THE PANAMA CANAL. CANAL STATISTICS (OFFICIAL). Length from deep water to deep water-50.5 miles. Length on land-40.5 miles. Length at summit level-31.7 miles. Locks. usable length-1,000 feet. Gatun lake channel, depth-85 to 45 feet. Concrete required-5.000.000 cubic yards. miles. the senate April 15, 1904; passed by house Canal property at Panama formally turned over April 21; approved April 26. to the United States commissioners May 4. President outlines rules for the government of John F. Wallace appointed chief engineer May First payment on $40,000,000 to French com- Period from Aug. 15, 1914, to Aug. 14. 1915........ Aug. 15, 1918, to Aug. 14, 1919. Total to Aug. 15, 1924....... 1903: ratified by the United States senate Feb. 23. 1904. Canal commissioners appointed Feb. 29, 1904. Papers transferring canal to the United States signed in Paris April 22, 1904. Bill for government of Canal Zone passed by appointed Supreme court judge for Canal Zone June 17, 1905. New commission with Theodore P. Shonts as chairman named April 3, 1905: Shonts resigned March 4, 1907, John F. Stevens appointed chief engineer June engineer Feb. 26, 1907. Permanent organization of canal administration in effect April 1, 1914: Col. George W. Goethals first governor: existence of isthmian canal commission ended. First freight barges go through canal from ocean to ocean May 14, 1914. First steamship (the Cristobal) passes through Canal opened for general traffic Aug. 15. 1914. FIRST TEN YEARS OF OPERATION. [From the Panama Canal Record.] The Panama canal completed ten years of operation at the close of business on Aug. 14. 1924, having been opened to commerce Aug. 15, 1914. During the ten years of operation 25.620 commercial vessels and 2,271 United States government vessels, exclusive of craft in the service of the Panama canal, transited the canal. The 25.620 commercial craft carried 110,917,951 long tons of cargo through the canal and paid tolls to the amount of $100,534,619.73. A summary of traffic through the canal during ten years of operation is shown in the following tabulation, listing the number of vessels, the Panama canal net tonnage, cargo tonnage and tolls collected. This tabulation lists only vessels paying tolls: 5,904,580 2.051 6.487,214 7,431.495 2,027 6.198,874 6,981,996 2.580 8,905,818 9.839,918 2,860 11,527,138 11,330,400 2.790 11.788.742 11.522.018 4.272 20,283,394 21,210,962 18,975,189.06 5.146 25.756.132 26.633.477 23,985,272.99 25.620 103,723,074 110,917,951 100,534,619.73 Of the 25,620 commercial transits during the ten vear period nearly 11,000 were transits of vessels of United States registry. These vessels carried nearly half of the total cargo and paid about 45 per cent of the total tolls. The average cost of a ton of cargo through the canal for the ten-year period, total commercial traffic being considered, was about 90 cents. During the ten years of operation there to was no serious accident shipping due to the operation of the canal. nor, since April 15, 1916. when the last serious slide was cleared, was there any considerable delay in passing vessels through. Since that time the fleets of the United States navy, many of the large passenger and cargo vessels of various nations, and the largest warship yet constructed passed through the canal without special incident. TRAFFIC (1924) BY TRADE ROUTES. More than one-half of the cargo handled through the Panama canal during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1924, was in the United intercoastal trade. Other States principal trade routes following in order were: Between the United States and South America with 10.2 per cent of the total: Europe and South America with 7.4 per cent; United States and the far east with 6.5 per cent; Europe and west coast of United States with 6.2 per cent, and Europe and the west coast of CanOf the other routes. ada with 5.4 per cent. none carried as much as 5 per cent of the TRAFFIC (1924) BY NATIONALITY. 