 Ports of Call. Far at the world then, strange fascinating lands beckon us. Fit us rebel in their exotic splendors. Come with us as we head for Ports of Call. Over a jade and purple sea, under the sky of deepest Asia, with a warm, fragrant wind in our faces, we steam to the crossroads of commerce to Panama. Although, as Seymour Boulevard said, the isthmus of Panama is the bridge of the world, visited now annually by thousands of travelers, the country itself, aside from the canal, the cities of Panama and Cologne, with their ports of Balboa and Cristobal, is still a land of mystery, little known and little appreciated. Panama has an area four times that of Belgium, with mountains rising two miles inland, primitive tribes of untamed Indians, vast forests of valuable cabinet woods, waters teeming with pearl shells, marvelous mineral wealth, and boundless agricultural resources. It is the year 1510, eight years after Columbus visited Panama, and a great caravallus wallowing across the Caribbean to the colony of Santa Maria de la Antigua del Darien. The ship bears a hundred colonists, as well as horses, cattle, and supplies. It is captained by one Fernandes de Anciso, called the bachelor. This gloomy, visaged elderly commander is seated in his cabin. Enter. The storeway has been discovered on Anciso, some valet who concealed himself in an empty wine cast. What miscreant is this? Let him be led before me at once. You shall see how I, the Chief Justice, propose to enforce the laws in Darien. Bring this miserable man before his excellency. She, get in there, you'll sneak this doorway. What outrages this scoundrel? How dare you defy authority? What is your name? Speak quickly before my patience forsakes me. My name is Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Excellency. I am of noble Castilian lineage, late soldier in the Moorish walls, adventurer like all of us here in Hispaniola, and... but recently farmer in Santo Domingo, where fortune would not smile on me. Sure, a soldier, a farmer. No, you would play adventurer. You have had the effrontery to join my expedition. You attach yourself to me like a leech. You think by hiding yourself in a barrel that all will be well? El hombre de casco. So, you came to see in a casque, eh? Well then, in a casque, you shall continue your voyage. What means your excellency? That you shall learn and fast enough, I warn you. Let the priest be called to hear this man's prayers. Then toss him to the waves in his casque. That would be a great pity, Don Anciso. Pity for you, perhaps. But good fortune for us? We want no Jonas aboard this ship. I can be of greater service to you, excellency, than any man aboard. In truth. Pray enlighten me. I have visited this land of Dorian. I have sailed this very gulf which is your destination. I was one of those who came with rodricos de bostides on his voyage of discovery. What lying boast is this? I swear it to be the truth. And I say this to you, excellency. It is not to sound Sebastian that you should steer your course. It is the western shore of the gulf that is fertile and reaching gold. Gold? It may be that you speak the truth. At any rate, you have saved yourself for a time, Don Balboa. But heaven help you with things are not as you say. And may I have food and clean rain, excellency? See that Don Balboa is given food and wine. Let him be fitted as an officer of my company. But when we reach shore, see that he remains at my side. Balboa had spoken the truth. And from a penniless doorway he had within a year risen to such influence that following a quarrel with Enziso, he foremened a rebellion, chipped the bachelor back to Spain and proclaimed himself governor in Dorian. Yet, fearful of the king's wrath, he sought some great exploit, some vast treasure trove of gold which would gain him the royal favor. And so he planned a great journey of exploration to find that south sea, of which he had heard the Indians speak, and a remote land rich in the Yellow War. He sailed for days along the shore and then struck inland, fighting the hostile tribes, his heavily armored men suffering untold hardships from the heat in the fierce jungle. Yet, always the Indians told of that southern sea. Men were stricken with fever and died, others dropped by the wayside. But Balboa persisted. And at last began the ascent of a barren quest, beyond which his guide said, the sea lay. There, just above me, I learned my fate. Our expedition cannot fare farther. Beyond this ridge, I shall see. What? If there is not bit forest, we must return. And I am a ruined man indeed. It's true. It is true. The sea. The southern sea. Weary, ragged, but exultant. Balboa, his men and their Indian allies, reached the shore of the Pacific three days later, on St. Michael's Day, September 29th. Here, sire, is the place I came to when you sent me forward yesterday. You have done well, Bendonito. We there is the canoe inlaid with pearls, which I found and which I launched into this ocean. My children's children shall tell proudly how I was the first Spaniard ever upon these mighty waters. Give me the standard with the virgin and child and the noble arms of Castile and Leon. I enter this sea. Shall we divest you of armor, Excellency? No. His fitting I go full geared. See, I draw my sword. Leave the high and mighty monarchs. In the name of Antonia Warner, sovereign of Castile, of Leon, and of Oregon. In whose name and for the crown of Castile, I take real and actual possession of these seas and lands, the coasts and ports, and islands of the south, and all therein too attached. Now, taste you