The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-06-19

rs signed May IL, 1912, involves the
lblic by the U. S. armed forces.
vide aerial hideouts for the treach-
erous Japs or the deceitful and ever
diligent Nazis.
With Franco playing ball' con-
tinually with Adolf Hitler, islands
such as the Spanish Canaries and the
Portuguese Azores, or the many
small isles that dot the Caribbean,
might furnish springboards for hos
| tile wings.
Danger From the Sea.
Airplane carriers, steaming ahead
at full speed all night, or for sew
eral nights, as in the case Of the
sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Of
fer serious potential dangers. Once
within 500 miles of the Canal Zone
they could launch their planes in
the gray of the dawn. They know
full well that just one big "egg"
dropped in lock, would hatch loads
of trouble for Uncle Sam. We must
bear in mind that without the canal
in operation a 50-mile trip becomes
13,000-mile cruise around the
Horn" either way you take it, with
its terrific loss of precious time and
greatly increased operating costs.
The battleship Oregon made one
such emergency trip during the
Spanish-American war, and arrived
on the scene in time to turn the
tide of battle, but we have neither
the time nor the inclination for this
sort of thing in this war with the
Axis. Nothing must happen to the
Panama canali 81
Friendly but Questionable Isles.
Let as look in another direction.
One thousand miles to the southwest
of the Canal Zone loom the shadowy
shapes of the Galapagos islands.
These islands are owned by friend
ly Ecuador. These tiny islands,
though in friendly hands, are any
body's guess these days, for Jap
Fishing boats have been known to
have piled off their shores, and who
knows what observations have been
made and what soundings taken.
Then there is the, menace of the
nearby blue Caribbean, in which en-
envy subs are known to be prowling,
and which have already taken heavy
toll of our merchant shipping in
these very waters, SO dangerously
close to the canal. Dealing with this
menace is the Caribbean patrol of
huge navy patrol bombers, 15-ton
Consolidated flying boats with sound
apparatus to detect subs, and two
tons of bombs. These bombers roar
out daily on dawn-to-duSk sweeps
of the Caribbean and the Atlantic,
and may be included as an inpor-
tant arm of the canal defense.
Espionage and sabotage, the long
suit of the enemy, may also be list
ed on the debit side of the ledger
in an accounting of the Canal Zones
danger potentials, and all must be.
dealt with in their own individual
way.
An Historic Event.
The most important event in the
history of the canal occurred in jan
uary, 1899, when the U. S. fleet
passed from the Pacific to the At.
lantic ocean, and even more dra-l
matte was the return passage of a
large portion of the, fleet in early
May of that. year. Both. transits
were made without the appearance
of haste. but in record time.
Contrary to the, general belief, the
canal does not run due east and
west, but zig-zags irregularly across
the isthmus. It's operation consists
in helping ships. however big and
bulky, to ascend three water-steps
(locks) from one ocean into the huge
man-made Lake Gatun, from which
they descend three other water-steps
into the ocean at the canals other
end. The locks are so constructed
that two vessels proceeding in oppo-
site directions may 60 through the
canal at the same time. Big ships
occupy whole lock, and smaller
ships are wedged in like sardines.
Once in the locks the ships crew
is showed aside and the canal crew
takes over.
The United States has sovereignty
over the entire Canal Zone. Two
cities stand guard at either gate
way of the canal-Balboa at the At
lantic end and Panama at the Pa
cific end.
The canal was constructed during
Theodore Roosevelt's administration
by the U. S. army, with General
Goethals as engineering chief and
General Gorges in charge of public
health. TWAS opened to commercial
traffic August IS, 1915, and was de-
clared formally completed July IL,
1920, during President Wilson'S adj
ADMINISTRATION.