The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-05-02
The PAN Ma CANAL.
COMPLETION IN TWO YEARS ASSURED

Jean Nignie has been resident
of Panama for sixteen years, and
ever since the first surveying work
was done for the canal has been an
interested and active participant in
the work. For the past four years
he has been the principal contractor
of the canal, and having but re-
Gently arrived from Panama is
thoroughly posted on the operations
going on at the isthmus. The Ques-
ton which interests people most is
when the canal will be finished, and
to this question Mr.. Nignie gave to
the Chronicle reporter yesterday the
following positive answer:
"In two years, just as Ferdinand
de Lesseps says"
There are between $4,000 and
14,000 men constantly at work on
the canal, and the difficult cutting
has all been done. The earth now
being removed is almost entirely of
u clayey nature. All the heaviest
rocks have been removed, and the
most extensive works are going on
night and day by electric light at
| Culebra. There are to be ten gates,
distributed as follows across the
canal at various points in the length
from Colon on the Atlantic side to
Panama on the Pacific side. Two
gates at Bohio Soldado, one Mt San
Pablo, one at Matachin, two at Gu
Zebra, two at Paraiso, one at Pedro
Miguel and one at Miranorcs. At
the last place the bottom of the
canal is now eleven meters below
the level of the mean height of the
water at Colon and Panama; the
level of the water at the Pacific
shore is seven meters higher than
at the Atlantic shore. From Colon
twenty-four kilometers toward the
Pacific have now been completed,
and from Panama ten kilometers
east have been finished. The ori-
ginal gates for the canal, which
were intended to be in the usual
form-that is to say, meeting in Y
form at the center and opening to-
ward the sides of the canal, will not
be used: but instead an iron slid
ing-gate moving in q direction at
right angles to the length of the
canal into recesses cut in the banks
are to be used. These gates are to
be of wrought and cast iron, and
will be moved by hydraulic machin-
cry. Eifel, the protector of the
great tower in Paris, is the builder
and designer of the gates, and the
first one is now on its way to
Panama. The use of ten gates is
intended to be only temporary, as
IN years to come, when the canal
has been in running order for some
time, only two gates will be in regu-
lar use for the entire canal. At pre-
sent the number of gates greatly
facilitates work. Dredging will al
ways be necessary in the canal, as
as it is at Suez. - $. +. Chronicle.
Paris, April 23.-Panama Canal
shares went ballooning to-day and
De Lesseps' friends are jubilant.
Spectators bought freely on the
Bourse, driving the shares up 81
francs. Everybody has agreed that
the Chamber of Deputies will have
to sanction the issue of the lottery
loan to complete the work. Yestcr-
day the Committee of Initiative to
which the proposal was referred,
dismissed its reporter, hired new
one, and ordered him to make re.
port in favor of the De Lesscps bill.
To-day NJ. Maret tabled the favora.
bic report in the Chamber. 1t ad.
vises that the canal company be au,
thorised to raise $50, 600, 900 franc;
on the lottery plan with the Govern
ment's approval.