THE PANAMA ROUTE FOR A £11 IP CANAL. 307 



that the exigencies which increase cost should be made proportional to 

 the length of route and the untried features. On the other hand, both 

 Panama and Colon are comparatively large centers of population, and, 

 furthermore, there is a considerable population stretched along the 

 line of the Panama railroad between those points. The climate and 

 the unsanitary condition of practically every center of population in 

 Central America and of the isthmus contribute to the continual pres- 

 ence of tropical fevers, and other diseases contingent upon the existing 

 conditions of life. It is probable among other things that yellow fever 

 is always present on the isthmus. Inasmuch as the Nicaragua route 

 is practically without population the amount of disease existing along 

 it is exceedingly small, there being practically no people to be sick. 

 The initial expenditure for the sanitation of the cities at the extremi- 

 ties of the Panama route, as well as for the country between, would 

 be far greater on the Panama route than on the Nicaragua. This fact 

 compensates, to a substantial extent at least, for the physical uncer- 

 tainties on the Mcaraguan line. Indeed a careful examination of all 

 the conditions existing on both routes indicates the reasonableness of 

 applying the same 20 per cent, to both total estimates of cost. 



The preceding estimated cost of $144,233,358 for completing the 

 Panama canal must be increased by the amount necessary to be paid 

 lor all the property and rights on the isthmus of the new Panama 

 Canal Company. A large amount of excavation has been performed 

 amounting to 77,000,000 cu. yds. of all classes of materials, and nearly 

 all the right of way has been purchased. The new Panama Canal 

 Company furnished the commission with a detailed inventory of its 

 en tire properties, which the latter classified as follows: 



1. Lands not built on. 



2. Buildings, 2.431 in number, divided among 47 subclassifications. 



3. Furniture and stable outfit, with 17 subclassifications. 



4. Floating plant and spare parts, with 24 subclassifications. 



5. Rolling plant and spare parts, with 17 subclassifications. 



G. Plant, stationary and semi-stationary, and spare parts, with 25 subclassifi- 

 cations. 



7. Small material and spare parts, with 4 subclassifications. 



8. Surgical and medical outfit. 



9. Medical stores. 



10. Office supplies, stationery. 



11. Miscellaneous supplies, with 740 subclassifications. 



The commission did not estimate any value for the vast amount 

 of plant along the line of the canal as its condition in relation to actual 

 use is uncertain, and the most of it would not be available for efficient 

 and economical execution of the work by modern American methods. 

 Again, a considerable amount of excavated material along some portions 

 of the line has been deposited in spoil banks immediately adjacent to 



