Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 July 1906 — ABOUT THE PANAMA CANAL [ARTICLE]

ABOUT THE PANAMA CANAL

Some expression of opinion has been requested on thesubject of the Panama Cana!, by an''esteemed friend who was disappointed because a lock canal was decided upon instead of one of the sea level style. The lock canal was decided upon as we think with good red sons, and'in fact we should’have been greatly disappointed if any other decision had l>een reached. B "Ksea level canal was what-De-Lesseps and the French company first started to build. They spent a dozen years of time and some hundreds of millions of money on that idea and then changed to a lock canal, and also failed on that. Now the Americans are starting on the lock idea, but they are not starting where the French left off, by any manner of means. The sea level canal the French were working on would have been a long levpl ditch, with several sharp bends, and far too shallow and far too narrow to meet the demands of modern commerce, with its ships of twice the capacity of any dreamed of in De Lessens day. His lock canal would have been another too narrow and too shallow ditch, connected with locks of insufficient size, and through either of which vessels of any size would have to - stean very slowly, both to avoid injuring the banks of the canal by the water disturbance, where they were of earth, and also the danger of smashing the ships on the banks, where they were rocky. The American canal will consist of thaee short stretches of canal proper, all so deep and wide and straight that they will accommodate the largest ships afloat or likely to Im* for many years to come. These st retches of canal will be connected with two great artificial lakes, so wide and deep that the largest vessels can steam through them at full speed and thus fully make up for the time lost in passing through the locks. This canal can be built in from eight to ten years, at a cost of aboi t $140,000,000. Thusjhe people will begin to have the use 4 of it in a reasonable time, and at a moderate cost; while a sea level canal would cost about twice as much and take fully tw ice as long to build, and be practically no better when it was done. And vastly more difficult to enlarge to meet the demands of the greater and more numerous ships iff thP Future. ’ Lastly, the passage through thia lock canal with its great triple system of locks, the largest ever made, and these great ele 'ated inland lakes with winding shores and tropical verdure all ia full view, will be one of the most attractive and interesting trips any place on earth, and will attract hundreds of thousands of travelers to the passage: whereas the trip through the d 'ep shut-in walls of a sea level would have been as monotonous and as repulsive as the other will be at tractive.