of these waters as I do, and cut each across on the tree as a sign that we have been here. Vasco Nuneith Balboa opened the doorway to the richest treasure house the world had ever known, the incredible stores of gold from the mines of Peru. Yet, deserving of the highest honors, his king and country could bestow upon him, he met an untimely death in 1517 through the traitorous envy of those about him in the new world. His own father-in-law, Padrarius Davila, the governor, jealous of Balboa's popularity, one shame and everlasting dishonor by ordering the execution of this greatest of Conquistadores, and the gallant captain general was beheaded at the town of Santa Maria on a trumped-up charge of treason. In the century and a half to follow, Old Panama, located some six miles from the site of the present city, became the seat of wealth and splendor for the new world. For the route across the isthmus to the Atlantic ports of Nombre de Dios and Portobello was the famed gold road over which the loot of the Incas was transported to the galleons. But England coveted this Spanish gold, and Francis Drake, the buccaneer and his stout crew sailed the Spanish main and struck and struck again at the Spanish treasure ports in the Caribbean. A century later came another searower from England to bring consternation and hatred to the hearts of the Spaniards. It is a night late in the year 1760, and the gay company of guests has gathered at the palace of the governor in Old Panama. Ah, such insolence. And you say this buccaneer sent you this pistol with a threat? I sent him a message that he should not find Panama like Portobello. And I asked him what weapons of war he used to capture the stronghold there. This was his reply. No other message but this? Only these words. This is how Harry Morgan does. His meaning was plain enough. He would tell me that he needs no heavy cannon, that the derringer is all the weapon the pirate needs. I have heard well tits of this Henry Morgan on this crew and the star is in Catahena. For surely there is no longer need to fear this ruffian. He's long been gone from these shores. I have had dispatches from Jamaica that he has recruited another great band of pirates and is again bent upon capturing our treasure. They say he shows mercy. Neither to woman nor child. Recall how he sees the priests and nuns at Portobello and use them as a shield when his men storm the walls with their ladders. Oh, it is hideous. These buccaneers are beasts without pity. They are captured and tortured to a man. I have warned this pirate Morgan that should he come to Panama, our troops will give no quarter. And I doubt he dares to say it. Ah, God be praised. Such tales make my blood run cold. Have no fear, don't you, Isabella. Your husband should be returning from Peru before long. And meanwhile, Panama is well guarded. There are the fortifications at the mouth of the chargris and we have four companies of our horse to say nothing of our men afoot. Excellency, we have received dreadful news. The pirates have come again. What is this? Who brought these news? Where have the buccaneers been sighted? Four men have reached the city, Excellency. They escaped after a great fight at San Lorenzo. The castle is in the hands of the English dogs and Morgan is on his way from Santa Catalina with the vast company of pirates. He is bound to capture our city. Yeah, we shall be ready for this dog. These enemies of Gordon are king. Call the captains together. We shall plan for this swashbuckling Morgan. But Harry Morgan, the buccaneer, with 1,200 men forced his way through the swamps and over the mountains, stormed, captured and set fire to the capital. Two of them were brought the captive Spanish aristocrats and from them, torture rung the secrets of the hiding places of their gold and jewels. Among them was the donya Isabella Fernandez, a lady of rare beauty. Ah, and you are the lady Isabella Fernandez. The wife of Don Juan Fernandez. Who were he not going to Peru would avenge his outrage? Have you not heard of the gallantry the sailors have written? The gallantry? Huh, from a pirate? You tax my credulity. Ah, you shall judge for yourself. I shall arrange quarters worthy of your rank and beauty and a serving woman will attend you. Oh, no. No, I pray you. Let me be confined with the others, my friends. I have already dispatched the priest to bring you ransom money for my release. He should return within three days. Have you heard me say, ought of ransom? But have no fear. Harry Morgan does not molest women. He prefers to win them, especially when they possess youth and beauty. Pray you do me the honor of dining with me. No. Oh, no. No, I cannot. This is one of my saint's days. I fast until daybreak tomorrow. Perhaps tomorrow night then. Lady Isabella, for three days now you have scorned my society. Is that true Spanish hospitality? Is that generous to a man so far from home? Oh, well. We sailors are cowards before a pair of dark eyes. Senor Morgan, forgets that I am a wife. Oh, but I beg you to tell me, has Padre Ramos returned? Aye, madam. He has. And the ransom? He brought the piece of eight? The gold service? He has brought money. But don't you, Isabella, you are sure it was you who sent this priest? But of course. What do you mean? It is true that this Ramos has returned with a rich ransom. But the money he brought was not for you. It was intended to buy the freedom of Father Sandoval. Oh, he lies. He lies. Oh, this false man of God. It is treason. I sent him myself to a secret hiding place at Aratienda. The money was in a chest of mahogany. I