THE PANAMA CANAL

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 71, 25 March 1933, Page 24

THE PANAMA CANAL

Those who travel to and from Erigiand by the direct route in the Now Zealand service pass through the Panama Canal, which has been described as "the world's greatest travel thrill."

The general direction of the canal is not, as is usually imagined, from east to west, for it. is actually from northwest to south-east, Balboa on the Pacific., toast lying east of Colon on the; Atlantic . Approaching fronx.thq Atlantic

Ocean and Caribbean Sea, a vessel enters between the Colon breakwaters into Limon Bay and proceeds about sevenp miles] up the channel to Gatun Looks. Here the vessel is raised eightyfive feet through the triple series of locks to the level of Gatun Lake. Proceeding about twenty miles across the lake, passing numerous islets t covered with tropical verdure which, before the Gatun Dam had been built and the country inundated, had been the tops of hills, Darien is reached, where the lake narrows down to an arm about six miles long, known as the Gamboa Beach. This in turn merges into the famous Gaillard Cut, nine miles long, where crocodiles often can be seen /azing on the banks of the canal. It is here that the deepest excavation of over three hundred feet w-as made. Gold Hill —whero terrible landslides occurred when the canal was first opened—is on the left bank approaching the Pacific and is six hundred and sixty feet above sea level The Gaillard cut ends at the Pedro Miguel (commoijJy known as Peter Magill) Locks, where the vessel is lowered twenty-seven feet to the level of Miraflores Lake —a mile and a half across the lake to the Miraflores Locks, this timej to be lowered, in two stages,, tho remaining fifty-eight feet to the level of tho Pacific Ocean. Five miles further on lies the town of Balboa, where vessels can tako in oil fuel, and passengers may go ashore. The canal transit takes about seven hours as a rule. It is well worth while to^ hire a motor and drive out eight miles'to the niins of Old Panama, which in 1671 was sacked and burned by the famous pirate , Morgan. The

population of Panama is very mixed, and'shades.of complexion ranging from the wlyig of the Caucasian to the ebony of the negro 'may be seen there. '

The above description of the Panama Canal is taken from 'the passenger list of the New Zealand Shipping Company's motor-liner Rangitane, which arrived' at Wellington-last, week from London.