THE CANAL ZONE. The Canal Zone contains about 448 square miles. It begins at a point three marine miles from mean low water mark in each ocean, and extends for five miles on each side of the center line of the route of the Canal. It includes the group of islands in the Bay of Panama named Perico, Naos, Culebra, and Flamenco. The cities of Panama and Colon are excluded from the Zone, but the United States has the right to enforce sanitary ordinances in those cities, and to maintain public order in them in case the Republic of Panama should not be able, in the judgment of the United States, to do so. Of the 448 square miles of Zone territory, the United States owns the larger portion the exact amount of which is being determined by survey. Under the treaty with Panama, the United States has the right to acquire by purchase, or by the exercise of the right of eminent domain, any lands, buildings, water rights, or other properties necessary and convenient for the construction, maintenance, operation, sanitation, and protection of the Canal, and it can, therefore, at any time acquire the lands within the Zone boundaries which are owned by private persons. RELOCATED PANAMA RAILROAD. The new, or relocated line of the Panama Railroad is 47.1 miles long, or slightly shorter than the old line. From Colon to Mindi, 4.17 miles, and from Corozal to Panama, 2.83 miles, the old location is used, but the remaining 40 miles are new road. From Mindi to Gatun the railroad runs, in general, parallel to the Canal, and ascends from a few feet above tide water elevation to nearly 95 feet above. At Gatun the road leaves the vicinity of the Canal and runs east along the valley of the Gatun River to a point about 41⁄2 miles from the center line of the Canal, where it turns southward again and skirts the east shore of Gatun Lake to the beginning of Culebra Cut, at Bas Obispo. In this section there are several large fills, occurring where the line crosses the Gatun Valley and near the north end of Culebra Cut, where the line was located so as to furnish waste dumps for the dirt from the Canal. Originally it was intended to carry the railroad through Culebra Cut on a 40-foot berm, 10 feet above the water level, but the numerous slides have made this plan impracticable and a line is now being constructed around the Cut, known locally as the Gold Hill Line. Leaving the berm of the Canal at Bas Obispo, the Gold Hill Line gradually works into the foot hills, reaching a distance from the center line of the Canal of two miles opposite Culebra; thence it runs down the Pedro Miguel Valley to Paraiso, where it is only 800 feet from the center line of the Canal. This section of the line is located on maximum grade of 1.25 per cent. compensated, and has a total length of 9% miles. The sharpest curve on the whole line is 7°. From the south end of Culebra Cut to Paraiaso, the railroad runs practically parallel with the Canal to Panama, with maximum grade of 0.45 per cent. Where the railroad crosses the Gatun River, a bascule steel bridge is to be erected, and a steel girder bridge, 4 mile long, with 200-foot through truss channel span, is in use across the at Chagres River Gamboa. Small streams are crossed on reinforced concrete culverts. Near Miraflores, a tunnel 736 feet long has been built through a hill. Total cost of new line is estimated at $9,000,000. THE EQUIPMENT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CANAL. The Equipment consists of the latest and most efficient appliances, the quality of which has been demonstrated by the remarkable totals of excavation which have been recorded during the progress of the work. It includes 100 steam shovels, most of which are of from 70 to 105 tons weight and 3 to 5 cubic yards bucket capacity; 158 American locomotives of from 106 to 117 tons weight; 112 small French locomotives of 20 to 30 tons; 45 narrow gauge and electric locomotives; 560 drills; 4,346 cars; 84 spreaders, track-shifters, unloaders, etc., 20 dredges; 57 cranes; 12 tugs; 70 barges, scows, etc. and 14 launches. The Panama Railroad has 70 locomotives; 57 coaches and 1,477 freight to 29,908,000 $25,389,240 $42,799,826 5,000,000 10 to 12 3 $9,000,000 47.1 448 35,000 useful Excavation by French, present Canal, (cubic yards)..... Excavation by French, estimated value to Canal... Value of all French property... Concrete, total estimated for Canal (cubic yards) Time of transit through completed Canal (hours) Time of passage through locks (hours) Relocated Panama Railroad, estimated cost Relocated Panama Railroad, length (miles) Canal Zone, area (square miles).. Cost of Canal, estimated total.. 5,000 $375,000,000 May 4, 1904 Jan. 1, 1915 Approximate cost of various canals: Suez, $19,000,000: Manchester Ship Canal, $15,000,000; Kiel Canal, $8,000,000; Sault Ste. Marie Canal, U. S., $1,200,000; Amsterdam Canal, $2,000,000; Corinth Canal, $1,000,000: Cronstadt Canal, $2,000,000; Welland Canal (Lake Erie to Lake Ontario), $5,000,000. DISTANCES FROM NEW YORK, NEW ORLEANS, SAN FRANCISCO, AND PORT TOWNSEND TO THE PRINCIPAL PORTS OF THE WORLD AND THE PRINCIPAL CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES. [Sources: Water routes in nautical miles, Hydrographic Office, Navy Department; land routes in statute miles, War Department.] FOREIGN CITIES. Via Singapore... Via Singapore and San Francisco. Via Singapore and Tehuantepec. Via Singapore and Panama.. |