The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-20

-HE recent arrival In New York OF
four gentlemen prominently con-
nectea with the BeX Panama
Canal Company has brought out
a number Of interesting facts IN
connection with that enterprise vi1icn have
Z bearing upon the effort that VIII b. re-
newed in congress a. the approaching sss-
sion TO secure the passage OF the NicS-
rAgua canal bill. These gentlemen are NJ.
Hutin, director general; r. @. Ward. an
engineer VINO has been In charge OF work
on the Panama canal: 81. lie Mareke. at
torney for the bofsdao.dsrz OF the Old Pan
ana company. and VI. Lampre. secretary
OF the new company. These gentlemen
aver that the Panama canal Is now In the
hands OF a new and strong corporation,
which is vigorously pushing the work upon
Il and promises TO complete III In eight
years. This company was organized IN 1894
by a number Of very prominent and
wealthy French financiers. and by de-
cree Of the French courts 1t obtained the
full ownership and possession Of AL the
work on the isthmus which had been done
by the old De Legseps organization, and
this, too. without assuming any Of the debts
created by the bankrupt company.
Il was only after the company became
satisfied. from the reports OF the most EN-
Dent engineers. that the canal vas feasible
~ lock canal and not as a sea- level canal,
they knew with toleraoie accuracy the cost
Of completing II that they gave their plans
to the public. One hundred ard twenty
five millions OF dollars were actually spen.
upon tho ce,.al in construction work by the
Old company. and II viii cost sio9.gNo,Uo 10
complete It. Over 5000 men are now at
work upon the canal. and the engineers
have been able to solve satisfactorily the
chief problems which perplexed the old
management--namely. the control Of the
floods in the Chagres river and the preven-
ton Of the caviEs in OF the sides OF the
great Cuebra cut The river Is 10 be taken
care Of by establishing an enormous storage
reservoir 20 hold the food waters and TO
utilize them for the locks of the canal. The
engineers have established n system Of
drainage In the cIlebra cut which prevents
the oaving In OF It's sides. and have ascer-
tanned that when they get few feet far
ther down they Will strike stratum Of
hard material which win obviate further
trouble.
The new company has obtained a re-
newell OK the old concession from the gov
eminent OF Colombia and has eight years
more In which to complete the canal. 1t
appears from the reports OF the engineers
that faily two-ffths Of the entire work has
already been done. The canal can unques-
ti0nably be completed in much less time
than Will be required to build the Mica
raGlA canal Tho Panama canal Is only
forty-six miles long. while the Nicaragua
canal has n length Of Ia miles about two
thirds OF which Is in the channel of the
San Juan river and In Lake Nicaragua.
The actual amount OF canal excavation TO
be done upon the Nicaragua route IL greater
than upon the Panama. ana the canal
proper will Do a few miles longer. The en-
gineeyina problems are more serious on the
Nicaragua canal than on that OF Panama
On the former there are two dividing
ranges OF hills or low mountains to be- cut
through. whereas there Is only one on the