Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-01-28


t,vy& Wy familiar with the country
end Wlta tho proposed route OF the
ta,sNi auG ,le work that has been done
on 1t by the French company.
In my opinion. there is no question
as t. the superiority of the Nicaragua
route over the Panama route, It Is in.
initeN preferable THAT part OF Ntc.
araEua Is 4 healthy land, where coffee
plantations are numerous and whore
the people can live in health and se,
cNrity. Where the Panama canal wtlf
he have already uied % tell You; ID
II perfect death trap, At Colon the
huEgards are 50 thick tte Interfere
With the people They wajN sedatclv
along tho street with the paSscrs, they
sit ON the fences, they perch ON tho
roofs nt the houses, and they are IN CIV
idSnce wherever the eye turns, People
are buried there 20 in 4 crave, and it
is n common practice for the family af
deceased person to rent u coffin and
take the dead one TO the cemetery m
il, aud when the funeral Is concluded
10 return the coffin 10 the undertaken.
Panama Is better than Colon in some
respects, Ii is pleasanter there when
the hrcc3es blow, and 1t Is perhaps a
little healthier At hoth places all the
stores close at II o'clock In the morn.
Ing and remain closed until in the
afternoon, while the inhabitants take
their Siosta No work Is ever done ,u
ghn hAlI1lA XAf tina Inv nhH tf Is ar
.all damp there Is none done during the
entire day, 70 return to the immo.
atate subject OF the canal, will say
that parts II It that are already com.
pleted could be made ready for use In
u short time and With little expense,
What is done was done in a mastery
manner There Ia nothing Shoddy
about Il; 1t is u standard construction
in every respect hut IL will require
at the lowest estimate 100000 900 -
reduce Culehra TO the level OF the sea
and cut a passage through It's base
am not an engineer but II is apparent
10 any sane observer that an enormous
amount OF money win be required tn
complete the task ST dlsastmusly I'm
dertakon by France,
And | want 10 say that there was
never such Belshagsar's feast soon
III the world as went ON ut the isthmus
during the Time work waa being car.
ried on there. II passes human belief
Why, ono could scarcely walk upon the
coast near Panama for the broken
| fragments Of champagne bottles
| thrown there by the reckless aud
spcudthritt officers who were supposed
70 be sohorly attending to their duttos
as superlnt1ndents OF the canal eaa
stmction For hundreds and hundreds
Of yards along the beach near the city
tho ground IL literally covered With
these evidences Of wastotulnoas ana
extravaganza And that was only Il
grain OF sand In tho desert, when All
their orgies are taken into eonsldotae
1 item, The very dredgeR that wore used
TO carry the dirt from the excavations
cut TO be dumped In tho sea were tittud
up with cabins ON the roofs aGt, U.l M
under sill,en awnings the officers oi
the company Eat and slipped tbens
| VINE ana enjoyed the hree2es w cont
Ipany with scarlet women especially Fm
ported from Paris for their pleasure
The putiing OF the dred9e engines waa
! mingled with the sound 0f morrimeut
and drunken laughter, and the invested
savings Of milton were being sauand
orod by recreant officers In such All
orgy rs was never known since the
frat man appeared In the garden or
Eden
] Colon to-day stands upon founda
ton composed In fair part Of the splen.
did machinery dumped over tho sides
Of steamers by these men, In order
Tint they might purchase more ana
make proilt ON II. Directors gonerai
were changed every three months and
white ! was there found out why. II
was done that all might have chance
/ 10 get rich.
i