New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-07-26
THE PANAMA CANAL.
AND IFS MORTAL ENEMY. THE CBAGRES
RIVER

RIVER
IPRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.
PANAMA, July l5.
The great problem which stares the engineers OF
| the Panama Canal in the face-tho spectre that
will not down at their bidding"-is the Chagres
River. This river rises in the mountains of the
wilderness in the eastern part Of the isthmus and,
| flowing westerly passes between the mountains OF
| Obispo and Santa Cruz at Gamboa and strikes the
| axis of the canal at right angles at Matachin,
village about half way the istbmus. IL then
| flows northward, crossing the axis OF tho canal
thirty times until Gatun Is reached. where the
canal turns to the right to reach Colon and
Limon Bay, and the Chagrcs, as if glad to escape
from its mortal enemy turns to the left and empies
into the ocean at the ancient town OF Chagres 80
well known TO the Argonauts of 40; for it was
| there that they began tho most trying and dan
| gerous part OF their journey to the Golden
| Gate the passage of the American Isthmus. The
old fort Of San Lorenzo, built by the early Spanish
| discoveries, is opposite the squad village. Many
gallant adventurers of CASTLE, searching for the
| fountain Of perpetual youth and I'll Dorado have
garrisoncd this fort, and its walls have echoed to
the shouts OF M0rgans buccaneers the no less brave
sailors of Sir Francis Drake and by it sailed Lord
Nelson of the hundred fights" cruising up the coast
| TO San jose de Nicaragua Here for a time were
! quartercd the flibusters OF Walkers expedition
aud IN the ancient armory are shown casks OF pow
der now heaps Of damp mould, and nuskets, Of
which the iron barrels alone remain. which were
left there by that unfortunate adventurer.
But the historic interest Of the Chagres is lost
sight of in the mortal struggle now going on be-
tween it and the Panama Canal. II the canal is
but the Chagrcs must flow in its old cours-
es and be no longer the capricious and uncontroll
able river working devastation ut its will. II the
| Chagres Is not controlled the canal can never be
built In the dry season tho Chagres rolls its mar
| row tide between high banks, muddy stream two
| feet deep. But in the rainy season this peaceful
river will In day rise thirty feet and become a
DESTROYING and resistless torrent Five years ago
the Chagres rose in a few hours until the railroad
| track from below San Pablo bridge To Matachin
was covered with water in some places SIX feet
deep and the native villages in its path were swept
| away "a If they had been built Of cards IL the
| Chagrcs can be controlled the completion of the
| Panama Canal is only question OF men. money
| and time for by sufficient expenditure of those
three things all possible feats be accomplished
| But he would be a bold man who would undertake
| to fix definitely the dae of tho completion of tho
| work. the number Of lives yet TO be sacrificed, or
| the amount OF money yet TO be expended.
| The present plan OF the French engineers for
| the control of tho Chagres to build immense
barrage OF dam the river between the noun
| tans of Santa Cruz and Obispo aud then to take
| the water of the upper and lower Chagres to the
| sea by system of suces and canals. Granted
| that this can be done, one Is appalled, at the
amount of labor involved and the tremendous ont
lay required Ono Of the most celebrated of Amer
lean civil engineers. who recently the 18TH
| mus, made some calculations for me in regard to
the proposed barrage ut Gamboa taking the plans
of tho French engineers o basis. HIS figures
Il. hat tha harra 1ata
sure of 10000. pounds to. tho square
foot on its foundation. Now such
structure cannot DO built Oh sand, vet am told on
the best authority that boriDgs the site of the
proposed barragc have been made to depth of
sixty feet and no rock has been struck. IL rock
foundation for the Gamboa barrage cannot be found
the barrage cannot be bnit. and II the barIage s
not built how can tho Chagles be controlled And
be 1t remembered man rs mad enough to believe
that the canal can be completed unless the Chagres
| is under control
In view of the gloomy prospects and the present
state of tho Panama Canal it Is surprising hat the
canal company have the efirentcry to represent as
Naturally they do not wish to confess tho canal
failure but the statements given out by them are so
| cOlored and there Is such an evident desire
on their part to conceal disagreeabe facts that it
| Is evident that they fully comprehend the stua-
snS o o 9sS s s,SS
| at Panama Is generally represented by the canal
people to be FROM eighteen TO nineteen feet butt
measured recently aud found to be between twenty
| two and twenty-three feet. The canal company
publishes each month little paper called Bulletin
| du Canal Interocedaique This paper is OstensDly
published for the purpose Of giving information
| regard to the progress Of work on tho canal In
| ne Bulletin published on Juno O report Of the
| excavations for the first four months OF
| the year was published. The figures are
simply astounding According to this re-
| port $4,000 cubic metres were excavated In
| January, 500, 90 IN February, $4,000 In March,
| aud 775 900 In April. Now January February and
| March were favorable for work on the canal and
| the lsthmus was comparatively Quot. On March
% occurred the burning Of Colon and chaos ensued
All through April aud far into May there was lit
tie work done on the canal the officials Of the COM
| pany giving as an excuse the disturbed state Of
the country. Thousands Of laborors left off work
| and fed IN alarm to Jamaica so that whole sec
| lions were almost denuded of men. Added to this
heavy rains fell in April and the weather was
unfayorabie for work. The most guileloss young
marine' that went to the Isthmus with the
American forces would hesitate before believing
that under all the unfavorabls circumstances
with scarcely enough men on the canal
keep pp .t,s ssm'la WsSs OF Labor
while in January. under the most favorable condi
tons only $4,000 cubic metres could DO taken
out.
Some of the contractors on the canal think that
they have undertaken labor of Sisyphus, for when
they have toled all the dry season along comes tho
rainy season aud undoes good part Of their work.
CURED. AT the divergence of the Rio Grands Q
completely .undOne the work Of the preceding
ant c nj fhnf nj