New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-19
CUTTING THE ISTHMUS.
WILL TIE CANAL EVER BE BUILT

Modern novels with their raucity ofncdeht' are ouu
compared with it, and it is written with breezy zes TOT
unnaskng fraud. in a clear incislve style "hicn
whistles 10 the air like whiplash about the cars OF inc
Panama Canal reople But undisgulsed zeal does nor
seem 20 have male the writer careless about his FACTS
III tha respect is rather remarkable DOCK Aho"en
Il treats Of lesInedy tangled financial SPIDERS weo
its statements to be unusually accurate Upon
careful comparison OF nearly every financial statement
which 1t contains with the publications officially made III
Europe no err IT has been detected though at Que point
as will he shown the facts are so used that mistaken
impression might lie created Iu all essentials, 1t Is IN
accord with the deliberate conclusions Of the most
competent authorities the problem OF interocean'c
connection: and tb0ash II deals especially with Tie
Panama undertaking, it compendium OF Information
regarding other itus that hare "een entertainer '
or in Europe for the construction OF canals he'"eeh '"o
Atlantic AMI Pacific BItit is especially timely because
The operations IF the French oolniay on he ls'n""S
are approaching crisis rs Tie rapid decline IL r''i"
stock from gGa in June to 7Jli. october To- clearly
indicates. The PROPOSE! 10 raise Oooooo'oco """e ~
lottery bonds failed ID get the sanction OF mo french
Government piior to tile elections. Tie caD'e now
anIoaace, tlat W. lie Lssscps has made formal peal
TO the Chamicr OF Deputies. affirming that the money
mist ne had TO iefray what he describes as needed
expescs in of the original estimates I'r t'e
carnet!on of the canal" Trench journalists oil nlsh
financial reputation cycn since Mr.. Ro.riSness book
went to press have hc first time been discussing tue
condition Of the ccippany with something like frankneSs
and the unf1vorale declarations OF ". Leroy Reauieu
are important Further funds for the work can DC
raised unless moro borrowing should hc legaHZeu only
by calling the remaining 30 per ce1t due on the sAacs
and a time of great industrial depression IS moi
especially favorable Tor call upon lOi23O share
holders of whom hhs hold five shares or less ana
1852 hold twenty shares or less. Moreover new
administration will be called upon TO state INC
attitude of the United states Government with respect
10 un enterprise Of incalculablc Importance TO or
National interests 1t will be If the President
does not succeed stating the wishes or purposes of the
United States explicitly that NJ. de Lesseps cannot
again msrepresent them he did the message OF lres
dent Hayes. Though the book is mainly collection OF
articles which have been printed in England their
publication in connected form gives n view OF the
Panama undertaking from its inception 10 tho present
time which can hardly be obtained elsewhere 1t VIII
net be reading for those who share tho french
feeling for De LeSseps There are two persons named
DE Leeveps. evidently. The ono known to all French
men is q rare combination OF sage and saint But the
one portrayed by W Rodrgues neither sage nor saint
but swindlor Iii polite language but still most clearly
NJ Rodrigues maintains that the distinguished diploma.
list has been obtaining money on false pretenses
Those who have regarded NJ. de I.esseps "a man Of
marvellous thorouShness and sagacity wall be amazed
10 learn how little known 10 him or his associates
about the Panama route when he consented to give his
name to that project The precise details OF place am
date arraycd by NJ. Roirsues prove that the only pre-
tended examination of the rOue upon which De lessePs
acted was made by NJ. Reclus between April and April
90 1873 or this trip NJ Rccus says in his own diary.
cit was not an exploration in the true sense of the
word -: and vet this of eighteen days was the only
basis on which the work was undertaken. 1t was in
fact so little than trip over the line OF the
Panama Railway that. when the sO-cae1 Congress wet
the next year decide upon route, the only map or
tracn. OF the line adopted which the projectors could
place before that body Old map OF the Panama
Railroad prepared twenty-five years before In 1871
from original surveys OF Colonel Totten OF this city
Here tits necessary to remember that ic one difficulty
which, the Judgment OF every engineer dc Losseps in
clued has from the first and is At this hour the
gravet to In the construction OF tho Panama
Canal namely the protection Of the canal against ire
nendons floods OF the River ChAgrcs, is one OF which the
railroad survey would naturally have civ en- no knOwl-
edge and which any number OF rides across the
I.thmus ON the limo Of the railroad would cast light
In fact when the socaed CO1giess met in 1879 having
before it what Hccus aui Wyso could tell aud all the
results Of the real surveys made by Americans the project
WAS adopted in spite report which enphatcally dc
cI,rcd that excavations of such magnitude and the
orcraons relating to the control Of the River ChagIcs
constituted n complication Of difficulties hat II IS I'm
posblc TO e-nle" DE Lessepss friend the contractor
general OF the Canal, IN making this report addict
that The difficulties seemed 10 be almost usupcrablc."
AMI he believed IL wOald he necessary to divert the
water of the River Chagres AT or more points" 50
little was known OF the matter, IN reality, that the en-
vineers estimated The cost OF danmng and controlling
the River Chagre, At 2O000)0 francs; but De LescpSs
own commission after looking Mt tho ground the ne Nt
ming the river aud 900 for canaization. 50 little
WAS known that the excavation needed estimated at
d6OOp 600 cubic metres but De LcsseIss commits
sion tina next year estimated it 1T 7jOcOU0O, and
NJ do Lesseps himself officially alm.ts that the eycaya
ton of IL 100000 cubic metres vii DC needed
At the very threshold, then, the defenders OF u,
Ins~eps are Obliged TO confront the My fact that
tuOu. nc aIl his associates knew practically nothing OF
the route or dthculte-, and though he mus, have
been perfectly that they knew nothing nsverthe
less he gave his 10 the undertaking. forced tn'
plan through >O-caed Congress, and protested to be
certain OF its Nay, more lie actually tried L
borrow money for the work without any other knowl-
edge His rO,pectu OF July % 1870 asked Grip
tons for sGOOOO shares of 500 each, offered 10 pay
per cent on tho shares during construction, and esti
mated the income OF the canal at 90O0100O francs
yearly. Not respect FOX Dc I"ssepss eighty year
and great services blind Candid 10 the fact tina
this was not an honest thing 20 ID. The p1blc wa
not then deceived IL subscribed for only fifth Of hC
shares. The fact pointed ont that DE Lessons an
his associates really knew nothing or the work route
and had no means knowing enough such
application. Some OF those who had subscribed wcI'
very offering their shares at discount OF twenty
per cent. Then Do Lesseps gave up the attempt re
turned the money paid in, and announced that he woul
personally to the IshIuus and see for himself But
he needed he mad no rsht without gon'
people for money the strength Of his honore'
Iane.
Was his personal investlsat alton honestl Amcri
cans have forgotten the dshonorabe pac;
,ng OF the Congress and its committee, by whtcl
the first recommendation OF the route had beer
paned of upon the public a. the decision
OF an impartial gross Of scientists 1t therefore
less surprising to learn that the commission thOugl
selected by De Lcsseps alone refused 10 make sue
REPRESENTATIONS about the route. tue work and it, cost
lie afterward made himself. VI. IOdr7ucs with TIA
commission on tie trip and FOR twelve days on tn
Istlnus and textiles that the pretended investigate
WAS n sham that not stroke of earnest done
and that the begirning Of work " with a beautiiu
shovel and pickaxe AMI blessings by bishops an
speeches dd HGittp,, which telegraphed over tn
world actually took place not any where on land for tn
coui not get within two miles of land at til
appointed hour, but tue deck OF the vessel. TIL