Chapter I: Preface

This book records observations made and impressions formed during a journey through western and southern South America from Panama to Argentina and Brazil _via_ the Straits of Magellan. The nature of its contents is briefly outlined in the Introduction which follows, so all that I have to do here is to acknowledge gratefully the many kindnesses I received in every part of South America which I visited, and in particular from the following persons: Colonel Goethals, Chief Engineer of the Panama Canal, and other officers of the United States engineers stationed there, and Colonel Gorgas, head of the medical staff; the officials of the Peruvian Corporation in Lima and of the Peruvian Southern Railways in Mollendo, Arequipa, and La Paz; the officials of the Antofagasta and Bolivia Railroad Company; those of the Transandine Railway Company in Chile and those of the Buenos Aires and Pacific and Argentine Great Western Railways Companies in Mendoza and Buenos Aires, and also those of the Leopoldina Railway in Brazil. Nor must I fail to express my obligations to the heads in New York of the firm of Messrs. W. R. Grace Co., who advised me regarding my journey, and to my friend Professor Bingham of Yale University, who, familiar with South America from his own travels and studies, has given me valuable help in many ways.

I have also to return my respectful thanks to the Governments of Chile and Brazil, who were good enough to extend to me facilities for travel on their railways, and to the Governments of Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Uruguay for other courtesies. To many statesmen and scholars in these six republics, too numerous to mention by name, as also to not a few of my own fellow-countrymen from Britain and Canada who are there settled, I am indebted for hospitality, for private acts of kindness, and for valuable information.

JAMES BRYCE.
JUNE 27, 1912.

NOTE TO REVISED EDITION

This edition has been carefully revised and many corrections have been made in it.

FEBRUARY 26th, 1913.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE
PREFACE vii

INTRODUCTION xvii

CHAPTER I

THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA

The Part of the Isthmus and the Strait in History 1

The Isthmus of Suez and the Isthmus of Panama: The Route from
Colon to Culebra and Panama 2

View from the Hill of Ancon 9

The Natives of the Isthmus: The San Blas Indians 13

The English Raiders: Drake and Morgan 15

The Canal: Gatun Locks and Lake 19

The Great Cutting at Culebra 24

Administration and Sanitation of the Canal Zone 26

Failure of the French Undertaking due Primarily to Disease 28

Commercial Prospects of the Canal 33

General Impressions made by the Isthmus and the Canal 35