The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-09
A STORY OF The CANAL
TOLD BY L. c. HAYNES, WHO HAS
JUST COMPLETED A TRIP
OF THE ISThMUS.

lengthy letter from his brother, l.. c.
Haynes. vice president of the East
st Louis & Suburban Railway COM
pany, who has recently looked over the
canal situation at the isthmus. His
observations are contained in this let
ter:
To tell all about the Isthumus, and
the history of the canal development
would take volumes, but some striking
features which impressed themselves
upon us may perhaps be new in some
respects to the rest of you. The his
tory of the canal development dates
back about 400 years, and for some
time it was common belief that some
of the streams emptying into either
the Pacific or Atlantic would be found
10 run practically across the 1sthumus
in such way that with widening and
deepening uscable ship canal could
be created. Years were devoted to ex-
ploration, which developed the falsity
of this belief. the facilities for inves-
tigation of such matters being ex-
tremely limited in those days. Fol
lowing the exploding of the theory of
Il natural canal, many years were GWEN
10 the study of the possibilities of an
artificial canal. and various eXpedi-
lions were sent out and surveys made,
but the task was beyond the reach
of engineering knowledge and appli-
ances of those days, and it was not
until about 100 years ago that the
first distinct effort was made to raise
money for the purpose and undertake
its prosecution.
In 1914 the Spanish government au-
thorized the construction of canal,
but before distinct progress could be
made in that direction lost its Central
American provinces by revolution
In 1896 Il canal concession was OBJ
tanned by Il party of Americans, but
was forfeited, and the effort given up
after several years of Intellectual at
tempts to raise money for prosecution
of the work
In 1888 the French government OBJ
tanned concession for railroads and
canal IN Panama, and spent several
years on surveys, the last report in
1913 recommending canal with Allan
tic terminals practically the same as
now, and Pacific terminals twelve miles
south of the present location the
plan of canal contemplating eighteen
locks on the Atlantic side and sixteen
on the Pacific side. with tunnel
through the range of mountains in
place of a cut. The cost of this canal
at that time was estimated at twenty
five million dollars, with an extra cost
of three millions if the tunnel should
be changed to "a cut. 1t was mpossi.
BILE to raise the money necessary, and
nothing definite came of this project.
Various other efforts were made by
foreign countries during the next fifty
years to elaborate some plan of canal
construction, and also during this
period our own government gave the
subject active attention, the first Inter-
Ocean Canal Commission being APP
pointed by congress in 1872, resulting
III report favorable to the Nicaragua
route a few years later
In 1881 james B. Eads secured a
charter for ship railway via the
lehuantepec route, contemplating the
loading of vessels Oh cars at tide locks
and transporting them l34 miles across
the lsthmus. His plan provided for
handling ships up to 1000 tons, and
was to cost fifty millions of dollars.
His death a few years later prevented
carrying out this scheme, which MANY
competent engineers have pronounced
entirely feasible.
a syndicate from France obtained
concession i'm 1878 from the Colum
ban government for the cutting of
canal from Colon to Panama, and a
few years later was inausurated the
spectacular, and supremacy disastrous
efforts of DeLesseps and his associ
ates to construct the canal The story
of this enterprise is saturated with
fraud, extravaganza and incompetency
resulting in total collapse in 1899,
when receivers were appointed for the
canal company after a wasteful expen-
dlture of approximately three hundred
millions of dollars, furnished by about
two hundred thousand subscribers.
chiefiy III France. DeLesseps himself
was seventyfour years old when he
started III on this work, was not bv
profession an engineer, but was poll
t'cian and promoter par excellence and
was at the zenith of his fame by
reason of his connection with the con
structIon of the Suez canal His first
eHofts to get money for the Panama
eahal were unsuccessful, but after on.
hstlng newspaper and legislative as
sistance, and wide dissemination Of
glowing promises of results, which in. J
ciuded as minimur profit of TWEEN |
ty per cent per year ON money in |
vested, the mine was touched off at |
the opportune moment and the first
Offering of sixty million dollars In |
stock over-subscribed two to one. All
that time his estimate of total cost
OF sea level canal was one hundred |
ana twenty million dollars, and com. |
Pietion promised in eight years
Practically all the work done by |
the French was on the basis of a |
sea level canal, resulting i'm consid- |
cradle extent of excavation, entirely |
wasted now that the lock canal has