Page:The National Geographic Magazine Vol 16 1905.djvu/519

There was a problem when proofreading this page.
Progress of the Panama Canal
467

sate the people of the United States for the outlay.

As was expected when de Lesseps began his work, wonderful strides have been made in the science of engineering during the last quarter of a century. We can never say that the ideal has been accomplished, but we may state that the science of engineering has reached such a state within the past few years that with the intelligent management which is now being given to the canal problem a new standard in engineering will be set for the peoples of the whole world by American pluck, perseverance, and skill.


PROGRESS ON THE PANAMA CANAL

The map of the region of the Panama Canal, which is published as a supplement to this number,[1] shows the plan submitted to Congress by the Isthmian Canal Commission of 1899-1901. It is the only plan on which the Canal Commission has as yet any authority to spend money, and is described by Admiral Chester in his address to the National Geographic Society, published in this number, pages 455-456. The plan will undoubtedly be very largely modified in the near future, but the map will, we hope, serve as a guide to the members of the National Geographic Society in the discussion and changes of the coming months. The most striking feature of the plan here presented is the great lake (shown in light green on the map). The lake covers an area of nearly 40 square miles, and would be artificially formed by the construction of the giant

Diagram showing Yearly Amount of Rainfall in Inches on the Panama Isthmus

  1. ↑ Through the courtesy of Hon. Theodore P. Shouts, President Isthmian Canal Commission.
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.