panama railroad, and
they been fairly well served though not without
terrific straining of The
road was increased by thousand men, and it
to capacity. 1t might have handled regular through
business fairly WELL but great deal of de-
hvered at the Atlantic terminals. trans-shipped
whenever Pacific bottoms could be found accommo-
date it.
The shipping business exceedingly lively. YES
sells soon became booked with orders far ahead and
they began to refuse the cheaper kinds of freight
Hence cargoes piled up mountain high on the great
government terminals, leaving just space enough
tween the piles for the toiling black men
to move about The berths were filled with vessels
waiting a chance to unload. Worst of all, rolling
stock of the railroad left it was
badly needed. The railroad finally declared an en-
bargo on all cargo destined for points Caao
Now the stress and overcrowding will be quickly
relieved and the Panama canal will take its place
again in the worlds commerce. better eouipped to do
its work than before. While the dredses have
peen clearing out Culebra cut, great improvements
nave been under way at the Pacific terminals An i'm
mense coaling plant, drydock a thousand feet long
ana new piers are now nearing completion. A new
water tank mas been built Balboa, signal sta
ton established the top of Sosa hill which is asa
rect hign and overlooks important stretch of thu
canal BY means of time signals it will be possi-
Die to control vessels from this eminence
There is hardly department of the canal govern
ment that has not been strengthened itself while
canal idle. The commssary department, which
has built up an immense business meat, is
laying out pasture of 10000 The sea-going
dredge Caribbean has been adapted use as cattle
boat In this vessel native cattle will be brought in
commissary department already 500 head monthly
and the demand is steadily growing.
The health department is also busy. 1t may be said
practically eliminated malaria yellow
the canal and is turning atten-
ton more particularly to bubonic plague The quar-
antine course is pretty certain guard against this
terrible disease, but the canal touch
with infected ports by of the traffic passing
through the canal and the health officials are deter
mined to take chances Rats the carriers
of bubonic plague Hence all the government build
ings have been made. rat proof But that is not ALL
Recently the edict forth no chickens were
to be kept within the limits of the canal There