Show j If 1 54 I II C I e S 2 ci 2 V b 7 Jd F z 8 t lIE Panama Railroad behind It Ita Ita 1 a romantic history but no Icis lee Ice In Interesting CHE Is III the wonderful record of o achievement which It Is lB now flOW mak makI I C The original projector of ot the line daring dArlD Americans who reaped little bone bonet t from their enterprise had no thought that It would become nn fin Indispensable auxiliary to the greatest physical under undertaking undertaking taking the tho world has hM hn ever eer witnessed A railroad tho the Isthmus l of or Pen be n to be talked till ked ot of shortly after the Introduction of or steam power but It tho of the dl ry of or orold paid old In lu California to put life lito Into the of or the mide cde the journey to the tho Pacific c Eldorado by br way urty of or the Isthmus They were car carried ried bj by b steamships to the month mouth of or the tho and rowed rowL up that river to Len Cruce Cru r whence the remainder of ot the Jour Journey journer ncr ney to Panama was wade made on foot toot or on 00 the bocks bachs or of mules This Thin route weB was no nomore more than M tM muon In length but the n of or roads made mado It n a one oneS as all long lon ns as ten teo yn In ID the city elly of or Panama which was wan then far from froma frome a n desirable place of sojourn the travel ere cr were WeN often otten subjected to tiresome dc tle lays whilst t waiting for tor to take them up lip tho the cot co to UJO thu alluring gold eli In ID the autumn of or 1811 iii work orl upon the theline theline theS S line hoe was vas commenced bj by n a force orce In the of William Henry John Lloyd Stephens Henry HenrS Chauncy aud nuil oth other er ff New el ew capitalists who Iho hind had sc o a n concession from ibe he government of or New ew There ro was wn tin then n no town tonn to n where Colon now nou mill the engineering en MTH wnM a to niche malo Its nl on III n U vessel essel They The world worked wor cd b dJ Icy In III and slime In cutting a n troll nil nid lpt rt it nt night nl ht on oh th r Ilott hod tog log home Nothing lint hilt the will rill and push foi tOl which arc jn tl it II h chronicler could 1111 C overcome the ten that met them at nt every step Tho The country was We n a howling wilder wilderness wilderness wilderness ness pestilential and tho the forests lorest teemed with poisonous snakes lInnes aud and other unpleasant nl night ht wee nB made mado hideous b h by bythe the large broad active e mosquito of ot that part of or tho coast const who bites bite through clothing most mo t the country produced absolutely nb nothing and every ever mouthful of or fowl food Lied had to come train from New e York Despite these obstacle ob that brave brac little band worked orkell ahead onel kept on their survey Their first arlit and greatest WOK was to run roo the line lino through the famous DIck Blick Swamp which lies bu hl 1 tween t een Colon and Gatun In s they I failed to find flud nd bottom nt 20 Cs 00 feet foet Indeed after throwing In III tons of or wood and rock they began boscan b nn to rear teor that there was IM no bottom to the fearful quagmire But Dut they persevered and nOlI at nl last contrived n a road rond bed bell but n a TOry very precarious one I Many Inny times since sinco then It has sunk flunk In Inand and only within the tho last few months i feet Oct of oC track with some rolling stock upon It fell tell through end entirely dl ap within n a tow fow hour Notwithstanding Not the ample resources of or the company com ny anti the determined energy of or lla it force torce In the field no moro more than of or the permanent 23 miles between lie tween Colon and Dad Barbacoas I wan completed nod end single tracked at ot the I cud cull of ot two years Passengers ers were car carried ned ried er ns tin Cr as ns the railroad went and ond nn an appreciable facility was thus given gUen to 10 the Journey across the tho Isthmus Some Somo Idea of or the tho encountered along niong this Ibis short stretch of or line may bo ho gathered from the fact that no fewer tower than ZOO 00 culverts drains nod bridges had bad to be lie provided along the 0 mile course coune of or th the road rond On