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Show "t 'l I -i ,, i ,, ,, ,, .. -'' " .. ( WONDERFUL LOCK SYSTEM OF i! ' UNCLE SAM'S PANAMA CANAL i . Gatun, Pedro Miguel and Mi- What the Passenger Will ' raflores Raise and See on His Isthmian 1 1 Lower Ships. Trip. M ,, i i A 4 .1 if, J I a a - . ---.. -- -- -i r -y r T UNCI.i: SAM has Just about concluded con-cluded that, having been so successful ns n Inundryman down on the Isthmus of Panama, Pan-ama, ho will begin taking In washing for all nntlons. Not only that, but it Is very likely that bo will havo to go into the grocery and general food supply business, too, on account of the opening open-ing of tlio new canal. Furnishing ships of all nations, It seems, U going to provo ono of Undo Sam's biggest problems In connection with the operation of tho new wnter-way. wnter-way. Uncle Sam realizes that on arrival ar-rival nt Panama (going cast) or nt Colon Co-lon (going west) thero will bo a scram-ble scram-ble to get aslioro. Pnssengcrs nnd everybody ev-erybody oK who run esmpe duty will want to stretcli their legi on dry Innd nnd to take n look around. Incldontal-ly Incldontal-ly they will mMi to buy a lot of things nnd to uud their linen to the laundry nt Cristobal to be delivered on board before their departure. Uncle Sam as Landlord. Then ngiiln tliero will bo a lot of people peo-ple who will want to stay over. Thoy will need hotel accommodations, which (according to present plans) will be furnished fur-nished by Uncle Sam. For somo years 1 past tbe United States government has maintained on tho Isthmus at Ancon one of tbo finest and most luxurious hotels In tho world. There will bo others caravansaries of tho up to dato summer hotel type, chiefly for transient I guests, with French cooking, tennis courts, swimming pools and all tho latest Improvements. They will bo practically Inclosed In wlro screens to keep out mosquitoes, though such pestiferous pes-tiferous Insects aro by no means so plontlful In tbe cannl zono as they woro. It Is figured that steamer passengers, dlsombarklng for amusement and sight seeing, will easily be abto to rojoln their ships after spending a couplo of fiftwa In enlln nHil An nin4ltinn tltiilw days in frolic and to continue their trips without Interruption. Meanwhllo tho ship, Incident to Its passage through tho ditch, will bo ablo to tako on coal, food supplies, Ice, etc. For this purpose machinery of tho latest and most Improved pattern will bo installed by tho government, an Important featuro fea-turo of It !elng tho "mechanical stove-doro," stove-doro," which by tho holp of nn ondless bolt and an olectrlc cngtno carries merchandise mer-chandise nbrsrd quickly in packages. Plant Already In Existence. It was suggested by Prosldont Taft that all of this supply business can be manngod and controlled much bottor by tho Kovornment than by outside parties. To accomplish tho end In view It will be nocossary rooroly to oxpand to somo oxtent tho plant nlroady established estab-lished at Cristobal. This plant comprises com-prises lmmcnoo storehouses and n manufacturing outfit of romnrknblo completeness, tho latter including tho laundry already mentioned, n hugo bakery, bak-ery, nn lco factory, n cold storngo equipment equip-ment and nrrangoinonts for roasting coffoo, mnklng lco cronuv, corning boof and converting tub butter luto attractive attrac-tive prints. . Mr. Taft nrgued that If prlvato concerns con-cerns wero allowed to enter tho Hold It might happen that ono or moio big corporations cor-porations would boost prices, thus Increasing In-creasing tho cost of using tho canal. Or certain trnfUc lines might bo favored fa-vored at tho oxpenso of others. But, ob a matter of fact, the nvallablo spaco at tho terminals of tho canal Is too limited to afTord room for nil who might want to occupy It for commorclnl purposes, and tho granting of concessions conces-sions would bo equivalent to tho establishment es-tablishment of cxcluslvo privileges, tantamount to monopolies of local trnde. With the government in charge there can bo no monopoly nnd no discrimination dis-crimination of nny kind, whllo prices will be kept nt n reasonable figure. Biggest Laundry on Earth. Even nt tho present tlmo tho Isthmian Isth-mian laundry Is by far tho largost and most complotoly cqulpod In tho world. It Is run altogether by electricity, oven tho Irons being boated by the current Of tho scale on which It is conducted ono may Judgo from tho fnct that during dur-ing tbo year It handled 0,581,023 pieces. In tho bakery is turned out more thnn 5,000,000 loaves n year, nt 4 cents n loaf. This, It will bo noticed, Is a cent cheaper thnn tho prlro of tho samo article In the stntes. nut. In truth, nearly all food supplies nro cheaper In tho zone than with us. At Cristobal Is located ono of tbo lar- gest cold storago plants In tho world. It supplies tho entire zone with meats, game, fresh vegetables and all norts of other pcrlshablo food materials. With some enlargements perhaps It will furnish fur-nish whatover is required In this lino by ships that pass through tho canal. In connection with this plant is the lco factory, which has a capacity of 100 tons a day, tho lco being Bold at 40 cents per 100 pounds. During tbe last yoar tho establishment at Cristobal manufactured 110,208 gallons of lco cream, wblch was furnished to families fami-lies by tho pint or quart nnd to hotels and stores by tbo tub. Will Be a Thing of Beauty. Just at- present tbo band of tho utilitarian utili-tarian marks tho Panama canal and Its surroundings, but in tbo courso of a few years after tho formal oponlng all this will pass and the canal and Its surroundings will becomo "a thing of beauty and a Joy forever." Attor tbo canal has been open for a time It will present many surprises, but nouo more striking than Its beauty. Nature Is very kind In the canal zone, and It will roqulro but a short tlmo after tho oxcavatton has ceased for tho luxarlant tropical vegotatlon to cover every traco of blast and stoam shovel and to clothe tho eldest, of the canal with a verduro as notable for Its floral beauty as for Its ability to conceal tbo scored nnd rivon walls of mother earth. Tho passongor entering from tbo Atlantic At-lantic will pass first tho now American town of Cristobal, opposite Colon, where ho will seo tbo handsomo Washington Wash-ington hotol and percolvo rows of cozy, well painted restdencos of tho employees, employ-ees, which dosplto their similarity to tho old fashioned meat safo will strlko him ns singularly neat nnd nttrncttve. especially for tho tropics, Kxtonslvo concrcto whnrfs, by their very solidity Inspiring confidence in tho great locks which nro to lift Rio ship elghty-flvo feot nbovo sea lovol snd eend It over nn inland Inko almost to tbo Pacific, will lino tho water front nt Cristobal. A sail of hbout soven IH miles nt sen level between low banks i !H covered with tropical flowers and foil- I jH ngo will bring tho ship to the appi jncb lH wharf of tho Gntun locks, while during niil tho trip tho passenger will enjoy nn ox- 1 ifl ccllent vlow of tho surplus waters of iH the Culebra river and several lesser 'Xil streams as they tumblo madly ovor the i H splllwny wall, near tho confer of Gatun ' jH dam, u miniature Niagara. ' B Colored Range Lights. . ' jJ It will bo as tho ships cmergo Into IB Gatun lake that tho real beauty of the Utl cannl will Impress the observer. Not j H only will ho noto tho arUsUc construe- ! jH Hon of the great concroto structuro I iH which contains tho thrco locks, but bo j IH will perceive tho pretty llttlo light- H houses along tho shoro nt least a land- I H lubber would so dcscrlbo thorn, nl- J H though to navigators they are known , H ns rnngo lights. If It bo night tho pas- - H sougcr will find himself closor to tho H low hanging tropical sky with Its blaz- ! H Ing stars than ho ever bellovcd pos- ' H slblc. A wealth of electric lights will H innko tho locks as bright ns day, tho ; H Mwcr being genorntod by tho water , H which rushes over Gatun spillway. jH Along tho lako tho colored range ; jH lights will lend enchantment to tbo ill scene. If It bo daylight tho tourist will ' IH bo filled with wonder nnd admiration 'iiLafl for the wonderful vegetation, tho gor- jl gcous colors of tho flora, tho ever pros- J jH cut banana trees with their hugo clus- j jH tern of fruit, the passion flowers glow- jH Ing In riotous profusion and hero and 1 jH there tho flamingo sailing above him jH ngalust the vivid sky. Tho duration of jH tho tilp through Gatuu lake will do- IH pend. of course, on the speed of the lll vessel Itself, but It Is estimated that iiil ten or twelve hours will provo suffl- iil dent to convey the average vessel from ' jH the Atlantic to the I'neluc At Pedro Miguel n single lock, prac- i jH tlcnlly a duplicate of any of those at H Gatun, will lower the vessel to the . 'H 'iiiiifl (SJSH Mlraflercs lake, n dlstanco of thirty ,1 feet, its surfaco being flfty-flvo feet H nbovo sen level. A sail of it mile and a iH half through this lowor lako will bring il the ship to tho Mlrnflorcs locks, tbo shores of tbo lako growing less procipl- ' H tous as tho Pacific end Is npproncbed At Mlrnflorcs two moro locks will (iB gently lower tho vessel to tho sea level, l nnd for eight nnd n hnlf miles tho ship ;' will steam between low banks, markod by equally luxuriant foil ngo and flora, 1 and then find Itself on tho broad and il placid waters of tho Pacific. IkLH "Spiggoty" Spoken In Panama. 'H Ooforo going out to sea, howovcr, the SjLI ship will probably stop at Balboa, tbo til prospoctlvo llttlo town which will mark the Pacific ond of tbe canal. There fl will bo locatod tho drydock, now In H process of construction, and groat H wharfs for tho transfer of cargo. A H few minutes' ruu by rail will tako the H passongor who has tbe Umo and incll- 'H nation to tho quaint city of Panama, M wboro bo can put In several days' sight- ' eoolng In its narrow Btreeta and hear ' spoken all languages of tho world, al- jf though "Spiggoty," American slang for I M Spanish, Is tho prevailing tonguo. ' Just back of and adjoining Panama lH Is Ancon hill, hoadquartors of tho lath- riH mlun canal commission, and there Is sl tho handsomo Tiroll hotol, from tho broad verandas of wblch a splondld IH view of tbo Pacific Is afforded and !aH from wblch tho sun may bo eeon rising l over tho Pacific ocean, a puzzling pho- ilH nomonon for htm who has not mas- aH tored his geography boforo going to tho M Isthmus. M It Is n safo prediction that tho bonu- jJ ties of tho Panama canal will appeal jH strongly to those of aesthetic tasto and U thnt onco I Is opened to tho public M many travelers will bo drawn thoro not M nlono by tho Interest nttachlng to so M great nn engineering entorprlso, but by M tho opportunity to go Inland in tho M tropics (end to enjoy tho raro beauty of H this unlquo waterway without ever H loavlng tho dock of tho ship. M |