Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-17
THE PANAMA CANAL.
Ready to Begin Work on the Big
Ditch with the New Year.
A Treaty with Colombia One OF the
Important Preliminaries Naval
Stations to Protect the Great
Waterway.

II is the expectation Of the President
that the deal for the purchase of the PAN
anna canal will have been concluded and the
check for $40 o.o0o paid over by January
l. 1903, saws "A Washington correspondent.
Owing to tho fact that Congress must APP
prove a treaty with Colombia before tho
transaction can be closed, there is no pos
sihility Of n spadoftil of dirt being turn Il
on the big ditch. under the direction of
orr government, before next year
There are enough prcliminarics to fully
occupy tho time between the present and
tho meeting of Congress- in December.
everything will he in shape to receive the
stamp of legislative approval and that I'M
l9"diatey thereafter actual operations
nay begin under American engineers.
Before leaving Washington last week
tho President started the ball rolling by
comforting with Attorney General Knox
and determining on the sending Of n COM
mission to Paris to review tho court rec
ords there relating to the operations of the
Panama Canal company and report on the
validity and clearness Of the title Of the
property which is offered to this govern
mont
1t is understood that tho man who will
have charge Of this important mission is
G. w. Russell special assistant attorney
general of the department of justice. Mr..
Russell was sent to Porto Rico by Pres-
don't Mckinley for the purpose of drafting
code Of civil laws for the island shortly
after 1t fell into our control. and his work
on that and other undertakings was OH
tircly satisfactory He is emnently fttci
for tho oXacting duty of porting over the
deeds. titles and other papers filed In tho
French court. the character of which will
determine whether or not the canal shall
he built Mt Panama or Nicaragua.
Tho attorneys and agents of the Panama
Canal company. who engineered the deal
in the United States. say that this eXaniin-
alton on the part of Russell will he a mere
matter Of form and will simply correspond
10 the searching of n title and the issuance
Of an abstract of the Same rs is done when
enc man buys house from another.
sullivan Cromwell. the chief attorney for
the canal company. says that Russell can
make out his report as soon he has time
10 run through the papers, and that the
closest scrutiny will fan to reveal any flaw
IN the title. Before the offer to sell to the
United States government was made
everything connected with the proposition
was put into husincsslike legal shape and
it is contended that this will be proved by
the findings of the Presidents commits
roner
During tho debate In the Senate Senator
Morgan and other anti-Panama men laid
great stress on the claim that there were
a Number of hondholders who had not
given their consent to the sale and that
II the United States accepted the proffer
they would become involved in endless lti-
cation with French holders of the old Sc
Curitios. One Of the attorneys for tho new
Panama company in referring TO this mat
ter, said.
"Al the holders Of the securities Of tho
cid company have pledged themselves as
consentng to the sale Of the property to
the United States When tho new com
9any was formed and bought out the old
corporation. the courts appointed two men.
Gautron and Jemarcue. to represent the
interests of the outside holders. There
has been no question rs to their right to
act for the hondhoders, and everything
they have done has been in accordance
With the French laws and under authority
of tho French courts.
"Theso men have filed In the courts their
written assent to the sale, under exactly
the same process as obtained here. IF the
sale is consummated and tho money is
turned over, It will 20 directly into the
hands Of the new company"
Another feature of the canal work will
10 carried on simultaneously with the In
vos'igation Of the French court records.
This will he done In Washington by Sec
rotary Hay and the Colombian minister,
Sonor Concha, and will consist in the for
mutation of treaty under which tho
and rights from Colombia for the building
cf the big canal. The preliminary draft
Of this treaty has already been drawn and
has been submitted to a number Of sena-
tors by Secretary Hay.
Tho Colombian government has shown
2 disposition to make all the concessions
demanded by Secretary Hay, so there is
reason to believe that the instrument can
eventually be so perfected that IL will he
acceptable to the most cxactinG senators.
In December it Is the expectation that
the treaty will have been completed in
such form that il can be submitted and
Immediately ratified. If the Colombian
government acts with corresponding speed,
tho diplomatic situation will have been ar
ranged by January, when the money can
he paid over, providing no fault is found
with the title to the property. Under
these circumstances 1t Is not unreasonable
10 look for digging operations to begin
soon after the Inauguration OF the new
year
The engineers estimate that eight or
nine years will be consumed in cutting
through the ~ mi. of sand and rocks that
separate the two oceans at the isthmus
American push, energy and ingenuity mai'
improve on this estimate by a couple Of
Noars, and II Is possible that a vessel may
20 through the cut within six years after
work begins The canal is not likely t. he
thoroughly completed, however short Of
= sea level canal instead of one utilizing
locks and dams would prolong the under.
taking another 10 years, and is generally
REGARDED as an improbabiltv.
1t is estimated that many as eight
different contracting parties have been In
Washington lately. for the purpose Of
getting information on which to base pro-
posals to help the government dig tho
Panama canal Many of the syrdicatcs
have sent agents to Panama to 70 over
the field and make up estimates of the
cost Of dredging
An investigation is now being made by
the navy department for the purpose of
determining nj what points on the isthmus
the United States shall establish naval sta
tons for the protection Of the water way.
Several islands In the bay of Panama
have been designated by Admiral Brad
ford, chief of the bureau Of equipment as
admirable sites for the defense of the
western approach. Almirante Bay Is look
cd upon as an advantageous spot
Coaing stations are to be located at
certain points on both sides of the 18TH
mus for use Of American warships, and
Admiral bradford is now collecting in
formation relative to the best harbors.
Years If suffering relieved In night
Itching piles Weld at once to the curative