Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-17
Hearing Before the House Commit
tee on Commerce.
RIVAL TO NICARAGUA PROJECT
Work That Has Been Done or
the Undertaking.
ATTY PROV SION S

The new Panama Canal Company was
given a hearing today before the House
| committee on commerce, in reference to its
project for an interoceanic canal The
hearing was in accordance with a recent
determination of the committee to hear all
persons concerned in an isthmian canal,
| including the Panama well as the Mica
ragua projects. The Panama delegation
| included Gen. Henry L. Abbott, United
States Corps of Engineers. retired Louis
Choron, chief engineer of the company; X.
Bayard, commercial representative, and
Messrs. Cromwell Curtis and Brown, as
well as a number of technical experts of
the company. Prof. Haupt of the Mica
| ragua canal commission also was present.
Work Already Accomplished.
In the opening statement Mr.. Cromwell
summed up the Panama project as follows:
LAS nearly one-half of the work of excava-
ton is actually completed, the harbors at
the termini are natural, open and free to
entry by vessels of the largest draft; there
is an existing railroad parallel to the ca
nal and vastly expediting the work of con-
Structfon; the concessions, titles and solv-
ency of the company are unquestionable.
Over 5000 men, with a force of over $50
engineers, have been for four years and
are now actually engaged on the canal
work; the United States had by treaty
with Colombia entered into special guaran-
ties respecting a canal across the isthmus
or Panama, and as all this work has been
done and will be completed without the
cost of penny to the people of the United
states, we have right to assume that
the Panama canal is a necessary, IL not
the controlling factor in the solution of
the lSthmlan canal problem.
Not n Railway Measure.
Mr.. Cromwell stated that the treaty of
'46 between the United States and Colombia
relating to the Panama waterway was the
first canal treaty. 1t antedated the Clay
ton-Bulwer treaty by four years, and that
treaty was, he said, subject to the one
which had preceded it. The Panama treaty
assured a neutral canal for the warships
and commerce of the world, with special
considerations for the interests OF the
United States. He particularly denied tina [
the new company was under the control of
the french government or was Influenced
by any American railway interests. it was,
he said a purely private enterprise.
In closing he stated positively that the
company was not applying to any govern
ment for money, and, in particular, it was
not seeking any financial assistance from
the United Sta tes although being conducted
under an American treaty the company
placed its work subject to the full inSpec-
ton of the United States authorities.
The magnitude of the work, Mr.. Crom-
well said, was shown in the actual en-
ployment of 1I5 civil engineers and from
5000 to 1000 men on construction work
an outlay by the old company of Sl56,8a,
900, which work was valued now at $50
100000; besides an outlay of about 81, 200
900 by the new company. The present
fixed assets of the company he placed at
over S1OO,00O,0O0.
Engineering Status of the Work.
General Abbott dealt with the engineer
ing status of the Panama project today.
Mr.. Fteley, chief engineer of the Croton
aqueduct; Messrs. Koch and Fulscher of
the Kiel canal. and Mr.. Hunter, chief en-
gineer of the Manchester ship canal, had
Inspected the Panama canal. The conclus-
ions of this technical commission, he said
had established the entire engineering
practicability 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
Chagres river and the Cordilleras noun
tainS had been overcome. Under the plan
proposed ten years would be the maximum
time for completing the canal. Already,
he said. the canal was almost one-half
done as 5O,0o000o cubic yards of excava-
ton already had been made and Co 0oO, 900
cubic yards remained.
Tomorrow the committee will hear repre-
SentatlVeS of the Grace-Cragin syndicate
and Thursday representatives of the Mari
time Canal Company.