Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-01-31
FRENCH PROMOTERS SPENT
$3.50 ooo, 900 ON THE WORK.
SAYS CHAIRMAN SHONTS
Great Part of Former Work Perman.
ent in Character-Added Stimulus
to Industry Already Has vast IN
fluence-Much in Store for Future
Conditions Improving.

fore the Commercial club Saturday,
Chairman Theodore r. Shonts OF the
listnmian canal commission reviewed
the history of the work hereloIore AT
tempted on the lstnmus oy the French
and concluded with statement or
the conditions as they are today. He
told of the twelve years of French Ell
fort and how during that period they
spent over $250000,0Os and accom-
plished a total excavation of about
$4,000, 900 cubic yards. A. is gener-
ally believed that large portion OF
this money was Incorporated, ana
a great deal of it was squandered uit
doubtedly in the purchase o. useless
machinery. As the greater part OF
the excavation was for sea-level
canal, much of 1t win be of no value
in the construction of lock canal.
Roughly speaking, however it may
be said that one-half the excavation
was in the backbone Of the divide and
was useful work. A substantial part
of the excavated materia, was SO uss-
posed along the proposed line of ca
nal that it will have to be moved
again in the present work, because
the canal we are constructing VIII ne
|, more than twice the width of that
, proposed by the french. Their sea-
level plan contemplated a canal 70
feet wide and 1915 feet deep; their
| To- ,,la FOR ol
SO feet wide and 295 feet ueep.
The canal we are constructing will
have through the great cut a bottom
! width OF 1000 weet and a depth of 45
: feet For two-thirds of It's entire
length it will have width exceeding
} 500 feet. II the French had finished
either one of the canals contemplated
by them, 1t would now be SO made
! quate to The demands OF Casting
: shipping that ii would closed to navi-
r cation and be in process OF recon.
+ struction into canal of uoupIe wluth
and depth. AS the French left the
, great cut, the distance across from
! the highest point on each side was
about $50 feet. When our canal Is
Z completed this distance will be about
l 600 feet The additional $50 feet
must be taken from the slopes on
J either side for their entire distance,
: and whatever the French placed there
: or elswhere within the lines OF our
} canal prism will have to be rehanu-
led.
Reviewing the French equipment
which he declared to be now wholly
useless Chairman Shonts told of the
purchase by the United States from
the French company its rights, priv.
leges and property, 1t PAID The sum Of
$80O0O000 for them. This was not a
poor bargain. as is sometimes popu.
larry supposed 1t was reasonable
estimate of the value OF the property
OF the Panama canal company. The
offer to sell at that price came from
the French company itself, and was
not suggested by any official of the
United States Following were the
items that made up the purchase.
!. Excavation done by rrench com
panies, valued at s27.5O0,oO0.
2. Panama railroad, nearly all the
stock Of which was owned by the
French company, and valued at SC :
$4,000.
3. Maps, drawings and records.
valued at $2,OOO,0OO
4. Buildings. storehouses. hospitals,
land equipment and everything OF
that nature. valued at $4,000,000.
Such was the situation when the
Americans came into possession.
From that beginning the wvrR mas
been organized upon q practical com.
mon sense basis and the work mas
progressed as rapidly as one OF such
vastness would permit
Speaking Of the sanitary conditions
Mr.. Shonts said "Inasmuch as soma
of you gentlemen are contemplating
making an early trip to the Isthmus.
beg leave to say that personally /
have no more uneasiness about going
down there than have about going to
/, many other parts OF ,he United
States As an evidence OF my good
, faith. will say that | have taken my
family there for visit Of several
weeks during the close of the rainy
season. They had thoroughly good
time while there. and returned TO this
climate without experiencing the
least injurious effect Never in the
history Of the world has any govern
ment or any corporation made such
comprehensive and exhaustive ar
rangements for the health and com
fort Of its common laborers as has
the government OF the United State'
on the Isthmus. and nowhere else or
. earth have the sanitary rules been *
: rigldly enforced, with such successfn
Q results
Of the features OF the work that 81
ready effect the Uniteu States CHAIR
:, man Shonts referred TO the adde,
stimulus to trade caused by the pur