A jyip to the Panama Canal. 23 



the most casual inspection revealed in progress a stupendous 

 conflict between the mighty powers controlled by modern intellect 

 and ingenuity and the stubborn forces of nature, and many 

 varied problems had had to be solved quite apart from, and 

 equally important as, those of an engineering character which 

 first occurred to one's mind. Mr. Barbour then referred to the 

 history of the undertaking, and said it had been the belief from 

 very early times that it would be possible to reach the shores of 

 Asia by a western route, but it was not until the end of the 

 fifteenth century that the idea gained sufficient foothold to lead 

 anyone to put it to the test. Christopher Columbus was only 

 one of many in his day who believed that the East could be so 

 reached, and, while his spirit of adventure resulted in the 

 discovery ot America on the 12th October, 1492, the real object 

 of his search, and one in which he persisted after his discovery of 

 America, was to find some passage or strait whereby he could 

 continue his journey to Asia. After the discovery of gold in 

 California the importance of the route across the Isthums 

 increased considerably, and a treaty was entered into between 

 the Government of the United States and New Granada whereby 

 the former was granted permission to transport its troops and 

 rations across the Isthmus. In the same year an American 

 syndicate secured from the Government of New Granada a 

 concession for a railroad to connect the oceans across the 

 Panama country, and the line from Colon to Panama was 

 completed in 1855, the cost per nnle being jP^2%,ooo. Further 

 surveys of various possible canal routes conunued to be made, 

 but it was not until 1879 that any commencement was made 

 which resulted eventually in the adoption of any particular route 

 or in the actual start on the work of coriStructing a canal. It 

 was in that year tha,t De Lesseps convened the International 

 Scientific Congress, the members of which decided on the 

 formation of a company with a capital of ;^i6,ooo 000. The his- 

 tory of this company was a lamentable record. In addition to the 



