New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-17
OUTLOOK AT GREYTOWN.
PROGRESS OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL.
so MONEY IN 1T FOR MERcENARY suBoRDI
NArEs-PREsEYT STATE OF THE WORK
GENERAL ooNcLUsIoNs-NATURE
rnIENn NOT ZOE.


NArEs-pREsENT STATE OF THE WORK
GENERAL coNcLUsIoNs-NATURE
A FRIEND, NOT A FOE.
ysoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
| cravtoyyn. March 1O.-Panama during tne
neriod of the French occupation revelieu III t,1
citcment of q prolonged debauch. Al'er NJ ue
Toss.ns,s arrival at the Isthmus early III looV
rorts Of buildings and prices of real estate were
doubled and even quadrupled ana 'ne s'iiu,
dro,ysy little town. which had never proSpeicu
under stagnant conditions OF trahslO Ci"ue' ""'
| seized with q mania for speculation Non'."0VOi
came in with adventures. proflSa'es anu naiiO''
behind them. Every one cohhec'eu WIN ~.
canal enterprise was making money manu- o'ei h''i''
and spending it freely. For nine years business wo9
abnormally active, prices were hign cianlpasno
was like water poured upon the ground, gambling
hollis were omen night and day, diamonds flashed
from every shirt-front and there was general de-
| rooral;zation The moral sense of Panama was
| norverted long before the collapse Of the canal
ntornrise All the officials paid high salaries
and lived like primes The contractors and their
subordinates made fortunes out of the great ditch
and lost them at the gambling table. Corruption
and bribery wee rampant II was mad revel
Of profigacy
Grevtown. Ike Panama, has become the base OF
| oroiroor;no o,erations for an interoceanc canal,
| but IL has remained somnolent and reputable
town Seventeen months of active work on the
barbor improvements and the canal have not
wrought any perceptible change in the morals OF
the community. The times are duh and there is
| M feverhh excitement Tainted adventures,
diamond Spectators, gamblers and rakes have not
taken possession of the town. There is modest
clubhouse where billiards are played and strangers
lN,,k M
signs II extravagant living improvidence, in
Temperance and reckless play. There has been no
riotou, excess Of champagne and excitement
Greyt3wn has its religious professions and crude
| uassu play in Holy Week, and there is no other
town show in the course of the year-nothing to
break the monotony ofits drowsy existence. There
ia neither corruption immortality nor prof1igacy
here as there was at Panama while work on the
canal was in progress There are no indications Of
improvidence in cana management Every clerk
and foreman is complaining in secret because he is
not we'll paid. Their are no contractors Haunting
their diamonds and )oasting of their wealth and
Gambling excesses Those employed in the canal
work are living guilty and spending very little
money. There ar all the outward signs Of
economical and evn close management of the
finances Of the comany.
There are a fewmen here who were formerly
engaged in the wor: at Panama. l have found 1t
instructive to lste to their comments upon the
dulness which reins in Greytown. They ex-
pected repetition f the Panama orgies and have
been sorely disappointed. One of these macon-
tents has confded to me his contempt for the
present enterprise why, there is no money to
he made ont of thiswork !" ne has exclaimed with
n look of disgust and o shrig of the shoulders
AT Panama we lived we'll and had money to
spend but here there is nothing but shaving of
salaries, pnching of pay-rols and twopenny
economy l would not stay here day If l
could get away" Then he preceded to contrast
| tho closeness of the MANAGEMENT Of the Nicaragua
enterprise with the prodigalit displayed at the
| Isthmus and concluded with apredictlon that the
canal here would never be saously undertaken
| He fancied that he had conviced me OF the I'M
practicability of the project CONCERNING WIN
fine irony the economical rthods ana lacK OF
. ,vostefulness Unconscious he was paying
high tribute to the organize and contractors and
furnishing strong argumiU ior Cne succeS' Vi
the enterprise.
| The face value of the Inama Canal bonus was
| nrov;m,taIv $500 OOOD0, but $3.50, 100000
( probably represents the c.uai anount VI nioneS
, emil, in NJ de Iesseps' ditch. OF this amount
nroboblv not moro than 0, 600, 900 was expended
c in honest work. The Inalnlng S2OOOOo,O0o was
a souondered-a largo Mt Of it in France without
? tie roocbing tho Isthr,s at all. The management
( Of that work was no,able, reckless waSteful and
corrunt Mt every ste. Everybody was making
d money out of it: 81 when the resources of the
oon,nonv ,vere ENLISTED the Isthmus had barely
been scratched anehe work hardly more than be-
gun. II the maDemcnt of the Nicaragua Canal
in the nrelminarstages of organization and con-
strnctlon be ma,edly different. there is ground
for hone that seething will be accomplished be-
a vond tbe bankr,tcy Of the company. If there is
r M monev n bmade out of the scheme by those
l emnIoved nc s)ordiIates, there is q strong pre-
sumntion thathe ca,ital of the investors will not
, be flung awa,as wa done at Panama.
During tbeast five days'every facility has been
I offered n m by n Menocal for examining the
d conal work nd pint 1 have the dredges
e in operatonat the>reakwater and in the entrance
cut Of the eaal vbted the pier, wharves, machine
Q shons beahuartes and hospitals, and gone out
ON the railway ID miles to the advanced camps
! | NJ the corstructn parties. The force employed
: does mot bink,xceed 600 men, large reductions
I having recentlyOeeu made, presumably because
= the expenditure have already passed the limit
; guaranteed by ne company in its contract with
Nicaragua. andecaIse there is no pressing neces-
sity for hasterng he work when long period
], is allowed for ae cmpetion of the canal Opem-
tions have nofbee suspended at the brcakwater,
n in the canal ut T OH tne railway, but progress
e will inevitably SLOW untll arrangements are
5 completed fc sturing the capital required for
o vigorous an successful handling Of the plant.
II M l,ecn obsrve can go about the harbor without
: finding obvbus grounds for criticism; but. on the
l. other hand ifhe b. impartial in his Judgment,
he cannot iairo be favorably impressed with the
general ch.raer Of The work and the practicability
= | of the nreooh waterway between the two oceans
:, Tho br,a Fater low building for the protection
'f of the haor Is mosI SUBSTANTIAL structure
Even In phhilhiaieu STATE IL has served the pur
% noso ~ rtially opening harbor which was |
10 comnleti closed BY broad sand-bar high above |
sea.levl The per has been extended / 900 feet |
towarjh e outer bar, but has not been completed |
n | a. Al last 200 feet Il has been we'll hnilt |