47 PANAMA CANAL OFFICIALS. hannes. U. S. A. of Maintenance-Col. H. Burgess, Chief Quartermaster-R. K. Morris. Chief Health Officer-Col. W. P. Chamberlin. Washington Office. General Purchasing Officer and Chief of Office The Canal Zone contains about 436 square miles and on June 30, 1924. had a total population of 27.143. It begins at a point three marine miles from mean low water mark in each ocean and extends for five miles on each side of the center line of the route of the canal. It includes the group of islands in the Bay of Panama, named Perico. Naos. Culebra and Flamenco. The cities of Panama and Colon Tolls. are excluded from the zone, but the United the right to enforce sanitary 6.097,611 $5,814,983.83 States has 176,472 157,035.25 ordinances and maintain public order there In case the republic of Panama should not be 6,612.11 229,205.17 able to do so. 72.498.00 July 16, 1924, the actual working force on 489,807.74 the canal was 10.982, of whom 8,621 were 27.00 5.757.60 silver and 2.761 gold employes, the latter be428,571.60 ing almost exclusively white Americans. 604,085.65 PANAMA RAILROAD. 3.958.75 The Panama railroad and the steamships run in connection with it between New York 844.976.31 and Colon are owned and operated by the The road prac 23,276.25 5.767 22 Danish 65 245.929 Danzig 11 88.276 Dutch 102 551,761 Ecuadorian 1 36 Finnish French German 150 660,156 Greek 1 4,038 ....... Italian Japanese 171 815,468 Jugoslavic... Mexican 1 192 Norwegian Panaman 21 43.056 Peruvian Spanish Swedish 170.565.90 LABOR FORCE. United States government. 138.24 tically parallels the canal nearly the whole 496.876.96 distance. It is 461⁄2 miles long and runs 40.804.19 between the cities of Colon and Panama. 127.183.38 160.336.90 130,935.00 United States..2.947 15.806.899 14.483,327.71 REVOLUTION IN MEXICO. Mexico was the scene of a serious revolt against President Obregon in the early part of 1924. The trouble began in December. 1923, but did not attain serious proportions until January and February, 1924. The leader of the revolt was Adolfo de la Huerta, who was supported by Gens. Enrique Estrada, Guadalupe Sanchez. Garcia Virgil and a number of chronic rebels and bandit chiefs in the state of Vera Cruz and the Guadalajara region. President Obregon was supported by most of the the commanders and people of army Mexico generally. His generals won brilliant victories at Esperanza Jan. 28 and Ocotlan Feb. 9. crushing the rebels both in the east and the west. On April 22 it was announced that the rebellion had come to an end and that the federal authority had been re-estab .50 lished over the whole of the republic. Merchant vessels carrying passengers or Army and navy transports, colliers, hos- .72 1.20 Tolls may not exceed the equivalent of $1.25 per net registered ton. as determined hy United States rules of measurement, nor be less than the equivalent of 75 cents per net registered ton. Many of the rebel chieftains who were captured were shot, while others, among them Adolfo de la Huerta, took refuge in other countries. The United States sent a number of warships to Vera Cruz and Tampico, but had no occasion to intervene in the civil war. Gen. Plutarco Elias Calles was elected president of Mexico July 6 to succeed Gen. Obre1920. Gen. gon. who assumed office Dec. 1. Calles received a majority of 1.309.947 votes over Gen. Angel Flores, the other candidate. THE PIERPONT MORGAN LIBRARY. The Pierpont Morgan library, ranked as one of the finest private collections of rare books and manuscripts in the world, was on Feb. 15, 1924, turned over by the owner, J. Pierpont Morgan, to a board of six trustees to be administered as a public reference library. The announcement of the gift was made by Mr. Morgan on the date mentioned alter all the necessary legal arrangements had been made. The beautiful building housing the collection, designed by Charles F. McKim and standing at Madison avenue and 36th street, New York, was a part of the gift, which also included an annual endowment of $1,500,000. Mr. Morgan himself estimated the value of the library and the building at $8.500,000. The collection was begun by