Show THE T fE MANY VICISSITUDES CiSS T DES 1 OF THE PANAMA CANAL I Uil project of ot connecting the tho waters of ot tilt this Atlantic and THIS T Pacific oceans O eana hud had Us Its Inception 1111 I Ion tion In tn the Ih early years year ot of American AmerIca it history Columbus nought on the Isthmus a PM i of ot he lied bad 11 heard bea vecue r ft pOrts port t Balboa Balbo first t of or all alt European Furo ans MW Is w the l ParlOr r from a II i vak In i add CerIse Cort had hod a II canal In mind when hen heum H It made Ills hll hI explorations southward teem from lt mt Mexico The Tile mouth of the Clun ha attracted most mOlt ot of theta them M as offering entrance to the thu Ih narrowest cut liON tto tb Isthmus end and this rIver r route rout was 1 examined more than MO 00 years ao aa f Centuries however before thu tho flIt fIrst survey was ns made by b General vr fir r of f New Granada who declared the rte route feasible ten for a c During the tho then 1 n next fid J various routes were tire Will WillI t I rill by W 11 of our govern merit and Uio French made malle a II report ns its early RH a t U 81 suggesting among other novel features n a tunnel 10 feet teet high antI ItO bum lit Ill IS un I American engineers made an anUlli Ulli survey and am recommended a II canal With locks loeks from Colon olon to Pana Panama ma at estimated an cost of or front from OW to t according to the Chi sum mit level adopted It H was WaR In 1 that the tIme project eL assumed RII tangible aha shape PC when Count Ferdinand do Ill Je who vho hued had ucc projected and i completed the time Suez Bun canal proposed HH an n International congress to determine del upon upen nn au canal ean between th the LheA I Atlantic A and anI tho tIme Pacific this Thin M j met III in Pasta Paris in lit Ma of that I y year ur J and amid at atIta u l lIe its Ita Ie adjournment the th THi oc oceanIc ano com under a II t froth from t om the government fir of was WI Immediately I ell III in Franci I Ifor for constructing the Panama canal anal i At this point It may Ina be said the Iho na riot began n to be ha for f Or r though D Di De La p found fouM n nn trou j I bl his bit lu in raising the first mm loin uM lulled for I made mad the ha of ot ar at the estimated post cost of Or con n from rO to 10 Im tal I 40 eu anti and nIl beginning whit capital pUal starting Slim InK oft off with wit ro OO time the th to tu rl te S Sper per cent Interest from time tIlt date 1111 If nf of n sub ut th lie canal ovid handicap handicapped ped Itself with an obligation as v nt wm anon 1 It u could 1111 fulfill In 1552 loan of ot otsa sa was tailed altO IU I foi tor this Ihl Urn tim at a to of ot li U per Pf cent nl und anti un the next year eRf It we Will found necessary ary to Issue of at 3 per cents cent nt lit moro more titan than 40 per cent cInt In mi 1881 still sUII another er or issue lisue of or stock amounting to Ini of 4 1 per er cents centa at lit 33 per cent cont dim dis discount count was wan Hosted and end III In 1 Do Dt L IA s cepa obtained permission from the Fi F French n I to Issue of ur lottery loiter bonds bond to 10 his great nt sl l nu nw This p iti iJ wail waa 18 with Ii I u II upon the tho adverse report rc of ot engl engi IWI sent lent out omit to investigate but the Che IH year e r the ChI indefatigable promoter Kit ol hl his hili scheme chemo through end and raised rained S1 to I MI on nominal of ot pp p i tp Vp to 10 the Che yar y r rU miss U 8 the company secured In its ilK loans loan a total ot or S un on nominal obligations as III stated at a t the time time lime of ot It had not completed quits quite the time actual distance across Isthmus and nd that tl was the least difficult portion At that lint time tinte It fl WAS waa estimated that tho the company complY had paid at aC least 75 tom for every Iry dollar It II had received and was teas lub it t to nn an Interest drain of ot nearly per par r annum Work York was val suspended In 1589 owing to charges of ot extravagance nce if it not of mis misappropriation appropriation ap O end and nd a II government ine was waa ordered Thrown into Inlo he I hands of or a Il receiver and a Il legal examination nation Instituted at the time Instigation of or stockholders the time Panama canal cona I com coin company company pany puny tyas 11 the tho subject of a n scandal lal the tho like II II of ot which has tins perhaps never been beon beono o Nearly all the tho poorer people of Franco France had contributed to swell the time resources of De Do Lesseps ale A great gr nt compa company ny fly and the tho country was shaken to Its It center Defaulters and blackmailers were pointed out on every side aille suicides lel lelot of ot accused or suspected persons be bo became came frequent and a B ministerial crisis occurred Ono lime prominent man mOI was ac nc accused I of having received franca francato to boom time tho canal and pay for Ing Imig and tint all the time evidence adduced went i to Co show that In time the effort to influence I legislation money lone was tt poured out like t water In lit 1898 ISO tho time French government pro mit l DC Je and other ether om ofil I rUH of or the company compan for bribery and fraudulent dealing and sentences of Im Imprisonment imprisonment i were weN passed l though In D Do De DeI I tp case this was not carried out outA outA outA A new lIe company with a II capital of oC all nil paid 1 In was Wall formed to complete the lie canal In 1891 1194 It began op operations orations ora lions as au De Deo Lesseps le eps should have commenced his ide by a careful caroM preliminary nary study tudy of the Che engineering features feature with surveys anti and borings to 10 determine exactly the nature of at the soil find and rock to be encountered At the outset De Do DeL L Idea Ida of or a I sea 1100 level canal was ns abandoned and the lie present lre nt plan Illan ton lOn contemplating a I look lock system adopted The Investigation conducted conduct d by ISO engi engl engineers neer and aud their assistants occupied i four tour years and cost coat more mare than i Thon Timon hon nt at the tue request of ot tho lie company nn an International technical commission composed of or ten eminent engineers from rota tho the United States Great Britain Germany German Hussla and France was ap up appointed pointed This commission spent two years In Its examinations mind finally In 1898 unanimously Indorsed Indor etI tho the previous plans and estimates of cost coat At that time lime It was wait declared that hunt tho time canal was tas but completed that tho the cost to complete It allowing 20 per cent for contingencies would be and that t tho the time necessary nry for tor time tile work would be from tram eight to ten years De Do hod declared that time the I Panama canal would bo be easier to con construct conI construct I truet than Chan Suez Suu z hud had been but that i this was Willi erroneous has hns been amply i i proved the rho physical obstacles were ut itt 11 I first simply awful Tho The Culebra range of or mountains near the time center renter of oC the II route roule the unruly t river Iver the time tar tor torrential tropical floods l of ot the rainy sea sel season t son lion anti and the terrible con contributed contributed to the lie Increase of ot the ChI engineer ing Ine difficulties Thousands of lives ilves were sacrificed during the reign of or extravagance gance and tho the mortality among the workmen was Wal appalling even een the well ell ellI seasoned negroes from tram the adjacent I country and Jamaica falling Coiling victims to I disease Every on the tho railroad Is I said saM to have represented A Aj j I life lito tot for throughout the ito Isthmus the time clU cli climate i mate of time the lowlands Is Ia Inimical to health Still with Increased care of or tho the workmen and modern sanitary appliances ances Its Ita deadly effects may be mill millI I I gated as na shown by the tho experience of ot tho the American contractors under the time old regime These lh so facts foote may be of Interest now non that tho tito Isthmian canal commis commissioners si have reported rc favorably upon the time Panama route rOUlo anti it has been Leen sub lub milled to congress for tor further notion action JAMES T 1 |