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

a dump. you see a VIRGIN Jungle
here Is much IN the general aspect Of the canal
which would be ludicrons il one could forget the
cozensd shareholders. who are. as NJ. de Lesseps
proudly assures the world. to be found among the
their hard earned savings. The lsthmus is the land
OF the IncOngrnous Tho rationale of the admins.
traton Ia peIverslty. magnificent hospital is
erected and the very men who equip il with e, erv
appliance of modern sceuce themselves live in
open defiance Of all the laws OF health and in that
same hospital learn that science cannot supplant
sense. Death becomes grim joke, burial a trav-
estv. An unconsdered abOrer ia buried under q
hundred feet OF earth-and very simply; rolled
down an embankment. and twenty carloads Of
earth rolled after him. Sometimes it almost seems
~ II all this scheme of tie luteroceanc Canal
wore gigantic jest. But it is not. II is not. so
crate humbug. II is only an undertaking charac.
teristic OF a Nation whose habit it has been to
" bite on moro than it could chew" ever since il
1t 10 not. as has been said easy TO obtain candid
statement from any one on the lsthmus. Bnt am
able to quote two lncantous remarks which seem
strikingly, in point An engineer o. distinction
was asked. when he was pointing ont the confused
network OF railway tracks constructe to feed
dunn which afterward proved inexpedient. aud
appearance of the Chanher. "Wel-t IS" he c"n-
fs:ssd somewhat like bad dream" Again.
section chiefs. 1t wonld be impossible" he said.
I" to devise better style OF hOnse for malarial
conntry. 1t has every aanitary merit in its CON
strnction. But it is pity they pitched it on the
most nm wholesome spot for five miles around"
Tie little stations along the line in some re-
spects very much ike Western mining capm..
There is tho same bnste. the same demand for
rude Injuries in the absence OF common comforts.
the Same active trade in liquor But the effective
| cklng. The negroes do their work in half-hearI
ID way. The gang bosses hurry them listessly. ard
scrntinize heir work carelesslv The contractor
knows tn at however little he troubles himself there
must still be handsome profit on every cnbc
metre OF tho WORK. The chief Of section is supne
when he is not absent in Panama and the chief of
w,asAn H.. .,kx-
mtigated bore. Over him again. the Director
General finds it impossible to forget that none OF
bis pre- ecsssors has successfully deted the climate
moro than few months dlrector-gcnei alship.
indesd seems to he az brief in tenure and incon-
scquent in policy as a reign in the decline of tho
Roman Empire. and it is no doubt in a great meas
ure owing to this constant change of officials that
the course OF the work is so wanting in consecutive
fitness.
One thing Mt any rate, il certain NJ de Le.seps's
promise that he will complete the canal in the time
At the cost specifsl is nero boa-tinQ. He can
no more do 1t than he can change Colombian rock
to Egyptian sand Ono considera on must not be
overlooked in estimating the effective value nf the
work now In hand. and that IL that great part OF
II Is ONLY done to prevent the nulntcaton of former
operations For instance the dredging in the
Chagres. Much Of the matter removed is clay
washed down by tho stream. not only from the
canal line but from the deviatisns or enbank-
ments where it mad been Intentionally placed Tho
true. Of course less degree. of the dreds
ing at the mouth of the RIO Grande. Nor is this
matter OF an occasional carload washed away.
During tho present season OF rains the Cnagres
frequently far exceeds its banks as to snbmerge
a broad belt on either, side; Now the Chasre'
crosses the line no less than thirtyone times he
tween Matachin. where it rs' nter-ects the canal.
and Gatun. where 1t finally diverge, westward TO
the sea Now those sections II Gorgona San Pablo.
Tavernllia. Bolio Sodado and Gatun. which com.
prise the thiitv-one points of collision have been
tho scene OF extensive excavations directed rather
toward the desired deviation of the Chagres than
toward the specific work of digging ont tho ca" al
linz OF course all OF til. material rmploved in the
construction Of these deviations is removed from
Ia lima ltf fha hna haa md Hnn.
Quoted with a view rather to the embankmrnt than
the excavation. Miles Of railway track have been
laid AL through these sections to feed the dumps
and for the construction OF these very tracks
embankmrnt work was Of conrse. requisite. The
Chagrcs during treShet. of unusual severity covers
nearly all of these tracks and dumps and washes
away much OF what has been Sedulomsly placed
in position. winch has TO la removed from the he'd
# the river bv the dredCers lower down. Precisely
hat proportion OF thu present years disbursement
IL being absorbed by work Of this mil ratOry char
actcr II il Of course IMPOSSIBLE TO say but that the
proportion is at once astounding and appalling ~
unqurstionabe
These and the manv other dscouragrng facts in
connection with the present status OF work on the
can al are patent to those whose residence on the
sthmu, and business affliation with the enterprise
rem CT thin best capable OF Judgment and are
recognized by them IN their full significance
Alarmed bv news tecevei from France. they are
compelled to consider the situation. When the eli
max was reached bv the recsnt inability of the com
psuv 10 purchase additional machinery required bv
the contractors. and agreed to be supplied bv tho
| company the condition Of AFFAIRS approached a
panic. These men talk canal" inst as Wall
Street men "taik stocks" lhsv dislike to admit
even to themselves the gravity of the present crisis
| But It lsa significant tact that a common topic
Of discussion il: Who will 60 with tho work II
| the Compagn Univ ln Canal Inerocean =
| que lie Panama dIsnfegrates"
Great sums OF monsv have been expended nv pri-
vate and corporate contractors in the installation
of their works For the rembur scment OF this out
Law they can look only to continued operations.
TIE only scale OF payment IL by the cnbc metre OF
excavation. From the profit on that eNca' at on
all their preliminary and incidental expenditure
| must be repaid At tnis early staCc OF the work II
s Of coursr largely in arrears. and n the company
proved unequal 10 the task. the contractors woul
undoubtedly make a strenuous effort to form some
sort of syndicate To continue the work Two OF
the contracting corporations. the Anglo-Dntch
Company. and the Soeiets dos Travaux ct Con.
structons Puhlic'. arr bodies Of some wealth and
| Importance. Some Americans on the Isthmus ex-
press the belief that the work will he completed
The English say that they are sure. and always
come British enterprise and ciie the precedent OF
the Suez Canal "a a in point. BY what process
of legislation any such substitution conli he effect
ed IL. at present. al idle question. Whether Eng
lish American capitasts could he induced 70 I'M
dsrtahe the work is at least doubtful And a>snm-
ing hat ini~roceanic canal can be completed
tho question whether il can he maintained at cost
practically loss than its earnings IL one for the 10
termination Of which tho present stage of the work
fails to supply the necessary data.
TRIALS OF an ELEVATED BRAKEMAN