Morris tribune., 1885-05-13
A GREAT ENTERPRISE.
EXTRACTS FROM A COUPLE OF PAN,
ANA CANAL REPORTS.
What Has Been Done and What Still R~
Understanding the Chagres-The
Probable Cost, and Time Re
Quired for Completion.

WASHINGTON CITY, May ll-There ar
now in possession of the navy department
two reports on the Panama canal, both made
since the beginning of the year. Each re-
port was made by lieutenant, assisted BY
swo lesser officers The earlier report wa.
made by Lieut. Francis Winslow, who, Feb
3 had been ordered from the Yantic BY
Commander Wildes to make an investiga
ton Lieut. Winslow says the amount Of
excavation already made on the eleven sec
Gons into which the work is divided il
lHSa, 500 cubic metres, and thers
still remains III, 0oo, 900 cubic metres to b
taken out The number Of employees at tn
time the report from which these fgurel
wore taken was made was IL, $50. Thu
hsutenant also says that De Iesseps claims
that 4o, 0oo, 900 cubic metres of the remain
ing excavation can be taken ont by dredges.
To do this in three years would re-
Quire forty machines. There arc only
ten employed now, but eleven other:
are expected. With thsSs and Others
all numbering twenty seven, it would talks
i've years 80 accomplish the work. Bat
theirs are s. 500, 600 cubic metres of stone tC
be taken out by hand and by excavators:
and assuming that 700 cubic metres-a large
estima te-would be taken out each day, il
would require the constant employment o!
1a1 excavatorS for three years. At present
there are only forty-two excavators availa-
bic and they cannot do the work in les:
than nine or ten years,
At Panama and Aspinwall it was the i'm
preston that the company was getting
short Of money. The average cost of ex'
savAtion is more than 81 per cubic metre.
More than SO, 900, 900 has been spent. a
not too liberal estimate Of the cost Of work
b be done is $3.50, 900 900; SO that the canal
will cost $3.50, 900, 00O There is no doubt
that the cost will greatly increase the
original estimate Of 600,0O0,000 francs,
or $40, COX, 900. There is no reason to ex,
poet any radical change. He assumed that
the excavation of 1000, 900 cubic metres foi
the last year is not likely to bs exceeded. II
It were doubled, and 10. 900, 90 were exca-
waited each year it would TAKE fully twelVs
years 30 complete the work.
Another examination and report were
made soon after that which had just been
sketched Commander 6. c. Wiltss Of tbs
Swatara ssnt out Lieut.. r. II. Mclean,
Ensign ". 8 Sims, and Assistant Engineer
r. c. Rider Jan. "a, with Instructions to OBJ,
tain accurate information regarding the
progress of the work, and such information
as might be valuable in determining
the ultimate success of the undertaking
and the obstacles to be overcome. This
board Of inquiry was afforded every facit
Ivy for examining the work, reporting the
entire Willingness of all the officers OF tins
company to afford information. Lieut.. Nc
Lssn says the amount Of earth and rock
70 be excavated is not accurately known.
The official statement puts it at nl,OOO,OW
cubic metres Mr. Dingler, the director
fhn vfToInr hnf !
will be 12O, oOO, 005 cubic metres The orig
inal estimots was 5000, 900 cubic metres.
The "barrags' or dam at Gamboa is the
subject Of long and interesting chapter,
describing the structure to be erected to ar.
rest and divert the River Chagres. In the
dry season the Chagres is insignifcant-a
stream 900 feet wide and two feet deep. AT
GAMBIA nature favors the constructors.
Two large hills-Obispo and Santa Cruz
about a mile apart, stand at the foot OF
the valley drained by the river, and
lust above where the river crosses
the line of the canal The two hills and
others are to be connected by large embark.
ments mile long and POS feet high. Be-
meath the dam, at the water level of the
Chegres, solid masonry tunnel or culyert
afty feet wide will be constructed, -erith
sAute gates Of iron By closing these the
cow Of water from the upper valley can be
temporarily stopped. By opening them the
water can be drawn off and carried away
through channels parallel to the canal.
The rainfall is inorsdibis to one accus-
toned to the fall OF temperate latitudes.
By observations the maximum fall OF one
rainstorm In 1884 was s SO inches, the storm
lasting four hours and thirty-five minutes
The great body Of water falling in such
short time must be kept out Of the canal
until it can be taken away gradually as
noted above The sudden flooding OF the
work by such masses of water would sweep
the whole enterprise away in few hours.
Lieut.. Mclean concludes that, consider
ing tho difficulties that are met, the large
amount Of money spent in preparations,
material, etc., has been we'll spent. He
thinks, however, that ample preparations
have been made, and sees no reason why,
with plenty of money, the work should not
proceed rapidly. He does not think it
possible that the canal can be finished in
1888. Even if completed in 1888 it's
cost must be at least 1910, 900, 900,
and it is his opinion that it will be $3.50, 000,.
900. 1t was hoped that in May,
1885, the two dredges working on the Colon
and Gatun sections would meet, and that
The portion Of the canal excavated would
BE- opened, having only half depth Of water
1t was generally believed that that part of
the canal would be opened with ceremony
by De Lesssps in person, and that the dem
onstration, together With the confidence in
spired by n. de Lesseps, would 50 help the
canal company's credit that a new loan,
great enough to carry the work to compile
ZION could be ne 1otiated