the elder J. Pierpont Morgan and continued by his son. Mr. Morgan made known his action by issuing the following formal statement: "As a memorial to my father, the late J. Pierpont Morgan, and for the use of scholars I have conveyed the library erected by him, its contents and the land upon which it stands to a board of trustees, together with an endowment sufficient for its permanent maintenance. It has been designated as the Pierpont Morgan library and its character and purpose are set forth by my letter to the trustees and by extracts from the deed of conveyance, copies of which are attached to this statement." are The trustees named by Mr. Morgan himself and his wife, their two sons, Junius Spencer Morgan and Henry Sturges Morgan, and Lewis Cass Ledyard and James King. Gore Following is an extract from Mr. Morgan's letter to the trustees: Since "My father's intense interest and satisfaction in the library which he left me makes it a peculiarly fitting memorial to him. It is a memorial which keeps alive the memory of his love of rare books and manuscripts and his belief in the educational value of the collection which he had gathered. his death in 1913 I have constantly endeavored to see that the library and its contents should be made available In every way possible for the advancement of knowledge and for the use of learned men of all countries. as he delighted to do, thus carrying out the plan which he had in mind when making the collections. The very considerable additions which I have made to these collections from time to time have been made with the sole idea of increasing the value of the whole for educational purposes." From the deed conveying the property to the trustees and creating the trust the following extracts are quoted:: "The nature, object and purposes of the institution to be founded, endowed and maintained are as follows: courage and develop study and research and generally to conduct an institution of educational value to the public. .. "The trustees may establish in connection with the library a gallery of art and out of any funds in their possession may purchase such objects of art as they may deem appropriate. They may provide for such lectures, exhibitions or instruction in connection with the institution as they may deem desirable. They may also provide for the reproduction, by printing, photography or otherwise, of any portion of the collections in their hands and for the publication and distribution universities and other institutions and among among libraries, museums, individuals of the reproductions and copies so made. * # absorbed by or merged or consolidated with "The Pierpont Morgan library shall not be any other institution, nor shall any steps be taken whereby it may in any degree lose its identity, prior to the expiration of 100 death of J. Pierpont Morgan, father of the years from March 31, 1913, the date of the founder." No complete catalogue of the library had been made up to the time the transfer to trustees was made. A summary of the principal material in the collection was issued at that time, however, from which the following list is taken: Illuminated manuscripts dating from the sixth to the sixteenth century; 530 volumes. Holograph manuscripts of the works and correspondence of American, English and continental authors: 905 volumes. Signed holograph letters and documents (unbound); about 7,000. Coptic illuminated manuscripts of biblical and liturgical texts, originating in Egypt. from the eighth to the tenth century: 60 volumes and numerous fragments. the Greek and Egyptian papyrus (single leaves), originating in Egypt, dating from the third century B. C. Formerly known as Amherst collections, with additions. Incunabula-Books printed on the continent before 1500. Books printed at the Aldine presses in Venice and elsewhere from 1495 to 1598. Liturgical works-Bibles, testaments, psalters, missals, prayer books, hours, offices, etc., dating from the inception of printing (c. 145055). English literature dating from its first printing in 1475. American