132 THOMSON— PROGRESS OF THE ISTHMIAN CANAL. [April 19, 



new location of the sea channel from the Sosa locks or La Boca 

 Dam, and it is just outside the ceded territory known as the Canal 

 Zone. It has, however, recently been given clean and well-paved 

 streets. It possesses much of the picturesqueness of the old Spanish 

 settlements. 



On the edge of the zone at Panama, the United States govern- 

 ment has built a large modern hotel, suited in construction to the 

 tropics. It is on an elevated site overlooking the city and the Bay of 

 Panama. This hotel is used by officials and engineers of the Canal 

 Zone and their families. Here at the Tivoli, as it is called, an 

 evening reception and dinner was tendered to the administrative 

 force engaged in the zone by the party of visitors, at which were 

 present the President of the Republic of Panama, the U. S. Min- 

 ister to Panama, the Chief Engineer, Mr. Stevens, and others. Al- 

 though Panama is but nine degrees north of the equator, the weather 

 was all that could be desired, a clear sky, a fair breeze, and moder- 

 ate temperature. The full moon rose over the bay, which happens 

 to extend eastwardly from the city, so far as to give the effect of 

 an open sea. Thus the Pacific ocean is to the east of Panama, to 

 all appearances. After a comfortable night at the Tivoli, a detailed 

 inspection was made at the site of the proposed dams at La Boca 

 and that of the locks, there. The work of construction is soon to 

 proceed. On the return trip to Colon a stop was made for a visit 

 of inspection to the great storehouses at Mount Hope, formerly 

 known as Monkey Hill, a few miles from Colon. Here there can 

 be found, properly classified and arranged and subject to requisi- 

 tion, supplies and equipment of nearly all kinds outside of food; 

 an epitome of atl human needs; the product of innumerable fac- 

 tories of the most varied description. A catalogue of the things 

 stored here would fill volumes. Here also were seen large quanti- 

 ties of stores in the form of iron and steel bars and plate left over 

 from the French regime and largely capable of utilization in the 

 present work. 



While all along the canal route there exists an immense amount 

 of discarded machinery known as French scrap, it would not pay 

 at present to attempt to gather it up; the transportation facilities 

 at command being already taxed to the utmost in the legitimate work 



