New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-08-08

ELEMENTS OF WEAKNESS AND FREMONT
TIONS OF COLLAPSE.

or General of the Compagnie Uniyerselle du canal
Interoceaniquc de Panama, issued n proc !amati0h
dehnlng the five great divisions of the line, ana
naming the five chiefs of dvison in charge This
docnm cnt suggests two dgressive reflections: rlrs'
that nothing is done by the canal company
without great amount of pomp. circumstance and
red tape; and second that NJ. Boyer and fonr out
OF the five specified chiefs of division have since
succumbed TO the climatic idiosyncrasie' OF the
country apostrophized by NJ. do Lesseps as the
future sanitarum OF Europe"
These five divisions contain thirteen sections,
each under the charge OF resident chief of section,
and these ACTIONS are again divided into chantsrs
or stints undertaken by the various contractors
The canal company Is frequently involved IN litl-
CATION with these contractors; and some gross
frauds have undoubtedly arisen from this method
OF working. But il the company had Undertaken
the Immediate supervision OF labor, tho al
ministratve machinery already cumbrous, would
have become absolutely unmanageable
The first of these five divisions extends from the
Atlantic to lIohiO Sodado ana has chiefly to do
with the River Chagres. The second division in
cludes the sections Of Tavernlla and San Pablo.
and. especially In tho former section. consists OF
| matter easily to DO excavated but involves tho
| construction of huge embankmcnts. With the
third dI, ision comprising tho sections of GorQona
| Oblspo and Emperaior. begins the Incline cnlminat-
| ing in til mountain of Culcbra. wh!ct forms the
| fourth division. These two divisions contain an
| appalling mass of solid rock. Culebra divides the
Atlantic and Pacific watersheds. and rises 1917 feet
above the level of the proposed bed of the canal.
On It's western sido Culebra suddenly drops half
way to the bed level and only five miles further
west the natural surface is only fifty fect above
| this bed level. The sections Of Rio Grande Super
| Tor Paradise. COrosal and Panama, including the
whole of the Pacific watershed. constitute the NTH
and last division. From Cnlebra to high water IN
tle Bay OF Panama Is only ten milesless than one
| fourth of the canal. length. In this fifth division
onethird Of the required work consists of cutting
| through rock; third excavating clay Aid
one thIrd dredging in the mouth Of the Rio Grande
which debouches at tho mouth Of the canal. This
dredging extends to the Island OF Perco about four
miles from the coast line Al present the dredgers
can do but little than keep the existing chan
| mel free of the mud brought down By tho Rio
| Grande.
Ii is not possible to say which of these divisions
| presents the most formidable obstacles The work
| is not merely work Of excavation and dredging.
canal Is to DO dug. But the work OF preservation
| must proceed at Al equal pace II Ugh banks must
protect It from the surface wash dnring the trcpl
cal rainfall. Rivers must be diverted from their
natural courses. and new channels provided for
| them. The present cute of the Panama Railroad
which will not nterscct tho canal at its level A
large inland basin is TO he constructed at Corosll
| These are undertaking. which mast be planned with
consummatc ill and foresight. and executed with
| ndomitable energy. Bot this Is not all The task
| Is not merely equivalent to sinking mnc which
mus, be shored AMI drained as II advances 1t
rather as II the mine were 80 situated that its very
mouth was inaccessible. Before labor could be di
| ,ected upon the work shelter had to be provided
| for the labOrcrS Everything worked together for
| evil. The water drawn and the earth upturned
were charged with noxlous gerns--the very air was
dense with miAsma No sooner vas brrack
erected than it had to bo supplemented by hos
pital The material for thr-e buildings and the
supplies for laborcrs hal to be brought from Colon
by rail- brought to Colon from the other side OF the
world. These are not mere genrralIzat.ons A
barrack to accommodate twcnty-clsht laborers re-
| Iuircs 1000 feet OF lumber. 40 sheets OF gavan-
lied iron ten barre Of sand and three barrels OF limo
| in all, three carloads. And while the materials
| for five OF SIX hunirci barracks were urgently re-
| CURED the Panama Railroad had its wontei quota
of through fre gh to carry. Its single track afford
ed limited facilities for the movement Of its INSULT
| Gent rolling stock. and while tho company and the
| contractors; waited for labore,s they had to pay
| dcmurrage to the vessels they had chartered.
The national Characterization OF this French showed
these difficulties in the brilliant conception and
courageous undertaking OF the project. Before
| what they call the work of inhalation was com
| pleted. an enormous amount Of money. labor and
| time bad boon expended IN experiments which
| proved to be worse than futile. The work is now
~ it was then largely tentative. What is known
| in medicine rs tho " cXpoctlnt treatment IS still
| the policy Of the company. Not only have they
| had t. ascertain By costly experiment., what ma
| chncry was best adapted to their purpose but the
scope of their experiments was limited Ibey could
| not select "a pickaxe without waving tho tricoor.
| French machinery must be cmpoyed-not noces-
sarlly because il was tue best bnt because 1t was
manufactured where the stock of the company was
| hold. NJ de- Lesseps would Soon TO hlye SAID IN
| his prospectus: Gentlemen. your money may DO
| idly spent. but IL will be spent in France" The
| contractors are almost all Frenchnrn aud are to
| all ntents and purposes. servants of tho company:
not tho less 30 because the element of spocu alton
| enters into tho method Of their compensation.
| Obviously, then tho problem which the inchoate
| canal preseuts ia . complex one And tho trust
worthy sources of information are almost entirely
limited to personal observation. To 80 to the pre-
tcntous building in the Cathedral Plaza at Panama
where the administration of the canal performs its
functions. is to Icaru nothing or nothing OF tho
truth. Such necessary information Is 1t hal not
been possible to gather with absolute direct
ness. has been obtained by sitting and collatins the
statements OF contractors Notwithstanding all
that WAS said to the contrary. 1t has been found
practicable TO walk all the canal rontc with
ont the companvs pass or permission Any one VINO
bases his deductions on data furnished by the
canal company might well at once accept tho
ipsissimd rerbd of NJ. do Lesscpss reports. On the
subjects in regard to which the company IS not rcti-
cent its statements are more than misleading. In
respect to tho work which has besn done and neei
not have been done; in respect to the work when
10 to be done and has not been done in respect To
the work now being done; in respect to tho mot
tally on the line. in Panama and in Colon; IN re-
spect TO the machinery which has been purchased
and proven useless; IN respect to the work when
has Imam trl anic cfnI and been LlSl