The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-02-01
PANAMA CANAL MONEY.
ALL EXPENDED IN AMERICA AC-
COUNTED FOR.
The American Company's Ex-Secre-
tary Replies to the Statements
Made by Colonel Thompson.
Special to the REcoRD-Ux1ox.

| Special to the RECoRD-UNIoS.
NEW YORK, Jan. 3l.-A local paper
says: Charles Colne, ex-Secretary of the
American Panama Canal Company, who
is said by ex-Secretary of the Navy
Thompson to have vouchers and other
papers showing in detail the eXpendi-
lures of the company, when asked if he
would show the vouchers answered.: II
have not been connected with the COM
pany for four years. l 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, No. IS Broadway, was my
successor. l presume he can give you
the information you ask"
sit is said u, 100000 francs were pledged
to the American committee. VIII you
tell me whether that is true or not?''
''No money was placed to our credit. I
have been out of the company since
March, 1889. 1 do not care to speak about
its AFFAIRS
Colonel Thompson says you have all
the papers showing the transactions of
the company"
Colonel Thompson is a very old man.
DE has said many things which he would
not say if he is not so DID,"
Colonel Thompson says a 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"
7 s-,;S l. M
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. and were built
in Brooklyn and Philadelphia"
"How much money did the American
Company spend for dredges?''
I'VE found the American machinery
the best in the world. Colonel Thomp-
son says he had 800 cars built, and that
they were built by S. Cox & Co. of Terre
Haute at cost of $50, 0OOf. He knows of
these cars, and remembers them because
they were built in his city. The fact is,
we ordered a thousand cars, a number
of eXcavators, steam boilers, cars of all
descriptions and supplies-in fact, every
thing from needle to an anchor. We
spent at least S1,500,O00. Credits were
opened and purchases made to fill the or
ders as we received them from the 18TH
mus. 1t is certain the money was sent
to us from Paris. We purchased against
that amount, and when exhausted 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?"
1.-The American committee had nothing
to do with that. When De Lesseps first
visited America he appeared before Con-
gress and settled all that. 1t was done
openly, and nothing was left for us TO do
in that line. The American Financial
Company bad nothing to do with that
matter"
L. L. Oppenheim said it was true the
rolling stock of the canal company had
been sold 10 the railroad company, as
stated in the dispatches from Panama.
Oppenheim represented the railroad
company in the negotiations. I'VE had
been using the stock for years under
rental" said Oppenheim, land we con-
cluded to buy it outright, that is all.''