Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-06-30
PROGRESS AT PANAMA.
WHEN, IF EVER. WILL THE GREAT
CANAL BE FINlSHEDi

Have to Finish the work9
The great question that has been discussed
here for the past few years and is still the
| lall-ahsorbing topic Of conversation is as 70
when, il ever, the great Panama canal will
be finished, Count Ferdinand dc 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
| tie 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
scrlbed ut his mere asking The canal has
become matter of national pride with the
French, but it is feared that the death of De
Less'ps will see the end Of the canal He is
already a very old man. and at the bts. il
will take five more years to cOmnete 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 II lavish outlay will see the WORT finished
The men at the head of the mechanical part
Of the work are thought to be incompetent
They are French engineers from rEcoe 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
' The best work that is being done now is in
the hands of the American Dredging com
pany, which has 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 IA month, and
its work is highly satisfactory and remarka-
bly, quick Along the other parts of the en-.
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 lie apparent to everybody but
he managers of De lIesseps' company The |
method employed by the American dredgers
= not unhealthful, while the laborers who
work with pirkax and shovel contract fevers
md malarlal diseases and die by hundreds |
This again puts the work back and causes a
onstant Importation of laborers to fill the |
'laces of the men who drop out every night
When the roll is called
THE CHAGREs RIVER
The great question of the Panama canal |
II, rather, the problem to be solved before
he Panama canal can become n canal, has .
lways been the Chagres problem, How to
ispose of that river, and how to lay its new
ed so that it would not interfere with the |
anal has been question which many have
ried to settle Near Bas Obspo, to the
astward of the high hill, is deep valley,
nd it was to that valley that De Lesseps in.
ended to lead the Chagres Two years ago
no canal company decided to lead the
hagres river into large basin or reservoir,
'hich was to be built in the valley Of Ohispo
MS luea mas Deen aDand"had, hoWareI, and |
10 canal company has u Included to bring !
10 entire Chagres away from the canal east
ard. AS soon as the necessary conduits, =
hich are to lead the Chagres from its 4
-iginal bed, are completed the old river bed |
ill be filled ill., This seems to be the best 4
an of disposing of that troublesome water.
mother change of the original plan as pre-
uted to the first stockholders of the canal Il
'npany has been made 1t had been in L
nded to build the canal on the sea level
at Is, remove all the earth along the routo
It'll a certain level nine meters below the
vel of Aspinwall was reached The Panama
trance to the canal was to be supplied with g.
lock
Today the Frenchmen think that this NAV
st too much money. and now, in order to
we the canal opened us soon as possible. in -
nd to put eleven locks along the route from
,lon to Panama By this plan a vessel I
ming from Colon will go through five
oks until gradually raised to the level of
llebra from which point it will be low.
ed again in the same manner toward the =
,cifc side NJ Jacuuier. the director gem y
al Of the canal company, thinks that nv
opting this course he will succead in 1a ~
star, tha ,noni,Cr ~ th., oar,I M, $50 ,, a'iDI
oy |