Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-02-13
THE PANAMA CANAL.
OPINIONS AS TO WHETHER IT
 WILL BE ABANDONED.

The Condition of the Great Enterprise
 and How the Canal Looks-A Ride
 from the Atlantic to the Pacific in an
 Hour.
 Special Correspondence.J
 PANAMA, Jan. 14.-Over the short line
 of railway which forms the present con-
 meeting link between the Atlantic and
 the Pacific 1rode today in a special train.
 The starting point was Aspinwall, the terminus Panama. The time consumed
 was one hour and thirty minutes, the distance forty-seven miles. The fare
 was $5. mention this circumstance as showing the steady march of improve ment even at the isthmus. Two or three years ago the time taken in cross ing was over three hours, the fare was $20, and the service quite ordinary, if not dangerous. Even at this rate of speed and passage, the railway was considered of an extraordinary character. For that matter, it certainly is. Although less than fifty miles in length, it cost to build over seventy mill ions of dollars, and for every tie laid down it is said human life was lost. This is scarcely an exaggerated statement. In fact the mortality during the building of the Panama railway was greater than during the construction of that section of the canal now finished and which has been appalling, men dying like flies in the frost. Upon the bones of an army of workingmen great business enter prise has been constructed.
 The gross earnings of this little rail way during the year just closed has been over s4,OOo,OOo. Notwithstanding the reduction in fare and freight it pays over 20 per cent. dividepds, and Col. Rives Gather of the author of ''The Quick and the Deadly, the general manager, told your correspondent that, even when the canal is completed ,as he feels sure it vill be, the road will be self supporting by it's local business, and also pay steady profit on the enormous cost. It is man. aged by American skill; has American engineers, conductors and clerks, but is owned by foreign capital. The Panama railway is certainly unique in the rail way history of the world. It is chartered under the laws of the state of New York, and it's power here is much greater than the prevailing government-the United States of Colombia, of which Panama is a part. x*x
 One hears nothing but gossip, specula- tion and positive statement about the canal or the isthmus. It is health, wealth and almost existence to the people, and they are of course supremely interested in its welfare. But you grow very weary of the constant iteration, with the ther- boiling forever up around the 100 mark. Still, life has its compensa- tions, for the question is never asked here, "Is it hot enough for you?' No one knows precisely what is going to happen to the canal. The American con- sul feels sure that failure and abandon ment will be it's final and almost imme- diate outcome; the resident director general informs me that there will be no of the work, and that it will be completed by French enterprise and French money within two years. I spent this morning on the flagship Tren- ton, now lying in the bay of Panama, and was told by Admiral Kimberly that the bubble had burst, and the canal, which at present was "merely a scratch on the surface of the isthmus," would be speedily aban- doned. It is plain that the American consul and the American admiral are in- imical to the scheme, as is every Ameri- can here; but when I suggested to the admiral and the consul the possibility of their being antagonistic, they denied it stoutly, saying America didn't care copper about the canal one way or the other. Perhaps she doesn't. Outside of our own people the sentiment in favor of the vast enterprise is universal. When the outlook in Paris was most blue, the Frenchmen here displayed Mark Tapley spirit and were jolly under extremely un- favorable circumstances. Today most encouraging reports have come from the will surely be forthcoming, and M. Jacquien stated officially this evening that there was no longer any possibility of failure. The canal, you know, has already cost the French people three hundred millions of dollars. One hun dred million more is asked to con- plete it. x<x
 Ihave spent three days on the canal, but not being blessed with technical skill I cannot intelligently and clearly write of the precise condition of affairs. I have at this moment a confused idea of measurements, sea levels, deviations, meters, etc, which lead to nowhere in but I have a profound inn pression based upon sincere if super ficial view and examination, that the ex- cavations are much more than "a scratch upon the surface of the isthmus." An enormous amount of labor has been ex- pended, and although here and there at l Obispee and Colebra were seen evidences of sinful waste, the work accomplished | is tremendous. To see scores of fine loco motives with the rank tropical vegeta- tion growing out of the smokestacks, and dozens of unused and expensive l machines abandoned, suggests vast l losses and reckless management some where, while the fine boulevards and | beautiful homes the managers have | erected all over the isthmus for their | personal comfort tell where much of | the poor French peasants money has