WORK ON THE PANAMA CANAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4715, 11 June 1883, Page 4

WORK ON THE PANAMA CANAL.

The United States Navy Department detailed an officer to go over the lino of the proposed Panutna Canal to examiuo ita pro gma and to submit a report. Lieutenant 8. c. Bogcrs has just returned, and has submitted a report which baa been published, from whioh we condense the folio win a particulars : -The canal opens into tho Atlantic at tha mouth of Simon Bay, known as Folks river. The dimensions of the canal are— Length, 73 kilometres (equal to 45 J mile) j br.-afch on w»trr line, 28 to 60 metres (equal to 93ft to 163ff) ; depth, from 28fh to 36ft. The ccurjo of the cmal is aa near the line of the Panama railway aa possible, and the canal is to bo protected from the over* flowing waters of the Ohsgreß river and its tributaries by tbe conduction of dams to restrain and sluices to conduct to the eea, 'Iho oharaoter of much of the work is difficult and costly. The cuttings through tho heights aio long and vory deep. Tho outs vary from 100 ft to 240f fc deep ; while in some divisions of (.bo work thesa cuts will bo equal to from 4000 ft to 4iOoffc deep. A great amount of machinery is accumulated on tho isthmus— principally dredges and steam excavators. To these aro to be added railway trucks, care, boats, steamers, and every sort of labour-oavicg machinery. A list of tho contraots already made is given. One of theae is for excavating iv tbe Calebra section at the summit of the route, there being 3,500,000 cubio metres to bo taken from the 'summit down to 75 metres above the level of tho Bca. Tho work on thia soction is to be finished in July, 1885. The . machinery omployed by this contractor is entirely Amerioan. Work of a preliminary charaoter haa been begun &t various points of the route. Buildings and birr'-oks for tho accommodation of nearly sCOOmem»realro.dy completed, and severs'l. hoepitah for thn sick have been bu ; lfc. The wages paid to labourers vavy from 53 to 8s p?r day. The greatest number of the labourers aro from Jamaica ; thq remainder are Cclombi&ns. Tho chiefs of pangs and the mechanics are French, American, and British.

Lieutenant Rogers thus eums up his observations : Thera oin no longer ba any doubt as to i ho intention of the Company to carry out. the proposed plan. M. do Lteeepa fixes 1888 as the date of its completion, and it is the belief of the officars in charge that it will I* accomplished in about tba>, time It is also their belief that it will be completed for the estimated amount — £20,GC0,C00. Lieutenant liogers looks on the matter coldly, and expreieeg his opinion that it, will not be completed for somo jeara later ; that it* cost will largely exceed the estimates': that the work ib destined to meot with the experienoe of other large ventures ; that its original subscribers must again tufcioiibe, or lose tho.r first venture ; and that new stockholders will reap tho glory and profit (if there bo anj) of the completed wcrk. r J bo expenditure up to this time has been about £5,2C0.000, or over one-fourth of the total estimates. This includes the cost of all machinery received or ordered, as well as of ! i e .^%w? f Way I bafc dota not inoluda th« £3,400,000 agreed on as the amount to be paid for the Panama Hailway. The de B ien of the canal is an entire level, so that ill locks and works of that character are to be excluded. The most serious difficulties are

the character of the climate, and the supply of money. If the needed supply of funds does not diminish, and the olimate proves not too fatal, the two continents will be severed.