The Portland daily press., 1899-01-18
PANAMA CANAL COMPANY.
Hearing Given Yesterday Before House
Commerce Committee.

Panama Canal company was given a
hearing today before the House commitsee
on commerce in reference to Its project
for an inter r-oceanic canal. The bearing
was In accordance with a recent deter
mination of the committee to hear all
persons concerned in an isthmisn canal,
including as well the Panama as the
Nicaragua projects.
In the opening statement Mr.. Cromwell
summed up the Panama project as fol-
lows AS nearly one-half of the work Of
excavation Is actually completed, the
| harbors at the terminal are natural. open
and free to entry by vessels OF the largest
draft. there Is an existing railroad parsl-
| lei to the canal, vastly expediting the
work of construction, and the concessions,
titles and solvency Of the company are
men with force of over one hundred and
| fifty engineers have been for four years
and are now, actually engaged on tine
canal work; the United States has by
treaty with Colombia entered into special
guarantees respecting a canal across ths
| Isthmus of Panama, and as all this work
has been done and will be completed
without the cost of q penny to the people
of the United States, we have "A right to
assume that the Panama canal Is u neces-
sity, II not the controlling factor in the
solution of the isthmian canal problem
MIR Cromwell stated that the treaty of
'i6 between the United States and
Colombia relating to the Panama water
way, was the first canal treaty, 1t ante
dated the Clayton Bulwer treaty by four
years and that treaty was, he said, sub
| ject to tho one which had pre- ceded 1t.
The Panama treaty assured neutral
canal for the warships and commerce of
the world. with special consideration for
the interests of the United States. He
particularly denied that the new company
was under the control of the French
government or was influenced by any
American railway interests. 1t was, he
| said, pretty private enterprise. The
| present filed assets of the company, he
| placed at over Sl0O, 900, 600.
| Governor Abb dealt with the engineer
ing status OF the Panama project. today
| He and MIR. Fetley, chief engineer of the
| CrotOn aqueduct; Messrs Koch and
| Fulscher of the kiel canal. and MIR. hun,
| ter, chief engineer of the Manchester ship
canal inspected the Panama canal. The
| conclusions Of this technical commission,
he said, had established the entire engi-
neering prncticability of the Panama
route. He regarded the route second to
none and in some respects better than any
| other.
General Abbott took up in detail the
manner in which the chief obstacles of
the Charges river and the Cordillers
mountains had been overcome. Under the
plan proposed ten years would be the
maxium time for completing the canal.
Already, he said, the canal was almost
one half done. General Abbott said that
the Panama route could be completed for
500, 900, 900. Before any canal was built,
the government ought to have an i'm
partial commission of engineers to ak
anime all routes. Chief Engineer Choron
followed with the details of the project.
sharp cross questioning by members of
the committee then began. Mr.. Stewart
wanted to know what the poor people OF
France had paid into the Panama Cana
company under De Lesseps and his soI
before It's collapse. The amount was
stated to be about $3.50. 900, ,00o.
"Uo you not expect to give back to
thes, poor people something for their vast
contributions" asked Mr.. Stewart.
1t was explained by several of the canal
representatives. present. that q per centage
of the surplus income would go to these
old con tributors. 'e
Chairman Hepburn and Mr.. Mann
pressed for a showing OF how money
would be raised to carry out the PROJECT.
Mir. Mann suggested that the only pur-
pose seems to be 10 head of the Nicaragus
canal, In reply to MIR. Stewart, MIR
Cromwell said the Panama enterprise
would be carried out without reference
to the Nicaragua route. MIR. Mann sought
TO shoA y IA series OF questions that the
company site, 200, 900 assets had cost ii
about SIS, 100. 900 and an agreement re
lating TO contingent profits.
Durins this inquiry, considerable
warmth Of feeling was shown on boti
sides. When the company's representative
expressed the fullest confidence in thu
building of the Panama canal, Mr.. Mann
rather mookingly asked II they had IAN!
more confidence than dc Lesseps.
| When the members of the committe,
asked il the company would give 4
guaranty of its ability to complete the
canal, Cromwell stated that an absolute
guaranty 10 good as IA United States bond
would be gwen if the company We're giveI
; { he assurance that action anbagonistic u
1t interests would not BE- taken
Many inquiries were made as to thu
purpose of The company in appearing be,
fore Congress whelner it WAS TO head oh
rival.
This was disavowed by the company I
representative. who said they werd
, making 10 campaign against the Nicara-
qua canal, and were confirming theli
, efforts TO showing that the Panama routs
was the best one a..d that 1t would o6
built through the new Panama company
I ...af nNh