The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-09-01

cost fortune are now so rotten that they
I are useless
Along the shore are over 600 iron car
wheels lying ia the mud where they we're
placed when landed from English ships in
Jas. and close az hand are the now rust
ID and worthless parts Of steam engines
and locomotive A dozen years ago they
and Tie car wheels were ordered BY some
contractor for "a on the canal and were
never taken any nearer the canal than Co
Ion harbor. The contractors who grew
enormously rich IN "a few years from their
contracts with the old Panama Canal
Company sold millions OF dollars worth
of machinery that coull never be used.
Why. the shovel contract alone 10 a
Sheffield England syndicate made over
$4,000 clear profit each for several men
in one year. IN the work yards and in
the abandoned shops Of the old canay COM
pany one may sec dozen OF powerful loco
motives. once costing over $1,000 each. nov
rustcd and useless. a mile OF construction
or gravel cars huge derricks. GO feet high.
and steel cranes drums and stacks %
paris OF machinery lying everywhere In
stupcndous but disheartening array.
In the interior Of the isthmus. along the
route OF the canal, every mile Is the same
scene OF rotting. disintcgratlng. rusting
material II seems incredible. but from
Colon 20 Panama City there are at least
~ miles Of steel rails lying In the soft
earth and among the rank vegetation.
These rails were not only used IN the con-
sfruction of a main track and tangle Of
sidings and spurs. for the carrying OF sup
plies and material 10 the 5000 men once
employed on the canal but they were
bought in far greater quantities than were
needed. Steel rails from England are
piled a yard high 81 some spots just as
aN "a Panama
collapse came. Near Caliente station
there are eleven great scoops. seven cranes
Quilt in EnlgnndD. two Belgian derricks
and spools OF over half a mile OF the fin
est steel cables. all sinking deeper and
deeper In the soft yielding earth. None OF
those has ever been used. and to-day this
property which cost the French fully
$40 0o0 IS practically worthless. one great
cause OF the financial disaster which bore
De Lesseps 10 his grave caused France 20
how her head IN shame. and scattered dis
tress ia thousands OF homes. was that
there was too much plant-more machtn-
cry than could be used.
No. have little faith in the future OF
the Panama canal Personally, ! believe
the great ditch can never be finished for
less than $500 ono.000 more. No one can have
an adequate idea until he has seen IL
thoroughly what a stupendous problem the
I
gres the eating away OF the Culebra
mountain lover l. 500 feet high and the
checking OF inflow Of mud into the arti-
hcial harboc where the western mouth Of
the canal is Ia be. No engineer down there
believes that Il will ever be finished. NJ.
Mango has never talked heartily 20 me on
the subject OF finishing the canal work.
and ] see that the men in charge Of the
work wonder what day they will have or
ders from Paris 20 quit work. For six
months IL has seemed to me. the work on
the canal had progressed with two things
ten view-one 10 have the Colombian gov
crnment assured that the concession was
being kept In god faith and the other To
show the cOmpauy's inspectors and exam
liners from Paris that the money was be
Ing economically and wisely spent Ia the
canal construction. Not one Of the en-
gineers on the canal ever spoke 10 me san
guinely OF the tine when the waterway
would be open. a few shrugged their
shoulders ana looked pictures of ignorance
whenever ! asked them n they believer
the Panama canal would cevr be opened
for use.