The Raymer enterprise., 1913-08-21

OF the centuries has been realized"
Everyone who writes OF the Panama
canal feels bound to use that phrase,
and though 1t is trite, 1t is no less
true.
Possibly when Balboa first stood on
the Peak OF .Darien" and gazed en-.
tranced at the waters OF what he called
the Southern sea the thought OF cut.
ting through the isthmus came to him.
Certainly, within three years after his
great discovery or In 1916, he had
transported two ships. in pieces, across
from the Atlantic to the Pacific and
there put them together.
It could not have been very much
later that the idea OF an isthmian
canal was born, for during the reign
OF Philip II. OF Spain l1556.l59S) the
lnquisiton declared that any such pro-
ject to alter the face Of the earth was
impious, and the Spanish ruler forbade
its further discussion. The ban OF the
church was effective for some time.
but In 1899 Scotchman OF the name
OF Patterson revived the scheme. es.
tablished colony on the shores OF
the isthmus and even made crude
survey OF the proposed route. Gale
donian bay, on the north shore OF Pan.
anna, alone preserves the memory OF
that attempt. French scientists In
1rgE ,dynootnd n Ntca ra gua canal nfty
years later the Spanish government or.
dered a survey OF the Darien route,
and early in the nineteeth century Won
Humboldt declared canal was prac.
ticable. In 1925. Immediately after
Latin America had freed itself from
Spain, the Central American and
United States Atlantic and Pacific Ca.
nal company was organized, and one
OF the directors of the concern with
the high.sounding name was Dewitt
Clinton. Various schemes were start
ed and fell through. and in 1885 the
United States senate voted for the
building OF a Nicaragua canal. An OK.
pedition was sent to that country and
reported that the canal could be con.
structed at cost OF s25. 100000.
After the Ciyal war there was much
negotiating by our government for a
canal concession. but when the Mica.
ragua route seemed TO be the favorite
the Bogota government became impa-
tient and gave the concession for a
Panama canal 10 Lucien Napoleon
Bonaparte Wyse, a French lieutenant.
He made some maps and organized a
company which sold out TO the fnan.
cIers with whom Ferdinand de Lesseps
had associated himself.
Albert Edwards In his admirable
book on Panama thus describes the
beginning OF the tragedy OF de Les.
seps and his company:
THE digging OF the Suez canal was
the accomplishment OF h!s life. All
his yigor and energy had gone into 1t.
He came back TO Paris literally carried
on the shoulders OF his nation. The
government made him 'comte' and
the people called him lie grand Fran.
cais.' But he fell among thieves. The
old man tumbled blindly into the trap
OF spectators, who foresaw a rich har.
vest In the drawing together OF his
great name and the shady concession
OF Lieutenant Wyse. They set the
stage by summoning the scientists OF
tho world to a great congress TO die.
cuss an AtlantiC.pacihc canal. Al.
though II waB called scientific con
grcss. most OF It's 1876 members were
spectators and politicians. Only forty
two were engineers or geographers.
They elected Count de Lesseps, rail.
roaded through resolution that the
Panama route was the only practicable
one, and formed the Universal Inter.
oceanic Canal company by buying the
Wyse concession for 100000 francs,
before the bona fde members OF the
congress knew what had happened and
In the face OF much protest. There
can be littlc doubt that the congress
was packed like a ward caucus, but
there is no evidence that de Lesseps
realized that 1t was.
"The company was launched with
many banIuets. horid speeches by lie
grand Francais and champagne with.
out end And all the time those who
were on the inside were playing the
market from both ends, sending the
stocks tumbling down the steps OF the
bourse on a manufactured report that
the United States was again waving
the Monroe Doctrine, shooting them
up again with mlspuotation from the
presidents message TO the eiiec, that
wc were enthusiastic In favor Of the
French enterprise. A sorricr eyhIbl.
ton OF couiclcncelcss finance has sci.
dom been seem
Old dc Lesseps, however. was in
earnest He sent over engineers who
discovered that Wyse's maps were in.
accurate and that yellow fever was
deadly. Then In December, 1879, the
count himself, with his wife and three
children, arrived from France. After
receptions and speech.making In Colon
he crossed to Panama, and there, on
January |. 1880, the formai opening OF
tho canal was performed with elab