The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-15

urer. Mr. Eiffel whose tower made him
famous, had received a large sum IN ad-
vance. for building ten locks. which he was
TO complete about the time the company
failed. ana he had not yet begun the work.
lie enriched the new company by S2.OTvVV.
Baron Reinach had received large sums FOR
floating the company ; securities. and to
pay out Tor political and newspaper IN
Iluence. and mIcn or the money he had re-
tanned in mis- own pocket. and when the
storm burst he killed himself. His executor
added s30OoQ0 TO the fund. The courts conf
PEELED "a Spectator who had absorbed iatse
sums for pretended services IN HoatIns
bonds. 20 give up $4,000. Thus the vOin-
pany had ~ 10000 with which 10 set the
wheels in motion. and Mr. Mango Wno nad
been appointed director general at the lsth-
mus. started laborers digging on the Iu-
Zebra section. There were only a few nun
dred of them. but the concession was saved,
and the work has not been suspended since,
except during the strike of lS0. -
A new order of things had come Inc
strictest economy was practiced and WAGES
tried TO burn Colon and threatened 10 ue-
stroy both the canal and railroad lhey
gained nothing by their lawlessness, ana
finally went back 10 work at the old wages
In July 1883. only 600 men were on the
pay roll at the isthmus, but the nurhpef mas
since been gradually increased. In that
year another French commission spent a
long time looking over the ground ana pro,
nounced favorably on Il, the c prospects cane ano
bingham. Mr.. l.. +. Mckinney ana otnSr
Americans who are supposed 10 De quail
lied TO speak from an tISlitSihS p'..iN -
view say that the canai can anu wi nr.S
completed. Sir Henry Tyler, Formerly pre-
ident of the Grand Trunk Railroad, VINO
visited the isthmus in the fan or 1879. sald
that the financial combinations OF the new
company were sufficiently powerful 10 pro-
vide all the funds needed for the completion
of the undertaking. On the other hand Mr.
Colquhoun, of England, a warm advocate
of the Nicaragua canal project, takes
very gloomy view of the Panama enter
prise. The large majority OF competent
witnesses who nave studied the Pa 1ama
canal on the ground do not seem 10 snare
Mr.. Colquhoun's view that Ii Is not a orac-
teal scheme and cannot be carried OUT.
The canal as now planned Is 10 nave Ten
locks. and water is to be suppneu 10 tiIe
higher locks by means OF immense reser-
voirs which will relieve the Hoods OF the
Chagres river and in the dry season uis-
pense the supply to the canal as neeue1-
The latest report is that with the work AZ
ready done for a distance OF sixteen riieS
from Colon and four miles from Panama
there is no doubt that the canal can be
completed within the required time. me
work is not being pushed. however, ds IL
was for a long time under the lie Lesseps
regime but the rate of progress Is Deihs
considerably accelerated. SeVerai ulrt moist
ers and conveyors costing $l4.0U apiece
were recently shipped from New YORK city,
and il is said the company INTENDS 10 piace
one hundred of them IN USE enough 10 us
nose of 50 600 cubic meters of dirt or stone
every ten hours. The company is not max
sound financial basis. ana IL has the re-
spect and encouragement of those who
know what il is doing and of most of the
engineers who have recently studied lts
methods and the work before II. Ii is
needless to make any predictions, but there
seems to be a reasonable prospect that the
French enterprise will gradually be pushed
through success.