Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-10-14
THE PANAMA CANAL.

jector of the Panama Interoceanic Canal
visited San francisco for the purpose of bring
ing his plan before the people of our coast,
many thoughtful men in the community en-
tertained and expressed grave doubts, not
only concerning the sufficlency OF his knowi-
edge of the physical conditions attaching to
the problem which he SO boldly undertook to
solve, but touching the ability of any man to
solve it in the manner proposed by him. M.
de Lesseps was elated, not unnaturaiiy, by
reason of the memorable success attending
the completion of the canal at Suez. and
fondly imagined that the construction of an
other at Panama would be for him an under
taking as easily carried out. Let US suppose
that Nj, de Lesseps was honest in his project
of attempting to make throughout at the
level of Underwater through the Isthmus of
Panama, and that his real object was neither
the possession Of the Panama Railway nor 3
stock-iobbing scheme such as the Mississippi
bubble was although there are those who in
cline to the belief that one. or both, of these
projects is at the bottom OF M. de Lesseps'
plan, It is very well known that, while
repeatedly that all the money he might
ue:d for his enterprise would be furnished
10 France; it is equally well known that,
after his return thither, he said, as repeatedly
and as publicly, that he could obtain any
amount Of money in the United States should
his own countrymen not desire to take ad-
vantage of the brilliant opportunity offered
to them Americans know that not one cent
was promised in this country for the con-
struction of the canal, but in Francs the de-
sired effect was pro iuced by the eminent
diplomatist who, during his long public ca
reer. has practically avowed repeatedly his
adherence 20 the dictum OF Talleyrand, that
speech was given to US for the coacealment OF
thought. And subsequently, when the sub
scription books of the Panama Canal Com
pIuy were opened, and it was found that
certain number of shares were subscribed for
Ia New York, it became matter Of cODiect-
ure-and it still so remains-whether the az
parent purchase Of these shares was in reality
az ything but mere transfer of stock from
the Paris ofice. Nevertheless, let US consider
that M. de Lesseps, in a diplomatic sense and
in sense that prevails at the Bourse, is an
honest man. An honest man may fall into
error, and M. de Les5eps certainly proceeded
to carry out his plan without sufficient con-
sideration Of the matter. His action was
based upon an imperfecs Typographical
ma, mads by NJ. Napoleon Wye,
young Lieutenant of the French navy,
of mediocre ability and of no experience
whatever il such matters, prefaced, probably,
by hasty perusal If the many reports which
have been uade from the times of Charles V.
to the present day, by observers, scientific
and otherwise concerning the physical fest
ures of that region. permit myself to
make use of the word haSty for the reason
that professional engineers, men whose opin-
ious on such matters are, very properly, of
greater value to the world than those of M.
de Lesseps and NJ. Wyse, have never gained
from those reports any definite idea other
than that such canal as that proposed by
these gentlemen is, virtually. inpracticable.
1t is true that M. de Lesseps submitted his
plan to a congress of engineers of repute, and
that representatives from various counties
attended on that occasion. Il is well known,
however, that many OF these engineers were
opposed to the plan submitted to them. The
objections made by the delegates from the
United States and from Mexico were set
down to the score of national jealousy, or ac-
counted for by the assumed fact that they
were interested 10 some rival scheme. Shortly
after that congress had been held, l had the
honor of meeting, in Mexico, Senior Francis
CO de Garay, well-known engineer, who
was the Mexican representative in that
body. Seror de Garay did not
hesitate to avow his belief that
the sCongress was packed, aud that the APP
prevail Of NJ. de Lssseps' plan was the di-
rect result of that gentleman's well-known
and. almost unequaled diplomatic talents.
Senior de Garay's belief was shared by the
Hon. Mr. Morgan, United States Minister to
Mexico, who, at the time Of Nj de Lesseps'
visit to this country, published his Opinions
Of the latters Intentions. Sill, let Us give NJ
Go Lesseps credit for honesty OF purpose.
With dramatic flourish OF tEunpets work
on the isthnus was begun, but down to toe
present time nothing If permanent chsrac-
ter has bean accomplished. And now it az
pears, from reports which l believe have not
been contradicEed, that a radical change has
besn made in the original plan. Accurdir G
to thai plan the canal was to cross the course
of the Chagres river at or near Barb .cOas,
and at 6 level many feet below the bed of the
stream. The railway bridge over the ChsSres
a. Bar5scoas is about fifteen hundred feet in
length. yet that bridge was destroyed by a
4 l1d which took place while NJ. de Lesseps
was in this country. In San Francisco NJ.
de Lssseps was asked publicly, by Captain
William L. Merry, L think, what he intended
TO do with the Cnagres river? To this
question he replisd by saying that he should
dam the river and divert its course, as WAS
done frequently in Europe. AZ the tine it
was thought By many persons familiar with
the phenomena observable in the streams of
tropical America that NJ. de Lesseps had not
considered this matter with the care de-
manded by its Importance; if the late tele-
grams be true it is now very evident that he
had not done so. 1t is now stated that tie
C nal is to be carried over the Ch9gres by an
aquedlct. An aqueduct, such as would
meet the requirements of the case, would
augment by many millions the original esti-
mate Of the cost of the canal. And the
prop lsition to onftruct an aqueouc5 ia
clear abandonment of the original plan, viz /:
the construction OF O canal at the level Of
tide. water. There is some reason to doubt
that the news is authentic, for the simple rea-
son that no such plan is feasible. All en-
gineers are aware that any canal constructed
at Panama must be at the level OF tie sea,
because there is no feeder for q summit level,
and because no plan for pumping water up
TO such level could be adopted successfully.
In an article published in the International
Recieg for July, the writer urged the posi-.
biiity of earthquakes as an argument against
the permauency of any engineering structures
at Panama. On the Ssh of September an
earthquake shock of great severity was felt all
a2ross the isthmus. The cathe iTal of Panama
and other massive buildings in that city, were
damaged very materially. The Panama
Railway was made impossible for one quarter
of its length. Bridges were damaged and
their sbutments were cracked. Il places the
rails sank out of sight in the earth in Others
they were bent and twisted. The substantial
freight-house of stone at Colon was thrown
to the ground. Subsequent shocks, which
still continue, have carried On the work of
destruction. Fortunately no tidal wave has
been noted as yet on either side of the
I-thnus. These disturbances are. probably,
due to activity on the part of some Of the
many volcanoes to the n6rthward Of the
Isthnus. Now, it is quite probable inst NJ
de Lssseps, having discovered at length that
the floods of the Chagres are seri Jus matters,
was in a quandary concerning the disposition
To be made Of that river, and that the occur
renee CT the earthquake quickened mis- vie VS.
with regard to the adyisahility OF an aqus-
duct. Earthquakes in the tropics destroy
risid structures of stone, while they leave
inlurad-anless thsy are swsliswed up
the waited, palm.thatched Euts OF the lower
classes of Inhabitants. There would be but
little d ference between the stability Of the
dam watch was proposed and tha5 of the
aqusduct which is now prop1sad-one
would yield to the shock of an earthquake
as readily as the other. The idea that a
building, or structure of any kind, other
than hut such as has been referred TO, can
lie made earthquake proof, is as ridiculous
as the common Impression concerning earth
quake weather" There il no such thing as
torecasting the occurrence OF an earthquake /;
whsther there were or ro5, such shock as
that recently felt az Panama would destroy
any dam. or any squeduct. which engineer
ing skill is capable of constructing. That
this il the truth the world will probably have
nc opportunity Of judging from the effect of an
earthquake on the structures Of the Panama