The morning call., 1893-02-01
HAS NO VOUCHERS
Panama Canal Money in
America.
THERE WAS PLENTY OF 1T.
But No Man Can Say at This Day What
Was Done With Any
Part of 1t.
Special to THE MORNING CALL

NEW YORK, Jan. 31.-Charles Colne, ex-
secretary of the American Panama Canal
Company, who is said by ex-Secretary OIL
the Navy Thompson to have vouchers and
other papers showing in detail the expendi-
lures of the company, was asked to-day IL
he would show the vouchers and answered ::
II have not been connected with the COM
pany for four years. | have NO vouchers
now"
"Do you know where they are?"
II suppose those who should have them
can produce them"
WHO succeeded you as secretary?'
"P. Bayard, IS Broadway, was my sue
cessor. l presume he can give you the
information you ask"
st is said 100000 francs were pledged
to the credit of the American committee.
VIII you tell me whether that Is true or
not?"
mo money was placed to our credit. /
have been out of the company since March,
1889. l do not care to speak about its at
fairs"
Colonel Thompson says You have all the
papers showing the transactions OF the
company"
Colonel Thompson is a very old man.
He has said many things which he would
not say if he Is not so old"
Colonel Thompson says large item in
the expense of the American company was
the cost of building and transporting a
large dredge. which. at the time made, was
the largest in the world"
LAS l said before, Colouel Thompson is
an old man and Is mistaken in many things
he said There were seven of those dredges
and they were not built in California. They
were constructed by the American Dredging
and Contract Company of New York, aud
were built in Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
"IIOw much money did the American
company spend for dredges?"
''We found the American machinery the
best in the world. Colonel Thompson says
he had 800 cars bull. and that they were
built by $. Cox & Co. of Terre Haute at a
cost Of $4,000 francs. He knows OF these
cars, and remembers them because they
were built in his city. The fact is, we or
dered a thousand cars, a number Of exca-
vators, steam boilers, cars of all descrip-
ton and suppieS-in fact everything from
a needle TO an anchor. We spent at least
600. Credits were opened aud pur-
chaseS made to fill the orders as we received
them from the isthmus. 1t is certain the
money was sent to US from Paris. We pur-
chased against that amount, and when ex-
hausted We asked for and received more.
We sent full reports to Paris. showing In
detail how the money was used"
How about the money said to have been
sent to America to quash opposition and
secure neutrality?"
The American company had nothing to
do with thar. When De Lesseps first WIS.,
tied America he appeared before Congress
and settled all that 1t was done openly.
and nothing was left for US to do in that
line. The American Financial Company
had nothing to do with that matter"
E. l.. Oppenhem said it was true the
roliing-stock OF the canal company had been
sold to the railroad company. as stated in
the dispatches from Pana Oppenhem
represented the railroad company in the ne
gotations. 1--WE had been using the stock
for years under rental" said Oppenheim,
land we concluded to buy 1t outright that
Is all +"