The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-10-21
ALL OTHERS ARE INVITATIONS.

I think it was before the railroad was
opened-that was in 1854. At that
time President Grant remarked when
that canal is dug it will be at Pana-
ma and it will be close to the line of
the railroad" Afterwards his friend,
Admiral Ammen pursuaded him that
the Nicaragua route was the better
one, and thereafter he took no active
part in Panama.
1t was in the year 1870 that the most
careful surveys were taken by our
Government in order to ascertain the
most practical route for a canal from
the Atlantic to the Pacific across the
Isthmus This was while General
Grant was president. Captain Sell
fridge, Captain Shefeldt, Captain LuIl
and others surveyed almost every part
of the Isthmus, verifying previous sur
veyS and making new ones. 1t was
also about this time that two French
men, Bonaparte Wyse and Armand
Reclus also surveyed various portions
of the Isthmus for a canal.
People began to think the time would
not come to accomplish anything I'M
less De Lesseps should take the lead.
1t was in 1875 that the Congress of
Commercial Geography was held at
Paris, and the question of a canal
across the Isthmus again came up, and
it was there that De Lesseps expressed
his view in favor of a canal without
locks. In the year 1876 what was call
ed the International Committee was
formed in Paris, at which time De
Lesseps placed one of the rooms of the
Suez Canal Company at their disposal,
and requested all interested to make it
sort of headquarters. That was in
1876 and 1877.
The year 1878 was a year of great
gatherings in Paris. In that year
there were many Congresses held. One
was the Congress of Commercial Ge-
ographers held under the auspices of
the Paris Society of Commercial Geo
graphy.
There were many different commit
tees formed Bonaparte Wyse took
part and was present at this gathering,
and it was at this time that a resolu-
ton took form. Henri Bionne offered
the resolution and l seconded it, which
was about in these words, Whereas,
the Isthmus has been sufficiently sur
veyed to determine which was the
best route for canal, Mr.. De LesSepS
is requested to call a Congress of the
Nations for the purpose of trying to
solve the problem of a canal across
the Isthmus.'
On the first of January, 1879, in
vitations were sent, and that Congress
met in Paris May of the same year. I
was one of the eight Americans who
was there. Of course when it came to
deciding on the line of the canal, the
best route, it was left to the engineer
ing committee to say. This engineer
ing committee was composed of en-
gineerS from many countries, and they
worked conscientiously for fortnight
or so, and on the 2Sth day of May they
formulated a resolution favoring a tide
level canal at Panama. There were
seventy-eight votes in favor of this
resolution, passed by the whole Con-
gress the following day there were
twelve who declined to vote on it, and
eight voted no. The resolution was
accepted by a large majority of the
members. That decision was arrived
at more than anything else by the
statements of Charles De Fourcy who
was, the time, one of the inspectors of
bridges and roads, the highest govern
ment engineering position in France.
He put together all of the pros and
cons concerning the different routes
in such a concise manner that
thought l would read to you from it
..
physical conditions of the Isthmus
they being about the same today as at
the time this article was written, eX-
| cept the great work done at Panama
and the small beginning of Nicaragua
This article will show you the advan-
tages of each proposed line. There is
the Nicaragua route, here is the Pa
mama route, here the San Bias where
| the ISthmuS is the narroweSt, being
but thirty-three miles across as com
pared with forty-six miles at Panama;
and this is the Darien route, but, as
said, that has been thrown out as i'm
practicable. | had this article trans
| lated some four years ago, and 1 dc
not think it has ever been printed as
nave it here.
(The speaker here read from article
referred to-
This is the Tehuantepec route. 1t is
| d hundred and thirty miles in length
and has an elevation of seven hundred
| feet. Some years ago a railroad was
started here by Mr.. Larned, of Pitts
field, Mass, but later on it was aban-
doned, left unfinished. 1t was COM
pleted by the Mexican Government
some two years ago 1 believe, and
about a year ago it was purchased by
British syndicate.
The next day the Congress met and
voted 1t was then and there that De
Lesseps promised to put himself at the
head of the enterprise. His family
I'd not wish him to do so, but he did
nevertheless. He certainly believed in
it as l did, and 1 have never been able
to make out why there should be SO
much hostility on the part of the Unit
ed States in this matter. l certainly
supposed that we would believe in the
one man of all others in the world
who could get the money necessary
to build this canal; a canal that would
be of more use to us than any other
nation in the world.
Instead of that he was opposed in
every way. However, he put himself
at the head of work. He stated the
expense of the canal; that the tide
level plan would cost about twelve
] Il