Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-30
PROGRESS AT PANAMA.
WHEN, IF EVER, WILL THE GREAT
CANAL BE FINISHED!


Have TO Finish the Work?
The great question that has been discussed
here for the past few years and is still the
an-absorbing topic Of conversation is as to
when, if ever, the great Panama canal will
be finished Count Ferdinand de Lesseps has
named 1890 as the year when he intends to
sail across his water route from the Atlantic
to the Pacific ocean, but is is considered very
doubtful whether he will live to see the work
completed The French engineers all differ
In their estimates of when the canal will be
opened to commerce, and there are many
who do not believe that the work will ever
be finished Those who have made careful
examinations of the proposed route of the
canal admit that there are no engineering
problems that cannot be solved. The best
experts of all nations and schools Of survey
ing have been over the ground and find moth
ing more than the ordinary obstacles that
are constantly met with in undertakings of
such magnitude.
INCOMPETENT ENGINEERS.
The trouble seems to be with the men who
have this gigantic undertaking in charge
De Lesseps, who stands at the head of the
great project, is much better financier than
engineer. He has had marvellous success in
raising fabulous sums OF money, and so far
has been able to secure all the funds necessary
His influence among his fellow countrymen
is astonishing, and millions of francs are sub
scribed at his mere asking. The canal has
become matter of national pride with the
French, but it is feared that the death of De
Lesseps will see the end of the canal He is
already very old man, and at the best it
will take five more years to complete the
work. In this time an enormous amount of
money will have to be spent, and only the
employment Of the best engineering talent
and lavish outlay will see the work finished.
The men at the head of the mechanical part
of the work are thought to be incompetent
They are French engineers from rEcole Poly
technique in Paris. They have ideas that
differ from those of the practical American
engineers, and will pay no heed to sugges-
tions from other than graduates Of that par
ticular school To them, it is said, is due the
slow progress that has been made. and as
long as they remain in charge the canal will
never be completed.
g. The best work that is being done now is in
the hands Of the American Dredging COM
pany, which has a contract for the lower
part Of the canal from Colon to Borio. Here
the work is being carried on with practical
system. Steam dredges and the best ma
chinery are used, and skilled American work
men are employed The American Dredg-
ing company receives 500, 900 a month, and
its work is highly satisfactory and remarka-
bly, quick. Along the other parts of the ca
nal negroes and French laborers are working
with pick and spade, and the progress is slow
and uncertain Here the French engineers
are in charge, and the inferiority of their
work seems to be apparent to everybody but
the managers of De Lesseps' company. The
method employed by the American dredgers
is not unhealthful, while the laborers who
work with pickax and shovel contract fevers
and malarial diseases and die by hundreds
This again puts the work back and causes
constant importation of laborers to fill the
places of the men who drop out every night
when the roll is called.
THE CHAGREs RIVER.
The great question of the Panama canal,
or, rather, the problem to be solved before
ts5 Panama canal can become canal, has
always been the Chagres problem. How to
dispose of that river, and how to lay its new
bed SO that it would not interfere with the
canal has been question which many have
tried to settle. Near Bas Obispo, to the
eastward of the high hill, is deep valley,
and it was to that valley that De Lesseps in
tended to lead the Chagres. Two years ago
the canal company decided to lead the
Chagres river into large basin or reservoir,
which was to be built in the valley of Obispo.
This idea has been abandoned. however, and
the canal company has concluded to bring
the entire Chagres away from the canal east
ward. As soon as the necessary conduits,
which ere to lead the Chagres from its
original bed, are completed the old river bed
will be filed in. This seems to be the best
plan of disposing of that troublesome water.
Another change of the original plan as pre-
sented to the first stockholders of toe canal
company has been made. 1t had been in
tended to build the canal on the sea level
that is, remove all the earth along the route
until certain level nine meters below the
level of Aspinwall was reached. The Panama
entrance to the canal was to be supplied with
q lock.
Today the Frenchmen think that this may
cost too much money, and now, in order to
have the canal opened as soon as possible, in
tend to put eleven locks along the route from
Colon to Panama BY this plan vessel
COUllllR HUN OOlOu WILL RO JUIOupn I'VE
locks until gradually raised to the level of
Culebra, from which point it will be low
cred again in the same manner toward the
Pacific side. NJ. lacquer, the director gen
eral Of the canal company, thinks that, by
adopting this course, he will succeed in les
SEEMING the expenses of the enterprise and
hasten the opening of the canal The money
raised from the ships going through the
canal is to be utilized along the canal route
by gradually doing away with the different
locks. The water for the upper locks which
is to float the vessels passing through them is
to be supplied by heavy pumps which are TO
be erected at each lock station. The Ameri-
can engineers as well as many Of the French
surveyors, do not believe that the Panama
Canal company will have the lock system
above referred to carried out, and believe
that it would cost nearly as much money TO
build locks as to excavate the canal down TO
its original depth of nine metres below the
Atlantic sea level
1t requires journey along the route of
canal TO gain conception of the magnitude
OF De Lesseps' undertaking. That the canal
will some day be opened and the two oceans
connected by means Of a water way through
the ISthmus of Panama is generally conceded
here. But it is not believed that De Lesseps
will live to see his great project accomplished,
nor is it thought that the French will be the
ones to complete the work. The settled belief
is that it remains for American capital. in
genuity and practical engineers to take up
and carry 20 a successful end the underIalz-
ing that the French have begun.-Cor. New
York World
These are my jewels" quoth the hen. !