The Republic of Panama 



73 



sanitation of cities and towns. It is ab- 

 solutely essential that water works, sup- 

 plying potable and wholesome water, be 

 established for the cities and larger 

 towns, and concurrently therewith there 

 must be established suitable sewer sys- 

 tems with rational and sanitary disposal 

 of sewage. All these results are now 

 perfect^ practicable of attainment with- 

 out unreasonable cost or material diffi- 

 cult}'. It will be imperative, however, 

 that sanitary regulations be created, en- 

 forced, and maintained with the rigor of 

 military discipline. Under such reason- 

 able sanitary conditions as it is entirely 

 practicable to attain, and with proper 

 quarantine regulations, there is no rea- 

 son why the Isthmus may not be main- 

 tained entirely free of yellow fever or 

 from other tropical epidemics. 



COST OF THE CANAL 



The United States Government has 

 entered into a provisional agreement to 

 purchase the entire property of every 

 description and the rights of the new 

 Panama Canal Company for the sum of 

 $40,000,000. The cost of completing 

 the Panama Canal under the plan of the 

 Isthmian Canal Commission is estimated 

 by that Commission at $144,233,358. 

 The sum of these two amounts — $184,- 

 233,358— represents the total cost of the 

 construction of the isthmian ship canal 

 by this route, to which should be added 



such additional costs as are required to be 

 incurred in securing the additional rights 

 and concessions necessary to enable the 

 United States Government to enter upon 

 the Isthmus and begin the work. 



The consummation of this great work 

 is apparently close at hand. The crea- 

 tion of the Republic of Panama has 

 solved the difficulties which had gathered 

 about the negotiations of the requisite 

 treaty, and it will probably be but a 

 short time before this, the greatest en- 

 gineering work of the world, will be 

 undertaken and carried to comple- 

 tion. This achievement will not only 

 create new lines of ocean commerce and 

 stimulate some of the older lines into 

 new life, but it will also bring the At- 

 lantic and Pacific shores of the United 

 States into much closer communication 

 than before, thus strengthening those 

 bonds of mutual interest and natural 

 sympathy which lie at the foundation 

 of best national life. In this part of 

 the world's development the new Re- 

 public of Panama becomes the center 

 of the material activities through which 

 these great results will be accomplished, 

 thus attaining the fruition of 400 years 

 of effort. She is to be congratulated 

 in marking her entrance among the 

 nations of the earth by opening the way 

 to the attainment of this world improve- 

 ment and giving the work the impetus of 

 her national sanction. 



T 



burg : 



HE following table shows that the Panama Canal will bring New York much 

 nearer to Hongkong and Yokohama, to the markets of the East, than Ham- 



From 



To 



By way of 

 Cape Horn . 



By the 

 Suez Canal. 



By the 

 Panama 

 Canal. 



Advantage 



in favor of 



Panama. 



Hamburg 



New York 



Hongkong 18,480 



Hongkong. .... 18,180 



10,542 

 ",655 

 12,531 

 13,464 

 12,367 



14,933 

 9,835 



13,024 

 9,835 



13,198 



10,427 

 8,488 

 5,299 



1,820 



New York Yokohama 1 7,679 



Hamburg Melbourne 1 3,802 



3,729 



2,863 





San Francisco ! id.8j.o 





6,652 



New York 





9,54i 











