123 THOMSON-PROGRESS OF THE ISTHMIAN CANAL. [AprL 19, 



of this train on the journey across the isthmus, was occupied by two 

 of the committees, eight in all, and with them were the officials of 

 the Canal Zone having special charge of the subjects upon which 

 the particular committee was to seek information. It is fair to 

 say that this was in all cases given freely and courteously with the 

 utmost frankness, calculated to elicit the fullest interest and 

 sympathy. 



After leaving Colon on the trip southeasterly to Panama, a 

 number of stops were made at various points along the route of 

 the canal. At Christobal near Colon an inspection of docks, ma- 

 chine shops and other shops for repair and construction, was made. 

 Here the equipment was found to be modern and well adapted to 

 the work, and there seemed to be a good force of skilled machinists 

 and other workmen, among whom were many Swedes. Similar 

 large shops exist at other points, notably at Empire not far from 

 Culebra. 



The working forces seemed to be in excellent physical condition. 

 From Christobal there runs for several miles the canal dredged by 

 the French. Owing to change of location this does not become part 

 of the accepted plans, and will be used only for transporting ma- 

 terials and machinery to the vicinity of Gatun, about seven miles 

 from Colon, the site of the proposed great dam known as the Gatun 

 dam. Leaving the train at this point the hill at the east end of the 

 proposed dam was climbed and the site of the great canal locks to 

 be constructed here was reached. The weather conditions were so 

 good that even in the tropical sun no discomfort was experienced 

 even in briskly walking up hill. This was due to the cool trade 

 wind coming from the east. 



From the Gatun Hills, looking across to the farther hills where 

 the other end of the dam will rest, one begins to acquire an im- 

 pressive sense of the magnitude of the whole enterprise, such as 

 no amount of reading or examination of maps or plans can give. 

 Here several large steam shovels, and construction trains were 

 actively in service, excavating at the lock sites and building part 

 of the embankment of the dam itself. 



There has been much discussion of the subject of a canal with 

 locks as against a true sea-level waterway, the latter project being 



