Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-18


structiun If The Panaina railway was
said by q writer Of the day to have hern
over the dead bOtlies ~ thousands on
unfortunate lnhorors The ciimate was
(atal 10 the white man. The nrst seven
miles of tho road we're through q deep
morass. covered with n thicket of dcuse
shrnbberv, iceming With fever malaria
aud disease, the offspring OF vegelhuon'
rOttening under the fierce rays OF
tropical suu Americans died by tue
score The work was being delayed nna
IN July 1872, there were only lWeh'{
three miles % rnilrond completed. ~
was then proposed TO Import other nan
white labor. and that year saw the nrSt
cnrgo " Chinese landed in An"nch:
There were 800 Of these luborers, anu
beADre thress weeks had elapsed tbeir
number had dwindled down 10 hardly
100 Irish labor was then tried. hut with
40 better success, but gradually tne
work was pushed TO COMPLETION ana IN
1855 the last rail WAS laid un the racine
coast at Panama, it having TAKEN I'VE
years 20 build forty-ninc miles ne
country with the exception OF IT'S denqiy
climate, did not present any reinarhaple
difficulties The road, after leaving the
swamps surrounding Aspinwall kept
along the bank Of the ChaRrcs river
following the trail of tue mule pain
used los the hrtt California pioneers untl
10 reached the high lands about the cen
ascent was made and the descent on the
slope to the Pacific coast was easy ana
Gradual There were Two bridges 10 he
built one over the ChaEres, ana much
ground TO be- made over the treacher0ns
inorassps. Chcyalier. a writer n the
Revue DIES Doux Mondes, had estimated
I'm 1850 that the cost VI building the
road would be $lWO.OOo. il eA''eoou
I'm Slny' 1855. John e. Hoadley, then
the president of tile bOarl of directors
vi the Panama Railway company Quart
crcd the steamer George Law ana lh-
vtpd "a party of newspaper ahd lnhEV-
zine writer's 10 accompany him ana par
udpnte i'm the ceremonies OF opening the
railway. Tho first cngiuc had made the
run from Aspinwall 70 Panama iu Lanu'
airy Of that year. and the directors Werq
anxious ;hit the American press should
take the matter up ana tell tue people
| whnt had been done The truth Of the
matter was that notwithstanding The rli'
| morpd completion OF the road, the stock
had fallen below par in Wall street ANA
! great part of II had been taken ny 10y
| English syndicatcs. The Tribune OF that
| day criticized the work uumrtrliullN,
! and the affairs of the Panama Railway
company were ut low chb Thus 10
| seemed almost from It's very birth that
| the fate Of this enterprise destined it 20
! fell into the hands of spectators for
from that time almost until the present
| its stock has been one of the best known
In the gambling transactions of Wall
| street Among the writers who accepted
| the Compuuys hospitality was Robert
J Tones. who HttcrWard wrote q quaint
little book about IL, now ont of print,
but II copy of which is ~ tho possession
of the geographical sOciety of this city
From 1896 until 1877 the history of
the Panama Railway company is in
VOWED In some uh3curity The stock
changed hands continually and new rle.
munts were continually making them
selves felt. Mr., Hoadlry still remained
| president bur each wear saw changes I'm
the board of directors. The paper of tn,
Cumpnny WAS constantly being iugglrd
with on Wall street. aud the railroad L.
self had fallen into state Of decay
The experiences of travellers during tht
GOs, as told IN magazines and periOdi
| Gals of the day, are not pleasing unt
the wrctched accommodations at Aspirl
wall aud Panama are dwelt on viii
much force. The ycur 1877 snw mn al
most complete transformation in the per
sonnet of the board Of directors. Mr.
Hondlry rcsignCd aud A. II. St0ckwell
the manager OF the Singer sewing Ma
St0ckwrll was also prcsidefA of the Pa
rihc Mail Steamship con pnuv, and unde
his administration both enterprises wer
|. nmalgnmutcd There was virtually bu
/ on" board oi directors aud one gonern
| iuiu0gcr OF both companies M Aspit
, Wall. now the town of Colon. Runl
Hatch nc that period was managing Al
, rector Of the Pacific Mill. and thr n
, tervsts Of both companies were idenUpa
/, IN 1910 thrrc was another change, an
% new board of directors was ple,tp,
ct which Trcnor w. Park was mind
, president
i. During the years 1876 and 1877. n
Panama Railroad company and al
control of the Pacific Mail compnn
/, William T. Clyde being the president ,
y me latter About that time howevp
y There was some Othpr nrraugenent mad
Y aud the Panama Railroad company y
~ iahlished line OF steamships TO m
~ between, New York and Colon uud
IN" name of the Punamn TrupJt cor
pohy' \ liue WIS also established h
tween Panama and san francisco. rhi
$ however did not last long, nv short
r after the election of Mr.. Pnrk the NJ
" sells Were sold TO tho Pacific Mail COZ
III pnhN, aud many OF them nrn sim sniff
RS IN that line. Mr. Park still retained 4
10 presidency of The company until his dea
" IN lHNS Just before that event, no,
Is | ever negotiations were opened bptwr
the Count de- Lesseps' Compagnip IN
IL NcrHeuc du Canal mtcr0ceaniuue an
n. the Panama Railway company 81
~ ycyS had been commenced by tho From
~ canal company as early as 1870, b
hu " WIS III loNO tnUt the irSt urOpuNiti
q was made for the purchase of thG Am,
b. lean railway across the isthmus An
sit the first surveys Ind been accomplish,
Il was soon brought 60 the mind of I
nv llessepa aud his associates that il W
~ impossible to cut q canal ON the isthm
"A without nc first ohnining concessiu
m from the Panama Roilway compal
49, Then again the railroad was SO nee
ri, s0ry TO the digging OF tho canal thnt
en was deemed wise TO lay the course of [
mi new waterway us much rs possible nt
,te that of Che railroad This was an
M easy, as for nearly half les length [
railroad follows the course OF tho ri,
ma Chngres, which the French engines
oo proposed To deepen and to utilize as %,
wv, of their canal system.
'e The agreement by which the Fref
w. company came into possession of
.,J stock of the Panama Railway compa
Nv, was signed on june 10. 1881. betw,
~ the stockholders of the American am
.nI prise and representatives of the "a
It". pagnic lniyerselle du Canal lnterace
M ique. The transfer itself was made
w. August, There were 1000 shares lssl
at the time of par value of 100 4
Pauan railroad owed "a debt of ETl
500, or about S3lS1OOOu. The ~
the asked WIS $500 share. There W
one To be five annual installments and
his rate 0t interest asked was per 4,
mia The United 81 tics Trust company ae
rite as trustee. There were also other
ced snssments amounting 20 $40 per sha
'th- which were purchased hy the C0mpnr
isel lniyerselle, which gave 10 each sta
'ihc holder IN the Panama Railway comp,
lsp klfAl n shnpn fms his efnpk HhnVo A,