The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-01-26
INTER OCEANIC CANAL.
Address by Capt. Appleton Before
Historical Society.
Opposed 10 Any Canal in Which Locks
Are Used.

At the regular meeting OF the Rhode
Island Historical Society. held at the
Cabinet on Waterman street last evening,
there was very large attendance. With
out any delay whatever, Captain Nathan
Appleton OF Boston was introduced by
President Stiress. and he spoke on the
American Inter Oceanic Canal. and Its
Relations to the Future of the Pacific
Ocean" Captain Appleton opened his
remarks by speaking Of his trip TO Port
Said at the opening OF the Suez Canal,
ana by strange chain Of circumstances
he was the only American at that great
ceremony in an official capacity, with the
exception, OF course, Of the United States
con sal general. He then read certain ex-
tracts from his report made TO the Boston
Board Of Trade at that time. In which he
recommended the construction or an In
ttr-oeeanic ship canal.
tie reviewed the initial steps which
from time To time were made toward such
canal, and spoke OF expeditions which
were sent To the isthmus tor the purpose
OF investigation. Ia January, 1879, the
late Ferdinand de Lesseps Issued u call
for the great congress held in Paris, at
which the speaker and some other Ameri-
cans were present When IL came To n
vote IL seemed To be the gene raj boiler
that IL was desirable to construct canal
without locks. that Is at tide level and rs
persons voted in favor of the Panama
route, s voted no and IL persons declined
u vote.
Captain Appleton then went into cer-
tain technical explanations OF the several
routes which had been mentioned In the
past, and read certain extracts from re-
port of a certain eminent French engi-
neer, showing the inadequacy Of the
Nicaragua route, and pointing out The
route between Colon ana Panama az the
best, and followed with the details of still
another practical plan. The old Panama
Canal Company when it stopped had dug
out about fifteen miles without having
entered the Chagres river, AMI this work
is still i'm good condition. The voting Of
the French congress in favor of the
Panama route was high and deserved
compliment to American engineers, who
had already advocated this route as the
best.
Captain Appleton said that he was op-
posed To any canal with locks, mainly for
the reason that with the immense length
of steamships as they are eing construct
ed today the locks would have To be- mt
least 1000 feet long De Lesseps himself
was always opposed to lccks and an earn
est advocate OF tide level canal About
s265, 000, 600 was paid into the treasury of
the Panama Canal Company, and a great
deal of this money was expended leGiti-
mately. About Sl2 600. 700 was collected
by the new company. about halt Of which
was turned In by the old company. and
the people of france are still willing To
put morey into the Panama canal
project. With the wonderful excavating
inachires, dynamite, travelling cable
ways now in use by such men as those
who built the Chicago drainage canal
and who are now on the scene OF the
work, the work OF comp pleting the canal
will be by no means difficult, and 1t Is
only n question OF money. The new CON-
pany Is still In touch with the old com
pany. and If these gentlemen who ara now
on the ground favor Panama as over
Nicaragua, there should be no difficulty
In raising the money needed.
The cost of the csDal should not cause
any fear, for the results obtained by the
Suez canal have proved beyond all doubt
that it would he a paying investment.
When oyen IT Will be the gateway OF the
Pacific ocean. and the Hawaiian islands
are the key, ana Captain Appleton then
spoke Of the importance of annexing
hawaii. in order not To lose for ever
more the chance of ever having n ooaling
station en- the Pacific Since 1890 the
Hawaiian islands have been. not an
American. but Yankee colony, and
they should not b. thrown over on ac-
count Of some simple sentiment, for
Japan, Germany or Russia will not let
sentiment stand In the way. he believed
that all that was necessary was To hoist
the American flag at Pearl Hsrbor, and
he hoped Ii w0uld be done
Remarks We're mafo by CAPTAIN John
II. Bartlett, l.. ;. NJ, Professor w. II.
Monroe. Hon. Amos Perry and President
Stiness, who said that no one can doubt
that u canal will pe built across the
isthmUs at some point ana that WAS
really the essential question. a vote OF
thanks was then rendered TO Captain Ap-
pleton, and tho meeting was adjourned.
Az the next meeting of the society Mr..
Thomas Hamilton Murray OF Pawtuoket
will sJeak on "Some Irishmen in tho
American Revolution.