Connecticut western news., 1884-11-05
THE PANAMA CANAL
Di.esuras,ns Report. Frs~ the I.rhms'

blscournatna heperts EFem a"e
 A Panama correspondent of the Mon treal GaFettcsa Nearly sir months have passed since your correspondent visited any of the canal works outside of Panama, until Monday last, when he visited Pedro Miguel, Paraiso, Culebra Em,,erador and Las Cascades. During the time referred to, although the com pany claimed to have had nearly sixteen thousand men of all ranks in their pay, but little substantial progress has been made, as far as an ordinary observer can estimate it. With the exception of an embodiment connecting with the Panama Railroad, just outside of this city, all seems dull and quiet. At Pedro Miguel, where the American dredges were being put up by an American com. pany, nothing is being done; two are ready, but are not being used. Parts for three more are exposed alternatiyely to intense heat and moisture-very destruc. tive agents. At Corasal there are some new buildings, and more are being put up. There, as at Emperador and Par also, very valuable plant remains un. housed, including locomotives, boilers, etc., and damage amounting to thou sands of dollars daily is known to be go- ing on. Time that might be used in building proper sheds is frittered away in embellishing banks near houses, set ting out tropical trees and plants to make the landscape attractive. c'est nldonifque naais co nest pas le canal.
 Just before Mir. Dingler left for France say 16,000 men were at work. Fhe wet season is now in, and to-day not more than 2, 1000 of all ranks are em- ployed. Quite recently owing to the very sickly season 440 of the 1000 men were in the hospital apart from nearly I60 under treatment sthome. This tells it's own story about this deadly climate. The laborers now are nearly all Jamai- cans. At Gorgoma, a canal camp, be- tween Saturday last and Monday noon three canal chiefs had died. We hear of the deaths of chiefs--as for the men, they die on the line and are buried, and no attention is paid to the matter. Two American carpenters are in an unnamed grave near Emperador. The death rate few months ago, from careful estim- ate, was 109 and a decimal, nearly no, per ], ,000 for all ranks. Yellow fever kills the whites, malaria, the natives and negroes. Many an able-bodied, well, built negro is cut of in from 24 to 90 hours after his seizure. Many are placed in the ambulance cars of the canal com, pany and die en route. None but those living here and familiar with such pain. ful sights can form any idea of thil country. .....
 To rdturn to the appearance of cana works. Lack of spirit and lack of on ergy were everywhere observable Heavy rains interfered greatly witl work. Earthworks are swept away b, the tropical downpour. A few hour rain caused small stream to raise ir such manner that a railway bridge was swept away, stopping canal work there. One may safely say that during the long rainy season, from May to the middle of December, fully half the time originally calculated on by De Lesseps is lost, owing to the rains, small floods, and the stubborn fact that, while the company claimed to have 16, 900 in their employ at the close of the dry season, only 1000 are working. Some contract ors are losing money, and a great deal of it. One firm of Americans threw up their dredging contract rather than lose men and money.
 The statement of the great French. man that he will be here to open the canal in 1886 excited great merriment, and was flatly contradic.ed by the Stay and Herald of this city. This papeI ridicules the idea saying "that we who live here know how little is being done. , Chaos, confusion and bad management are said to be observable in all depart. ments. Only one-thirtieth of the actua work is complete. A day of reckoning is coming, when the Paris directors vii have to face the unfortunate shArehold. CTS.