Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-01
Tho Panama Canal.

Now that there is no prospect of the
Nicaragua canal or the Tehuantepec ship
railway being undertaken in the near fu
ture, interest in the progress and pros
poets of the Panama canal has greatly in
creased. Work was begun on this gigan-
tic enterprise about four years ago, and
is now only fairly started. The prepa-
rations for work, providing machinery,
dredges, houses, etc, and the clearing
of the right Of way, have required an I'M
mense amount Of labor and millions Of
money. a,4,do of the vvorl, +:
.., an l,llg5iiiiy5 conveyed by glimpse at the
figures Of the engineers. The excavation
for the whole canal which is to be 46.5
miles long, y feet wide at the bottom and
1854 feet wide at the water level, with 29.5
feet depth of water) Will amount to
10000, 900 cubic meters, or 1876, 040, 600
cubic yards, about q, ,000cuhic meters
Of which is through stone. At each end
and in the centre are to be basins 426 feet
wide and from to miles long as har-
DOrs for vessels entering and leaving the
canal, and to facilitate the passing of
vessels. going through it. The depth of
the deepest cut will be 800 feet, and it
will be nearly quarter of a mile wide at
the top. The whole amount Of excavating
to be done would be sufficient to dig pit
one mile square and nearly half mile
deep.
So far as cutting the canal is concerned,
it is only a matter of time and money.
There are great engineering difficulties to
be encountered, however, which are by
no means easy to be overcome. The canal
follows the valley Of the Chagres river
for many miles, and crosses its bed %
times. Where it first encounters the
river the bottom OF the canal is 30 feet
below the bed of the stream. y new
channel for the river will have TO be cut
parallel with the canal. The river is only
about 200 feet wide and feet deep at Ordi-
nary stages of the water, but during
heavy rains it often rises suddenly more
than 10 feet. In order to prevent the
river breaking its bounds and destroying
the canal, an immense dam is to be built
so as to form a reservoir or artificial lake
above where the stream first approaches
the canal. BY means Of culyert, waste
ways and suitable gates the water,
of which 0O,OO0,O00 cubic meters
can be accumulated, can be let of
gradually without injury to the works.
The lake Will be about one mile wide, 200
feet deep in the middle, and several miles
long The reservoir will hold enough
water to fill pit mile square and near
ly two miles in depth. The canal follows
the valleys OF the Rio Grande and Abispo
rivers on the Pacific side, and it crosses
the channels of these streams Il and IL
times respectively. AS these are small
streams, and do not collect any great
amount of water even in the rainy sea-
son, they can doubtless be controlled with
comparative ease.
The difference in the height of the tide
y feet on the Caribbean and 16 to Is feet
on the Pacific cOast) will render neces-
sary tidal lock of extraordinary strength
and size at the western entrance of the
canal.
Only about 12,OOOO0O cubic meters OF
earth have been excavated so far, but
the work can now be accelerated owing
to the large number Of dredges and exca-
vatO-s recently added to the plant, an d it
is thought that the canal can be
completed by 1889, or one year after the
time specified in the contracts. This,
however, is doubtful. Unforeseen difficult
ties will probably be encountered.
The financial difficulties to be overcome
by the canal company will doubtless be
greater than those relating to engineer
ing. The amount of money originally
subscribed was 600,00O,0O The sale of
IS, 2s7 JOO-franc shares Melted 129,0OO,-
OOOf., making the whole amount received
by the Treasurer s29,000yo00f. or about
$I45, sos 900. The expenditures of the
company up to Jan. / were 367, 900, O00f.,
leaving a balance on hand of 362 600, OO0f.,
or about $72,OOO,OOO. IL is estimated that
the work yet to be done viii cost at least
$4,000, 900. The deficit Of about sos, O00, 600
must be provided for. Where this enor-
nous amount of money is to come from
it is not easy to say. NJ. de Lesseps, how
ever. is a man of wonderful resources, as
are also his associates, and no doubt the
means TO finish the great work of dividing
a continent, joining two oceans and rem
dering possible the opening OF new mari
time routes 10 the commerce OF the world,
will be secured.