THE PANAMA CANAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1948, 19 September 1888, Page 3

THE PANAMA CANAL

Dr Wolfred Nolson, who recently vlalte^ the Iftthmus of Panama, waa interviewed at Washington tenoning work on the Ctnal. Be reported a deplorable and discouraging condition of affairs. Tho statement of M. Da Le&seps that the canal will be opened m 1890 la treated w'th open ridicule b; tbe contractors In tho mountains at Oalebra. On the forty-fool excavator they ara moving it to out at tho rate of 18 Inohee per month, and to reach tbe level of tho lock of the oonal they must go down another 180 ft. The wholo enterprise, according to Nelson, is a botoh from beginning to end, having a samod the shapn of a pieoa of unblushing jobbery, colossal m its proportion*). Two of the largest contractor b lately stopped work, as tho Oenal Company had no money for them, T>3 Lesseps m stating that tho oanal will be opened m 1889, states what he knows to be Impossible. Tho fixed ohargo against tha Company ia over 10.000.000d01s per annum, with perhaps a fifth of tbe work done on the surface. There is 30,000,000 dols' worth of machinery on tha isthmus, two-thirds useless and rusting. Many of the cont-aotors have ■topped work, and a number are now aaiog for breaob of contract.