America has captured the forces of Nature, harnessed the floods and made
the desert bloom, builded gigantic bridges and arrogant skyscrapers and
bored roadways through solid rock and beneath water, but the most
spectacular of all spectacular accomplishments is the Panama Canal.
Some four centuries ago, Balboa, the intrepid, the persevering, led his
little band of adventurers across the Isthmus of Darien, as it was then
called, and, leaving their protection, gave rein to his impatience by
going on ahead and climbing alone, slowly and painfully, the continental
divide, from which vantage point he discovered the world’s largest
ocean.
We are told that, later, gathering his followers, he walked out into the
surf and with his sword in his right hand and the banner of Castile in
his left gave the vast expanse of water its present name and claimed all
the land washed by its waves the lawful property of the proud country to
which he owed allegiance.
The narrowness of the Isthmus naturally suggested the cutting of a
waterway through it. It interposed between Atlantic and Pacific a
barrier in places less than fifty miles wide. To sail from Colon to
Panama--forty-five miles as the bird flies--required a voyage around
Cape Horn--some ten thousand miles. Yet it was nearly four centuries
before any actual effort was made to construct such a canal.
In 1876 an organization was perfected in France for making surveys and
collecting data on which to base the construction of a canal across the
Isthmus of Panama, and in 1878, a concession for prosecuting the work
was secured from the Colombian Government. In May, 1879, an
international congress was convened, under the auspices of Ferdinand de
Lesseps, to consider the question of the best location and plan of the
canal.
The Panama Canal Company was organized, with Ferdinand de Lesseps as its
president, and the stock of this company was successfully floated in
December, 1880. The two years following were devoted largely to surveys,
examinations and preliminary work. In 1889 the company went into
bankruptcy and operations were suspended until the new Panama Canal
Company was organized in 1894.
The United States to the Rescue.
The United States, not unmindful of the advantages of an Isthmian Canal,
had from time to time, made surveys of the various routes. With a view
to government ownership and control, Congress directed an investigation,
with the result that the Commission reported, on November 16, 1901, in
favor of Panama and recommended the lock type of canal, appraising the
value of the rights, franchises, concessions, lands, unfinished work,
plans and other property, including the railroad of the new Panama Canal
Company, at $40,000,000. An act of Congress, approved June 28, 1902,
authorized the President of the United States to acquire this property
at this figure, and also to secure from the Republic of Colombia
perpetual control of a strip of land not less than six miles wide across
the Isthmus and the right to excavate, construct and operate and protect
thereon a canal of such depth and capacity as would afford convenient
passage to the largest ships now in use or which might be reasonably
anticipated.
Later on a treaty was made with the Republic of Panama whereby the
United States was granted control of a ten-mile strip constituting the
Canal Zone. This was ratified by the Republic of Panama on December 2,
1903, and by the United States on February 23, 1904. On May 4, 1904,
work was begun under United States control.
[Illustration: UNCLE SAM’S BIG WORK AT PANAMA
A bird’s-eye view of the great canal, showing how the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans are here joined.]
[Illustration: _Courtesy of The Ingersoll Rand Company._