Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-12-18
FRENCH RULE IN PANAMA.
The Tricoior Flag Soon to be Soisted on
the Isthmus.

Capt. Bedford PIN, r. N, recog-
nized authority on Central American
matters, as well known through his
efforts, begun in 1861, to open up
transit across Nicaragua, arrived in
| this city from the Isthmus of Panama,
where he has been making careful
examination of the work done, and to
| be done, on the canal He said that
| his trip was not an official one, but
that he was going to Washington to
communicate the result of his observa-
tons to Secretary Frelinghuysen, and
did not care to say too much in regard
| to the matter beforehand.
1.-The French treated me with the
greatest courtesy during my examina-
| ton of the works." he said. land as
the success or failure of the canal
| scheme involves interests so large, |
would not care to speak of them with
! out great consideration. But, leaving
the canal out of sight, things in Pana-
ma are in a most excited condition.
Yellow fever is raging in its deadlieSt
| form; men are taken down and are
dead in a week. They are dying off by
the wholesale. But the people think
they are not dying fas: enough, and
those who are alive and well are run
ming a revolution without head or tail
to it, and are killing each other off like
| wildcats. The French want to get the
isthmus into their power, and no one
doubts that they will succeed. tits eX-
pected that the trico OF flag will be
run up in a few days at tire fartherest,
and the French protectorate be de-
| clared. The people want TO separate
Colombia, and are only too glad to en-
courage the plans of the French.
''As for the canal, all that | can say
is that my original opinion of it, which
[ expressed in France and elsewhere,
has not changed after the most careful
examination. The plan of cutting the
canal through so as to have it on a
| level with the sea seems to me a most
prepOsterOus one, as it will he neces-
sary to cut through hills hundreds of
! feet high, and where as much as eleven
| feet Of water falls in a year. Had a
system of locks been adopted the plan
| could have been carried out, and the
canal might have been in operation at
this date. But even if you admit the
| possibility OF carrying the plans of M.
| de Lesseps to a successful issue, at the
rate at which the work is now carried
on it could certainly not be finished in
side of twenty years, dating from to-
day. That is a long while from the
time set for the completion of the work.
And then again, the carrying on of
the work has been attended by the
most reckless extravaganza in the ex-
penditure of money, and great want of
| foresight has been shown. No vessel
can approach within three miles of the
outlet of the canal into tbs Gulf of
! Panama, on account of shoals, and all
passengers and supplies have to be
! tOWed In on ScOWS at great expense.
There was an admirable opportunity to
make a landing for vessels, and had
that been done at first it would have
saved already more than enough to pay
for its cost, and it will, of course, have
to be done eventually. Then this land
ing would have been invaluable in
another way. Three million francs
have been spent in the construction of
a hospital capable of accommodating
seven hundred yellow-fever patients.
But the hospital is in the midst of the
fever, and the sick men are not much
better off there than outside. If they
could bring some old hulks of vessels
up to shore and load the patients on
them they could take them out to sea
and give them pure air to breathe,
which would cure many of them in no
time. Now nearly all die; four thou
sand of the company's workmen have
died already, and the death rate now is
100 per 1000.
zone thing, though, [ must say, to
the credit of the French. They have
overcome almost insurmountable OBJ
stacles in furthering their scheme, and
have shown great ingenuity in finding
workmen and money to supply the
constant want. But there is one fact
which alone is fatal to the canal. 1t
would be absolutely useless to sailing
vessels coming from the Panama side.
| For eleven months out of the year there
| is an absolute calm extending seven
| hundred miles out to sea from the en-
trance to the canal, and in order to
pass the isthmus sailing vessels would
have to be towed that distance, which
is out of the question. Sailing vessels
from that side would not use the canal,
and the loss thus entailed would pre-
vent its paying any dividends. ''-NeeO
York San.