Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-06-24
THE iS:HMUS CANAL.
Slow Progress Made by the Thousands o
workmen Engaged in Its Construction.

Slow Progress Made by the Thousands OF
workmen Engaged in Its Construction.
1t is well-known that a French COM
pany is engaged in constructing canal
across the Isthmus of Panama, and every
/ one can see that when it is completed 1t
| will separate the North American and
South American continents. as Africa
was severed from Asia by the Suez
canal. Of course, too, it will shorten
enormously the voyage of every vessel
which is now forced to make the pas
sage around Cape Horn. 1T will be
much used in the trade between Europe
on the one hand. and the Pacific States
of America, British Columbia. the
islands of the Pacific, Japan and China
on the other.
..When it is completed we say. There
are not many people who doubt that it
will be finished sooner or later, but rs
the construction of the canal involves
overcoming some of the greatest enGi-
neering difficulties ever attacked, it is
only the most sanguine believers in the
canal who expect that it will be opened
at the time now set b. the company, in
the year 1889.
The head of the canal company and
the most enthusiastic believer in it is
Count Ferdinand de Lesseps, to whose
energy and pcr5istency the world owes
the Suez canal. NJ. de Lesseps made
visit to Panama a few months ago, was
received with great enthusiasm on the
Isthmus. and on his return announced
more confidently than ever that the
canal was to be completed ''On time
He did not, however, convince unpreju-
diced observers who went at the same
time to see what had been done and was
doing These latter agree that much work
has been accomplished. but they say
that what remains is much the hardest
and most costly part of the undertaking.
Beside the difficulty of excavation,
and of removing vast bodies of rock,
and beside the labor prVblem-for the
Isthmus is one of the sickliest regions of
the world-there is the obstacle in'the
way of the engineers known as the
Chagres river. The canal traverses the
valley of this river. The Chagres is
very swift stream, and. as it is fed from
the surrounding mountains, frequently
rises suddenly and enormously.
In order to avoid crossing and recross-
ing this river, it will be necessary to d.
vert It's channel; and the artificial banks
must be very high and very strong to
protect the canal from the overflow. IL.
de LesSeps asserts that the problem
raised by the Chagres has been solved;
but ether people who take less rosy
views do not agree with him.
Yet again the question of raising
money to prosecute the work to compile
ton is puZzling one. The funds al |
ready provided are approaching exhaus-
ton. and it is not decided vet how the |
additional sums shall be procured. One |
scheme is a grand lotte V in France.
under the sanction of the French Gov
but it is not looked upon with |
much favor.
All the millions raised and expended |
have not yet done one-fifth of the work,
and it needs very little foresight to pre-
dict that the work of providing means
will become harder and harder. NJ. de
Lesseps is as confident that there will |
be no financial difficulties as he is that |
the ChagreS river can be controlled.
Whether he is right or wrong, it is toll
erably certain that at last, by the pres
ent company or another, the canal will
be built.
There arc some important political
questions to be settled in the future.
Dur Government is interested to pre-
vent European nations from acquiring
any rights of domain, or control, or to
maintain an armed force on American
soil. How far we should carry our OPP
position is matter about which men
1iffer; but as it is not the habit Of Amer
can statesmen to attack an evil until it
is impending, the question is postponed
lntil the time when it must be decided.
YOUTHS Companion.