The St. Louis Republic., 1902-05-25

| Senior Silva" said I. what will she get
that she would not nave on the Nicaragua
route?'
''She would have the difference between
something and nothing. All the advantages
are with the Panama route. 1t is the short
est route. the route with the fewest locks,
and the route that could be maintained at
the lowest cost. 1t is route that has been
tested by experiments and actual work.
The Nicaragua line is absolutely unde-
veoped Surveys have been made, but no
practical experiments have shown the pos
sible expense of construction. You know
of the railroad tunEe which they are now
making in New York. Before that tunnel
was dug all sorts of borings and expert
ments We're made and upon the basis of
these estimate was formed of its prob
able cost.
when the work vas done 1t was found
that the estimates We're Sl0.090010 below the
figures of the engineers. The railroad tun-
mel was very short. The Nicaragua canal
survey extends over many miles. 1t has
been made in an unknown country. andsyou
can't tell how far the figures of the en-
gineers will be from the actual cost. They
can figure to what they can see, but
they cannot calculate all the difficulties that
may come up.
.'On the Panama canal work has been
done along the whole line. A great part Of
have been actually cut down. Already two
fifths of the canal have been completed,
and you can figure out the cost of the re-
mainder almost to cent. A large force
has been at work for the last five years
and hundreds of men are there working to-
day. The property is in a good working con-
dition. One set of managers can easily step
out and another begin their labor on few
weeks notice.
INna,o1,
at Panama.
"But does the work of the French amount
to much your Excellency?' 1 asked.
"I think it does" replied Senior Silva.
"Those who have not been over the line of
the ,anal do not appreciate its value When
the canal started an enormous amount
of preliminary work had to be done before
the real operations could commence. Houses
had to be built for the officials and work
men. There was TO timber to speak of. and
the most of the lumber was brought from
the United States. Some of the houses
were finished in the United States and sent
in pieces TO Panama and there put together.
Hospitals had to be erected, and you find
these now at both ends of the line. \ city
grew up at Colon ard that at Panama in
creased in size, so that to-day you have
houses hospitals offices and cities with
which 20 do your work
you have also the Panama Railroad.
ready to transport materials and to lay
them down along the line of the canal This
road is well equipped and running. 1t was
constructed in the early ifties, when the
present sanitary arrangements had not
been made. and 1t consequently cost an
enormous loss of life A similar road will
have to be built along the line of the Mica
ragua Canal If you choose that route, and It
will cost many lives to construct 1t. The
Panama road and canal have led to settle
ments along the line and the excavations
have aided in draining the lowlands 50 that
the country there is healthful to-day. We
have had no yellow fever to speak of for
some years. and feel safe in saying that
there is now no danger to the health Of
Americans at Panama
But suppose We buy the canal. senor, can
you supply the labor needed to complete
it?"