The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-07
THE PANAMA CAN Il.
A Contractor Talks About the Engi
neerIng DiffiruItie-.

Atlanta lgHNIfNt0A-
Col Daniel Callahan. who built the
/ Rome and Decatur railroad, j. in the
citv. He has Just returned from New
1 York. where he sold out hi interest in
the Panama canal contract The
New York papers are alwaFs writing
down the Panama canal, said he,
/ land the public never hears the other
side. They say there are lnSurfuoant-
able diitculte. and that the canal viii
never be hni-hed ! had talk few
/ days ago in New York with Col RiyeS,
I the general manager Of the Panama
railway and assistant director-geueral
I Of the Panama canal He has been in
Panama q little over a year. learned
from him that the canal Is being built
all along the whole length. He told
me that they would pat IA three locks
on each side Of the c ilahre cu', which
is 80 feet. There they viii have a
Charre, river TO suIp'y the locks
What Is your recollection of tn e
work When YOU were theref"
II admit that the work was being
managed very badly. | consider that
the American contractors would have
done the work Tor one half what II
Gust a. Wv hAHA-sA AtetNA ~ a. az h-AN
United States. they would have done
the work for one fourth OF what II cost
Sull. believe. from What Colonel
Rives SAYS. that the canal viii be com
pleted. He has been there over q year
and has improved things great zeal.
The canal j. ioItv-seven miles long
and the railroad tue same length. In
a year he ma . the railroad pay over
81 500 0o0 In net earning
The railroad Ms bIilt thirty-three
Years ago, and they carry Tremendous
freight, from the iaatie to tie Pa
cific. and hack again. IL gets a great
deal OF freight from Guatemala, saliva
dor, Nicaragua. Honduras and Costa
Rica. was il Guatemala 1T before
that war. and orr party would have
hli.t that northern railway but Tor
Barrios' death
How much has been spent on the
Panama gAnal2"
Nearly $4,000 90. A large part
Of the cost IVA. b,en Ia hsildluE the
towns. They employ Il. us4 To 5000
mcn an! >tvsrai huEursd eHeif GERS.
The hr~t airrct sr-eeDeTal receives So
tssa wear ana all expenses. The
common laboyerS let - day IN
winch b. Uorth aiout 81 a.
ny here Go the "a. orcf> come from
''I he, set their tbor lFAu the West
Inate~ Tie aAama islands ard >ome
from llayti uu >aut9 Domingo. They
eusplot .umv natives e PaUaula. In
8lAf.~. StArisr.t- sni hsj.-lsTeest-. u no
make more rciiA' IL isbarer- than the
ncLr'c~
The neg ce~ waIk "A "a hie AND get a
t-tlt money head. and 20 hayS @
Iau.4-ra ro spend H. y heu they are
ont e money tley ga me hack t.
Pan r.a a-alu Iaey kscp q line %
>ttaWer, g.. na.uE be wevu hiag~-or,
Jamaica aul tuluu- They have
carried only . fvu latoTgr- t4om New
Drtau~-
What kind 81 crE.neers have they
On she canal
They have several hundred eng
rscr~. au French They are sooi,
scientific men. They ran steamers
from France AMI tr5nE cat mines.
The officials uu the lines u-e mostly
watcr brought oBi from France There
i no g.ou water IN Panama Ihs
water ~ the Jhsgrs> river Uoa4d &c
very Wth d 10 WcTe a.terel-
The machinery comes principally
from the nltc,i State here i 4
Hue OF steamer, running from New
York t. Panama every ten days.
How aboui funds
- 1 Rive, SAYS there i 10 lack o.
money - far. and he aoesn thihk