The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-30
. THE PANAMA CANAL.
The Freneh Company Has No ~Intsntion
Of Selling.

Of selling.
New York. Nov. ga. Hutin. d.
rector general of the New Panama Ca
nal company. has come over from Paris
To see what this government thinks
about the water route between the At
lantic and Pacific. He protests that
there is no intention on the part OF the
French company 10 sell the canal and
says that II has only one purpose and
that In to cut the big ditch at once.
When asked IL the published report
that this company wanted 10 sell out 10
the. government was true. Mr.. Hutin
said:
Absolutely not. Selling out In the
last thing we should think OF. We
want to cut the Ina and we are ready
to do IL: what Is more. we are doing IL.
We have kept 500 to 1000 men con-
stantly employed in digging the canal
n a force OF 1900 is now at work on
the ditch.
What has been accomplished? Much.
We have actually dug Is miles of the
total of ~. OF these vessels are now
navigating ~ miles on he Atlantic n
six miles on the Pacific side. The ca
nails depth is rs feet. though In some
places silt has made bars hat would
have to be removed and a be re-
moved easily. Our company. which Is
the successor. by purchase. OF the De
Lesseps company. has in assets, reck-
oning as such the machinery and ac-
complished work. at least SIS, DOC. 900.
These assets have been appraised at
s95. 900. 900. We have gone far enough
TO learn that the Panama canal Is en-
tirely practicable and Is the shortest,
cheapest and best water route "
the two oceans.
There were formerly thought to be
two insuperable obstacles-the Chagres
| river and the Culebra cut. Both of these
difficulties have disappeared before en-
cheering science.
THE Chagres river can be readily
mastered and the cut through the Guile
bra mountains. which was once Thought
to be impracticable for the sliding
earth that filed the ditch as fast as IL
could be dug. has turned out to be a
comparatively simple problem. 1t has
been found that there Is a rock sub
stratum through which the ana may
be cut. so tina II m be disturbed
by sliding earth.
"a international technical commits
sion has recently examined the route CT
our canal and will. I think. pronounce
II entirely feasible, On that commits
sion, Gen. l.. II. Abbott represents the
United States and ENGLAND and Ger
! many were represented by engineers
who had experience in digging the
great Manchester and KEEL canals. Gen.
eraI Abbott has given his view In sew
eraI articles I'm the periodicals. He calls
attention to these two facts: The PAN
anna canal would he 46 miles long and
the Nicaragua canal would be l'o
miles: the Panama would cost 100000
600. while the Nicaraguan would cost
s133. 900. 900.
II may add to these facts given by
General Abbott the important one hat
the Panama canal can be completed IN
less than half the time IL would take 70
cut the waterway across Nicaragua.
When asked about his object in going
TO Washington. Mr.. Hutin said:
I'VE want to now lust what interest
the United states takes in the canal.
We are not trying to get the govern.
ment to buy us out. but II Is natural
hat the United states. being most
deeply affected by tho canal will feel a
keen interest in it'and II Is equally nat
ural that we should want to learn Just
what the extent OF that interest may
be-"
a few davS.