THE PANAMA CANAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 191, 10 February 1912, Page 9 (Supplement)

THE PANAMA CANAL

THE WEDDING OF TWO OCEANS. (Dalgety's Review). The recent pronouncement of President Taft that the Panama Canal would be open in July, 1913, or 18 months before the anticipated time of that event, has attracted especially the attention of those great shipping interests whose operations will be materially affected by it. Some years ago, shortly after ■ the United States Government took up the construction of the work, which had been begun by the French, a general description was published; but as there have been some modifications since, and the public mind is not generally! good at retaining details, the following short summary will be. useful before we pro ceed to other considerations.

Beginning at deep water in Lismore Bay, on the Carribean coast, there will be a tide water channel 500 feet deep and <i% miles long to Gatun. Here will be the greatest work in connection with the _canal ,the huge earthen dam which will "back up the wafers of the Chargres river so that a great artificial lake will be formed, the level of which will be 85 feet above the level of the ocean. This dam will be a mile and a-half long, 1500 feet thick at the bottom and 115 feet high. To enable the ships to reach this level two flights of locks are being constructed—one for the Atlantic-Pacific, and the other for the Pacific Atlantic traffic. In each flight there will be three locks 1000 feet long, 110 feet wide, and 41 feet 4 inches deep. We may note in reference to these dimensions, which are followed in the other locks, which will enable vessels to descend to the Pacific level beyond, that the present largest passenger ships in the world can be easily berthed within these locks. These are the White Star liners Olympic and Titanic. Each of these are 882 feet 9 inches long over all, 92 feet 0 inches wide, and of a draught well under that of the depth of the locks. As a possible vessel if very small additions as' regards linear dimensions would be of enormously greater tonnage we may consider the margins of 118 feet lengthways and 17ft 6in breadth, over and above those required by these vessels, to be ample for requirements even in the far future. Through the artificial lake will extend a marked deep channel from 500 feet to 1000 feet wide for 23 3-5 miles to Bas Obispo, the entrance to the great Culebra cutting, the excavation of which has taken so much time and cost so much money. Here the channel will be 300 feet wide for eight miles to Pedro Miguel, the surface of the canal continuing to t.his point at the same level as that of the lake. Here there will be a small dam with its pair of locks down to a' level 30ft lower into a natural lake which is only a mile in length, with a channel 500 ft wide to Miraflores. At this point there will be another twin set of locks, two to each, bringing the level 55 feet down, or again to sea level. The canal from here to the sea in the Bay of Panama will be 500, feet wide and 8% miles long. Ocean to ocean will therefore be 47 3-5 miles, or about half the length of the Suez Canal. LENGTH OF PASSAGE. It is estimated that the passage through all the locks will occupy on an average about three hours, and the rest of the transit seven, making ten in all. The canal service can be continued if necessary through the night by the aid of powerful electric lights. Twenty-eight steamers can thus be passed, each way in 24 hours.

To bring about this result about 46,000 men are being employed in the actual work, while no less than 8000 are engaged in various ways in ministering to their necessities. They comprise no less than forty different nationalities, but by far the greatest number are negroes from Jamaica and other islands of the British West Indies. Others of the colored races are Chinamen, Haitians, Panamanians, Colombians, Costa Eicans, British East Indians, etc., while the wihte races are represented Americans, British, French, Germans, Russians, Danes, Austrians, Dutch, Spaniards, Swedes and Australians. The superior grades a/e mostly filled by Americans from the United States, all being under Colonel Goethals, the Engineer-in-Chief.

Though the canal zone generally is under the Government of the United States, in which theoretical equality is supposed to reign, the above workers are divided into an aristocracy of the higher grades, called the gold employees (who are paid in gold currency) and the silver employees (who are paid in silver). Gold employees have their special cars and waiting-rooms on the Panama railway, etc., and those of the baser metals, theirs. Schools have been opened and nearly 2000 children are being taught by 60 teachers; and there are nine resident and four visiting chaplains, while at the larger centres of work are clubrooms conducted by the Young Men's Christian Association, containing libraries, reading-rooms, bathrooms, gymnasia, etc. These adjuncts to the law and order co-operate with the prohibition of gambling and disorderly houses, but these restrictions, unfortunately, do not apply to the towns of Colon and Panama, which are by treaty under the Government of the Republic of Panama. There are, however, no night trains on the railway, except on Sundays, so that the trouble outside these localities is minimised. With the same exceptions, the canal zone, which is ten miles wide, is free from the sale of liquor, so that 300 policemen are found sufficient to keep order. , SANITATION ARRANGEMENTS. There has been no part of the administration of the zone which has been a greater success than that of sanitation. The failure of the French to carry through the original scheme was largely due to the unsuccessful fight with tropical diseases, in which they had not the advantage of modern weapons which medical science has put into the hands of the prpsent constructors. A sanitary department was organised by them in June, 1904, under the head of Colonel W. C. Gorgas, M.D., the capable surgeon who, a few years before, had banished yellow fever from Cuba. Eradication of this disease, the control of malaria by various measures, and the exclusion by strict quarantine of bubonic plague, cholera and smallpox, have been the business of this very efficient branch of the canal administrators.