history and literature. Books remarkable for their rare armorial fifteenth century; also examples of the work or other distinguishing bindings, dating from of famous binders. Original drawings and wash-studies by masters of the Italian, French, English, Dutch, Flemish and German schools, from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. Original etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn, his pupils and school, in various states of the plates. "A public library, for reference only, without any circulating or withdrawal privileges, to be maintained upon the premises hereby conveyed and upon such premises as may hereafter be acquired in addition thereto or in lieu thereof, for the use and benefit, free of expense to them, of all persons whomsoever, subject only to suitable rules and regu lations; the object and purposes of which institution are to preserve, protect and give permanence to the collections hereby transferred and hereafter acquired, to render them available, under suitable regulations and restrictions having regard to their nature and value. to scholars and persons engaged in the work of research and to those interested in literature, art and kindred subjects, to dis- and many others. seminate and contribute to the advancement The director of the Pierpont Morgan library of useful information and knowledge, to en- is Miss Belle da Costa Greene. Original mezzotints from the invention of the art in 1642 through the nineteenth century. Autograph letters and book manuscripts by Marie Antoinette. Hugo. Zola, Sand, Dumas, Keats, Boswell. Dickens. Scott. Lamb. Thackeray, Meredith, Moore, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Bret Harte, George Washing ton. Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt DATES OF RECENT HISTORICAL EVENTS. Aguinaldo captured, March 23, 1901. Alfonso XIII. ascended throne of Spain, May Anglo-Boer war began, Oct. 10, 1899; ended Anglo-Japanese treaty signed, Jan 30, 1902. Archbald, Robert W., judge of United States Arizona admitted as a state, Feb. 14, 1912. Austria surrenders to allies, Nov. 3, 1918: Balkan-Turkish war began Oct. 8, 1912: Balloon disaster, Chicago, July 21, 1919. Battle ship cruise, American, Dec. 16, 1907, Benjamin, archbishop of Petrograd, executed Bering sea seal treaty signed, Nov. 8, 1897, Borda. President, assassinated. Aug. 25, 1897. Boxer outbreak in China began, May, 1900. Brazil proclaimed a republic, Nov. 15, 1889. Buffalo (Pan-American) exposition, May 1 to Bulgaria proclaims independence. Oct. 5, 1908; Cable. Pacific, laying of, begun at San Fran- California Midwinter exposition, Jan, 1 to July 4. 1894. Calumet (Mich.) hall panic, Dec. 24, 1913. Campanile in Venice fell, July 14, 1902. Canadian reciprocity bill passed by congress and signed by President Taft, July 26, 1911; rejected by Canada, Sept. 21. Carlos I., king of Portugal, assassinated, Feb. Carnot. President, assassinated, June 24, 1894. Caroline islands bought by Germany, Oct. 1, Charles I. of Austria-Hungary abdicates, Nov. China, revolution begins Sept. 7. 1911; repub- Christian X. proclaimed king of Denmark. May Coal (anthracite) strike began, May 12. 1902: ended, Oct. 21, 1902. Congo Free State annexed by Belgium, Aug. Constantine, king of Greece, deposed, June 12, Corfu bombarded and seized by Italy Aug. 31, Corinth ship canal open, Aug. 6, 1893. Courriere mine disaster, March 10. 1906. Cuban constitution signed, Feb. 21, 1901. March 19, 1903; bill to carry treaty into Cuban revolt began. Feb. 24. 1895. Daugherty. Harry M., U. S. attorney-general, Dawes reparation plan reported April 9, 1924. De Lesseps, Ferdinand, convicted of Panama fraud, Feb. 9, 1893. Delyannis, Grecian premier, assassinated, June Denby, Edwin, secretary of the navy, resigned Deschanel, Paul, elected president of France, Dewey's victory at Manila, May 1. 1898. Dreyfus. Capt.. degraded and sent to Devil's island, Jan. 4, 1895; brought back to France, July 3, 1899; new trial begun, Aug. 7: found guilty. Sept. 9; pardoned, Sept. 19, 1899; restored to rank in army, July 12. 