New-York tribune., 1886-03-30
THE PANAMA CANAL.
EXPECTATIONS OF COUNT DE LEssEPs.
cliE WORK TO BE FINISHED IN THREE YFARS-CoS'
AND PROGRESS OF 1BE ENTERPRISE.
c,y,r ro Tur Turpi'NE1
IBY CABLE TO THE TNIBTNEI
NT,4.s M

iect of his visit to the lsthmus was 10 inspect '"O
work and see what has been doue IN tue I"h' slA
years. THE TRIBUNE representative has had a ta'N
w,,b Count de Lessons in regard TO the progress
that is being made on the gigantic enterprise. Inc
French engineer said that from 10000 to 2O'ooo
men were constantly at work on the canal, when
he expected would be completed in three years
The cost Of tie enterprise would be ABOUT
E44 OOOOOO Following is the conversations
"Did you find that the work had made as mucn P'os
ross as you had expected T.
.yes Tbcr, are now from fifteen to twenty thousand
vorkmen regularly employed. consider that NUMBER
ouite sunicent Houses and hospitals have been Dult
for the men and three large workshops for repairing
r,,chiuery one at COon Middle Isthmus ana one
on the Pacific The canal will be finished In thfee
years" 49,.
&" uave any unexpected difficulties presented them
sevesl !" ,,.
nome at all. without modern machinery the work
would be almost Impossible. Twenty years ago the
heaviest ar,dce made could only Que thousand
cpbc metres OF earth daily We now have dredSes tha'
regularly dispace four thousand metres and can Ic~
seven thousand II the ground i'favoraDe. Auo"Ins o
the possible sOppage OF machinery through accue"'
can depend on dredge removing three thousahu
d,v which is coual TO the work Of three thousand men
wiz, shade and pick Indeed 1t is far better III thaV
climate workmen cannot dspace more than TWO anu
half metres daily excavation TO the depth OF three
n,.tres daily must first be made to float dredges ana
this excavation is done by landexcavators whlch po'n
dig and carry earth fifty or sixty metres away
true, stated. that the Chagres River
the cauai a hundred tmesi"
.No; II Goes not interrupt the canal AT all IL eroSeu
the survey of the canal number OF times, but we have
changed the whole OF the river ana maue IL run
OIL the other side Of the mountain altogether
How much does the river rise above the canal at
GoOd tide :"
About twenty feet but the canal will be protected by
strong wall"
lis there danger as claimed that the river might now
by a sudden rise destroy the work already donef'
"No. That has been avoided by changing the rivers
course"
What about the allegation of Bonapart Wyse'that
there has been an extravagance haUau tnutdeS on
trop payes et ten coHtratS dbsWdcs3'
There has been no extravaganza. OF course there
were a great many expenses in the beginning houseS'
hospitals and workshops had TO be constructed out now
all that +. done and everything is ready to go right
on cxcavatng."
"Were the carly surveys well doneP
.Ycs OF course there slight changes. but nothing
important The principal change is not building locks
and cvees which thought necessary at nrst OWING
TO the difference the level Of the Atlantic ami racine
which is SO little that locks not needed There VIII
he slight current through the canal but not enough 10
interfere with its efficiency We shall save thirty null
ion francs Jn locks and five million on levees.
AS the work begun six years ago and You expect
It's completion three years may say the cana Is Two
thirds finished =
81 cannot say what proportion is completed 1t has
taken a good deal of tine getting ready We are now
prepared TO 20 on with the WORK, which will be finished
In three years.
"win the expense exceed your first estimator
It will not. The entire cost Will not be over forty
four million pounds sterling. The Suez Canal cost
twenty m,lnon pounds. and the Panama Canal Is ten
tunes as diculU ue-prse the Suez IL will
be three times benefit to the worlds commerce
as the suez"
it true that when you received the first thirty mill
ion dollars from shares you promised never to make
another calf"
never made such promise. The first estimate Of
the actual cost of the canal was twenty-eght million
pounds; the present estimate is foTty-four million
pounds which includes interest on loans until the work
Is completed aud the expenses OF administration IN
Paris aud Panama. Itis a common error to suppose
that the present estimate an increase OF sixteen mill
ion pounds the hrst estimate of t"enty-eght mill
o1s covered only tue actual cost Oh the canal IL
is no unexpected Increase a: ALL
"Do you expect to make another call on the stock
holdersi"
THAT is not yet known. Only three-fourtEs OF the
share capital nave been called Iho remaining lourlh
may be called If Heeded"
What is your position regarding Contractors Cour
veux and Hersentl"
AT first Mr. Courveux who had worked on the suez
Caua flushed it in me went into partnership with
Mr. Hersent who had done important work IN Europe,
and took ne contract to 90 the whole job Mr. COurvcux
became III ana the whole devOived upoL Mr.. HeTsent
Finally 1t agreed to cancel their contract and give
the work to number of contractors OF whom there are
twenty ythree, representing every nationality Each
is allotted certain humber Of miles OF canal but the
price paid depends the KIND Of soil or rock removed
II is therefore impossible Say advance the
amount the contracts call for Every contractors bound
under ample bonds and orfeits TO finish bis part of the
ork within years and If he does not progress fast
enough company has the right to dismiss him and
halo,
10 the company"
What does it cost per metre to excavate and how
many metres remain to be excayatedi" I"
1t costs from twenty-five cents TO one dollar per
cubic metre about eighty million cubic metres re
Ii ain to be taken out"
Will the remaining excavation be as difficult that
already done Z"
The part is already done. The most difficult
tection OF the work is completed"
"sInce the machinery and material now there
what Is your niOn OF the sC-caed Monroe Doctrine
affecting the canal claim OF the United States to protect
and control it
That Is "A political question ana nave nothing 10
do with politics"
Is the health Of the employees bad represented
NO Their health is fairly good and hospitals and
every comfort provided for the sick My treaty
tn the Colombian Government provided that food for
my woikmen should DC admitted free OF duty Beyond
that make no provision for them. Iradesmen are
numerous and provisions not dear"
Having written out the foregoing The TRIBUNE
submitted 1t to NJ. de Lesseps for
correction whereupon he attached his signature to
IT coupled with the subjOIned:
The above interview has read TO and vouch
for its accuracy i'll every particular.
FERDINAND De LEsSEPs.
An interview was also obtained with Nathan APP |
peton. of Boston, who has just returned from
Panama with NJ de Lesseps. He said he would |
not be that the canal would De finished within
three years. Ii might be four, but the work was
gong on satisfactorily. There had been great |
waste OF mcuey or materials, certainly not |
70 100000 IN all, whcl little III such an |
Undertaking The heat ;-- Bp!oyes was not |
had 1s showu Nv tbc ,th .. ,,,,,o onl, civ ty-