The record-union., 1898-11-30
Director General Hutin Says the Big
Ditch is to Be Cut.
The New Company Has No Idea Of Selling
Out to the Government.
Obstacles Which Were Formerly
Thought to Be InsuperabIe, the
Chagres River and the CuIebra
Cut, Disappear Before En-
gineering Science.

NEW YORK, Nov. ga. Hutin, Die
rector General of the new Panama Ca
nal Company, has arrived from Paris
to see what this Government thinks
about the water route between the At
lantic and the Pacific. He protests
that there is no intention on the part OF
the French company to sell the canal,
and says that it has only one purpose
In view and that is to cut the big ditch
ait once.
When asked if the published report
that his company wanted to sell out to
the Government was true, Mr.. Hutin
said:
Absolutely no. Selling out is the
last thing we could think of. We want
to cut the canal and we are ready to-
do it; what is more, we are doing it.
We have kept 1,5O0 to 4 200 men con-
stantly employed in digging the canal,
and force of 5000 is now at work on
the ditch.
What has been accomplished? Much.
We have actually dug eighteen miles OF
the total of forty-six. OF these, vessels
are now navigating twelvei miles on the
Atlantic and six miles on the Pacific
side. The canals depth is % feet,
though in some places silt has made
bars that would have to be removed
and can be removed easily. Our COM
pany, which is the successor, by pur-
chase of the De Lesseps Company, has
in assets, reckoning as such the ma
chinery and accomplished work, at
least 100000. These assets have
been appraised at $95, 100000 We have
gone far enough to learn that the
Panama Canal is entirely practicable,
and is the shortest, cheapest and best
water route between the two oceans.
There We're formerly thought to be
two insuperable obstacles-the Chagres
River and the Culebra cut. Both OF
these difficulties have disappeared be-
fore engineering science. The Chagres
River. can be readily mastered, and the
cut through the Culebra Mountains,
which was once thought impracticabIe
because of the sliding earth that filed
the ditch as fast as it could be dug,
has turned out to be a comparatively
simple problem. 1t has been found that
there is a rock substratum through
which the canal may be cut, so that it
cannot be disturbed by sliding earth.
.tAn international technical commits
sion has recently examined the route. of
our canal, and will, I think, pronounce
it entirely feasible. On that commits
sion General II. l.. Abbott represented
the United States, and England and
Germany were represented by engi-
neers who had experience in digging the
great Manchester and Kie1 Canals
General Abbott has given his view in
several articles in the periodicals. He
calls attention to these two facts: The
Panama Canal would be forty-six miles
long and the Nicaragua Canal would be
176 miles, the Panama would cost
S1O0O00,0O0, while the Nicaragua
would cost $133 100000.
II may add to these facts given by
General Abbott the important one that
the Panama Canal can be completed in
less than half the time it would take
to cut the waterway across Nicaragua"
When asked about his object in going
to Washington, Mr. Hutin said:
1--WE want to know just what interest
the United States takes in the canal.
We are not trying to get the Govern
ment to buy us out but it is natural
that the United States, being most
deeply affected by the canal, will feel a
keen interest in it, and it is equally
natural that we should want to learn
just what the extent of that interest
may be-"
Mr.. Hutin will go to Washington In
a few days.