Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-06-11
:
HE PANAMA CANAL.
sfr. Appleton Thinks It Will Succeed
IL Americans Will Take Tottsring

Bfr. Appleton Thinks It Will Succeed
If Americans Will Take Tottsrins
Chances. n
NEW YORK, June lin order to obtain
more accurate details regarding the altera-
ton of NJ. de Lesseps' original plan, its
practicability and the progress of the work
on the Panama Canal, q reporter called on
Mr.. Nathan Appleton, at the Clarendon
Hotel, and questioned him on the subject.
Mr.. Appleton isgenerally recognized as the
commodore" of the Panama Canal Com
pany, although he disclaims any such title
He was sent by the United States govern
ment as a delegate to the international
congress held in Paris in 1879 TO decide as
to the route which should be adopted, and
and has been connected with the enter
prise from its incipiency.
He said that while he was sorry to see
that the lock system had to be adopted,
under the circumstances he fully approved
of it, for that was the only thing that re-
manned to assure the success of the under
taking, the many difficulties that had been
encountered having necessitated . much
larger outlay of capital than had at frat
been thought necessary
"Sorne papers, said Mr.. Appleton,
''seem TO think that the adoption of this
system will necessitate the sacrificing of
all earlier investments This is not 20.
Not one iota of the work that has been ac-
complished will be thrown away. 1t will
all come in handy in time. While l have
always contended that tide-water canal
is the proper one, the temporary use of
the locks will, as Mr.. Coine said, enable US
to earn money forthwith, and thus they
Will pay for themselves"
"Will they not place the canal at q dis
advantage, then, when the Nicaragua Canal
is completedp
mo. Even then we will be on . par
with it. Besides, when the Nicaragua
Canal is completed the chances are that
Panama Canal will be q sea level one"
"There route is much shorter, is it notf'
Yes; but we will be able to more than
make up the difference in length when We
do away with the lock"
rs everything progressing satisfactorily
in Panama.
''Yes. We have all that is necessary to
finish the work, now that this Lottery bill
has been passed. That amount will GER
tainly enable us to complete the job. We
have already fifteen miles of the canal
flooded on the Atlantic side. Ten miles
remain TO be dug out on the Pacific end,
but that will be easy work. The only hard
spot is the Culebra cut. which necessitates
three hundred feet of excavation, and that
| is progressing satisfactorily.
"Ges, / believe the canal will be COM
pleted in 1890, but certainly not later than
| 1892 believe the new loan will be taken
up with a rush, for the French are very
enthusiastic in this matter. and are dssir-
Gus of seeing lie Grand Francais, succeed.
THE Nicaragua Canal? Well, believe,
II they ever go 10 work at il, that il viii,
cost nothing less than 500, 600 600, includ-
ing interest But there is nothing sure
that it will ever be begun. Amy how,
while it may bring the Pacific coast one
thousand miles nearer New York than the
Panama route. the latter will bring the
principal European ports ten thousand
miles nearer the Golden Gate than former
ly. Yes. am confident of its success. but
still think, as one of my correspondents
suggests, it would be better for all con-
cerned if America were TO help the Pana-
ma Canal instead of constructing another
one. Then its success would be assured in
stantly, and both countries would be COW
cred with glory and could divide the HON