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THE AMAZING DITCH.

JOHN FOSTER FRASER'S VIEW.

Mr John Foster Fraser, is a hardened traveller and a breezy, picturesque storyteller, and his illustrated yarn of the making of "the great ditch" across the Isthmus of Panama, is interesting and valuable. Here is his rough outline of tho canal : — "In the future, when you journey that way to New Zealand, you will travel from the Atlantic through a straight seven miles of 500 feet wide canal. Then you come to Gatun, and three locks will lift you 85 feet till yon reach the level of Gatun Lake. It is not a natural lake, but artificial, 164 square miles m area, created by damming the River Chagres. Across this lake you can go at full steam for twenty-four miles along a buoyed route. Then you reach the Culebra Cut, the thing of which the Americans are proudest, because it has caused tbem most trouble. This cut is nine miles long, hills on each side, and tho cubic yards of . earth-rock cut away run into dozens of meaningless millions. "So to Pedro Miguel, where you will begin going downstairs. A lock will lower you 30ft to Mirafiores Lake. You will steam across a mile and a half of lake. Then two locks will lower you 54 2 -3 ft, and you will be on the level of the Pacific. Away you go for over ■eight miles, and you glide upon the waters of the West of the American continent." AMERICAN PLUCK. Mr Foster Fraser is full of admiration for the courage and forethought with wliich the Americans have carried out the work. Insistent disease as had to be fought. The tireless mosquito is always with them :— . "The residences of the officials at Colon are all like gigantic meat safes. The houses are enclosed m cases of copper screening, and folks sit on the balcony and gaze at you through the mesh. It is the same at the little towns along the route, particularly Culebra, the capital of the Zone. Likewise at Panama. The .white man is guarded from the malaria-carrying mosquito." The feeding of the horde of workers has been an immense problem: — "With the exception of a few vegetables and some fruits the Panama produces nothing. All foodstuffs have to be brought 2000 'miles.- It means the arrival of one steamer each day to feed the population. The commission spends £2,500, C00 on supplies iri a year." CANAL'S EFFECT. But all the difficulties have been overcome, and the work approaches its completion. - A majority of the laborers, are British subjects from the West Indies^ and Mr Foster Fraser is of opinion that the opening of the canal will affect the prosperity of the islands. He also believes that it will make it still more certain that "the future of the American continent is with the West." As for Great Britain, Mr Foster Fraser writes : "Except to West Cetral America, the canal is going to-be of little advantage to British shipping. The value of the west coast trade I know ; but as part of the British shipping trade m the world it is insignificant. By Panama New Zealand is slightly nearer to England than by any other way ; but, with the Suez Canal m existence, India, China, Australia — indeed, every ice-free port m Asiat/ic waters — is more distant by the Panama, route than by Suez. Why, taking- -it that both New York and Liverpool r-ent 'sh'po to Shanghai, tho former by Panaxua, and picking up passengers at Sari Francisco, and the latter via Suez, tlio English ship would have the lesser distance to travel. Accordingly, en even terms, British shipping with, the East and with Australia lias nothing to" grin by Panama.':'

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/PBH19130510.2.95

Bibliographic details

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13071, 10 May 1913, Page 9

Word Count
619

THE AMAZING DITCH. Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13071, 10 May 1913, Page 9

THE AMAZING DITCH. Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13071, 10 May 1913, Page 9

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