Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-07-27
By WILLIAM R. SCOTT

The French were theatrical In their
plans for launching the enterprise. a
world congress Of engineers was in
vited to assemble In Paris in May.
1879. to decide upon the typeNand cost
of the canal. NJ. de Lesseps presided
and guided the decision to sea level
type the same as at Suez There were
eleven Americans In the assembly, the
extent of American interest. v.s
Under the stimulus Of these proceed
ings the new company's stock was
orersubscribed by the admiring coun-
trymPn of the great De Lesseps. the
first issue being for $ti0.000.000 NJ.
de Lesseps then made spectacular
trip to Panama. arriving at Colon on
Dec 80. 1879.
The first blast OF an explosive In the
construction of the istbmian canal was
set of by one Of the young daughters
Of M de Lesseps at Culebra on ian.
10. $780, After several weeks of ban
quoting Count de Lesseps left for the
United States to stir the imagination
of the Americans over the enterprise.
About the only result was to attract
the attention of some contractors to
the work.
Operations went ahead rapidly from
1880 onward. the method being TO let
contracts for the different phases Of
the work. The canal started near CO.
Ion. in Iimon bay, and was to follow
the valley Of the Chagres river for
about thirty miles. thence through the
continental divide to the Pacific. three
miles west of Panama, about where
the canal begins.
BY 1885, however. extravaganza and
graft had emptied the conipany's
treasury. The contractors. as rule.
did little and ex;icted much. 1t be-
came apparent. too. that a sea level
type presented staggering difficulties.
NJ. de LesSeps gave his consent to a
change In plans to Il lock type. but the
dam was to be at Bohio instead of at
Gatun Bohio is seventeen miles from
the Caribbean, while tiatun is only
seven miles distant from that sea.
All the theatrical methods conceiya-
BILE were employed to float new bond
issue for $160OO0.000. but the public
had grown dubious over the success Of
the enterprise The amount was rails
ed. however. and was poured into the
project with more millions until 1889.
when. after 1894. 1901 had been in
vested. the company becanle bankrupt.
The French treated their white en-
ployees with extravagant generosity.
Living accommodations were on a
scale of open handed libcrality. Little
was done beyond building hospitals to
conquer the, bad health conditions OF
the isthmus, and. while the French
left patterns for much of the later
American activities. the sanitary con-
troll of the jungle distinctiyely Is m
American triumph. The death rate
among French employees on the canal
was from two to three times as high
as under the Americans.
In 1900 an extension Of ten years to
the time for completing the canal was
granted by Colombia. and subsequent
~ extensions were permitted that ad-
vanced the life of the concession until
Oct. 81. 1870 A new Panama Canal
company was organized in 1884, with
a capital of S13.0O0.O00. and. while it
spent this amount and more. it never
attained the momentum of the first
company. The ma ximum force under
the first company was 1900 men and
under the second regime 5000.
The total excavation by the. French
in Panama was 100000 yards. of
which the first company took out Co.
100000 yards, but out of all their work
only 29.90SO00 yards were excavated
from the present American route. For
years before the Americans came the
French did just enough work to, keep
their concession alive. .....,-.
The mechanical equipment we took
over from the French the houses and
hospitals and especially the engineer
ing records were Invaluable from the
start of American operations. and
much still Is In use. =
An effort was made by the French
company In 1898 to interest the United
States government al Tie enterprise
provided permission could be secured
from Colombia But this failed. and
the plan of 1908 for turning the prop
erty over to the United States was its
successor.