National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-03-17
KEEP it dark.
The Panama Canal.

AhN N"N"is
Count de Lesseps, although now 10 years
of age, may live long enough to see
the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific united
by means of tho great ship canal across the
Isthmus of Panama with which his name
will be forever associated. Whether he is
spared to witness the completion Of this his
greatest work or not, he will take his place
in history with Fulton and Franklin and the
other great bcnefactors of mankind through
whose genius the possibilities of commercial
intercourse have been indefinitely enlarged.
The report of Lieut. Raymond p. Rogers
on the progress of the work on the inter-
oceanic canal which the secretary of the
navy sent to the senate few days ago, leaves
little doubt but that this stupendous work
will be completed during tho present decade,
and Count de Lesseps himself thinks that it
will be ready for ships in four years. Lieut..
Rogers is of the opinion, however, that the
colossal cuts in the Culebra section cannot be
made in so short time. Although this Sec
| tion is only mile and quarter in length,
nearly thirty-three million cubic yards Of
earth and rock must be removed.
! Dredging out tho harbor at Aspinwall and
Panama and constructing basins and quays
at each end of the canal constitute no in
considerable part of the work. A new chan
mel for the Chagres river must also DO dug
along considerable portion of the route so
that for twenty-seven miles on tho Atlantic
slope there will be practically two canals
one for ships and one to drain off the waters
of the Chsgres 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 on the superfluous water,
and OH the Pacific side to cut through the
rocky hills. In some places the cuts will be
81 feet in depth and III feet wide at the top.
The cost Of excavation in these cuts is from
81 cents to S1.53 per cubic yard. From
Matchin to the Pacific 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.
Although q Frenchman is Mt the head o.
this great work, and most OF the capital Il
furnished by Europeans, yet American in,
gcnuity is largely drawn upon for the activ,
propelipg force. Without the American
dredging machines it would take SO long t.
dig the canal that it would almost be inlpos
sible to raise the necessary capital, the pos
sbility of earning dividends being too re
mote. With the American dredging ma
chimes the excavating is done with sucl
rapidly as to bring the completion of tn
work within a reasonable period.
There arc American dredging machines AM
steam excavators and American contractor
all along the line. In some places sing L
, one of these machines is throwing out eartl
at the rate of 5000 cubic yards day. Ten
porary railroads must be built at every cut
and in fact, wherever it is necessary to carr.
= the excavated material to dumping ground
( At the Emperador section, which is onl
9 three miles long, twelve locomotives are a
work hauling away tho earth thrown out b.
. the excavators. In the Gorgona section a
immense dam and reservoir are being con
structed, which will receive tho waters of tn
Upper Chagres
About $1,000 men, mostly from Carthagen
and Jamaica, are employed on the canal. TIL
r mortality among them has not been as greG
@ as was expected The Europeans have gu
4 fered some from the climate. The ranfa
! at Aspinwsll last year was 11SO2 inches, an
Il at Panama 5000 inches. Twenty-Five and
@ half inches of rain fell at Aspinwall in tn
@ month of August. Although he has no a
! curato information on tho subject Lieu
II Rodgers believes that about $iO,000,0oO hay
I been already expended on the canal. TIL
: is one-third of the estimated cost. Wheth
y the remaining $sO,oOOoOO will be suficel
e to complete the work is problematic.
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