SCIENCE.-SUPPLEMENT. 



FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1886. 



THE PANAMA CANAL.' 



Thk Isthmus of Panama is the narrow neck of 

 land which connects North America with South 

 America. It is bounded on the east by the Carib- 

 bean Sea, and on the west by the Pacific, extend- 

 ing northwards to the state of Costa Rica, and 

 southwards to the territory of Colombia (New 

 Granada). 



The backbone of the isthmus is formed by a 

 prolongation of the Cordilleras. Nearing Aspin- 

 wall, the town on the Atlantic side, the country 

 presents little variety ; but as one proceeds to- 

 wards the interior, the landscape undergoes a 

 rapid change, the country becomes mountainous, 

 and is cut up into deep valleys, whose sides are 

 covered with rich tropical vegetation. 



From the hydrographical stand-point, one is 

 struck by the number of streams, — one can 

 scarcely call thera rivers, — such as the Rio Trini- 

 dad and the Rio Gatuncillo, each of which, dur- 

 ing the rainy season, has a volume of 14,130 cubic 

 feet at its widest part. The most important of 

 these streams, however, is the Chagres, which, 

 rising near the north-west coast, makes an im- 

 mense bend, and finally empties its waters into 

 the Caribbean Sea. The volume of water dis- 

 charged by the Chagres at its mouth is, in sum- 

 mer 460 cubic feet, in winter 21,190 cubic feet; 

 but in exceptional circumstances it sometimes 

 reaches as high as 56,510 cubic feet per second 

 during the latter season. 



The Panama canal company has erected an ob- 

 servatory at Gamboa, about 100 feet above the 

 sea-level, where for some time observations have 

 been carried on. with the result of establishing 

 the following meteorological facts : — 



Rainy season. Dry season. 



Average temperature 86''.4 F. 89°.2 F. 



Barometric mean 29.892 inches. 29.922 inches 



Hygrometric mean 96. 88. 



The temperature ranges between the extremes 25° and 

 35°. 



The year is divided into two seasons, the dry 

 (verano) and the wet {invierno). The dry season 

 continues from December to May, the interval 

 between it and the wet season being occupied by 

 the short but delightful 'St. John's summer' {ve- 

 ranito). 



1 From. The Scottish geographical magazine, November. 



The advantages of establishing a waterway be- 

 tween the Pacific and the Atlantic were recog- 

 nized in the beginning of the sixteenth century, 

 and as early as 1550 four projects were already 

 before the world, one of them suggesting a pas- 

 sage by the Isthmus of Panama. But the data 

 were too vague to give rise to the formation of 

 any definite scheme. The geography of the isth- 

 mus was practically unknown, and rumor whis- 

 pered strange and disquieting reports of an inhos- 

 pitable soil and dangerous natives. One explorer 

 succeeded another without throwing any new 

 light on the matter ; and the seventeenth century 

 passed away, leaving the great problem still un- 

 solved. Not, indeed, until 1780 do we come upon 

 any thing like an attempt at scientific explora- 

 tion. In that year, however, an expedition was 

 organized under the command of two engineers. 

 — Martin de la Bastide, a Frenchman ; and Don 

 Manuel Galistro, a Spaniard. Unfortunately, 

 when these men returned to Spain, they found 

 the whole attention of the nation occupied by 

 the political situation ; and, the death of Charles 

 III. occurring shortly afterwards, all hope of a 

 practical outcome of their researches speedily 

 vanished. 



In 1844, a French engineer. Napoleon Garella. 

 succeeded at length in establishing exact data for 

 the simultaneous construction of a railway and 

 canal across the isthmus. A French company 

 was formed for the construction of the railway, 

 but from one cause or another delays arose: the 

 directors lacked energv, the revolution of 1848 

 supervened, and the work was finally carried 

 through by an American company. 



Convinced of the importance of an inter-oceanic 

 canal, America inaugurated a series of investiga- 

 tions, some of which were never fully carried out, 

 while others ended in failure, more than one 

 explorer meeting an untimely if glorious death 

 in the endeavor to achieve success. The Ameri- 

 can government itself fitted out a properly 

 organized scientific expedition, but without any 

 definite result : the problem still remained un- 

 solved. 



At last, in 1875, the Geographical congress at 

 Paris, to which were submitted the various 

 schemes already suggested, decided that a new 

 and thorough investigation should be made. A 

 society of exploration was formed, the necessary 

 funds were raised, and two naval officers, MM. 

 Reclus and N. B. Wyse, with an engineer, M. 



