National Republican., 1885-01-20

doubt how very difficult II Is to keep iO.OOJ
men at work; that their work is hot more than
half the quantity accomplished elsewhere:
that even this, such as II Is, is far from being
continuous, because during the rainy season
work of necessity must stop under drenching
rain for half that season, and, that above ali,
the nature Of the soil Is not the suppOstious
earth of uniform substance, but ranges from
the slimiest alluvium, with underlying coral
through all sorts of strata and bOudprs, to
rocks so hard that the finest diamond drill can
scarcely penetrate them then the sum to be
worked out Is very different and appears in the
10000 men, less per cent, sck.... $500
yards per day each. .... ..,..,....... 8
Total yards per day......,............... 47,5OO
Actual number OF working days.... 2OO
Yards per nnum.......................... 100000
1OOOOOJJ
Years necessary TO accomplished. 10
Cubic yards 10000 900
It will at once be observed that the figures
used In the foregoing are altogether In favor
of Mons. dc Lesseps. The suppoSitOus case
tells its tale quite as that gentleman would
picture 1t himself while the stern reality will
be recognized by any one conversaut with
the facts as tempered down In every possible
way to avoid even the scmblance of cxaggera-
tiOn. II will also have been observed that
the matter has been dealt with solely us a
question of fquanttles to be eXcavated, which
Of, course will be contracted for. All the
costly detail of design-loeal and general
supervision, sanitation, stail, personnel and
adminstration-have been entirely eliminated
from the problem so as to make II easy of
solution by any one who cares to think.
Having now before us the prominent points
upon which to base sound conclusions, namely:
/, the extent of capital; 3 the amount of work
to be done; 8 the estimated time for compile
ton OF canal, let W examine in the SAINT. gem
eral way as heretofore the probabilities of sue
cess or failure in the accomplishment of this
colossal undertaking.
THE WORK DoNR
As mentioned above the first attack upon
the work was made on the 2Sth of January,
1881, but to generailze rs hitherto, let US say
that the canal works have now been in hand
three years. No one will question that the
amount accomplished Is considerable, al
though at an enormous cost of treasure and
human life, and far behind the amount an.
nounced as certain to be completed In three
years, but be that as 1t may, the preliminary
work It can fairly be said is finished d-practi:
cally the line of canal has been lined out and
cleared, although the undergrowth springs up
so rapidly In this humid climate that already
quite thick shrub covers the entire ground,
except on the flats or rather swamps at the
mouth of the Rio Grandeand on the few places
where the bare earth Is exposed by the cut
ting.
10 commence at Aspiuwall to the south
ward of that town there has been consider
| able illling in; the Boca Chica of Fox river is
now dry land while II very substantial terre-
plein has been created, upon which Is built a
substantial character. This place is called
Christophe Colomb and at the apex OF the
railway junction with the Panama railway
stands the bronze, statue OF Columbus, on a
mean pedestal only q few feet In height.
| This was the spot Mt first selected for the
entrance to the canal, aud apparently with
some Judgment. for the mere dredging n
would at little cost have given ' Mt at ON once the
| muoh.needed dock accommodation and
enabled ships to load and discharge with ease
safety, and dispatch: indeed, II goes without
saying, the dues and delays thus saved would
| have gone far to pay the cost, besides Great
| ing the canal Port and placing the shipping
beyond the reach of n nOrther, instead Of, as at
present, reclaimng land and building upon II
1t at an outlay of not less than Sj,00J,0Oj sunk
money, In position, moreover, certainly cx-
posed 20 the ravages Of the first northcr which
| visits Linon Bay.
Amer rounding the Terre-plein, or rather
| Christophe ColOmb, the entrance to the canal
| opens to view. The water Is still shallow, say
| an average of ten feet, and If the breadth. 10
feet, has Deen reached, 1t is the outside meas
ure. This cutting, the only one on the sea
| level, is say three miles in length lin reality
| but little over two miles) And here very
fine dredge Is worked by the contractor, Mr..
Slaven. There were two of these dredges,
but one was lately burned to the waters
edge.
Then again the direction of the canal has
| been changed, the axis now pointing to the
bottom of Limon bay, which 1t will skirt for Il
short distance before continuing It's course to
| Gatun in the actual strata OF the Isthmus.
| The whole distance from Terre-plcin to the
point where the canal will cut into the lower
| bay of Limon Is scarcely more than two miles,
II is announced that Mons. De Lesseps in
tends to visit the lsthmus during the dry sea-
| son of next year, 1885, to inaugurate the com.
plete section from Aspinwall to Gatun, some
seven miles, He viii find an actual cutting
| of rather more than two miles with water
enough TO admit the passage of small steamer
by the entrance in Limon Bay, and having
an exit in this self same Limun Bay, and he viii
find the engineering works at Gatun such as
would strike the veTiest tyro in the profession,
| even Mons De Lesseps himself, when he be-
gins to think, with astonishment.
The great and bitter enemy to Mons de
Lesseps-nnrelenting remorseless, and OF the
most determined character-Is the river
| Chagres, aud this at last seems to be dlwnlng
upon the mind of the great engineer who
| is at the head OF the "Pananu canal" although
he still persists in the idea OF basing his
| estimate of cost at Panaml on the outlay
upon the ditch between Sucz and said, where
! there Is no river, and where the annual rain
! TALL Is about per cent. only OF that on the
Chaglcs-ylz: l2i inches. 4 river which has
the playful habit OF. rising % and even 30 feet
| in u day or two, aud races with great violence
| from It's source TO It's mouth, hOOding wherever
possible the ncighboring lands Win dtstruc-
| tive force, Is not To be compared with the
! sweet water canal OF GOtrhrn
| At Gntun there Is Il sharp bend of this very
| troublesome river, across which VIII run the
axis of the canal when built, turning the site
| OF the village of that nunu Into an island, To
| prOptiate the ChugiCS two dGyiUtlpns, rs they
| are called, are now being cut On either side Of
! the canal 10 divert It's waters; and II the
| Chagres were cndued with sGuslbility, Or
rather visibility the diversion would be II sue
| cess; but unsluucl as such deYIatiOns ure
neither needed nor VIII the Chlgres be
tempted to deysate by any sueh dtylre II IS
| tair to assume aud oven hope that Mons de
| Lesseps will hnvc an awakening next March
| when he visits the spot which VIII Vt least
make him respect the ChNgres lu'ta little more