The battle against the deadly yellow fever was, of course a contest with the "stegomyia" mosquitoes, and it has been so successful that there has not been a single case of the fever within the charmed zone since December, 1005. There has been nothing like it since the destruction of snakes in Ireland by the anathema of St. Patrick. Malaria, though not abolished, has been greaty reduced, insomuch that in 1906 the cases treated were nearly four times as great as those in 1908, and the reduction is still going on. This has been also principally achieved by the destruction of mosquitoes. As to general health, the death-rate has been reduced to less than 13 per 1000. There has probably been no other case where a large body of men, women and children have been settled temporarily within the tropics and provided with 60 many of the requirements of civilisation.

1 REDUCTION IN SEA DISTANCES. Dr. Vauglian Cornish has quite recently, with the authority of the United States Government, made an exhaustive survey of the canal and the consequences of its construction. Having in view the routes to which the various lines of ocean traffic are restricted by. the necessities of coaling—a very necessary precaution—he has noted the following principal reductions in sea distances:— From New York to all American Pacific ports the canal passage will effect a uniform reduction of 8415 miles, and to such ports south of Panama about an ! average of 5000 miles. * The corresponding reduction from Liverpool will be 6046 and an average of about 2600 miles; those from Antwerp being about the same. Between New York and Yoko : hama by way of San Farncisco, the reduction'will be 3730 miles., The distance between Liverpool and Yokohama will j remain unchanged, as will the distance I from European to all Asiatic ports, except those in the north of Siberia. The ports of southern China and Indo-China will be nearer to New York by way of Suez than by way of Panama and Manilla and New York will be distant from each other about the same either way. Sydney will be brought 3806 miles nearer to New York than at present by the Cape, route, this voyage being 2982 miles less than that between the Australian port and Liverpool. Wellington (N.Z.) will be brought 2542 miles nearer than by Magellan to New York, and 2749 miles less than to Liverpool. To these figures we may add those derived from other sources, viz., Sydney to Southampton by Suez, the Cape and Panama, 11,500,12,400 _ and 11,700 miles respectively; Auckland, to Southampton, by same routes, 12,000, 13,100 and 9100. New Orleans and the Mississippi ports to those of all Pacific, coasts will be much shortened. To return to Dr. Cornish. He states that he has made enquiries among the chief British shipping Companies, and they regard the actual opening of the canal as an event as yet too remote to necessitate at this stage the formation of plans which may involve alterations of routes. It is recognised on all hands, however, that the opening of a new route to China and Japan from Europe via the Pacific is fraught with extremely important potentialities. British steamers going to these countries at present cross the Pacific to Tacoma, Seattle and Vancouver, returning the same way. If these boats had full cargoes it. would be an immense saving to them to return to Europe by the new canal. Other British liners at present have to steam round Cape Horn to Valparaiso, Lima, and other South American ports on the Pacific. This will no longer be neeesV sarv. THE WEST INDIES. The opening of the canal is confidently expected to have an important bearing on the prosperity of the West Indies, the natives of which are contributing so much to the hard labor of its construction Speaking at Leeds a few years ago Mr. Winston Churchill, who was then UnderSecretary for the Colonies said: "The opening of the Panama Canal will make Jamaica a far more splendid and far more wealthy State than anything that has ever been known in the West Indian Islands." The capital, Kingston, with its fine harbor, will become a large centre of shipping and commerce, and also a strategic point of the first importance. In view of this, it seems strange that, in harmony with the general naval policy of concentration adopted some years ago, the British naval works at St. Lucia were abandoned. As to the shipping trade of the canal, it would appear that the great nation which is spending about £100,000,000 on this huge work will get little or nothing out of it. Mr. Bernard N. Baker, in an article in the North American Review, and in evidence before the committee, on the Post Office and post roads in relation to the ocean mail service pointed out that there were not a dozen American vessels engaged in cross-seas service, while Great Britain possessed a large number that could be used in this trade. The want of ships had prevented the United States from developing any considerable trade with her neighbors* in Siuth America. As a matter of fact, the mails between New York and Brazil and the Argentine go via Europe. PREFERENCE TO AMERICAN SHIPPING. With regard to possible preference to be given to American shipping by the granting of lower tolls to it by the canal management it is well to recall Section 1, Article 3, of the Hay-Pauncefote treaty, signed November 18, 1901, in reference to the Panama Canal tolls. It is in these terms: — The canal shall be free and open to the vessels of commerce and war of all nations observing these rules (rules for neutrality) on terms of entire equality, so that there shall be no discrimination against any such nation or its citizens and subjects in respect to the conditions or charges of traffic or otherwise. Such conditions and charges shall be just and equitable. Notwithstanding this there has been recently an agitation in the United States Congress to promote a Bill providing for a refund of the tolls to American vessels, which would be contrary not only to the spirit but even to the letter of this treaty. But of course there is nothing to prevent the increased subsidising of American shipping provided that it is not confined to that using the canal. Hitherto, however, these subsidies have not had much effect; they are given only to American ships manned by American seamen, and the Seamen's Union stands in the way by insisting on such high wages and conditions that competition with foreigners is impossible. In a work called "The Panama Canal and its makers," by Mr Cornish, whose report has been referred to above, he states that, owing to the action of the trade union, the cost of operation of American ships per ton per annum cost £1 10s 6d more than that of English ships, and 18s 2d more than the working of those of Germany. Of course, the trade union may see its error, and the subsidies may have their effect. In view of this, it is desirable to see what stake Great Britain has in the new canal.

