Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-01-04
THE PANAMA CANAL,
.orABLE CAREER OF NJ. DE LESSEPs,
THE FRENCHMAN.

~orABLE CAREER OF NJ. DE LESSEPS,
THE FRENCHMAN.
rio sucz Canal a Great Success. While
m. Panama Has been . Failure, Al
ready Costing Hundreds of Millions Of
Dollars, and Yet i'm Its Incipiency.
From the New York TrtbuAe1
| With the resignation OF NJ. Ferdinand de
T. sseps and tho other officers OF the morl-
Eund Panama Canal Company a now era
must begin in the work of securing inter-
oceanic transit for ships through the Amer
lean isthmus. Practically. too. the active
career long and active beyond ordinary
mortal compass. and full Of such pictur-
esouencss as is seldom to be observed OUT
side the pages OF romantic fiction.
His father. Count Matthew de Lesseps. was
French languages, was sent by Napoleon |.
to accompany Lucien Bonaparte. his first
ambassador to the court OF Spain While
in Spain the elder De Lesscps made the ac-
states consul to Malaga. who first intro
ducsa him to the family OF Senior Grevigny.
Il notable OF Andalusia. This noble Span
lard had two fair daughters. with ons Of
whom Mr.. kirkpatrick was already in love-.
and it did not take the Count long to TAIL in.
love with the other. The Scotch American
Consul and the Frenchman becamo broth
crs-in-law. and while the son OF The latter
WAS TO become Ferdinand. Duke Of Suex.-
the daughter of the former became Count
ess OF Montijo and mother Of Eugcnio. al
,erward Empress OF France. The older de
I.esseps in 1903 represented the French Re-
public in Egypt. Bonapurtc instructed him
to pick out from among the leaders Of the
who could be proposed ut Constantinople
for the hitherto nominal dignity OF Pasha
Of Cairo. NJ. dc Lesseps pitched On Me-
hemet Ali tho illiterate commander OF
protcge rs to n short method of dealing
! with the mamelukes. who were tho oppress-
ors OF tho Egyptians and the enemies Of
France. Mehcmet who might have been
one OF Carlyle's heroes. put the counsels
into practice at the massacre OF the CITADEL
which kinglake so dramatically described
in "Eothen," It was when NJ. Ferdinand de
| ].csseps was himself French Consul General
| in Egypt that he became intimate with Me-
hemet Alis youngest son, his future patron
and partner.
Ferdinand de Lesseps was born ct Yer
sailles Nov 10, 1903, and, after acquiring
thorough diplomatic education by travelling
about in company with his father. entered
the consular service himself anu held the
post OF Consul at Barcelona. Cairo. and
Alexandria. becoming Consul General at the
Egyptian capitalsand receiving the cross of
the Legion OF Honor for his heroism and
devotion during the plague. In 1913 he was
made French Minister ut Madrid. and the
following year was sent to Rome to effect
negotiations between the popular govern.
ment and the French army. Owing to his
too favorable opinion of the popular move
mont in Italy he was recalled in Disgrace
\ Mohunmed Said, son OF Mehemct Ali. had
now succceded to the Viceroyalty at Cairo.
ana he invited the son OF his fathers friend
&c go to Egypt as his guest. The idea of the
suez Canal then took possession Of DE Les
scps' mind. and Said became his first con-
vert. The Sultan aud the English bitterly
opposed the scheme. but the company was
formed in 1854. with IL capital Of SiO,OU0 900.
The work was begun in 1858. was pressed
With vigor and enthusiasm. and tho canal
was opened with imposing ceremonies Nov
IT, 1S69-the same year in which the Union
, and Central Pacific railroads were connect
, ed mt Promontory. in Utah. Being her kins
man, DE Lcsscps had the sympathy and
active interest OF the Empress Eugenie IN
this great enterprise, and it was largely
2 through her patronage that he was enabled
TO carry il to Il successful conclusion.
The Sucz Canal passes through u low.
h sandy plain. and is aDout 100 miles long. By
: constant dredging an ave'age depth OF
twenty six feet of water is maintained. and
ships pass in and out at eitl er end without
A the hndrance OF locks. The business OF the
/. canal has steadily increased. In 1885 no
less than 1921 vessels passed through it,:
the gross receipts were S12.OUo.900: the
shareholders wore paid dividend of f.GS
per cent. after the sinking fund had been
provided for: and the tonnage of steam and
SAILING vessels that passed through amount
ed to S0S5.l tons.
{ The idea Of cutting through the Cordil-
leras and providing a waterway from the
Atlantic to the Pacific at Dnrien Originated
with the Spanish conquerors. bat their
plans lay for 300 years buried in musty and
dusty archives at Madrid The speculations
8 Of modern science revived the idea. and
when NJ. de Lesseps assembled his famous
congress in the Low Countries in May. 1879.
4 variety OF competing schemes. were sub
i mitted to it. Tho choice was finally mar
4 rowcd to the project OF the canal througk
Nicaragua ana that OF the Panama route.
Tho Nicnrnguan line had its advantages and
was the cheaper Of the two by s50'so.ODc. rs
But it was much the longer. both in time
and distance: it would be difficult ana ea-
pcnsivc TO keep in check tho hlxnri-
ancc Of the tropical vegetation; the
number Of ships would be limited by the
locks. and the gigantic stone works
would be liable at any moment to BE-
shaken by the Central American earth
quakcs. So the congress recommended the
piercing of the Panama Isthmus by an over
whelming majority. few OF the mombers
abstained from voting, and NJ. dc Lessep,
points out that the abstainers and the SINAI
dssentient minority were mainly made III
OF Central American delegates. SO that thu
decision may be said to have been practical
| ~ uHdulultuS. Liz lOuG6 W UC iAuOptou tslS
been surveyed and recommended by TIVE
French naval officers. MN. Wyse and eci,ls
The congress finally resolved. by seventy
eight votes against eight. twelve abstaiui.lg
that the canal. at the sea- level without an!
locks, should be made from the Bay o
J.imon to the Bay of Panama: III thu com
u mittees agreed in favor OF this resolution
Is Other recommendations of the congres
have been followed by the company whtci
A. Nj de Lesseps formed to execute tive work
T. styled La Compagnie Universelle du Cana
70 lnteroceaniqnc de Panama
:" In July, 1879. NJ. Ferdinand dc Lessep
concluded an arrangement with II. Bona
parte Wyse and his associates for the pu-
chase of u concession granted to tho latte
by the Government of the Colombian lie
= public for IL canal across the Isthmus 6
. Panama. On the 23d of that month NJ. d
I.esscps published his first prospectus. In
yiting subscriptions for 100000 share. 9
500 each. giving a capital OF $sO.U1.0os
Tie shares were not taken up. but in No
vembcr. 1880. a second prospectus wa
Ii issued for 100000 shares, and upwur
Of 100000 shares were then. apple
frr