File:Panama, the isthmus and the canal (1912) (14741756796).jpg

Identifier: panamaisthmuscan01forb (find matches)
Title: Panama, the isthmus and the canal
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Forbes-Lindsay, Charles Harcourt Ainslie, 1860- (from old catalog)
Subjects: Panama--Description and travel
Publisher: Philadelphia, The John C. Winston co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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mainland and of con-taining the oldest church in the American continent.Balboa soon rose to a position of importanceamong the colonists of Tierra Firm a./ Re learnfedfrom the Indians that a great sea lay beyond therange of mountains that traversed the Isthmus, andIgst no time in investigating the statement.*V^ith asmall force of Spahiards and Indian guidds Balboasucceeded, not without great difficulty, for the wholeway was through dense jungle and over swamps, inreaching the ocean, of which he formally took pos-session in the name of the King of Spain. Duringthis journey across the isthmus the Spaniards heardof a rich land to the south abounding in preciousmetals. Balboa planned the conquest of this coun-try, and it is more than probable that Pizarro, whowas his companion on this occasion, shared his de-signs. Had the former lived to pursue his energeticand ambitious career Pizarro might never havefound the heroic place which he occupies in his- ^0^* .. . . THE AMERICAN ISTHMUSES. 15
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16 PANAMA. In 1515, Balboa received the reward of his enter-prise in the form of the appointment of Adelantadoof the Southern Sea, as the Pacific had been named. PEEPABATIONS FOR EXPLORING THE PACIFIC COAST. In the following year he prepared to organize anexpedition to the south hy way of the newly discov-ered ocean. The problem involved in the under-taking was one to daunt a less bold spirit. Treessuitable to the construction of ships were to be foundonly upon the Atlantic side of the divide, which ne-cessitated the tremendous task of transporting tim-bers over a rout© that presented great difficulties tothe passage of an unencumbered man. The terriblyonerous labor of collecting the material and carryingit on their backs to its destination was imposed uponthe Indians, of whom thousands were gathered to-gether for the purpose and impelled to the unaccus-tomed work by the merciless severity of their task-masters. Many months were consumed in this grimstruggle for a passage of the Isth

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