FOREST GROVE PRESS THURSDAY OCTOBER 30, 1913 The Forest Grove = = ^ , Steam Laundry Americans In PAGE 7 Panama LADIES INVITED to CALL Story of the Panam a Canal From Start to Finish W ood, Coal, By W m . R. Scott Cold Storage c,nd Ice. MERTZ & LATTA Cor. 5th Ave. and 2nd S t., Forest Grove, Ore. J The standard gauge in the United States Is four feet eight and a half "tut 10 ihurner ntindt-edrf.' finally' hum- inches, so that all locomotives and curs ins; I’ana mu to the ground. Today used on the I'anauia railroad have to tourists go out to see a tower and otb- lie specially built with wheels set far­ •r ruins of (lie famous old city of Pair ther apart. The total cost hud been $7,407.553. or ■ Ilia. Panama was rebuilt on a short promontory In the Pacific and. al­ about $158.000 a mile. Dividends were though captured again by the pirates paid every year from 1853 to 1802 and In 11180. has remained on the new site from 1001 to 1003. when It became to this time. Culted States pro|»erty. The great prosperity o f the railroad Panama In 1821 caught the spirit of evolt and accomplished Its freedom suffered a serious setback with the from Spain In a bloodless revolution completion o f the California overland It then joined the Confederation of railroad In 1800. Thenceforward the New (Iraiiadil. the Colombia of today, valuable bullion shipments avoided umjer Simon Bolivar. South America's 1‘allama, as well as passenger and great soldier and statesman. Here freight business. The business shows ended the career of the Spanish In a steady decline from that year. Colombia turned to ¡lie French after Panama. negotiating fruitlessly witli the Cnited C H A P T E R IV. States over a canal concession, and The French In Panama. | the company headed by M. de l.esseps HK independence of Panama was granted a right of way. It from Spain by a bloodless bought tile road for * 18 . o !M. inki In 1881 revolution In is-_’ j had plated paying considerably more than It was the isthmus in a new poshing worth or $25o a share for sixty-eight for oilier European government ‘ or seventieths of the capital stock. The French neglected the commer Ihe l ulled Slates lo tiegoiiale terms or concessions. The American |i-o c|n| possibilities even more than the ;>le Were jealous of foreign activities, tmerlcan owners had. though divi but not aggressively active themselves Mends were earned during the life of the first company. When the Cnited in i oncrete efforts toward a canal. The ever alert French in 1847. uftei States twilight the Interests o f the securing a concession lo build a rail | French company in 1004 (he I ’anauia road, allowed it to lapse. It Is stgnhi railroad was one o f the properties caul that this French failure was fm transferred. It was sadly run down lowed, us in the case of trying to db- lint under the Americans it was made a canal, by a successful attempt by over Into a modernly equipped and op­ erated svstem. though subordinated as the Americans. Three Americans- William II. Asplu a commercial proposition to the con­ wall. John I,. Stephens and Ilenry struction of tile canal. t'hanticey o f New Vork. taking ad Passenger rates dropped from $25 a vantage of the opening made by tin one way ticket in 1.855 to $2.40 under French failure obtained a concession the Americans today. The trip from imm the Bogota government in 1841 Colon to I'anama is two hours and H lor building a railroad across tin half, uml the coaches are painted yel- isthmus at I’amtmu. with the Impoi i low because that color best stands the ant provision that no canal i ould I. j isthmian climate. ■instructed there wlthuut the con. The plans for the canal as adopted puny's consent. by the Americans in 100*i played havoc Their con. esslon was for a period o , with the right o f way of the railroad. forty nine years after the coujpletio | -u iii June. t!M>7. the work of relocat­ d the railroad, but Colombia reserve., ing It heck among the hills out of he right, twenty years after its com reach of Ontiin lake was begun. After plelion. to purchase the road fo live years' work, or as long as It re- SO.IKKMMHI. I quired to build the original line in Luckily for the American promoter- 1850-5, the new line was opened to lie discovery of gold in California in traffic in 1012. IS-lb came