Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-19
of a sea level or lock canal here was
feasible.
WHAT THE FRENCH HAVE DONE.

WHAT THE FRENCH HAVE DONE.
Every one has heard of the Panama
cnnal scandals. The truth is worse
than anything that has been published.
l Will. further on, give some stories
which have heard here of the ex-
travagances and frauds of the first
companies. when champagne flowed
like water and gold was almost as
plenty as copper is in some parts of
Montana. Within less than ten years
they spent more than SECS, O00 and
millions of this were almost openly
stolen by the contractors AT the
same time the work that was done re-
mains, and II the canal is sold to other
parties or completed by the French II
will not have to he done again. About
twenty miles of the canal is practically
completed The fourteen miles at the
eastern end have been somewhat filed
up the Chagres river, but slight
dredging would make this part of the
work clear | visited 1t last week ana
saw that nothing had been done for
years. Then there is about six or eight
miles finished at the Pacific end of the
canal, and the dredges are now at work
there deepening the harbor. This IL
new work and Is of news interest.
The present company have Just COM
pleted a wharf a thousand feet long at
this point. and IT Is stated by them
that within comparatively short time
ships will be able to sail up this wharf
and transfer their freight direct to the
Panama railroad cars. This new wharf
is really n very fine structure. 1t is
made of steel, with steel roof, which
is supported by steel posts. Travelling
cranes run by engines move along n
track on the edge of the wharf, and the
heaviest of articles can be lifted by
them out of the steamers and swung
down to the doors of the cars behind
oil chfna have m 1nrhnr fn -
out I'm Panama bay, and goods and pas
sengers are brought in by lighters.
am told that when this new harbor is
dredged out reduced rates for through
freight will he charged on the railroad,
and that all attempts will be made to
about Cape Horn or through the Straits
OF Magellan.
ONE-THIRD OF THE CANAL FIN
ISHED.
The French chief of construction, who
showed me over the Culcbra cutting
today, told me he considered the canal
more than half done. This is probably
a rosy view of the work, and am told
by others that one-third would be near
er the proper figure. The old company
worked eight years, and during much
of this time had an average of 10000
men in their employ. They spent a
quarter of n billion dollars and exca-
Fdteu ubout slANS -hNc hhiioh .up'S
yards OF earth and rock. Then
the bubble burst, and this
new company was formed. They have
spent, / am told, only about $5,000,O00
and have made big cut in the work
for the money. At Culebra the cutting
at the deepest point is now about 22S
| feet, and seventy-five feet of this was
done by this company. The top of the
| ditch looks higher as you stand in the
| cut than twentystory New York fiat
| and the ravine shows the immensely
| of the work. The new company are
| now very nearly out of money. They
are preparing for canal commission
| from Paris, which will probably b,
here before this letter is published
| Everything is being painted up for the
occasion, as the future of the cana
| largly depends upon the report OF tbs
commissioners. II 1t should be favor
| able 1t is said by the French here thai