the tho th day dav of or Janti cry nry nr 5 Colonel Totten the chief en co engineer glacer of tho the Company compan went over oer the tho lIne lino on the tho first locomotive to cross croon cro the tbs American continent from ocean I r I LIt 47 I S I p e eC 4 2 C T nth bu hl 1 rj S I p 4 I S 1 Th Z tp to ocean Tho cost coat of or the tho railroad up to that time approximated which was In excess of ot the original estimate to Although tho the outlay was wan too great grent to chloe allow n a to tho the promoters promoter the tho utility of ot the line lino has baa haswell well justified cd the tho expenditure For 50 30 years It has been nn an Important factor In transcontinental commerce It opened up ho country and ond stimulated the tho dc do delIre lIre Ire for tor n a waterway During recent rec nt years the road rou hen been double and It IB In paralleled d bj by b tote tele telegraph graph and ond telephone wires The present plan pion for the canal necessitated n a tion of or a n considerable portion of ot the tho line lino and ond tho the new ne roadbed Ls Lq In course courso cour o of or con construction Several miles of or It will run across an nn arm of ot Lake on trestles treaties to mold avoid an excessive detour The general direction of ot the railroad mil rood is southwesterly along tho the T alley valley of or tho the Chagres to San Pablo Pabo tho the halfway point between the oceans Here the tho river IB in If br bt the tho line fine bridge whoso whose name Is 18 HOld to commemorate comm n a barbecue held beld by Morgans Mor ons millers raiders at nt this eliot It Is nn on Iron structure over o er GOO feet teet In length laid upon stone Monr piers and cost moro more than In the tho dry sea en son lion the tho la In nn en stream less lel than thon OO feet wide nt at this tItle place With the tho advent of the rein however It rises suddenly and becomes n a riotous torrent overflowing its natural banks end increasing one hundred bUndred fold told in tho the vol tol volume time ume of or Its discharge IU Its greatest ro re corded rise rIe was In 1878 when It flooded I Its It valley and ond reached nn an elevation of or 15 11 feet feel above the railroad tracks Prom San Pablo tho the road rood follows the tho i left lett bank baril of or tho the Chagres seeking necking easy grade grude ns nil far na oB Dae where It turns turn oft off nt at n a sharp right angle Near eRr this point Is Cerro GI said to he ho tho the hill hili from which Balboa caught his Drat glimpse of ot the tho Pacific At tho the tholine theline line lino reaches Its hIghest elevation cl tn being feet teet above sen see level leel Thence to tho the terminus nt at La Boca Doca the port of ot Pan lan Panama ama It runs down trade raule One of or the most serIous difficulties that tho the Panama Railroad Company found In Inthe Inthe Inthe the way of or its undertaking wan no that of or securing labor It was lOon Boon discovered that the Indians of or the Isthmus could coult not bo be relied upon rind Indeed would not accept employment It was ivan determined to try tIT Chinese o coolies and nn of ot them thum were w re Imported They Thoy sickened at oneo and nl at I s 1 i i S 5 5 S S SS r t tf 5 f B t 1 1 r 42 1 S r h I If fy f t tj f hi j Jf H jt iJ n lf t 1 Mr 5 tt J t 3 S 41 ih iY d t lf til o ot t 4 t rf p f l y l y t r C f Y In rr 1 IY l 5 2 r rI iN r t W j tf V Vj W f S j f C t i 4 J Ji tr L i 5 iO I 5 I f r l tr t y I IC f r f A e A f 4 im IC 20 I C 1 v t t r f V io A 9 oy 1 Ii l I Ir r 4 i Mf bt to t r t Y j Ht 1 i l i 1 I l oY I S I i A c 1 Y 2 S the clo close o of ot tho the thet week neel more moro than of or them wore were on their heir backs back Their head hend man explained thin ns an being the re suit of or deprivation of or their accustomed opium Tho drug was waB then supplied to them with markedly good oo effect but agIle thou In the States compelled the company to cease the supply The Chinese Cl coolies went vent to pieces Immediately Many Inny of ot them committed suIcide and some como became Insane Two months month after their arrival at there wan hardly one among their number fIt at to wield u a pick or shovel nod ond the tho miserable ml