Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

THE PANAMA CANAL.

Ad who are interested in the Panama Cana!—and the accomplishment of the great w- rk would be an unquestionable boon to the Antipodes—will be sorry to hear that it makes but poor progress. M. De Lesseps has proved himself a man of such vast energy and enterprise that he may be expected to triumph over most difficulties, But at Panama the struggle is less with engineering obstacles than with the lethal climate, an enemy too inpa'pablc to be easily overcome. Moreover tne cflovts made to grapple with it have apparently been small- No care is given to those employed on the works, or attempt to reduce the terribly insanitary condition of the marshy malarious spot. The percentage of sickness is in consequence extraordinary. Half the old number of laborers are always hois de co-mbtd. These workmen mostly French and Spaniards, have but a poor physique to start with. They are the sweepings of the large towns in the United States, and they are gathered together to be shipped off to Aspinwall by steamer, whence they are sent on by rail to Panama. They get seventeen dollars per month as wages and their board, which is invariably rice twice a day and salt fish without an ounce of fresh meat. The poor wretches soon succumb. The prevalent disease is a kind of wasting of the s\ stem, under which all strength and energy are drained away. Hundreds would leave but they have no money to pay the railway fare to Aspinwall, and they have no alternative but to drag out their wretched lives to the end. The place abounds with alligators, snakes and poisonous insects. Tiie bite of the latter is so noxious that loss of limb often follows. Medicines and all comforts are exoibitautly deal, liquors also, although the chief trouble of the place is an intolerable thirst and a growing craving for alcoholic stimulant. As the outcome of all this the number of hands at work is neve r more than a hundred, and all there is to show- is a certain amount of hoarding erected and a few yards of soils turned. At this rate some years must elapse before the American Continent is pierced.—Home News.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TEML18811117.2.13

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Temuka Leader, Issue 607, 17 November 1881, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
371

THE PANAMA CANAL. Temuka Leader, Issue 607, 17 November 1881, Page 3

THE PANAMA CANAL. Temuka Leader, Issue 607, 17 November 1881, Page 3

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert