Show M T H lo 10 TT NAL 9 I 1 p 44 N 4 I 1 6 41 41 tl 4 CA A colon C Z 1 I am going to tako take you through the completed panama canal on tho the first vessel to pass paea across the isthmus from tho the atlantic ocean to the pacific true the canal la Is not yet completed nud and will not be tor for abcar or so BO but that shall not prevent our in mailing alIng the trip now on paper let us imagine ourselves then on an ocean liner approaching the atlantic or northern entrant e of the great canal prepared pic pared to enjoy this initial trip and to wonder at tile the sights in store for us ua in that word northern lies the first surprise for many of 0 the passengers who did not know that the canal runs not from east to west but front from northwest to southeast this seeming anomaly Is due to the fact that the isthmus of 11 panama anama hero trends almost east cast and west it Is still early morning when a watchful passenger shouts land and all who are ard up rush to the port rail to gaze upon the hilly coast of the isthmus between porto bello and colon As the steamship plows swiftly through the waters as blue as ever were those of the mediterranean a cheer goes up tip from the dock deck for wo we have caught a glimpse glim pee of the stars and stripes fluttering above EL a fringo ot of cocoanut coco anut that marks the location of one of the big arts borts built to protect the canal in time tf war and Is on margarita Margarlt a island virtually a part of the mainland colon flat and now comes into view and directly ahead of us an immense breakwater tr etches a mile out from the shore on the right at its land end on toro point la Is another fort whose great guns aro are masked by the tropical foliage now we w nave virtually entered tile the tanal anal for the foot channel extends far ar out from the shore una line at reduced speed we enter colon harbor and the bay of limon and steam past the pretentious washington hotel uncle sam proprietor tho the docks or of colon crowded with shipping from the united states europe and many 0 port of latin america and the american town of cristobal on whose water front stands the statue of columbus sent over long years ago by the empress eugee Eug enle skipping about the bay looking like long black water beetles are the or native dug outs cuts and moving lazily before the sea breeze are the little sailing bailing craft in which the queer san blas bias indians indiana are bringing their products to garfet mar fet four miles and a half we steam brough limon bay and the shores narrow in on our toot foot channel still at tide level now look lock ahead three miles and get a glimpse of the hatun jatun atun locks that tremendous flight of three water steps up which we are to be lifted in a few minutes we reach the towering dividing wall of concrete te our own power is shut oft off and the electric locomotives on the lock walls take us in tow four of these powerful machines attach their hawsers hawkers to our ship two in front to pull tt it and two astern to keep it steady and to bring it to a stop when entirely within tho lock chamber the immense gates close silently behind us and at once the water begins to flow into the atie chamber through cu lverts that have their openings in the concrete floor slowly the vessel rises until it is on a level with the second chamber 28 13 1 3 feet above sea level when the gate ahead Is opened and the electric mules move forward this time up a heavy grade by means ot of the center racks in the tracks twice this operation Is repeated and now we nye are at the summit 85 feet above the sen sea the last gate opens and the locomotives pull us into gatun galun lake laike As our propellers begin to turn again and we steam out into this im wense menso artificial lake a marvelously beautiful landscape is spread before us the surface of the lake is dotted with islets once the summits of tiger hill lion hill and a dozen other emi bences on both sides are steep promontories mon tories lovely little peninsulas and deep bays and inlets where the water has hag spread into the once jungle filled valleys before WO we get too far from the locks let us ua step to the starboard rail and have a look at the tha gabut gatun dam enormous stretch of rock sand and lay that has formed gatun galun lake by ni pounding the waters of the chagris chagres river iver it Is in reality a low ridge one ind nd a half miles long built across the talley galley and when we wa are told that it is nearly halt half a mile mii e wide at its base feet wide at the water surface and feet wide at its crest which Is twenty feet above the level of the lake how bow utterly ridiculous seem the fears ears of those shdie alarmists alarmiste alar mists who predicted the dam would bo pushed over by the hag reli in time of flood nearly in tho the center of tho the da dam wn 1111 call see tile tho famous spillway through which pass tho surplus waters or of the Ch chagros chagres Chag agres it la is it a concrete lined ohan nel feet wide cut through ti hill of rock anan anil across cross it Is built a curved dam of concrete on top of which Is a row of regulating gatos gates just below the spillway out or of our sight if la tho the hydroelectric station which supplies power for tho the operation ot of the e entire canal and the lighting of the who whole I 1 0 zone our channel through the larce wo we still epst must follow a path indicated by range towers on the shores la now a thousand feet wide wida and leads ua somewhat tortuously through 4 a maze of islands look down as aa WO we near some of them and you will see sea below the surface the tops of it giant t trees rees for wo we aro are sailing over w what bitt but a few months ago was tho the valley of the chagres chagares Ch agres dense with vegetation and dotted with native villages surrounded eur rounded by banana and co chanut plantations close to the shores the stoutest of the trees still stretch their naked dead limbs a abiva bo ve the water but before long these too will have rotted and fallen leaving the luxuriant landscape unmarred passing over the tha sites of bahlo frijoles and we now COMO come to the place where llla once stood and here both lake and channel narrow down the latter being first then and finally GOO feet on the hillsides hill sides to the right stand a few abandoned houses all that remains of mamel juan orande grande gor gona and busy places while the canal was building now covered by the spreading waters along tho the left shore of the channel runs rung the relocated panama ral railway liay and here at gamboa it crosses the chagres chagares river which our vessel now leaves to enter the far famed culebra cut this great groate gash through tho the spine of the contil conal nent Is fe fet feet et wide at the bottom but because of the tremendous earth slides which cost undo uncle sam so much money and time its width at the top is astonishing being half bait a mile just hero here opposite the town of culebra beyond on our left towers gold feet above the bottom of tha ahe canal far up on its ita rocky slope we discern a streak of white paint which marks tho the level to which the french company carried its excavations nearly opposite la Is contractors Contractor Ei hill bill feet high As wo move between these the loftiest loft iest hills along alone the route and pass the location of that notorious cockro cockroach arh the cucaracha Cuca racha slide the pedro miguol lock stands before us white in the noonday sun this a single night flight lock is in 30 feet high the highest on the canal again we are taken in tow by electric mules and in less than halt an hour we have hava been lowered those 30 feet and steam into another artificial body of water miraflores lake only a mile long at its southern end we pass the town of miraflores and enter the locka of the same name a double flight that lets us ua down once more to sea level the exciting part of the passage la 19 over but there la Is yet much of interest to see down the broad channel wo WB look clear out onto the glittering waters of the pacific ocean nearer at hand band on the left ancon hill bill raises its verdure clad summit and clustered on its slopes we seo the many tures of tho the big hospital the nev administration buildings ot of the canal and the barracks of the marines ani ana now steaming between filled ln in swamp lands we come to balboa which the government has made into a fine naval station with an dry dock and extensive machine shops stretching out from balboa into the pacific la is a breakwater two miles long which protects the harbor from storms at It its outer souter end Is a cluster of little islands naos culebra and flamenco and here wo pass under the powerful guns that guard the pacific end of the canal they are mounted high up on the summits summit of these rock islets rifled cannon one shot front from which would sink a battleship and huge mortars whose shela can be dropped behind tobago island 12 miles away in the direction ot of japan in ten hours wo we have crosso crossed through the continent and now float on the broad pacific As we loot look back the picturesque city of panama lies bathed in the light of the sun and on tho the side of ancon hll hill shines the big white tivoli hotel the sudden night of the tropics is soon ip p tall fall and already as far back as ve can see along our route and beside the ocean channel are twinkling the lights that uncle sam has set up to guide the worlds commerce through gli this most wonderful of canals bolcs he be has built |