BRITISH SHIPPING. Of ton lines of ships in the regular trade on the Atlantic side of the Isthmus five are under the British flag. There are two United Fruit Company ]i nes _one in a weekly service between Colon and New York. Then there is the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co.'s line, with a fortnightly service between New York, Colon and Southampton, and the Harrison and Leyland lines making monthly calls. These ships give communication with most of the West Indian* Islands, and connect also with Spain, France, Mexico, the Caribbean coast of South America and the United States. The Royal Mail Co. has already planned to enter the Pacific Coast by way of the canal, Inlying leased the Pacific Steam Navigation line with that object in view. As to the Pacific side, there are seven lines waking regular calls at Panama, of which two are British. These are the Pacific Steam Navigation Co., with a fortnightly service between Panama and Valparaiso, calling at intermediate ports, and the W. R. Grace and Co.'s steamers,, trading between California and Peru, calling at Panama. Regarding _ other nations, Germany has two liaes calling at Colon and France! Italy and Spain have also vessels calling there, while Chili

and Peru have boats on the Pacific side trading to Panama. Of course, there is little or no permanent trade done with the Isthmus itself, so that practically the whole of that represented by the above lines will be a canal traffic, and the result will be that, unless there be some radical change in American shipping policy, the Americans are making a canal for the use of other' nations. Though Japan, has not been included in the foregoing enumeration, her great progress in shipping will no doubt lead to a share in the benefit; provided "by the United States,

TRADE OF AUSTRALASIA. Coming to Australasia, it is fairly probable that as regards its coal and other trade.to-the Pacific ports-of North and South America, the course of the return voyages, may be considerably modified. The canal, however, from this point of view, will not' only facilitate communication between the ends of the earth, but will also affect its more immediate neighborhood in greatly increasing the value of the products of the western coasts of North and South America, hitherto insignificant owing to want of facilities for transport to their legitimate foreign markets. This must necessarily increase the demand on these coasts for Australasian. coal, wheat and other products, and it is in this respect that we are so greatly interested in their work.

If the United States may gain nothing as regards its commercial shipping by the opening of the canal, this event will practically double the power of its navy, especially as its Government is taking advantage of international treaties whieh do not forbid the fortification of the course. Not that the latter amounts to much, according to naval experts, who state that the days of fortification are practically at an end in such a connection as this, But the navy of the States has the second place among those of the nations of the world, and it is on this, as Commander Currel, R.N., says in a recent article in the Times, that protection of the canal in time of war will have to depend. Let us trust that the red spectre of war which these facts conjure up may never cause even a temporary separation' —to continue the metaphor of our title—in the matrimonial relations of the two great oceans.