The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-13
LYNCH ON SLAVEN.
Some New Facts About
the Panama Canal.
CINCH DREDGING CONTRACTS.
Sad and joyful Experiences of the
Superintendent of the Powell
Street Road on the Istfmus.

"That man r. B. Slaven is full of tricks
and the way he got the better of every body
connected with bis Panama dredging
scheme, myself included, is as wonderful
as it is disreputable," said Henry Fl. Lynch,
the superintendent of the Powell-street
cable road, yesterday, when CALL reporter
interviewed him.
"My experience with the Panama dredg-
ing contract and with Fl. b. Siaven can be
briefly summed up" continued Mr.. Lynch.
Il engaged in the business as one-fourth
partner, and / came ont of it. after hard
legal struggle. with $4,000, most OF which
/ had to pay to my lawyers.
MY share at that time should have been
at least million dollars, but, to tell the
truth, had almost given up all hopes OF
ever receiving cent. when the compromise
was made with Huerne and myself, by
which we jointly received 100000.
why did | compromise? Well, simply
because If had not taken what was offered
me i would not have been able to collect
anything at all, for SlaVen had all his
property transferred TO his Canadian
brother, and even if the courts had finally
decided in my favor had no way by which
to get my money.
THE way Sidyen bested Huerne and me
AS ! have stated. the two Slavens, Huerne
and myself were equal partners when L
left this city in 1882 TO secure the contract
for the dredging Of the canal.
when everything was satisfactorily ar
ranged, and the most favorable terms had
been secured through my instrumentality,
Ii. b. Slayen said he had to go 10 New ork
to form a company, SO as TO be able to carry
out the work.
I'VE all assented and be secured our
mowers Of attorney. taking them to New
York so as to represent our interests as
well as his, we thought.
The American Contracting and DFedg-
ing Company was formed all right enough,
bat Huerne and myself were left entirely
out Of the deal.
"0f course when we found out how
SlaV2n had treated rs We reproached him
and demanded repsration.
But he only laughed. and told us TO sue
him If we thought we had grievance.
We commenced an action against him,
which ended. as | have told you, after five
years with compromise"
These rec0llections were not Of a pleasant
kind, and Mr.. Lynch felt very much re-
iieVed when he had told that part OF his
story.
He then gave some interesting particulars
OF the famous contract lie successfully nego-
tiated with the PaBama Canal Company and
which has proven such an immense source
OF wealth TO the dredging company. although
the man whose brains evolved the contract,
and who was justly entitled 10 a large share
Of the profits, became the dupe Of willy
partner.
1T was funny contract" said Mr. Lynch
smiling as be told of the days lie spend bar
gaining with the canal promoters, land
could never understand how sensible bust
ness men could make such concessions and
hope 10 make their enterprise pay.
~ on see, they were all Frenchmen, and
we were In country where Spanish was
the leading language, so the first battle
had was 10 get their consent 10 have the
contract made out in English.
Il wanted everything down in black and
white in plain American words. so that
there could be no disputes afterward.
hen | had gained that point, we got
down to the stipulaions, aad | Just told
them what wanted, detail after detail.
Some Of my demands were regular
eincters and they fought hard against
them, but when tile contract was ready for
the signatures, had secured every cOnees-
sion had asked for.
zone Of the principal points in the con-
tract was that we would not agree to the
work by the mile as they wanted us to do IT,
"The topography of the country was
such as to convince me at once that such
an agreement meant Iuin to the contractor,
for 10 the swamps the bitches would I'LL up
as last as WE GIfUEeQ INtm ONS.
Therefore | insisted on placing our
figures at so much per cubic liter.
They yielded. and if their scheme had
not busted up the dredging company would
be dredging yet, and be kept busy for an
indefinite period to come at ruinous rates,
for there would be no end 10 the job
Another eorker was the clause which
stipulated that If we strn anything harder
than mud the canal people had to remove
the hard substance at their own expense,
and II we were compelled to stop work on
account of such distractions we were TO
receive $500 for every day our machinery
lay idle
willy SIaven took great advantage OF
that clause later OH.
"One day we struck some rock and our
machine got damaged so that it took quite
a while to repair it. OF course we lost
nothing by IL herauSe by the time they
had that rock removed we were ready to
continue work. SO for the time il took us
TO make repairs We collected our $500 a lav,
and what otherwise would have been a
costly accident was turned into profit.
W henever after that our machine got
ont Of order Slaven managed TO strike coral
reef or some other hard substance appar-
entity by accident, but really in order TO
MAKE these Frencbmen pay damages while
wa were making repairs.
at was for these and many other similar
clauses that my contract enriched Slaven, for
You can easily see what lot of opportuni-
ties the sharp and INSCRIPTIONS would have
to bleed the canal company with east-iron
contract like that"
n. b. Slaven." said Mr.. Lynch, ''at one
time accomplished some Of the most won
derful feats in the way of getting other
peoples money. and one of them shall new
er forget. This was how it WAS. Some way
or another the dredging company had piled
up claim of $4,000 600 against the Panama
Canal Company for damages
1T was an outrageous claim and nobody
thought 1t could be collected until Slayen
started for Paris TO get the money and re-
turned lew months later with 81, 7500 900.
''He had to spend $4,000 to get the
claim paid, but he collected that money and
the directors OF the dredging company paid
him $4,000 extra for his services as a col
lector. although most OF the money was his
own"