LECTURE ON PANAMA CANAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19615, 20 October 1925, Page 2

LECTURE ON PANAMA CANAL.

On Saturday evening a large audience assembled in the Wokari School Hall to hear an illustrated lecture on the Panama Canal by Mr H. Fawcett (head master). Mr Simpson operated the lantern. The lecturer made brief reference to the geography of the known world in the earliest times, and traced the efforts of the navigators to enlarge its scope, coming to the times when the Portuguese, Yasca de Gama, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, the Genoese, Columbus, crossed the Atlantic, discovering the West Indies, and the Spaniard, Bilbao, crossed the Panama. Illustrations were shown in connection with these events. The times when Drake attacked the Spanish galleons and raided the Spanish colonies were also depicted. The lecturer then made reference to the construction of the Suez Canal by Do Lessepe and to the many proposals for the constrution of a canal through the Panama Isthmus, which culminated in the formation of a French company for that purpose. The failure of the enterprise, owing chiefly to the terrible effects of malaria, and the eventual acquirement of the rights of the French company, and the purchase of a strip of land through Panama from tho Panama Republic by America wore briefly explained. The difficulties encountered and overcome by tho Americans in the construction wore referred to, and views of the work and the gigantic machinery wore exhibited on the screen. Some fine illustrations of the canal wore then shown, tho raising and lowering of the ships in tho locks being- explained. In referring to the great advantages of the canal to shipping and the popularity of the route, the lecturer said it was anticipated in the near future that, the canal would not be able to cope efficiently with the traffic, and that proposals were already being mooted for a sea-level canal through Nicaragua. During an interval songs were contributed by Mrs Stonhoase, Miss Chapman, and Mr Hill. Hearty votes of thanks to tho lecturer and tho operator and to tho singers were carried by acclamation.