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A Trip Through the CanaJ
I
The efficent operation of the ,
Panama Canal is accomplished
without bustle or confusion
VISITORS making their first trip through
the Canal often comment on the absence
of noise, bustle, and confusion, particularly
while passing through the locks. It is a
fact that, although the matter of taking an
ocean vessel through the Canal is far from being
a simple operation and involves the services of
many men, the use of intricate machinery, and
the application of many operating rules, even a
light sleeper may doze 'peacefully in his stateroom
with the assurance that he would not be
disturbed by screaming whistles or bellowed
commands.
There is no mystery back of the quiet transit,
simply remarkable planning. Everything is in
readiness many hours before a vessel is sighted
at Cristobal or Balboa and everyone along the
line of the "big ditch" who has duties to perform
in connection with the transit knows well in
advance at what hour the ship will arrive at a
given point in the Canal, and at no time during
the transit is the ship "lost" to the workers
along the shores.
For a brief glimpse of what transpires on ship
and shore, let us follow an ordinary passengercargo
ship which transits the Canal from the
time it is one day out of port in the Atlantic
Ocean until the pilot leaves the ship at the
Pacific entrance.
At least 24 hours out of Cristobal the master
of the vessel computes the distance from port
and the approximate time of arrival. This infor-
Gaillard C~lt is one of the most impressive sights on the Isthmus of Panama. This is a view of the ?r.eat m~n-ma~e chann~l looking
south toward Pedro Miguel Locks. A dredge is at work in the foreground. Rarely does a lJ1,s~tor m~ss see~ng the b~g dredges
at u'ork along lhe channel during a transit of the Panama Canal.
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