buried him, bringing it all. Is this your chest? Ah, see. It is. It is. It bears my husband's coat of arms. And you will find it on the plate inside. Ramos shall pay well for his perfidy. Have the priest who arrived today thrown into the dungeons. And you, madam, I shall free, though with regrets. I will not have you recall Harry Morgan as a monster, even though you would not dine with me. I shall at least not think so ill of you, even though you have destroyed our city. I swear, madam, it was my order that the city should not be burned, but burned it was, though no man can say who set the blaze. There is that in your face, Senor Morgan, which tells me you will one day change your ways. You were not meant for piracy. Donya Isabella prophesied truly. For Harry Morgan, the buccaneer was to become Sir Henry Morgan, Governor of Jamaica. And it was he who finally suppressed piracy on the Caribbean. The idea of a water route across the isthmus began with Columbus, a modern passage to India. But it was not until late in the 19th century that any serious attempt was made to construct such a canal. Then came the ill-starred venture of the French under the leadership of Count Ferdinand de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal. It is a grim record of mismanagement, of graft, corruption and greed, which took toll of the life savings of thousands of French peasants, sent senators and politicians to prison and broke the heart of the well-meaning but misguided de Lesseps. With a comparable dissipation of more than $200 million, this effort paved the way for the great American undertaking, which began shortly after Panama declared her independence from Columbia. Under the Spooner law, President Roosevelt appointed a commission of seven men who began the work. But the ravages of yellow fever and disagreement among the members of the commission caused the president to take drastic action. He summoned to the White House Theodore P. Shantz, president of the Cloverleaf Railroad. I'm delighted to see you. Delighted. Take that chair. You'll find it more comfortable, I'm sure. Thank you, Mr. Roosevelt. This is a great honor. No on at all. No on at all. Entirely apart from what I know of your capabilities myself, your colleagues in the railway industry have the highest regard for you. I am afraid they overestimate me. Well, Mr. Shantz, I hope you've come to tell me that you're prepared to accept the chairmanship of the Ismian commission. I have an idea, Mr. President, that when you learn the conditions under which Mr. Shantz named them, one of the troubles of the past commission is that it had too many heads. It's bound to be friction. Exactly, exactly. Mr. Taft and I agreed upon that. I cannot accept the chairmanship unless it is understood that I am to have absolute authority both as to men and measures in the work of the construction of the canal. Then nothing further need to be said. Mr. Shantz, you are to have absolute control of the construction of the Panama Canal. It is July 26th, 1905. The place is a private dining room in a hotel at Cologne, Panama. Governor Magoon, what's the matter down here? Everything's the matter, Mr. Chairman. Yellow fever, chiefly, and insufficient pay for the men to buy food. Why haven't their wages been raised? They have twice, Mr. Shantz, but each time the merchants raise their prices on food. In that case, we shall have to sell supplies on our own account. We can't do that. Under executive order from the War Department, we must purchase from the Panama merchant. Nevertheless, we shall establish commissaries. That will be in violation of the War Department's order. Governor, it is evident you haven't heard the news. What is the news? What do you suppose I have come down here for? I have come down here to build a canal. If there's anything in that War Department order that's going to hinder us, so much so worse for the order. I'm going to organize immediately for a permanent supply of food and sell to our men at cost. Colonel Gorgas, are you making progress in stamping out yellow fever? No, I'm not making much progress. You perform miracles in Cuba. You can do it here. Have you done anything toward cleaning up the isthmus? No, I have too few men. And Phil has nothing to do with the spread of yellow fever. It's transmitted only by the female Stegomaya mosquito. Dr. Gorgas, you've heard what I told the governor. We're all here for one purpose. You're a soldier and can take orders. How many men have you? About 200. A canal can't be built until Panama is a safe place for men to work in. I'm going to build up your force ahead of everything else. Replace your 200 men with 2,000 or 3,000 or 4,000 if necessary. Colonel Gorgas, what's the life of the Stegomaya mosquito? From three to four months, the outside limit. Very well. I notify you now that by the time the present generation of Stegomaya die, yellow jack must be stamped out of the isthmus of Panama, even if it costs $10 a mosquito. Under the magnificent leadership of Colonel Gorgas and with the full cooperation of Governor Magoon and the chief engineer John Stevens, yellow fever was wiped out of Panama and malaria greatly reduced. The vast work of excavating moved forward. But the greatest years of achievement came when, upon the retirement of chairman, Shantz and chief engineer Stevens to private life, the full responsibility of the colossal task was put in the hands of an officer of the United States Army. George W. Goethels is summoned to the White House by President Roosevelt. Major Goethels, you've been to Panama. What do you think