THE PANAMA CANAL.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1242, 9 January 1883, Page 3

THE PANAMA CANAL.

The Pandma Canal appears to be in a bad way, and the ehanees of its M> * domplishment grow more, and more -'rehjote. M. de Lesseps is faced by difficulties far more serious than those he overcame at Sues. Hehastodeal with virgin rock, not sand; he has no labor but what he imports from great distances, whilst in Egypt be had the command of the labor market of three continents. The climate is this year more pestilential than ever and already numbers of valuable lives have succumbed. In four days the Canal Company lost nine officers, and also two of their ablest engineers. Nature, moreover, seems hostile, and the earthquake which has just destroyed the Panama railway augurs that tremendous force may some day militate against the safety of the great dam which is one of the chief features of the work. This damis intended to hold in check the river Charges, a turbulent torrent which after the rain would continually threaten the very existence of the canal, if ever constructed. But at the present moment it seems pro-bable-that the Panama Canal will be numbered amongst the vain uncompleted undertakings of the world, In any case, nothing much has been done as'yet beyond clearing woods and opening roads. Ground has not been ' broken, and the real difficulties of the scheme are still but imperfectly understood.