New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-08
THE PANAMA. CANAL.


To the EdttOr Of The TrtGUne.
SIR At the request of n gentleman, give you my
views in relation to an article published in The
TRIBUNE of September - under tho title OF me
Panama Canal" IN which VI. DE LesSeps Is sup
posed to be thorn in the side of English-Spcak-
inp naionalities" Ii. stated, they laugh ar VI
DE Lesseps's absurd threat OF avenglng himself on
the En- gish ut Panama 1t would not seem that lie
was much of a thorn after all Several paragraphs
quite amusing to IN Anglo-SaXon occur in report
of Victor Lesseps 10 the president Of the suez
Canal and show quite plainly why the elder
Lesseps did not stay and defend tue neutrality oil
the canal as he promised to do even at the cost oil
his life friend to whom loaned this report ala
not return It, hence / am deprived OF giving some
amusing extracts. Colonel Morgan. at present our
Minister to Mexico. resided In an official capacity
in Egypt, and at that time studied out the means
employed by VI. de Lesseps to obtain a mOneyed
support for the construction OF the Suez Canal
That work cost the Khedive more than
5000 100000, although his interest was sold to
Great Britain for about one-tenth that sum; and
the CAPITAL represented by the canal at this time Is
about ~ 90 600 900. certain amount OF money was
/ obtained by selling 5OO-frunc bonds bearing q per
cent interest for 81 francs which would give about
double the rate of interest Obtainabe in France on
| what would be regarded a. safe Investment
In speaking OF the Panama Canal, well has the
writer in The TRIBUNE said: There are no inland
seas to he fonnd in the hollow Of desert, as at
Timsah and the Bitter Lakes but instead an ex-
IRENE elevation of 300 feet above the sea, and for
| distance Of five miles a mean depth of cut OF more
! than 900 feet to make the level canal at
! Panama He should have added that, instead of a
mean yearly rainfall Of less than two inches, as at
! Suez there is az Panama one OF l24 inches; that
too over considerable watershed OF very steep
slopes which send roaring torrents into the
| Chagres raising that river forty feet or more IN
few hours and making "a current OF eight miles an
hour as low down as the railroad bridge, from foot
hills to foothills with the railroad bed some eight
or ten feet below the surface Of the water. NJ. de
Lessep, proposes to make dam across that river,
one mile in length and AS feet high, to restrain
this flood and then to lead it of quietly by means
of an outlet. Should the reservoir formed by tins
dam be insufficient to hold the waters-as 1t cer-
tainly would be were it construced-two-t thirds Of
the volume Of water that pours over Nicaragua
would in extreme foods pourover this dam into TINS
canal lying POO feet below the crest of the dam.
VI. de Lesseps asserted that earthquakes were
quite unknown on the lsthmus OF Panama yet. on
the DAY he sold his bonds, and for several weeks
hereafter. violent shocks occurred, doing great
damage along he line of the projected canal and in
tine immediate vicinity of the proposed dam. We're
the dam made and were an earthquake TO fracture
it, deluge would sweep the canal from ocean TO
ocean that would destroy every living being on the
low grounds and every vessel that might be N the
caaal Tie breaking of The mill-dams in New
England some years agO. hay ing head Of only NIFTY
feet will give some idea OF the desolatiOn that
vrnId follow the breaking of a dam three times
that height. Then IN the deep cut through rock
with nearly perpendicular slopes, as proposed hye
miles in length and more than 200 feet in height
the rocky sides if loosened by an earthquake would
fall into the canal in vast masses.
Coonel NIcAlpine one of the abest hydraulic
engineers now living estimates the labor and mate
rial on this sea level canal at SjOO.OOOOOO. Incl
dental expenses would double this sum; and, were
the canal actually made, instead OF being perma-
neut. the causes above named, and the silt
from floods in the many streams falling into THIS
line of drainage would make IL impossible IN the
opiniOn of Sir John Hawkshaw, 10 MAINTAIN TINS
se, level canal i'll a navigable condition. NJ. de
Iesseps should be let alone and spend or hold all
The money that ignorant or silly people may give
him. and should be allowed to dig without let or
b,ndrance AZ long as he can find unwise men who
will go TO Panama.
At this time in Paris they talk of making canal
with locks. If they adopt SulIs plan, which Is
probabIy the only practicable one, they VIII nave
TO lock up ten feet higher than the Nicaragua
route and will then have nearly double the amount
of excavation to maze, a. shown i'll detail ny tne
the amount of work cannot be executed at douolo
the amount of cost There is no material 1or coh-
strucIou on the Isthmus Of Panama, while the pest
of stone hydraulic and other lime, timber etc. arc
| to be found on or the line OF the Nlcaraeu.
Canal The estimate of the cost OF u LOCK Ganai AZ
Panama made by Sull is S156O", lOS' anu on tuo
Nicaragua route 81 ], l3O,OOO, on couhou p"'''
for labor and material. 1880
{ NJ Blnnchet now In Paris, and some months ago
on the Isthmus of Panama. publishes that bloHne'
Blanchet EtIenne and Bertrand, men OF dlstlhc-
, ton and one hundred and nifty Others, engineer
superintendents and clerks, had died prevlou5 10
Nav /, lSs2 The correspondent OF me bd'5bo,I
sun states that ten officers of the Panama CahdI
Company died on the sthmus during the hiouth
of August last NJ. de Lesseps has subsdzed tue
entire press of France, he pays enormous coInhs
sions to place his bonds; and. until he falls 10
obtain money. he will be styled the greateev
engineer living" When he can no longer sell ms
bonds, eplthet will be considered 700 vie eG
bestow on the man who will have financially rulneu
; thousands of ignorant persons, deceived oy pun
. lished statements. -, M,
establish the truth OF the following prop0sltiCnSs
from reliable surveys supported by the opinions oi
the ablest engineers: .. .r,-
First, That sea level canal at Pananla lshot 0"ii
( mercalIv practicable. ,..io-
Second That lcck canal at Panama Is Practic-
able having nearly double the amount OIL ao9r Ioi
a canal via Lake Nicaragua TO be e1ecuteu III "
region where yellow and other deadly levers CON
stantly exist, with the disadvantages OF having 10
carry to the isthmus all OF the material 1or tSr
structlOn; as building stone hydraulic ana oeno.
lime, timber ETC.. and the laborers from wherever
they NAV he obtainable. II,
Third Sbonld the canal be constru cted IT would
prnbably have ID deficient water supply Tor Two
mouths per year for three years out oil peflou oi
Fourth, That no sailing vessels would attempt the
Fifth. That this canal must come INTO competition
. with one constructed via Lake Nicaragua at Ger,
tainly less than onethird OF the cost Nhlen wOns