Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-01-28
Description of the lSthmas.
Old Frenlh Days Re Called,


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Atlanta Constitution My first i'm
preston upon landiug at Colon was
that IL had stood upon ttptoe could
see the Pacific ocean, The lSthmuS i
only a. miles wide between Colon and
Panama, aud to- one STANDING at either
place ii almost seems that the heatlng
OF the surf ON the other shore is audi,
BILE. The next feeling that came over
me was one of wonder that nation
like the United States had for So LONG
allowed the isthman canal to remain
uncut while the trade OF continent
lauguished for the lack Of such a water.
way 10 reach the teeming millions OF
the Orient" In this manner began
w T. Christian. assistant general pas
railway, when asked recently 10 give
his Impressions Of the country and the
causes that are now the center OF i'll.
tercSt of the world Panama and the
canal In 1898 Mr Christian went to
the sthmus as staff representative of
the New York Press, and his letters
written from that place were syuG
Gated and published in the new spapers
aud other periodicals., In proseeutinG
his work on the isthmus, MIR Christian
spent six weeks ON the scene, GOVERNS
the entire terri tory embraced III the
, operations Of the French canal eom
rauy and he probably knows moro
about the land and the subject now be
! fore the American people than amy
man now residing in this country MIR
| Christian consented to tell the results
Of his observations in the land of the
| insect and the fever. and the ntorma.
ton furnished by him is here given ia
mo public
nm give YOU a description of pana-
ma as it was, as ii is and as it can I've,
said MIR. Christian When went
there in 1898 the great bubble in which
the Frenchmen had invested their mil.
lions had burst and all those who had
robbed the company were gone Only
a few decrepit caretakers remained
where the thousands OF laborers had
been busy at their tasks-only these
and the whitening bones OF those who
had persisted on the feverhauntea
marshes of tho most terrible land on
J the globe. Standing in ghOstly silence.
decaying from the moist winds that
blow continually during certain hours
OF the day, were the splendid palaces
built by the French officers who came
over to build the canal Among these
Lesseps. the engineer who designed
the canal All of them We're falling 20
pieces, and neglect showed on all
sides. | had access to the books of the
company through the courtesy of M
De Sosa. one of the engineers Of the
canal and from these books | discov
cred exactly what had been expended
both on the canal and on the houses
and other cXtraNagances of tho officers
Some of those residences were The big
gest swndles ever pcrpetrated on any
people The house occupied by DC
Lesseps could have been built fof
$4,000, but it was placed on the books
Of the company al a cost Of $4,000
A few onestory buildings, called hos
pitfalls, all of which could have been
erected for 10000. were charged NJ
at 100000 The total amount On
pended on the isthmus, as figured hy
me from the company's private books
was s266000,00O With this great sum
the canal was cut for a distance II eX
actly 20 miles + miles on one side
the isthmus and nine on the other
Twenty,seven mics remain to be cut
and the part remaining Is the hardest
Of all, for il requires that mountains be
moved--the kind Of mountains that re-
cure money as well as faith to move
them
Directly in the path of the survey