Just iis they weie seekin; Tills twentieth century Panama rail in float ¡heir lompany. The isthmiat load lias cost $».000.000. as compared route to Calltoriiia at on e liecann with tlie cost of the nineteenth cen­ heavily traveled. and tlie eyes of tin tury road. $7.000.000. an Increase of whole world, parti itlarly of the t’ nii $2. traiu reached Panama from Colui The line was forty-seven miles Ion-, built o f Belgian rails and ou a gam of five feet. vlted to assemble in Paris in May. 187». to decide upon the type and cost of Ihe canal. M. de l.esseps presided and guided the decision to a sea level type, the same as at Suez. There were -leven Americans In the assembly, the extent of American Interest. Under Ihe stimulus of these tiro eed mgs the uevv. company's stock was oversubscribed by the admiring conn trymeu of the great De l.esseps. the trst Issue being for SUo.iMiti.iNin M de l.esseps then made a spectacular trip to Panama, arriving at Colon on Dec. 3». 187». Tlie first bins! o f an explosive in the onsfrm tion of the Isthmian canal was set off by one of the young daughters if M. de l.esseps at Culebra on Jan . 10. 1880. After several weeks of ban­ queting Count de Les-oq»* left for the Cnited States to «tir the imagination of the Americans over the enterprise About the only result was to attract the attention of some contra, tors to the work. Operations went ahead rapidly from 1880 onward, the metical l«*ing to let contracts for the different phase* of the work The canal Started I or Co ion. in Union bay. and wa- b follow ihe valley o f the Cbagres i r for Isitil thirty miles, then e flit" c.-'i tlie outltieiital divide lo tile Pit ii . three a or uu A n d Exam ine Our miles west of I’anama. almut where the canal begins. % By 1885. however, extravagance and graft had emptied the company's treasury. The contractors, ns a rule, did little and exacted much. It be- ctime apparent, too. that a sea level type presented staggering difficulties M. de Lesseps gave his consent to a change in plans to a lock type, but the dam was to tar at Bohio instead of at Oatun. Bohio Is seventeen miles from tlie Caribbean, while tittltin Is only seven miles distant from that sea. All the theatrical methisis eoncelvn hie were employed to float a new houd issue for $1tMMMt0.tNMI, hut the public hail grown dubious over the success of the enterprise. Tlie amount was rais­ ed. however, and was imttred Into the project with more millions until 188». when, after $234.7115.017 had been In­ vested. the company became bankrupt The French treated their white em­ ployees with extravagant generosity. Living accommodations were on a SUITS □a uU OE> Rii COATS □cr QB □ BP □ a FURS scale o f open handed liberality, t lttle was disie beyond building hospitils to compter the hud health udttloiis ol the isthmus, and. while the Freucb left patterns for much of the Intel American activities, tlie sanitary com trol of the Jungle distinctively is an American triumph. The death rate among French employees on the canal was from two to three times us high as under the Americans. In 18«in an extension of ten years to tlie time for completing tlie ennui was granted by Colombia, and subsequent ly extensions were permitted that ad­ vanced the life of tile concession until Oct. 31. ID lo. A new I ’anama Canal company was organized iu 1H»4. with ii capital of $13.(KN).«00. and. while it spent this amount and more. It never attained the momentum of the first company. The maximum force under tlie first company was 25,000 men and under the second regime 3.000. The total excavation by the French in I’anama was 78.. * .'.! here. Washington County Agency, Overland Cars Expert Autom obile, M otoicycle and Bicycle Successor« to H ASK ELL & SON PHONE 306 . . . Repairing. C. G. D A N I E L S O N . PACIFIC AVE. I I WASHINGTON - OREGON CORPORATION w ill Beginning June 1st give to its patrons in Beaverton, Elmonica, Orenco, H ills b o ro , Cornelius, Forest Grove, Gaston, Dilley and all country lines a 4c, Electric rate on all cooking and heating ap ­ pliances and small domestic motors. Phone Main 922 Hillsboro for particulars and our representative will call. F itti" ! Girl wanted for general house- Com pit te your home with on** 'work. Phone 754. 12x2p o f Roe & Co/s dining tables.