The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-03-24

qua TOulG was COtupellcu w lChiali
quiescent, unit time and experience
should balance these gentlemen
popularity and persuasive eloquence.
The death of Captain Fades, few
years ago, removed the Tehanntepec
Ship Railway project as COMPETE
tor, nor has it since reappeared with
any semblance of success. As to a
Panama Canal, time and experience
have fully shown to the world the
unfortunate mistake of M. de Les
seps, in attempting a ship canal at
the level of the sea, at Panama.
Work has been for some time sus-
pended upon the Panama Canal
the enterprise owes S420,00O, 900,
and its assets will not, it is believed,
amount to $20,000,000
A great failure deserves notice
next only to great success, and the
magnitude of this unparalleled tinan-
cial disaster at Panama calls for some
explanation and description.
In 1879, a small group of French
gentlemen, who had obtained a con-
cession from the Colombian Govern
ment to build a canal anywhere
through its territories, but whose
brief, superficial examination of the
Isthmus of Panama had given them
practically no data ON which to de-
termine the best engineering route
for q canal, persuaded NJ. de Les
seps, by means, of which we will al.
ways be ignorant, to place himself at
the head of their enterprise, to foIm
a company purchase their con-
cessiOn from them, and to under
take the construction of Panama
Canal Cat the level Of the sea). M.
de Lesseps thereupon caused to be
called together in Paris, representa-.
tiyes of the maritime countries of the
World, to attend an international
Canal Congress to decide upon the
routes.
By means, the nature of which also
we shall probably never know, this
Congress after some deiiberatiOn, de-
cidcd by large majority upon the
Panama route as proposed by De
Lesseps. The Congress was warned,
on the part of England, by the emil
nent engineer Sir John Hawkshawe,
and on the part of the United States,
by Admiral Ammen, that such a
canal was impracticable, that it
could not be constructed, and, If
constructed, could not be conserved
for the use of shipping. The billy
country, the raging course of the
Chagres River, the torrentiaI rains,
and the pestilential climate forbade
the hope of success. TO these re-
monstrances De Lesseps, flushed with
the success of Suez, and impatient of
contradiction, would give no heed,
and the French people, loyal to him
and proud of bis well. deserved repu-
tation, swarmed about his offices and
literally subscribed to this new pro-
ject of the great promoter.
The results are known to YOU
the newspapers of the day, every
where except in France, having kept
careful record of the various steps in
this unfortunate enterprise.
Until 1887, De Lesseps chung to
the idea of sea level canal. This
was indeed, almost necessity, for
he had often given public utterance
to his opinion that Nicaragua was by
far the best point for canal with
locks, but that he proposed to build
a sea level canal. In that year, how
ever, after enormous expenditures of
men and money, he was compelled to
change his plans to lock canal at
Panama. Though the situation was
very unfavorable for a lock canal
there, it was not absolutely impracti-
cable, as was a sea level canal, and
might have been constructed had he
changed earlier, before so much
money had been spent.
1t was, however, too late, and
after raising, at runous discount,
some further sums, he was obliged
to discontinue the work for lack of
funds. There seems to be no hope
of revival of this project, in the
minds of those best informed in the
commercial world. In the last few
days news has been received that the
Concession has been renewed and
! more time given to the Canal Co. to
| complete the work, but Colombia has
not granted this without exacting
heavy compensation, and the Co. has
| besides the task before it of raising
money upon an enterprise practically
dead. We need not dwell upon the
sad picture of this heroic old gentle
man sinking under the burden of so
terrible reverse. De Lesseps has
done great service to France and the
world, and has made only one mis-
take, but this, a gigantic one.
Let me ask your attention now, to
what seems to promise happier re-
suits, the Nicaragua Canal.
In Nicaragua, the mountain chain
which stretches from the Arctic re-
gions Of North America to Cape
Horn, sinks TO its lowest point, pro-
ducing a comparative depression,
unique in character. This depres-
sion or basin is occupied by the wa
tiers Of Lake Nicaragua, a fresh wa.
ter, inland, sea, 80 miles in length
10y As in breadth, and with general
depths varying from 30 to 100 feet.
The western shore of this lake is only
Is miles from the surf of the Pacific
Ocean, and the intervening neck of
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