Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-21
SINGLE COPIES TWO CENTS.
Friday, March 21. 1854.
THE PANAMA CANAL,

When De Lesseps first began to talk about
the Panama canal he did not receive much
encouragement. But he persevsred and q
company was formed and the work begun.
Then it was said that the canal would never
be finished, because the cost would be too
great. Some who thought the money might
possibly be raised said that it would take at
| least twenty years to complete the great work
even il everything went smoothly. But it
now looks rs if the bold De Lesssps knew
much more about the matter than his critics,
and was not as wild" in his calculations and
assertions as they thought.
One thing Is certain. Great progress has
already been made. and though the canal
may not be ready for ships in four years. as
De Lesseps thinks IL will, there is little
doubt that it will be done within ten years.
Lieutenant Raymond P. Rogers of the United
States navy has been investigating the pro-
gress of the work, and his report contains
much that is interesting. About afteen
thousand men, mostly from Carthagsna and
Jamaica, are employed on the canal The
| mortality among them has not been az great
as was expected. The Europeans have suf-
fered some from the climate. The rainfall
at Aspinwall last year was 1892 inches and
at Panama sc. 62 inches. Twenty-Five and
half inches OF rain fell at Aspinwall in the
month of August.
Dredging out the harbor at Aspinwall and
Panama and constructing basins and quays
at each end of the canal constitute no inoon-
siderable part of the work. new chsnnsl
for the Chagres river must also be dug along
a considerable portion of the route. so that
for twenty-seven miles on the Atlantic slope
there will be practically two canals-one for
ships and one to drain on the waters of the
Chagres and its tributaries. OF course this
adds immensely to the cost of the work. On
the Atlantic side the difficult part Of the
work is to drain of the superhuous water.
and on the Pacific side to cut through the
rocky hills. In SOME places the cuts will be
81 feet in depth and lit feet wide at the
top. The cost of excavation in these cuts is
from 81 cents to $1.53 per cubic yard.
From Matchin to the Pacific a distance of
about fourteen miles, these costly cuts are
quite frequent. The whole length of the
canal is forty five miles, but the last two or
three miles run along the shore of Panama
bay. and the ship channel will be made by
simply dredging out the bay.
A great help to the company are the
powerful American dredging machines which
are in use all along the line of the canal
In some places single one of these machines
is throwing out earth at the rate of |, 200
cubic yards day. Temporary railroads must
be built at every cat, and, in fact, where
ever it is necessary to carry the excavated
material to a dumping ground. At the
Emperador section, which is only three miles
long twelve locomotives are at work hauling
away the earth thrown oat by the excavators.
In the Gorgona section an immense dana and
reservoir are bAing constructed, which win
receive the waters of the Upper Chagrss.
1t is believed that about $40, 600, 600 have
been already expended on the canal. This
is one-third of the estimated cost. There is
little doubt that the rest of the money need
ed will be forthcoming when it is called for.
Though De Lesseps Is new 79 years old he
may live to see the canal complsted. II he
does not his nsme will be forever associated
with the gigantic work.