The Sailing Ship and The Panama Canal i 7 1 



winds and at intervals attain sufficient 

 force to traverse the isthmus. 



A sailing vessel approaching the coast 

 from the eastward will thus experience 

 but little difficulty on the score of wind. 

 Once within the chain of islands enclos- 

 ing the Caribbeati Sea, a straight course 

 may in general be shaped for the en- 

 trance to the canal, and the trades, al- 

 though light in force during a large 

 portion of the year, will serve to bear 

 her to the desired haven. Currents 

 also will assist, for throughout the en- 

 tire sea, except in the immediate neigh- 

 borhood of the coast of Cuba on the 

 north, and of Venezuela and Colombia 

 on the south, the motion of the surface 

 water is to the westward. 



The log of a sailing vessel emerging 

 from the eastern terminus of the canal 

 into the Caribbean will tell a different 

 story, the conditions which facilitated 

 to such a degree the approach toward 

 the port of Colon serving in like meas- 

 ure to embarrass departure from it. To 

 steer a direct course in the face of the 

 trades will be impossible, and no matter 

 what her ultimate destination , the square 

 rigger will find it necessary to seek an 

 outlet from the Caribbean Sea by way 

 of the Yucatan Channel, and thence 

 through the straits of Florida into the 

 Atlantic. 



In the case of vessels bound to a Eu- 

 ropean or an American port such a route 

 will not involve any very great sacrifice 

 of distance. For those destined to points 

 below the equator — for example, the 

 fleet engaged in the lumber trade from 

 Puget Sound to South Africa, one of 

 the most important lines of traffic still 

 monopolized by the sailing vessel — -the 

 detour, necessitating as it does the at- 

 tainment of the parallel of 35 degrees in 

 the North Atlantic in order to circum- 

 navigate the northeast trades, will be out 

 of the question, and these will continue 

 to make the passage by way of Cape 

 Horn. 



As to the feasibility of the route from 



Colon to the straits of Florida, it may 

 be stated that during the wet season the 

 passage will offer but little difficulty, 

 the trades at this time being light in 

 force and blowing from a point well to 

 the eastward, or even south of east. 

 During the dry season, however, differ- 

 ent and decidedly adverse conditions 

 prevail. From November to April the 

 trades along the coast are northerly or 

 even northwesterly in direction, and fre- 

 quently attain the force of a fresh gale, 

 requiring a close-hauled ship to reduce 

 her canvas to reefed topsails and courses. 

 Under these circumstances the voyage re- 

 solves itself into a steady beat to wind- 

 ward under most trying circumstances. 

 Owing to the fact that the sailing 

 traffic of the region is at present con- 

 fined to fore-and-aft schooners, it is im- 

 possible to state with accuracy the delay 

 which a vessel of large tonnage making 

 the passage from Colon to Cape San 

 Antonio d uring the winter months would 

 thus suffer. An analogous situation ex- 

 ists, however, in the ca^e of the passage 

 up the China Sea at the time of the 

 northeast monsoon, and the reluctance 

 with which this latter feat is attempted 

 by sailing masters may be gathered from 

 the fact that during the prevalence of 

 this monsoon the bulk of east Asiatic 

 trade from Europe and America follows 

 the sailing route leading to the south- 

 ward and eastward of Australia, the 

 majority of captains claiming that such 

 a circuit results in a saving of time over 

 the China Sea route, although it in- 

 volves the running down of at least 

 3,000 miles additional distance. 



BELT OF CALMS AT THE PACIFIC END 

 OF THE CANAL. 



At the eastern extremity of the canal 

 the difficulties which a sailing vessel 

 may expect to encounter will thus arise 

 from a superabundance of wind rather 

 than a lack of it. At the western ex- 

 tremity, on the other hand, these con- 

 ditions will be completely reversed. 



