Preface[5]
Date History of the Canal[11]
I.The Secret of the Strait[15]
II.Canal Projects[23]
III.The Clayton-Bulwer Treaty and the Suez Canal[42]
IV.The French Failure[52]
V.The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty[64]
VI.The United States and Colombia[77]
VII.A Miniature Revolution[88]
VIII.The Battle of the Levels[112]
IX.Man and the Gnat[129]
X.Life at the Isthmus[153]
XI.The Problem of Construction[172]
XII.The Culebra Cut[186]
XIII.The Locks[195]
XIV.The Completed Canal[207]
XV.Panama and the Isthmus[226]
XVI.The New Ocean Highways[242]
XVII.The Canal and the Americas[265]
XVIII.The Canal and the British Empire[284]
XIX.The New Pacific[316]
Appendix I.—Hay-Pauncefote Treaty[323]
Appendix II.—Panama Declaration of Independence[327]
Appendix III.—Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty Clauses 1-9 and 23[332]
Appendix IV.—Proclamation as to Canal Toll Rates[343]


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

[Col. George W. Goethals, U.S.A.]Frontispiece
Chairman and Chief Engineer Isthmian Canal Commission.
[Col. William C. Gorgas]144
Medical Department, U.S. Army, Head of the Department of Sanitation, Ancon.
[Culebra Cut, from West Bank]192
[Gatun Locks, looking South-West]201
[Gatun Upper Lock, looking North]208
[Gatun Upper Lock—West Chamber]216
[Pedro Miguel Locks]224


DATE HISTORY OF THE CANAL.

Conquest of Constantinople by Turks1453
Columbus discovers Bay of Limon1492
Rodrigo de Bastidas, Balboa, and La Cosa reach the Isthmus1500
Columbus's Fourth Voyage, vainly seeks the strait1502
Balboa sights the PacificSept. 25, 1513
Pedrarias founds the old town of Panama1519
Magellan discovers the straits that bear his name1519-21
Gonzalez de Avila discovers Lake Nicaragua1522
The quest of Isthmian Strait given up as hopelesscirca 1532
Gomara appeals to Charles V. to construct canal1551
Drake sights the Pacific1573
Philip III. directs surveys for Darien Canal1616
English seize Jamaica1655
Henry Morgan destroys old Panama1671
Paterson's settlement at Panama1698
Spanish surveys of Tehuantepec and Nicaragua1771 and 1779
Von Humboldt's residence in Central America1799-1804
Panama declares its independence and joins New Granada1822
Overtures made by Central America to United States for canal1825
Goethe's prophecies1827
Dutch canal concession from Nicaraguan Government, 1829; abandoned1830
British Honduras annexed by Great Britain1835
United States Treaty with New Granada1846
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty1850
Panama Railway opened to traffic1855
Dickinson-Ayon Treaty between United States and Nicaragua1868
President Grant recommends canal under United States control1869
Apppoints Interoceanic Canal Commission1869
Suez Canal opened1869
La Société Civile Internationale du Canal Interocéanique founded1876
Grant's Commission reports in favour of Nicaraguan route1876
The De Lesseps Company formed1878
Company starts work1881
Bankruptcy of French company1889
New Panama Company formed1889
Construction work at Nicaragua1890-3
Ferdinand de Lesseps died1894
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty1901
Spooner Act1902
Panama revolts from Colombia1903
Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty1904
American occupation of Isthmus begins1904
Completion of canal1914
Formal opening1915