Evening star., 1924-08-17
PANAMA UPHOLDS
NATIONS TRADITION
Rises in Wealth Like Typical
American Boy From
Home of Poverty.

Ten years old on August Is. the
Panama Canal is such Il lusty young
Ster that already it is outgrowing
its original clothes and has Uncle
sam wondering if it will need larger
garments.
In traffic handled it has passed
rniddle-aged. o5-vear- old Suez Canal,
and is now the worlds greatest arti-
fetal .inter-oceanic waterway.
At the present rate of traffic
growth the canal will have to be
greatly enlarged before it is three
decades older.
Such is the thumb nail sketch of
the accomplishments of Americas
"fStR Litch" on the eve of its second
decade, says bulletin from the
" ashIngton headquarters of the Ma
tlonal Geographic Society. The
waterway was formally opened to the
world august Is, 1914.
Owns Worlds Busiest Canals.
'"fe Panama Canals birthday
achievement give the United States
the rroprietorship of the two busiest
canals in the world, the Panama
Canal and the Sault Ste. Marie. ac-
r"rding TO the bulletin. The latter
stll handles twice as much traffic |
~ the Panama Canal, although it is
"ptn only eight months of the year.
Panama Canals ten-year record |
reads like the story of the traditional
American boy, rising from poverty to
wealth. 1t IS d record of financial
success beyond the dreams Of many
or its StancheSt adherents; it is
record of service success; it is a tri-
umph of sanitation; it is, as Viscount
Bryce predicted. the greatest en-
SinecrinS achievement of history or
of prospect"
In 1928 canal tolls totaled more
than $l1O00,o00 against expenses of
*i.3lI,0O0, a net profit equaal to more
than 80 per cent of the construction
cost of the canal, S315,0O0,o0O. In
1873 nearly 1000 vessels passed from
ocean to ocean. But the fiscal year
OF 1924 far outstripped 1928. OF the
Iui,ouo.o00 cargo tons transferred in |
the decade, more than fourth is
credited to 1924. and the tolls rose to
S-4.29O,000. Expenditure figures are
not Yet available.
Canal Gets Birthday Gift.
President Coolidge recentlv gave
the deserving Panama Canal a birth |
day present. an executive order put |
ting aside - square miles Of addi- |
tional country for the Canal Zone. |
This acquisition will be converted |
INTO a large reservoir to save up the !!
Charges floods which would other |
wise so over the Gatun Dam SPILL |
way. 1t is estimated that this |
new reservoir will store up a supply
of water sufficient TO meet demands |
until 1853, based on d normal growth
of trade.
The new Alhajuela project will
further increase the size of Gatun |
Lake, which is already the largest |
artificial body of water in the world. |
Its present area. 16J square miles is |
one third the size Of Lake Cham |
plain.
Ever since the Panama Canal was
proposed predictions of its great boon !
I" trade have filled the press Ten |
years show what the canal is good
for. Oil is king at Panama today, |
tn" figures show. The tonnage of
OILS. chiefly crude and refined De-
trol"um, passing through from the
Pacific to Atlantic exceeds the total
Of all other proGucts. In the oppo-
site direction oils stand second only
to iron and steel.
from the United States industrial
Fast the iron and steel come and
thousands Of tons OF other manufac-
iured products and textiles for South |
America. Australasia and the Far
East. From there also come at the |
rate of more than 100000 tons in one |
year, ammonia, cotton. sulphur, c.
ment. coal and coke, metals ores and
paper.
In the United States the great ar
guncnt for the Panama Canal. after
Its necessity for Defense was it's ad-
vantage to coastwisc traffic. Ten
Years show that the big Ditch full
fills these expectations. Two thirds
of eastbound tonnage from all
sources is coastwise traffic. Of the
tonnage originating in west coast
States, 80 per cent is consigned to
East coast ports. Half of the ship
mcnts from the industrial East total
ing one third of all westbound traffic, is
coastal traffic. California sends millions
of barrels of oil East via the canal.
Much of her fruit in cold storage moves
this way, and from the northern part Of
the coast comes the famous salmon
Lumber is commodity Of rapidly
increasing Importance in canal bus-
ness, the east coast exchanging its
particular types of wood for the
west coasts native trees. Wheat
from western Canada. instead of
flowing to Europe by the lakes and
rivers of the st. Lawrence system
goes to Vancouver now and is ship
ped to England via Colon.
Variety CT Odors.
All the odors. scents and smells
rising from a crowded Far East port
cannot match those at Panama
Tankers with blood from South
America; camphor from Japan;
from Hn0eS FORESTS,
garlic, hair. casSia and whale oils
from the Far East; iodine from Chile,
perfume from France, onions from
California. peanuts and tea from
China, rubber from Singapore copra
from the South Seas and pungent am
monia from Baltimore all mix at
1'anama. But probably no port in
Araby diSSi pates it's StencheS and it's
scents in sanitary oxygen and anti
septic sunshine as Panama does
The Canal Zone from Panama City
on the Pacific to Cristobal and Colon
on the Caribbean is as spotleSS and
well swept Dutch kitchen.
In 10 years more than $4,000 ships
have tranSited the canal. These ships
paid for this privilege $97,S02.O0o, a
sum equal to more than one-fourth
the total construction cost. An aver
nge of IA vessels a day now passes
through the canal and each day the
United States collects about $65.000
tolls. That the tendency of trade is
to bring products East and send
manufactured products back is shown
in part by the fact that in the decade
the tonnage from the Pacific to the
Atlantic exceeded that going in the
ether direction by more than co.
100000.
The service of the canals early ap-
premiership to MarS-that of han
ding precious nitrates from Chile to
make powder for the allies-is still