of things down there? President, I'm an army man accustomed to plain speech. A great task has been accomplished, but greater speed is needed. The real job of construction lies ahead. Let me say honestly now, Major, I deplore the loss of Mr. Shantz and Mr. Stevens. These frequent changes are disastrous. Now, frankly, I must get a man who cannot retire unless I wish him to. You are that man. President, no matter who goes down there, you will be the real builder of the Panama Canal. Major, I understand you're shorted to become a colonel. Yes, sir. I'm going to name you both chairman of the commission and chief engineer. You will prove equal to the greatest task of modern times. Eventually, I have it in mind to make you head of the civil administration as well. Mr. Taft tells me it will not be according to law, but I say hang the law. We want a canal built. There will be objections in the zone, no doubt in Congress. They fear a military regime. Mr. President, there will be no more militarism in the future than in the past. The army I now consider myself an officer in is the army of Panama, and the only enemy we have to combat is the docks and damns at either end of the canal. They need not fear militarism. I know I'll get along with the men. Colonel Gothel set himself a pace both physical and metal that few men could have endured. He surrounded himself with army and civilian engineers of rare ability. His skill for organization amounted to sheer genius. It is doubtful if any body of men ever worked with such smooth coordination, such enthusiasm, such complete loyalty to their chief. On Sunday mornings, when other executives lay a bed or enjoyed well-earned recreation, the Colonel held court in the administration building at Culebra. Here, the humblest worker in the ranks was free to come with his trouble. Colonel, this man and his wife are Jamaicans. They complain that they're being charged extra both for mess in their quarters at the Gatun camp. Is this true? Maybe I lose my job. You didn't speak freely here. You're sick of the truth. Big boss at mess hall, I eat too much. Is this your wife? Yes, we got papers. I'll take your word for it. What does she complain of? Another man, he'd come and say we've got to pay more now for house. He wants $2, too. How long has this been going on? Two or three weeks. Other women afraid to come to Colonel. We'll stop that. They'll get to the bottom of this. If it's true, ship those grafters back to the States. No, by George, I'll look into it myself. You'll get your money back. Those men won't bother you anymore or anyone else. Thanks, Mr. May. Colonel, this delegation of priests wants Father Salino over at that little settlement at La Paz, removed. They say he's grown so old, he often can't conduct services. They want one of their number put in his place. Sounds reasonable enough. Who substitutes for Father Salino now? He's ordering Panama City since substitutes, but they are Spanish and cannot preach in English. Father Salino is not of your order? No, Colonel Gothels. I recall when I first came down here to Panama in the yellow fever days, there was no well-kept government at the chapel at La Paz. It was a morgue, a lotham stinking place, but I've seen Father Salino preaching there, holding a handkerchief before his face while he conducted services for the dead. Why didn't you go there in the first place? Colonel, I mean... Gentlemen, I already know of the situation, and I've talked to Father Collins, the priest of this parish. We'll do it when Father Salino cannot conduct services, and we'll give this extra service for no extra compensation. Next. Under Colonel Gothels' leadership, 75% of the entire digging of the canal was accomplished between 1908 and 1912. But, as if nature protested at man's conquest, the Slides, principally those at Calabra, did their best to defeat the project and fill up what had so laboriously been shuffled away. Well, Grummer, that one set us back a long ways, but you've licked it with your shovels and bludges. The forward movement of old cookaraches stopped at last. Two-and-three-quarters million cubic yards led down, Colonel, but we've proved we can always liquor. A crystal ball can go from ocean to ocean tomorrow. Yes, it's a great day for all of us. A great day for the whole world, Colonel Gothels, and one that makes your name immortal. You've made history, sir. A real credit belongs to Colonel Roosevelt, and then to all the men who've labored down here as much as to me. A lot of them aren't here to see it, but they won't be forgotten. That's splendid cooperation from all of you. In a week, they can start putting commercial vessels through. Too bad Columbus or Balboa can't be here to see it. You know, they started all this. On August 13th, 1914, the Ancon carrying a large party of canal men, Panamanian officials, army officers, and their families, made the first official trip to the canal amid scenes of enthusiasm. Gothels, characteristically, was not aboard, but watched the vessel from the lock shore, interested only in the successful completion of his task. And with only brief interruptions, it has served commerce and the nation which built it successfully ever since. The trip by vessel across the isthmus is one of the fascinating travel adventures of modern times. A miraculous modern realization of the dreams of those intrepid, early explorers. Often again in fancy, we shall return to you, Panama. Another fascinating port of call. We invite you to join us again next week in this time as we journey to another of the world's fascinating ports of call.