Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-06-10
condltion 81 the Panama cnn.l


anna Canal, in February, they were accorr
panied by Mr.. John Bigelow as the rerra
sentative of the New York Chamber as
Commerce. He was by request a gDest ~
the Canal Company and went with tia
special mission of preparing a report ,,,'
on the present condition of the work ~.
American publication. Mr. Bigelov bo.
now returned, and the report which he bs.
presented TO the Chamber of CONNIE.
furnishes a trustworthy account of ~.
present prospects of the Interoceanic "a,
al. The total length of the proiactea
canal is 4Gl miles, The depth Of navie,
able water will be about rs feet l..
course is for the greater part of the WA,
through the valley of the Chagres. bs.
sin 1000 yards long and 10 yards wide
will be necessary at Panama for the ac.
commodation of vessels, and another one
about three miles long, at Tayerniua ~
permit vessels to pass each other. The
total excavation necessary TO accomplisb
this result is 120,O00,000 cubic meters
The excavations made up to Dec. 81. 1881
amounted, by contract, to IL ,49O, 1856 cubic
meters, and by the company to I.520S37
cubic meters. During January. 1856 I
O67, 623 cubic meters were excavated. piv-
60
meters. This left 1852 144 cubic met
ers still to be removed. These figures
make any comment unnecessary. Mr.. Bio.
Glow states that it is impossible to saw what
the final cost of the work will be or when
it can be completed. There were al the
time of his visit $4,000 men EMPLOYED. At
the present speed this force can probably
excavate 100000 cubic meters wear
s., i -.
1t would probably be possible to finish the
work in 1889. The report mentions as
some of the disadvantages to be encoup-
tered that the work Is in foreign state.
under a weak and unsettled government. in
one of the most unhealthy regions on the
continent, subject to earthquakes, within
450 miles of the equator, and under trop.
ical sun, where acclimated labor only is of
any service. Everything for the prosecu-
ton of the work has to be imported. The
country itself supplies absolutely nothing
but the site for the canal. Somuch of the
worl, is experimental that it is believed to
be impossible for even the most eminent
engineers to make estimates which have
greater value than mere conjectures The
most serious difficulties to be overcome
may be enumerated under four heads:
First the control of the waters of the
Chagres river, which, in the rainy season.
If unrestrained, is liable to flood the larg-
er part of the canal every year. It would
be possible to control the river by the con
struction of an immense dam or by the en-
largement of the derivative channels by
which the flood could be carried off but
either would be very costly.
Second, the cut through the Andes at
Culebra. The removal of some 22.OO00O0
cubic meters of earth and rock at this cut
through the Cordilleras has been confided
under CONTRACT to an Anglo Dutch Com
pany, which engages to finish the work by
July l, 1889. The contractors are to be
paid 100000. But they have not per.
formed their contract more than one-sixth
rs rapidly as they agreed to, and at the
present rate it will take them fifteen years
to finish.
Third, keeping that section of the canal
which runs from La Boca toward the Is
land of Perico, in Panama Bay, from be
ing filed in by the ocean and the Rio
Grande. The obstacles to be overcome
in etfecting this result are regarded as
very serious though not insurmountable.
Fourth securing the amount Of labor re-
quired at practical rates. The climate is
described as one where life dies and death
lives The natives, having no wants be-
yond those supplied by nature, viii not
work, and the difficulty of securing enough
men is tremendous. To supply tine def
cheney, NJ. De Lesseps has invented great
many machines, SO as to do away with
hand labor as far as possible.
In conclusion, MIR. Bigelow regards the
canal rs an undoubted possibility if sutfl-
cient funds be provided, but he ventures
opinion as to whether they will be, or what
sum or what amount of time would be nee
essary to complete the work The report
shows that from all sources Sl10000000
have been received, but not how much has
already been expended. The international
Congress of 1870 which was the parent of
the present Panama Canal Company es
timated the total cost at S2l3500,000. Ii
would seem from the data at hand that az
least half of the estimated will have been
expended by the end of the present year
at which time fOur-fiths of the excavation,
not to speak Of the supplementary or pre-
cautionary work, will still remain 70 be
accomplished.
Americans will do well and wisely if they
refuse to invest in Panama Canal bonds.
The desperation of the scheme Is evident
from the proposition of Mr. De Lesseps
to raise funds in France by a "lottery
Resort to the gambling instincts of the
French is a quackish procedure entirely
out of proportion to the dignity of the ca
nal scheme and a confession that the APP
parent folly of the scheme makes legiti-
mate fnanciering impossible. When these
seductive lottery blanks came floating
through the United States let them be re-
ceiyed at their true value zero!
As to Woerishoffer's gambling habits
toere had never been any secrecy. He
visited a gaming table nearly every night
for years before his death. In the noto-
rious Pennsylvania club at Long Branch
he was last summer the most observed
player. His favorite game was roulette
in spite of the setady and heavy percentage
of advantage to the banker. He used 70
play peculiarly. He never bought chips
but put down bank notes on the numbers.
Sometimes he would lay down as much as
a $1,000, but that was exceptional, as Foe
usual sum was 800. PM Daley, the keep
er of the place. ordered mis- dealers to let
WoerishoTer play as heavily as he wished.