Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-18

KR. NATHAN APPLEToEs LETTER 10
JUDGE DAILY.
a Hopeful Rsport-Practical Questions
of the Time and Cost Of the
Enterprise.
INex Ynrk Hnrnlf.l

New YORK Horald.l
The following is an extract from the
repert Of Mr.. Nathan Appleton, United
States agent, on the Panama canal,
which viii be published in the next bull
le.ln Of the American Geographical
Society:
THE GREAT DAM.
g At Ganboa we saw the sight Of the
proposed dam and reservoir TO bold the
water OF the Chagres In check, but u.
De Lesseps is of the opinion that this
viii not be needed, considering tha,
the deriystions Of the river will be a
sufficient guard against any probable
overflow. From there IN small boats to
Gorgona, where we observed in several
places how the river is utilized for dis
changing into it the earth taken from the
bed of the canal, which quietly is car
ried Off to the Atlantic, IA application
Of hydraulics to csnxl-buildirg which l
imagine is quite new in such operations,
and is capable Of further development" !"
After some further remarks on NJ.
de Lesseps' progress through ths
Isthmus, Mr.. Appleton says:
HOW LONG WILL II TAKE:
" And now comes the natural ques-
fion when the canal is likely 10 be
finished and open for navigation
While We all hope, TO please NJ. de
Lesseps, that it may be done in 1889,
should there be no conyulsions Of
nature or unexpected hindrsnces, ali
the same looking al it philOsophically
q few wears more or less can be but Of
little significance. The canal is 10 be
built fer all the nations OF the world,
and to last as long as this planet
endures. AS soon as possible it viii
be open for ships Of from ten to twenty
feet draught, and then with time be
completed 10 its full depth of nearly
thirty fee,. The idea Of this is TO lose
no time in earning some revenue from
II.
80 A 49, - y 49, ~
Next comes the question Of what
it will cost. Looking back at the de-
liberations of the Paris Congress Of
1879 one is astonished 10 find how cor
rect 10 q day was their estimate of the
expense. II was then calculated that
the total cost for ten years Of construc-
tion and maintaining, with interest on
the money, would reach about s240.-
000,000. in this was not taken into
consideration the purchase of the
Panama railroad nor the erection
OF the hospitals, habitstions, a0d
many other necessary expenses,
which cannot strictly be considered a.
part Of the digging, but which run up
to some tens OF millions. All this hs
been done, and well done. The work
is completely under way, and the dia
and hum Of men and machines resoun5
from one end Of the Isthmus TO the
other. Steam and human labor to-day
there q force of half million
men. Should the canal cost $500, ,000,-
600 it viii easily be worth that TO the
world. and be q iAirly-psying invest
ment 10 the stockholders.
PROSPECTS,.
"In 1879 the traffic through the
Suez canal amounted 70 about thres
and a quarter million tons. 1t is now
nearly nine millions. The Congress
IL 1879 estimated, after study and re-
fectiOn, the probable traffic Of tho
Panama canal In 1889 st seven and 6
half million tons. do not hesitate 70
state as ny personal conviction frOm
the great increase Of trade thai
ten million tons Ct the outset Is
isJer calculation. Dues al s3 L
tor for shipping alone viii give reve-
nue Of 1000, 600. s glance at the
map Of the world, or bester still n 6
globe, shows it viii cause q saving in
distance Of about ten thousand miles
between the great ports Of the ditleren.
nations, or three times across the At
lantic ocean from Hsvre 10 New York.
South America stretches much further
south than Africa, and the Panama ca
nal can be reached in straight line
from almost any sirectiOn. An objeo-
ton to the Suez canal is the long de-
tours ships are compelled TO make a.
either end.
CONTRA CTS GIVEN.
during the last few months the
work Oh the canal has been much sim
Dlifed by giving it to FIVE well-known
firms OF contractors, whereas before
here were not far from thirty IN ali.
These five syndieates report directly to
he administration Of the canal eomDa-
ly, making arrangements with the
smaller contractors or tGcherOns for
work they may sublet 20 them. This
las involved some complications in re
alton to past agreements, bat they
lre being Strengthened out, 30 that al
hall 60 smoothly in the future. Ii Is II
he interest Of t1e contractors 10 WORK a.
asst as possible, for they are paid 40
much q cubic metre for soil exesysted
II dredged. 1t is for the advantage Of
he canal company TO have the cana
and open as soon as possible.
Is this means saving OF interest on
he stock and bonds. So increased
'ctivity is the object Of all concerned.
u the five firms Of contractors three |
re French, one American from New |
FORK, and one Anglo Dutch. Their
vary from fifteen TO thirty !
million cubic metres, and the prices
rom about forty cents to & dollar and /
ighty cents per metre. There remains
D all not far from one hundred mil
ion cubic metres to be removed, the
ost of which can be put down IN |
ound figures az sl00, 100000, OF IN /
verags of dollar the cubic metre.