Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-06-03

road across it, similar to that of the
Spaniards already in operation. The
expedition was, indeed, howling sue
cess. The party suffered greatly from
fosquito bites around the knees, and all
got down with ehills and fever. so thai
between chattering teeth and rich
Scotch dialect it was almost impossible
TO understand any OF them trying to
describe their symptoms during The
morning chill period. on top of all
this trouble they were attacked by the
Spaniards, whose sense of humoF they
could not understand at all and such
persons as were left of the expedition
finally packed up and went back to
Scotland, where their circle of friends
was much larger
In 1874 Il general revolution occurred
which took all the isthmian territory
away from Spain. Revolving is, after
all nothing more than a fad but in
this case it grew to be a fixed habit
which has not been overcome to this
day.
Just as soon as the little Central
American republics sprang up they rec
ognzed the possibility of canal as a
tremendous financial asset. and began
to display their separate superior adj
vantages as canal sites and decker with
the big Powers and Individuals for the
sale of rights. Nicaragua had a route
and Mexico another. In 1926 Aaron II
Palmer, of New York, secured rights,
and was going to put through the
whole Panama deal to completion for
s5ooo,0oo Very lucky for his pocket
Il Sfa tod
In the same year the English sent John
Rally to look over the project, but
Aaron got ahead of him.
Soon after this the French became
intensely interested and Ferdinand de
Lesseps undertook the task of forming
4 canal company. He made lengthy ges-
tieular speeches, making tours at home
and abroad, and finally created so much
excitement that work actually started
on the canal under French control in
the year 1881. The first thing done was
To install plenty of cafes, dance halls
and Paris Latin quarters on the canal
site to keep the digging proposition
from becoming too monotonous. Work.
ing hours Were from 10 A. NJ. until 2
p. NJ. with two hours off for lunch.
The company dissolved after spending
800 900. 600. One-third was spent on
the canal, one-third wasted and one
third stolen. How a present-day fin
ancier would hold up his hands in COM
mereiaI horror at not spending one
third on the canal and stealing two
thirds, instead of wasting any at ALL
He might consider that spent on the
canal az wasted, too.
After this the United States plainly
saw that if the canal was to be built it
would have to be pushed by American
enterprise and energy. Years of dick
erng followed with the Republic of Co.
lombia and the wilted French company
but at last, after the expenditure of
much moneys and loads of diplomacy,
seasoned with a little forceful persua-
sion, in the form of a carefully pre-
pared revolution and a new republic
that of Panama, all rights We're secured
and real work commenced in 1904.
Instead of establishing dance halls
and beer gardens, the Government took
mp sanitary measures, and by system
of sewerage and good drainage, santa
ny buildings and excellent medical
headquarters. made it quite a nice place
to work in, and robbed it altogether of