New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-05-31
ABUSES ON THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA.
THE wAsrEFuLNEss IN rnE WORK ON THE CA""h
EXPOSRD BY AN ESGISEER.

EXPOSRD Bf AN
BosroN, May 80 (Spec,aD.-A. =. Smith. OF
Salem, who fol tho last fifteen years has h'eu !"
South America aud more recently mas oo..
employcd as an engineer by tho Panama
Canal Company, has just returned from Asp'n"a"'
tells an interesting story In regard to the monou
prosecuting the work on de Lessepss cana. a,st o
"Duriug my stay iu Aspinwall Thoroughly ''Hio.o
the csnal. walking Its entre length o, n'y money
With a suaicient expenditure OF Hio'
and lime the canal will doao'o'.
on,shed but II we figure the basis OF tao WORK uo"'
dur,ne the ve years since the ground was pi'Ao" '
nrospects Of flushing the canal In this century AFRO NV
brilliant and getting 1t done IN 1883 Is qu''e 0u'
Of tho question. At present tho outlook Is
bad. great deal Of money Is
wasted That portion OF the canal completed Is at the
eastern end and 10 about eleven miles long Hero THO
country low and Hat the banks rising scarcely SIX iect
on an average above high-watcr mark Inc iahu 10
mostly OF clay formation Through country OF this
kind. eighty feet in width has already been mado
for a distance. as have stated OF
eleven miles whilo forests have been cleared
away and other cuts have becn made at
varou, points along the limo of the opposed canal
little more than eleven milcs already ferrsd 70 mas
been accomplished
"On every hand may be seen evi'onces OF
mismanagement and gross extravagance
No,ev ia literally thrown away and
sirns O. iops are more plentiful than mosquitoes IN
July Much OF the work is let out by contract and all
sorts and kinds Of people secure the con-
tracts. Take tho matter OF digsing anu
dredging. Tho American Dredging Company mas INC
contract Of e1cavang the lower part of the canal ana
for that p,rrose employs about seven dredging ma
chimes and about 800 mcn and contracts 10 DO .he
work of for much per cubic
no rocks stumps other distractions are eh-
countered II these are found, the dredging company
is to receive 81 q minute. Each dredging maohiho Is
proydsd with tower the grain elevator principle
and TO the top Of this tower usually from oo 81
in height the mud lifted and thence dumped into
cbute about 900 feet in length stream of water also
being pumped through chute to help prope the eath
on its downward slide aid to prevent ciogghg Ohe Vi
the maLy stupid expedients whch the cahai
company adopted for holding the mud was
TO put up ordinary wooden fchce'
fastened with bamboo withes and stakes or course IN
little while the pressure Of the haf-quid mud became
great the weak barrior to withstand ana down
came fence mud and the canal again, to he once
more dredged out at an enormous expense
"A yet more curious state of things exists at places
further in shore where other cuts have been made py
several different contractors There have been no
these contracts as TO what shall De oohe
with the earth after it has cxcsvaed What the
sult Of this onisson1 The contractors simply load II
on hand carts and run 1t back little way In the cut
which they have made and leave it there Tie conse
queuee is that all this earth. nsh all these these
st1%p' all AND saSnes sSnfs ,n the immense profit
Of the contractors On every hand are seen cVuehces
of this shfessncs ncapacity and gross extraVtgSnoe
II not of downright dishonesty. Here Is ahother u'
stance The railroad runs close to the course OF the
and also to the proposed canal ann IN 'he o @
canal company holds the principal interest AS walked
along saw several locomotives which had pren
sdetracked and allowed TO 20 10 rum. lhe! "oao @ ue
nj an expense thousands OF dollars eacn ana were
simply left hero without so much as sheu
or covering OF any kind for more IMAM
a wear They are masses of rust anu are worthless
me tirst n 20 and il looks ike job for somebody
An along the line OF the projected cut are pies
iron tons uDon tons which there Is ana can De no
use Every steamer brings IL in and Just as
I was leaving the lsthiDus Tor nome
noticed that the last steamer from france wnlch
had lust arrived loaded down wiz iron IL Is so
cbeap that nearly oil the barracks ana houses OF the
abnrers along the line rooted with CORRUGATED IRON
Ibe French contractor. under whose supervision the
work was carried on, has been removed Tor cxtgava