Thursday, July 15, 1915

Slept in this morning on deck until 6:30. We had a few light rains during the morning. Everyone was anxious to see the coast, and I was anxious for fear we would not get in in time so that I would not have to go below on the first dog watch. At 3:30 we sighted land on our port bow - a beautiful range of cloud and snow crowned mountains with their foothills creeping up to them from the beach. Slowly we rounded the point and approached a low stretch of land - which we soon learned was Cristobal, the port of Colon.
At 4 o'clock we were within the harbor. A great breakwater extends just to either side of the channel from the shore. A part on our port was not completed. Colon and its port is a fair sized town, full of black screened, square houses. On our left as we enter is a large white building, of the red tiled Mexican style. It is a pretty building, and the only large one in sight. On our right are four German steamers. Passing up the river channel we pass the Levern and three of her submarines. An Argentine training ship - a steam bark - is coaling. She fired a salute of 13 guns which we returned. We have cut down our speed to about 6 knots and are entering The Canal proper. This is wonderful. The countryside is a beautiful green, hills and valley covered, crowded with luxuriant tropical vegetation. There on our right are some dilapidated grass tree huts, sticking their yellow roofs above the green trees. Birds are singing and twittering - and such a smell that comes from the hills, sweet and intoxicating. After making two bends we are crossing the path of the old French Canal and are in sight of the Gatun locks. It is about 6 o'clock and is getting dark. Colon - situated on the hill over which we are to be lifted, is black, but cool looking. The two locks are just before us. There are queer looking electric engines ready to tow us in. The mokes on the lock walls heave us a line with the wire cable at the end. Slowly we were pulled into the left hand lock, stopping just short of an immense gray lock gate. There was room and to spare for us there. The great gates that were flush with the concrete sides of the lock as we passed them slowly swung our, without a sound, until they met in a huge V. Almost immediately we began to rise, slowly, evenly - the movement scarcely noticeable, until we reached the next level, when the gates ahead of us swung open, with the same quiet, majestic, mysterious motion that had closed the others. Two time more we were raised from one lock, first to the one above then to Gatun Lake.
There lay at anchor, the BO and the BU who had preceded us the day before. By this time it was 7 o'clock, and dark. The lights of Colon showed us how that town was clustered about the high hill that lay to the right of the lock as on approaches from the lake. We anchored near the lock for the night.