Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-03
DE LEssEPs' wAsTEFULNEss.
Money Spent Like Water Along the
Canal for Outside Purposes.


Money Spent Like Water Along the
Canal for Outside Purposes.
NEW YORK, May DIR. WOlfred Mel
son, who spent five years as a practicing
physician at Panama, and was for some
time member of the Board of Health of
that State, arrived IN New York from the
isthmus by the last steamer. In an inter-
view with reporter of the Associated
Press to-day he said: ''If Count de Les
seps was correctly repOrted by the press as
saying that One-half the work on the
canal had been completed the statement
was will ully misleading to the French
people. A fearful crisis has arisen in
canal affairs. The company's indebted
ness to share and bondhOlders now
amounts to about Sl60,000,O00 in gold, on
which they are paying annual interest of
$6,0O0.O0O.
WORKING UP NEW LOAN.
at is reported on excellent authority
that the company have exhausted their
funds, and that they are working on bor-
rowed capital pending the floating OF a
new loan OF $120.0OO.000 in gold. NJ. de-
Lesseps' visit TO the Isthmus of Panama
was preliminary step to the floating of
the loan. The willful and reckless extraV-
agement of the company's affairs probably
never has been paraleled. Huge sums of
money have been spent in useless build
ings. Superior Agent Jules Dingler oc-
cupies magnificent res dence, built and
furnished at a cost of 100000. Besides
this a palatial residence was built for
him at BOea Del Rio Grande. In Colon a
magnificent house has been put up for the
visit of M. de Lesseps, and fitted up In
princely style, furniture having been
specially imported from France"
USELESS DREDGING.
Much useless dredging is being done in
the harbOr of Panama, where several
Scotch marine dredges are cutting Out
the soft bottom opposite Isle De Macs
This is loaded into claputs which steam
back of the island about mile away and
dump it. This is useless as the tide
rises and falls some % feet in the bay,
and the mud is Of course eventually car.
ried back. The Canal Company has not
yet settled on a plan for dammIng
the unruly Chagres. This probably will
be the most difficult obstacle to overcome.
Again, the huge cut at Culebra, if ever
completed, will have sides 397 feet high.
The whole project bristles with difficult
ties that many consider practically in-ur-
mOuntable. At this present time yellow
fever exists in almost epidemic
form. There were 43 deaths
from the disease in the city
of Panama in the month of March. In
the city of Colon Cor Aspin wall there
were 10 deaths from yellow fever among
the canal men alone. The wet season is
now on, and there is much sickness all
over the isthmus, owing TO the dirty con-
dition of the canal camps, such as one
would expect where thousands of
labOrers have been herded toy 4tner with
out the slightest sanitary precautlOn.
DEATH RATES SUPPRESSED.
The death rate has been suppressed as
far as the canal interests have been able
TO effect it, and most un0lushing state
ments have been made by canal papers
regarding the death rate. To show what
yellow fever has done on the isthmus it is
only necessary to cite the experience of
the party that landed with Jules
Dingler on Oct 30, 1888. The party
consisted Of 80 new corners. Within a
week Count DecurnO sckened and died
lowed by that OF NJ. Zimmerman. Later
NJ. Dingler lost his daughter, a charming
girl. Within one month from the daY OF
her death his son, aged %, had been
given up. In the following year
he lost his wife from yellow
fever. Out of IA cases OF
yellow fever among that party OF 33, 10
died. Such is the Panama which NJ. D.
Lesseps vainly attempts to paint as a
tropical garden Of paradise. The filth in
both cities and along the canal is simply
indescrIbable.