Gilpin observer., 1907-01-31
IsTHMUS CANAL
INTERESTING FACTS WEN BY
CHAIRMAN sHoNTs.
LARGER THAN FRENCH PLANS
Work Done by French Company Well
Worth the Price Paid for it-Won.
derfuI Sanitary Work Accom-
piished by Our Government.

| WoTtH tHe FTtCo FdIo TOT I-WOh.
derfuI Sanitary Work Accom-
piished by Our Government.
Chicago.-Theodore P. Shonts, chair
man of the Isthmian Canal Commits
| sion was the guest Of honor Saturday
at the banquet of the Commercial Club
of Chicago. The members of the club
intend, next month, to make an excur-
sion to the Isthmus, Cuba and Jamaica,
| and the discussion of the canal ques-
tion was prelimary to the expedi-
| ton.
Mr.. Shonts said of the work done by
the French on the Isthmus:
"The French were altogether about
twelve years on the Isthmus, about ten
years Of which were devoted to the
active work of construction. During
that period they spent over S250,000,-
100 and accomplished a total excava-
tion Of about 8S,OO0,OOO cubic yards. 1t
is generally believed that large por-
tion of this money was misappropri-
ated, and great deal Of it was squan-
dered undoubtedly in the purchase of
useless machinery. AS the greater part
of the excavation was for sea-level
canal, much of it will 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
material was SO deposited along the
proposed line of canal that it will have
| to be moved again in the present work,
because the canal we are constructing
will be more than twice the width OF
| that proposed by the French. Their
sea-level plan contemplated a canal
72 feet wide and 295 feet deep; their
subsequent lock plan was for canal
9S feet wide and 29.5 feet deep.
"The canal we are constructing will
width of 200 feet and a depth of As
feet. For two-thirds of it's entire
length 1t will have a width exceeding
500 feet. If the French had finished
either one of the canals contemplated
by them, it would now be so made
quate to the demands Of existing ship.
ping that it would be closed to navi.
CATION and be in process of re-construc-
ton into a canal of double width and
depth. AS the French left the great
cut, the distance across from the high
est point on each side was about 75O
feet. When our canal is completed
this distance will be about 1000 feet
The additional $50 feet must be taken
from the slopes on either side for their
entire distance, and whatever the
French placed there or elsewhere
| within the lines Of our canal prism
will have to be rehandled.
"The French had on the isthmus
| when they gave possession to the
Americans about 1000 buildings.
| mostly houses for the employees, some
excellent hospitals and some store
I houses and machine shops. Many OF
these buildings were capable of repair
| and have been put into service. They
left a vast quantity of machinery, all
of it twenty to twenty-five years out
of date and virtually worthless. Their
locomotives and rolling stock for the
railway, as well as the rails of the
! road, were also out Of date, too light
for modern use, and utilized only be
| cause NO others were available. They
had constructed only such docks and
wharves as were absolutely necessary
for the discharge of material and ma.
| chinery shipped from abroad and they
| had no terminal or switching yards on
the railway worthy of the name.
Aside from erecting fine hospitals
| they had done nothing for the preserv.
alton of health.
when the United States purchased
from the French company its rights,
privileges and property, it paid $40,
000,000 for them. This was not a poor
bargain, as is sometimes popularity
supposed. 1t was a reasonable esti.
! mate 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.
"Never in the history Of the world
has any government or any corpora.
tion made such comprehensive and ex.
haustive arrangements for the health
and comfort of it's common laborers
as has the government of the United
States on the isthmus, and nowhere
else on earth have the sanitary rules
been so rigidly enforced, with such sue.
cessful results"