The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-07
ON THE PANAMA CANAL.
NEW LIFE IN THE PROJECT THAT


rhfbhb'
=.
fns Iens snort 10 "cs'',o
1890 p s..,,.-. =. .u. a..
~" "---S.- - "a. v..,-rn. $1,000.
VIII the Panama Canal he built after all
Seven years ago nearly everybody said tho prof.
ect was dead beyond resurrection. We do not
know what tho end will be. but the great scheme
10 not dead. On the contrary 1t shows signs OF
surprising vitality. Dredges are at work. ma
chinery has been ordered and paid for. and
about 5000 men on the payroll have to earn
their money by good honest toll. There arc no
sinccurcs for anybody. and no faint OF scandal
attaches to the now regime. Our newspapers
have been telling about the bill, recently before
Congress. in aid OF the proposed Nicaragua
Canal; and, in the same Issue, they have an
nounccd that tho Panama Canal Company has
contracted for the services OF some thousands
Of laborers. to be supplied from Jamaica, ana IL
paying Colombia $4,000 a month TO ponce the
sections Of tho canal completed or building
What docs all this meant Seven years ago IL
looked a. IL the hard savings or SOM eoo,ooo
French working people had boon enguited pe.
yond recall In this big ditch and the )oooery anu
robbery that made the project the seaman OF
the ago. Tho financial collapse was complcte;
II was proved that about three-scvenths OF every
franc had gone, not into the cannl WORK. nut
into the corruption fund and the advertising
schemes, and. to crown all, eminent engineers
said that Count De Lcsseps had been trying all
those years to achieve the impossioe'
How was confidence restored in a scheme so
covered with scandal and disas'eri what Is inc
new company Whence comes the money IL Is
using, who 10 behlnu H. ana "hat arc luz pi"nS
and prospectsi These are interesting questiohs'
and will DO answered here fniiy enough 10 sho"
that many persons really think 'nere Is so"o
logical basis Tor resuming WORK on inc canal
early IN 1888 inc pe Lesseps COMPANY iou"u
Itself unable TO whccdlc nnother doiar out OF
the French public, when ma investor SEoo,.
o0O.OOOi In Its shares. W THIS vast sum- ootaiheo
In nine years, Sl4o.oOo.ooo had beeh pun INTO inc
canal. and the balance, Sl2o'ooo'ooo ma oech
swallowed up In Paris by the con'pan! pro
motors, the subsidized newspapers tho poiiu.
clans, and tho out'and-out thieves' VINO hau
their fingers In the pie. Tho orange was
squeezed dry, all payments were suspended
work on the canal wasstopped, ana the company
won't into liquidation on March 10, 1850. This
was nearly four years before the storm OF tho
Panama Canal scandal burst, though many knew
that 1t WINS brewing and was sure 10 come Inc
old company could not DC set up IN business
again. What could De done was al TINS vast
expenditure pure wastef There was no answer
until It was ascertaincd just what had been &C.
..runN.h.d m tho t.,hm,. and ,ho nrosnec,s NJ
O..
completing the canal II FUNDS were PROVIDED 30
the receiver OF the company. NJ. Brunei. sent an
mi, oorri.s,on N Panama INCLUDING Dutcb and
s"oeo"ni'''V" ',"
bols,en as WEI, az rroncn '" 'so" ana .. inc r..
no,,.n, b.coua. q, was tho hasis NJ all that has
por1an'' oc,au'' " "a' Nv '"'' '" ="
since been done.
This report in eight pamphlets, each treating
..roc,,I nho.c a, the yori. was very cautious
aud serious in its tone. The main points were
that the work accomplished had been well done;
that tho enormous plant was well adapted for
the work and was In good condition.; and that 1t
was feasible to complete the canal, not as a sea.
ievci channei' as count ue Lesseps haa nrs'
planned. but as a canal with locks at a further
.os. =, suS " !" .',o,ranno ~ on nov oon,
investment ana u III "no"nnco vi ~ per eeh''
,o,,l NJ n yiven width and denth. werc only pro-
Si.I..., ~. .,uu,,,.,on sa,d ,,o,,h hasoa
visiohai' inc com"'issioh s"'u. ,nouSn onscu
TONNAGE vassiny through the completed canal
-, ..I..,., =, 3, 900 ono,a,.
and twelve years after the opening at 5000 900
tons, with net toll receipts for the twelfth ysar
OF Ti2,Zoo'ooo. AFTER ucuuctihs 'o'oinpihs o
mcnts The proposed rat. of toll was about o5
Fer cent; higher than that OF the snez Canal:
Many French engineers who read this report
said II was conscryatlvc ana thcy bcIeyed lts
estimates OF the los. OF finishing inc work were
ilberal. Inc estiinatcs were ro.iuccui ho"eSer'
pctorc WORK whs resume IN inc ihIi OF lsni;
engineers VINO nan spent months on InH yround
declared dhat inc ulIhrulty or cohlTo1Iihg lne
ChaGrcs inScr. UNDER inc new pihhs or work
mat mad oecn prepared ana o, preventing lhhu-
siips In the Culcbra CUT would DC less IMAM thcy
had expected. ana inc! tnluccd the estimates OF
cost by about ~o.o9o'oo
When france read inc long report ottne com.
pission, INC question everybody nsSSn wa:
y.Whlt VIII the country DO ABOUT " Many
thought me national hohor was lnvolvcd. Inc
canal had nsen Dug a thiru oi the way across me
isthnus. Inc WORK hchtcvSh anu me plant on
the grounds could not be duplicated, the COMMITS
sion said, Tor less man S,O ooOooo French
workihgincn hnd piin lot this work ~ u hiqeh
hixhcr ratc, anu nov Ih1 ,oIoinoiahs wcrc unihs
the canal, u haNlgdbl) hiShWay TOT ABOUT iour-
teen miles, 10 'rahslo OF lumber ana other heavy
freight, Inc interest TINS dlScusS'o' revived
ana mnihthihcu nhiohB thc ptople was thr nrst
great result OF the commission : report. Tor II led
the Legislature OF Franz" TO act;
~ 1881 u comnllt"o OF me ,nanorr OF Dep
utits was appointed 10 examine INTO me nhairs
OF inc dcIu.,cl company WIN view 10 lhe ,oii,'
p!ction OF the canal, WIN INC hlo OF me frci,h
government, inns WINS ionhh 10, oc icnaloic.
The committee reported ~ iaN9r OF completing
thc cnhai. nut !.u'lsru thnt rance lnhkc nr-
rAllspulcntR with Otne. maritime powers 10