1906, by decision of Supreme court of France; decorated with cross of Legion of Honor. July 21. 1906. Earthquake in India, April 4, 1905; in Calabria, Italy, Sept. 8. 1905, Dec. 28, 1908. and Sept. 7, 1920. (See also San Francisco, Valparaiso, Kingston, Messina and Cartago.) Eastland steamship disaster in Chicago, July 24, 1915. Edward VII. proclaimed king. Jan. 24. 1901: crowned, Aug. 9, 1902; died, May 6. 1910. Elizabeth, empress of Austria, assassinated. Sept. 10, 1898. Empress of Ireland sunk, May 29, 1914. Eugenie, ex-Empress, died July 11, 1920. European war began, Aug. 1, 1914; armistice signed, Nov. 11, 1918. Fallieres. C. A.. elected president of France, Jan. 17, 1906. Fascisti revolution in Italy: Benito Mussolini made premier and virtual dictator. Oct. 30. 1922. Ferrer. Francisco, executed in Spain. Oct. 13. 1909. Field, Marshall, died, Jan. 16, 1906. Fisheries (Atlantic) dispute settled by the Hague court, June 1, 1910. Floods in Ohio and Indiana. March 25-27. 1913. Formosa transferred to Japan, June 4, 1895. Francis Ferdinand, Archduke, and consort assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, June 28, 1914. Frederick VIII. succeeded to throne of Denmark. Jan. 29. 1906: died, May 14, 1912. Galveston tornado, Sept. 8, 1900. General Slocum disaster, June 15, 1904. Genoa conference opened, April 10, 1922: ended May 19, 1922. in George I., king of Greece. assassinated Saloniki, Macedonia, March 18, 1913. George V. succeeded to British throne. May 6, 1910: crowned, June 22, 1911. Germany, revolution in, Nov. 9. 1918; new constitution proclaimed. Aug. 13, 1919. signs peace treaty, June 28, 1919; Versailles treaty ratified, Jan. 10, 1920; Kapp-Luettwitz revolt, March 12, 1920. Gladstone resigned premiership. March 2, 1894: died May 19. 1898. Goebel, Gov. William; shot, Jan. 30. 1900; died Feb. 2. Greco-Turkish war began. April 16. 1897: ended. May 11. 1897: peace treaty signed. Sept. 18, 1897; new war began March 14, 1921: ended Sept. 13, 1922. Greece-King Constantine deposed June 12. 1917: succeded by King Alexander: Constantine recalled Dec. 5, 1920: again deposed Sept. 27. 1922. Hague, The, conference began, June 15, 1922: ended July 20. Haiti-President Lecomte and 400 persons killed by explosion in palace. Aug. 8, 1912. Halifax disaster. Dec. 6, 1917. Harding, Warren G., elected president of the Hawaii made a republic, July 4. 1894: an- Herrin (Ill.) mine massacre, June 21-22, 1922. Homestead (Pa.) labor riot, July 6. 1892. Humbert, King, assassinated, July 29. 1900. Cho admitted as a state. July 3, 1890. Income tax amendment to constitution of the Italian army routed in Abyssinia, March 1, Italy declares war on Turkey over Tripoli dis- Jamestown (Va.) tercentennial exposition. April 26 to Nov. 30, 1907. Japan-Russia war began, Feb. 7, 1904: ended Kingston (Jamaica) earthquake and fire, Jan. 14, 1907. Kishiney massacre. April 20, 1903. Lausanne, treaty of, signed, July 24, 1923. Leiter wheat deal collapsed. June 13, 1898. Leopold II., king of the Belgians, died, Dec. 17, 1909. Liliuokalani, queen of Hawaii, deposed, Jan. Lusitania sunk, May 7, 1915. Manuel II., king of Portugal, deposed. Oct. 3-4, 1910. Marconi signals letter "S" across Atlantic. Dec. 11. 1901. Messina destroyed by earthquake, Dec. 28. 1908. Mexico-Revolution, Nov. 18. 1910, to May 25. 1911; President Diaz forced to resign, May 25. 1911: President Madero assassinated. Feb. 23, 1913; President Carranza killed, May 20, 1920. Mexican-American crisis: Americans occupy Vera Cruz, April 21, 1914: eighteen Americans killed by Villa bandits, Jan. 10. 1916: Villa raids Columbus, N. M., and kills seventeen persons. March 9. 1916. American troops invade Mexico from north. Meyerbeer centenary celebrated in Berlin, Sept. 5, 1891. Morocco conference began, Jan. 16. 1906. Morgan, J. P., explosion near New York office of. Sept. 16, 1920. Mukden, battle of. Feb. 24-March 12, 1905. Mussolini, B., made premier in Italy, Oct. 30, 1922. McKinley, President, shot by anarchist Sept. 6. 1901; died. Sept. 14, 1901. |