Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-10-24
PANAMA CANAL REVIVAL.
Old Scheme Revived to Injury of
Nicaragua Plan.

1t will be news to most people in
this country, and disappointing news
no doubt to the partisans of the Mica
ragua canal project, that the Panama
canal is still a lively probability.
This scheme and all the millions spent
upon it were supposed to have been
engulfed beyond hope of resurrection
in the DE Lesseps financial collapse OF
several years ago. But in point OF
fact a new company is now carrying
on the enterprise and some 1000 men
are today actually at work upon the
canal.
There will soon be made public re-
port by an international commission
of experts on the engineering and
other practical questions involved in
the construction of the Panama water
way. This commission is composed
of representatives from France,
Great Britain, Germany, Russia, and
the United States. The British repre-
sentative is the chief engineer OF the
Manchester canal; the German repre-
sentatives are men who had charge
of the Kiel canal; the United States
representatives are Gen. Henry l.. Alb
bot, retired officer of the govern
ment engineer corps, and Mr.. Fetley,
chief engineer of the Croton aque-
duct of New York city. 1t will be seen
that the commission is a highly tech
nical, and must be a very competent,
body. 1t was appointed by the COM
pany which took over the property OF
the De Lesseps corporation, in order
to bring out all the facts in the case
and place the matter beyond the
reach of successful criticism. 1t is
the third commission of engineers
sent to study the situation, the first
being more especially in the service
of the company itself, and in that OF
the interests attached to the bankrupt
DE Lesseps company.
This technical international COM
mission is about ready to make its re-
port, and the New York Evening Post
SAYS it has the best authority for say
ing that the report will be distinctly
favorable to the expediency OF the en-
terprise. 1t will show that the WORK
is nearly one-half done, that large
amount of labor is now engaged on
the remainder of the task, and that
the canal can be finished in from SIX
to eight years. An extension OF the
concession to that length of time has
been secured from the government OF
Colombia. The labor employed is
now mainly that of negroes from the
British West indies, who have been
found to be immune against the ma
larial fevers which used to play such
havoc in the ranks of De Lesseps'
coolie labor. The company now IN
charge of the enterprise is headed by
French railway president of great
wealth, M Bannardel, and the other
directors are Frenchmen of highly re-
sponsible financial position. The
company is said to have $4,000, 900 in
it's treasury and a further large re-
serve fund. 1t has taken UP the work
after $125, 100000 has been spent upon
it, and expects to finish it at con-
siderably less expenditure than that
1t has abandoned the De Lesseps'
plan of a sea-level canal and will con-
struct six locks on each side of the
summit level IL Is dUle W III SO "1A
behalf of it's enterprise as against that
of the Nicaragua promoters, that the
Panama canal will be only As miles
long, against 176 miles for the Mica
ragua route, that it will have natural
harbors at either end, while the other
route must have artificial harbors
constructed, and that it will have far
more gentle curvatures than the other.
Finally the Panama way has had
$125, 100000 spent upon it and is we'll
on toward completion while the other
enterprise still exists only in the re-