New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-12
TORK on TIE PANAMA CANAL.
T. LIE CoNNEc. RESIDENT DIRECTOR At COLON
TELLS OF ITS CONDITION.

T. LIE CoNNEc. RESIDENT DIRECTOR AT COLON.
TELLS OF ITS CONDITION.
Three passengers on the Columbian Line steamship
Alianca from Colon. yesterday were 7. lie Con-
nee. resident director Of the Panama Canal AT
Colon his secretary. J. Thornton. and George ~
Cunningham. a civil engineer, who has been all
over the ground OF the Panama and Nicaragua
canals The party Is stopping at the Imperial Hotel
Mr.. lie Connec does not speak English His sec
rotary however can talk for him. Both he and
his secretary were out last evening. and could not
be seen Mr.. Cunningham however. was seen at
the NewYork Club late in the evening and he
talked about the work that is being done on the
Panama Canal He said:
81 have no interest In the canal at all save from
an engineering point OF view all the
canal about week ago in tug with the members
Of the Nicaragua Canal Commission. or course. !
cannot speak for them They will make their re-
port to the Government. and expressed no opinion
of what they | believe that their papers did
not call for inspection OF the Panama Canal.
and that 1t purely voluntary their part.
They must be In Mobile now. II they carried out
the plans mapped out when saw them.
'As for the canal itself 1t Is In excellent shape.
They are preparing now TO 20 TO work as soon as
the dry season commences on the Isthmus. which
is about January /. They getting out their
rolling stock dredges and on. and getting them
In shape renewed work.
THE canal. when completed. will be about sew
entyseven kilometres in length. or this distance.
about one-third has been built. In company with
the members OF the Nicaragua Canal Commission.
] went over the canal on a tug. found the canal
in excellent condition.
The main work outlined is at Calebra. the
Big Cut Here 100000 cubic yards OF earth are
to be moved. 4 dredge Is at work In Panama Bay.
at La Boca That is about the only work being
done. The Panama Canal. however. is entirely
practical. from an engineering point OF view and
what has been completed has been done thor
oughly.'
Mr.. Cunningham asked what he thought
about the statements that had been made that
canal impract.cablc In Nicaragua. for the
reason that harbor could never be built at Grey
town He said:
That may be- ! don't want to say anything OF
that kind because "A regular commission has been
down there going over the ground and they will re-
port and ! do not to anticipate clash with
their finding. There IL one thing. however, Will
say. and that Is that engineers can tell any
thing about shifting sands and that Is the delusive
point about the Greytown harbor. The completion
OF the Panama Canal is practical. but some one
besides myself must pass upon the financial and
diplomatic details OF the construction OF the cana.
II IL said that the main object OF Mr.. lie Connecs
visit to the United States Is to visit Chicago in the
interest OF the canal II Is said that Chicago
capitalists are interested In the project. Mr.. lie
Connec will also look at some improved dredges and
other machinery used on the canal. during his visit