The Coconino sun., 1925-01-09
PANAMA, WHERE PACIFIC
AND THE ATLANTIC LOCK
Continued from Page One)

through this goose neck connection,
which is about so miles wide, and is
called the Canal Zone, owned and
managed entirely by the U. S.
There was an amazing amount of
wailing when this hunk of swamp
land was taken away from this. bunch
down here, drained, cleaned out and
built up. They walled loud and agon-
lied similar to an |. w. w. who is
made to take a bath and put on a
clean shirt after several years of neg
lect. Well, we was kind folks and
paid 'em for curing 'em of what was
the matter with them.
The little "put-put-put" boats Of
the officials at Colon came out,
checked up our tonnage, and collected
the demurrage, which amounted to
$16,412, for using the canal. The cap
tain must have been prepared for this.
The doctor didn't even ask for our
vaccination numbers. Shortly our
large water wagon commenced to
back and fill SOS it could make a
straight run for the big Gatun lock-
gate in sufficient water to hide her
beam ends. Along both sides as we
slid into the big lock, were heavy, low
browed engines working by electricity
on a cog road. They hooked on rear
and aft. The engine up forward tug
ged the huge boat along so far, then
the fellow aft would put on the
brakes to keep us from humping into
the front gate Of the lock. Then the
big. steel gate was closed behind us,
leaving US in a water-tight cement
box. Water was turned on and the
boat commenced to raise rapidly un-
til we were pumped up to the level of
the lock next ahead within half hour.
This was repeated until the third time
our boat stood up higher than the
trees in the surrounding country and
was on even keel with the Gatun lake
ahead. The ship was raised in the
locks at the rate of foot per minute
and if you could get a glimpse Of this
old flock of warehouses pasted to-
gether with steel, you'll better realize
how powerful water is, even outside a
laundry. This little village we are
floating around with weighs a trifle
more than 10000 tons. The total lift
in the locks is IS feet, so you can help
Yourself and knock if you think we
are Dragging about anything.
The Gatun lake is quite some
Aswamp located up on plateau. 1t
mooches around extensive like over
this area and is freclzled with islands.
The Chagres river mixes with it some
place along the line.
This being a tropical country, much
tropical vegetation habitats in these
environs, including coconuts, bananas,
grass, mahogany, underbrush and the
makin's for Panama hats. There amt
no use describing it all in detail, be-
cause it might not be the same season
Of the year when you see it, and you'll
claim we lied anyhow. However this
vegetation is very dense; as dense as
some people we know, but not much
greener.
There are not many inhabitants
along the canal, only here and there a
few grass huts or a shack hung up on
stills back in the hills. Houses down
in these envfrons, Ga feller from
Pennsylvania taught me that word),
are hoisted up on stills on account of
an earnest desire for ventilation. They
use the same kind of clothes down
here-if any.
Airplanes continued to escort US
across the isthmus. Some of them
would float down even with our decks,
then wander away off into the atmo-
sphere as though their curiosity had
been satisfied.
Now and then we would pass Y.
S. dredging outfit bent on keeping the
bottom away from the top but there