The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-01-11
THE PANAMA CANAL.
The Present Condition and Pros
poets OF the Enterpr,se-The
Work of Digging Vigorously BE


Capt. Nathan Appleton, who has been
Unidentified with the International Com
pany since the time ofthe Paris congress
which voted for the Panama route, a
warm friend of M. De Lesseps, and
one of the earliest to put faith in the
canal enterprise, having spent fort
night or more upon the isthmus, has
Just returned home to Boston. He
says that to get an idea of what
is doing on the canal one need only
cross the isthmus upon the railroad
train. from which abundant signs OF
the extensive progress already made
can be obtained. About 5000 men are
employed. These are partly native In
dians, and partly negroes from Jamaica,
of whom large numbers have been
brought over. Until within the last
six months the work has been
principally preparatory. Houses
tor the workmen have been erected at
intervals along the line, the trees and
tropical growths have been removed,
the ak of the canal-that is, the line
w
Atlantic TO the Pacific. The canal com
pany has purchased the railroad, and
the fact OF there being railroad there
nal building of several years. Miles OF
extra track have been laid for the exca-
vations, large hospitals have been put
up at both ends of the canal, and a vast
amount of machinary has been sent to
different points and put in readiness fol
operation. The digging of the canal has
now fairly begun. AT Calebra is the
nights point on the line, some 5000 feet
above the level of the sea. An Ameri-
can, Mr.. Albert Millet, has the contract
for excacating and removing some 81
600, 900 cubic metres. His place is called
the American camp, or section, from
the fact that almost all his machinary
was made in the United States; and its
operations are watched with great inter.
est, and even jealously, by the French
men and others, who are very
fast coming to recognize the SUPERIOR.
ty OF American machines and Ameri-
can inventive talent. He has an
excavator built at Albany. N Y, digging
sharply into the mountainside, dump.
ing into cars made in Springfield, and
which are hauled by locomotive made
in Boston. From Calebra several miles
toward the Pacific and ten miles or more
toward the Atlantic the laborers are at
at work digging through this, the back
bone of that part OF the Andes. A con.
tract has recently been made with an
American for dredging ten miles on the
Pacific end Of the canal, and at the At
lantic terminus work has already begun
Two DIRE ding machines, each with a ca.
pacity OF about 700 cubic metres day
are employed there. The American
Dredging Company has the contract fol-
dredging ten miles OF the Atlantic end
and it will put at work there three col
ossal machines, one OF which IS now or
its way there, and the other two which
are now building at Phlladelphla, eact
costing $l2o, 600. The material that il
brought up from the bottom OF the cana
at Colon, where these smaller dredges
are at work, is pure white coral, which,
when wet in its place, Is cut through as
easily as cheese.
Inc canal company ~ is now paying 9u
not lar from eouu,Voo lhoiltniy on We
1slhmus, ana announcer nan inilllol Mol-
lars Is pelne spent u. !ne IaIls allI NeM
YORK ollces 1or or supp'ies anu iliachihers
OF an klhus. lna, ls, ,lle VOTE n oe'lit
pushed aheau u. ,.e lale VI aii.liilon uo! y:
lars fnonth, ana the company mas sum
clenl money 10 go on on 5llls pas.s lor thret
years 10 come, at Whlcn ishie the >, WORK
VIII pe so iar aaFahceu tiiat IL wiz coil
unue by It's own momentum. IN every
thlhg that is uone, Capt; Appleton says
the inspiring nllnu ana tne cohtToliins
hano OF NJ. De Lessop Is seen. ne ma
not only the flappy ltcuitv Oh choosius
sluons connecteo Win the WORK. put O.
the work, ana personal ioyalty anu de
votlon to himseit:
One matter when Is OF course Oh grea'
interest," Is tne sahltfry cond'tion OF 1iie
lsthm'ls. There are on the average
about lon pat lentsan the compahy,s nos
pltal at ianama, OF Wnom only com par
n!iVely lew were Strlckeh WIN ieVtr
ile others we're sunerihS rom various
t,,, mlseascs ana injuries receiVeu ~ "ofk
IheTe were only thlrty.hfe patiehts. q
the Soien 1osp.tal' lleia !. 70 eoiisi.i .tsl
ereu that any OF the o,lo' "orkIiien y, Tlle
are iakeh III are seht 10 Que or the ol,iel
OF these hospita,s ~ is apEarell': 4Ml
hPpieton says that tiie ls.ll'll'ls 10 i'' iio
Ihe pes"'ehtla, p'ace !. IS coiii'i'oLiy pc
ileVed 10 pe. me wafer from llie sol
is not lit tc drink, ana me canal com
pany mas imported huhofeds OF ihou
sahos OF po'ties Oh spring wafer "hici
Is sou cneap's.
me u'he mas no" come says Sap'
hpp'e,oh'u - wllen h'nef.cahs siaoi.! re
aiize ii lha.' the cana. is not an, inlasi,lar
aia;r or ei1e COMPANY aspeGlat1ve ors!a' II
llalloh. ~ Is ereal reaiNy, pecoi'l,n
s.iohsct ,i ana s'ronscr every gay, an, AM
our peopie s'iou'u 'ahe plr. IA nc "pr, ti,
III liiahher Wolti!s o, the l3os1tiu,i llit.
9s,eunx, r, seosrapoicaily ana po'itlca'is
me i'iie 'alk N!!ich mas oeeh no. ul,col,
mon ~ congress ana III me A'il.''ita