St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-04
NIGARAGUA'S DHGH.
Lesseps' Fiaseo a Useful Les
son for the American
Company.
Grey Town Blossoming Out as
the Scene Of COnSidera-
BILE Activity.
Steady Blows Being Dealt at
the Secret Of the
Strait.
Just Five Years Hence the
Isthmus Will Have Been
Pierced.

fiaScO has been most useful lesson and
guide for the American canal company.
All the errors into which the French
company fell have been avoided by the
American canal managers, and it may
be said that every dollar squandered by
the De Lesseps syndicate has been a
dollar saved to the American company.
Sickness, starvation, dissipation and
despair marked the route projected by
financiers of Paris; but health, plenty of
good food, decency and quiet energy are
the characteristics of the American
engineers and their assistants. The
Panama people paid their employees so
much month and allowed them to
''find themselves" that's, provide their
own food; but the hard-worked labOrerS
generally neglected to supply them
selves with solid food, and, on the other
hand, INDUCED continuously and dlsaS-
trously in strong drink. The result
was much sickness, little work and a
TERRIBLY LONG DEATH LIST.
The American company, on the other
hand, pays as high wages, if not higher
than the French company, and in addi-
ton supplies all it's employees, even the
Jamaican and other colored laborers,
with good, wholesome food and plenty
of it-shipped direct from New York
and purchased in the best markets.
Good bareback (ship biscuit, rice, ba-
con, fresh meat, vegetables and coffee
are served out to all the American
camps, and as the work expands all the
suffers stores along the line of the
canal, from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
will be under the company's control
and strict supervision, the goods sold
being charged for at cost price only, so
that the c0mpany'S employees will get
boots, shoes, shirts, socks, tobacco,
cigars and also other luxurles OF a
nature akin to the two aforementioned
articles at the same rate that they can
in rev York. The company's idea in
this connection is to keep up the morale
of the men and let them have decent
profit left when their monthly wages
are paid. This plan has worked adj
mirably up to the present mo-
ment. In still another respect is
the American Canal company's
policy different from that Of
of the Panama people. Everything it
is possible to do for the health of its EN-
ployes is being done. and still further
efforts are being made in this direction.
Portable buildings of all descriptions
are being continually shipped from
New York to Grey Town, and the engi-
neers and mechanics will soon be
PRACTICALLY AS WE'LL HOUSED
in Grey Town as they would be while
at work in any part of the United
States. Over an immense storehouse
will be the quarters for 100 engineers:
Added to this building will be billiard
room, reading room and library. Off
GERS of higher rank are quartered in
another handsome building contain
ing sixteen rooms. while the headQuar-
tiers of Chief Engineer MenOcal will be
in as pretty frame cottage as you
could find at Sea Bright or Long
Branch. Recognizing the fac that pure
water is the source of good health, the
Grey Town engineers of the Nicaragua
Canal Construction company have just
received orders to survey and lay out
the plant and ground for two large
water reservoirs. Fifteen miles of steel
supply of perfectly pure water from the
Deseado basin to Grey Town. Thus, so
soon as the jetty and wharves are COM
pleted, ocean steamships will be able to
water" at the company's dock. The
town of Grey Town, otherwise San
Juan del Norte. will also receive its
water supply through the canal COM
pany's pipes. 1t is reported in Grey
Town that the canal company is figuI-
ing upon a line of three American
steamships which may be established
between Grey Town and New York
and San Francisco and BritO, one of
these steamers to be devoted to carrying
stores and machinery for the company's
use between San Francisco and BritO,
on the construction of the Pacific har-
Dor of the canal, and the other two to
perform like service for the company
between New York and Grey Town.
Property about Grey Town. Fort San
Carlos and BritO, all along the
LINE OF THE CANAL ROUTE,
in fact, is rapidly advancing in value.
Some contractors from San Francisco
and Chicago are announced to be COM
ing this way, several from New York
are still figuring here, and it is respected
that by January l the San Francisco
construction party will be "stirring up
the mud" at BrtO, while the New York
construction parties will be digging
their way toward Lake Nicaragua from
the Atlantic side. for it is now said to
be the plan of the Nicaragua canal COM
pany to attack the iSthmusian problems
from two sides, the Atlantic and the
Pacific. at once. The plan is actually
decided upon, and we shall know the
truth in this connection upon the ar
rival at Grey Town of Chief Engineer
Menocal. The Nicaragua canal will be
open for navigation in a much shorter
time than at first contemplated, while
inside of say two years and half. the
grand fresh water bosom of Lake Mic
aragua, draining water shed of
5000 square miles, will be thrown open
to the world and. say in about two and
a half years more, or in 1S94-95, the
whole canal will be ready for
business. AS a rendezvous for an
American fleet and as coaling
station and dockyard for American men
Of-War, Lake Nicaragua will form an
immensely advantageous addition to
the war power of the United States, fol-
feet there assembled could coal, pro.
vision and repair and swoop east OF
west, strike north or south, and have a
safe refuge should such
A SAFEGUARD BE NEEDED.
Thus it will readily be seen that il
must be distinctly understood at the
start that the Nicaragua canal is al
American institution, and that the
growth of the strength of our navy
keeps pace with the growth of the Mic
aragua canal even without increasing
the number of ships. This conclusion
is arrived at from the fact that our At
lantic fleet at few hours notice could
reinforce the Pacific fleet, or vice versa
while even small squadron anchored in
Lake Nicaragua would be extra useful
from the fact that it could strike sudden
and unexpected blows either in the At
lantic or the Pacific at a moments no
tice. Work on the telegraph line, rail
way route, buildings and preparations
for the jetty construction continues, but
IN view of the fact that this gigantic en-.
terprise will take about five years to
bring it to a successful termination, il
is not to be expected that each mail will
bear news of some great obstacle over
come, and nearly year of installation
work is needed. Steady, strong and
sure blows are now being dealt at the
''secret of the straigt." and it is per.
haps needless to add the company is
made up of good American .'git-thar''
material, warranted not to shrink under
anu oiroumctonnoc