The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-04-07
THE PANAMA CANAL,

Half the Work Contracted for by American
Companies-Mr. Charles dc Lesseps EN-
pocted Here Next Week.
According 10 the officers of the Panama
Canal company in this city the work on the
Panama canal is going on satisfactorily.
There are now about 5000 men at work.
More than halt the line is now under con-
tract, and the Canal company is also at
work upon other parts. One of the con-
tracts embraces about seven miles on the
Atlantic side and another about the
same on the Pacific side. Both of these con.
tracts are with American companies. The
work OF excavation on both sides will soon
be under way. Three dredges are now at
work, ard the largest dredge in the world,
described IN the Evening Post several
months ago. il now OF sea on the way TO
the isthmus. 1t has required a great deal
OF boring TO ascertain the final location of
the line, but this has been accomplished.
number OF miles Of side-traCks have been
built connecting with the Panama railroad
leading out to places selected for the deposit
OF excavated rock, earth, etc. Others are
building.
1t has been found necessary to construct
new harbor at the outlet of the canal into
the Atlantic, about three miles from the
harbor AT Aspinwall, 80 as to furnish pro.
lection to vessels connected with and nav
igating the canal. This is nearly com.
pleted. The dense underground has been
removed from sea to sea, as necessary pre-
liminary to the borings and location of the
line. Houses have been built along the
line for the employees ana the protection of
laborers, and for shops. There are hos
pitfalls for the sick at Aspinwall and Pan
anna. The materials OF these
houses have been sent from
the United States-from New York, New
Orleans, Pensacola and San Fran
cisco, A sanitary system has been estab.
ished, so that the sick are taken care of and
supplied with medicine and medical attend
ance. A large quantity of materials and
machinery, including locomotives, cars,
lumber, framed houses, etc., have been sent
from the United States. Something is sent
by every steamer from New York to Aspin-
wall.
OF the laborers engaged on the canal,
some are from the Island of Jamaica, some
from the region in the rear of Caragena,
and some from the neighboring part OF the
isthmus. The Jamaica negroes are the
best, but owing to the inervating influence
of the climate, none of them are capable Of
performing rs much work in day as labor
er 8 in the United States.
The herlth of the workmen is now better
than last year. The country in the inte-
rior, away from the coast, has been found
to be comparatively healthy. The waters
OF the Chagres river will be kept from flood
ing the canal by dam in the neighborhood
of Gamboa, about thirty miles from Aspin.
wall and Gfteen from Panama. This dam
will be constructed in one Of the gorges
OF the mountains, to be selected
after the further progress of the work.
Such American machinery rs has been
sent TO the lsthmus has given great salts.
faction, Besides machinery, many supplies
have been and will be sent from this coun-
try. Already, in the purchase of Panama
railroad stock, and for other purposes, there
have been nearly $4,000, 600 in gold paid
by the canal company to citizens of the
United States. The engineers have esti-
mated that the whole forly-slx miles of the
canal will be finished in about seven years,
unless something now unforeseen, sucn as
unusual sickness among the laborers or st.
rious accidents, occur.-lNew York Post.