remnant of ot the original gene numbering fewer tower than was shipped to Jamaica Tho The next nest venture t of ot the company compon In III this thU direction was wan not loss lees I M deplorable A e number of ot Irish laborer verc brought In III nt at much expense They were brawny nales but hut they thoy became pros prostrated ns as speedily IB nB hid had the Chinese The mortality among amon theta them woo was not no so large ns OR among the Orientals hut the company tolled felled to get Iet a n good day days labor from one oue of or them thiem A considerable proper proportion tion of or them were burled turiel on the Isthmus l stud the remainder were sent to Now Cl ew York where wh rc It Is 19 said that the thc majority died from dl disease contracted at nt Panama Ulti the railroad bad had to rail fill hack back hac is as wo we have done In the construction of or tho the canal OP on the tho Indifferent labor afforded by bythe bythe the West Veat Indian negroes s The Tue Panama Canal Company learned at nt atthe tho the outset el of or Its 1111 operations that the con coo control control of or o the railroad was U n a necessity to Its It success c It purchased six sevenths of or the stock for tor 10 end and eventually trans It to thic th United States government as ns a n part ot of the canal property The fhe engineering en di of or the thc Isthmian mian Canal Commission slon operates S about miles of or construction but the Panama Railroad acts as DS asa n a clearing clearInghouse hou o for Or Ha Ita It re the dirt lirt cars loaded and ond returns them empty the trains DO no soon ns nB they come como on the tracks falling tailing wIthIn Its Us Jurisdiction These dirt train numbering from 00 to 00 SOO run ron all day with the utmost regularity They Thoy Th y const tute lute the most Important portion of ot tho the traffic find and everything oleo else Is IB t sidetracked to allow thorn them to pass paa A The spoil handled In its this way ra by hy the tho Panama Railroad lAst year brought IU 1111 freight movement up to the enormous figure fIure of ot tons ton with which no fifty miles mills of or railroad In Inthe Inthe the world orld can compare The contrast In If more striking when hon It 11 U Is considered that 1 the movement of or the Panama Railroad Is in restricted to nine nino hours bourn daily whereas ile nn on ordinary road rood operates during tho the en on entire entire tire twenty four AsIde AIdo from the e material a n largo large quantity of or com corn commercial mercial freight trel ht tt Is bandied and ond all tilt tho the d I of or the commission are arc carried The passenger traffic In Is alto also rd great reat Four trains arc are run In each ench direction dally daily end their four tour or dye J coaches conches are crowded with laborers antI who get Iet on end off at ot the tho 21 24 J statIons strung along the tho line lIno During l the tho last year passengers were carried and the earnings from that S source were upward of or The Panama Pann 1 Railroad Is IB an nn extensive Y landowner It holds title to the greater reater part of ot Colon and has large property In tn S at the Pacific end of or tho line lino fast East year jeor ear It made moro more than leases len r It owns own II and operates tho the fleet deet of or steam steamships steamships ships that maintain n a weekly service b bo be tween New Ne York and Colon It also runs I plants for tor printing cold o or I age oge coffee roasting nod i iTh Th These we e a vast out and various Activities ore ers i I vender the tho Immediate supervisIon oed and cog reg regulation I of or General Manager r who I brought to the task a wide experience gained In the States Staten Track construction anti and maintenance tire are in tho the honda hands of or S I Chief engineer Budd ono one of or the tho several youngsters who are distinguishing them themselves themselves selves les on the Isthmus Ills work la Is l un unusually usually difficult owing log to tho the fact that S Improvement of or the th roadbed and ond tracks can CAO only onh he be carried oa on during about three months of or tho the year yearBy S By Dj author of or Panama The Tho Isthmus and the Canal Cann |