iimii in ii in Mimrw i mr j wrw " i Mil WHAR DEW I GUM IN?" (Being the Soliloquy of Farmer on the Free Raw Sugar Question.) "Thir'i a mighty lot er talkin' about farmers 'n thar rights, N the wonderful prosperity thet beet growin' invites. Thar's a heap er foolish crowin' 'n the 'beats' begin ter shout 'n holler fer the Tariff ter keep free raw sugar out 1 But I notis thet the beet-producin' farms are very few, , An' the farmers through the country ain't got much ef it ter dew. The hull land ain't a-raisin' beets, 'n ain't goin' ter begin,. Beet growin's right fer sum, I guess but, whar dew cum in? The farmer gits four dollars now fer every ton o' beets A hansom price, I must allow but hidin' sum deceits. Beet sugar manyfacterers admit es they hev found .Thet "granylated" costs 'cm sumthin' like tew cents a pound. In fact thet leaves a profit on which they'd greatly thrive And if it kin be sold fer three, why should we pay 'em FIVE? It seems ter me es thet's a game thet's mighty like a skin But if thar's any benefit waal, whar dew cum in? When Uncle Sam's in want o' cash we're glad ter help him out, 'N we'll stand all the taxes thet are needed, never doubt, But when his pocket-book's well lined an' nary cent he lacks, Et seems ter me his duty's ter repeal thet sugar tax. Them fellers wot is interested sez its to protect The beet-producin' farmer thet the duty they collect, But I guess thet explanation es a little bit too thin The sugar maker, he's all right; but whar dew we cum in? Take off raw sugar duty an' the price will quickly fall, To everybody's benefit, fer sugar's used by all. The poor will bless the Government thet placed it in thar reaah ('n millions of our citizens free sugar now beseech) The dealer '11 be delighted less expenditure fer him More demand 'n bigger profits which at present are but slim. An' the farmer '11 be as well paid as he ever yet hes ben But he'll buy his sugar cheaper thet's whar he an' I'll cum in. Now, w liar's the sense er reason of the sugar tax to-day, ' When our treasury's a-bulgin' an' we hev no debts ter pay? The duty on raw sugar's Fifty million every year An' the peoples got ter pay it thet's a fact thet's very clear. Fifty trillion ! Great Jerusha 1 Ter protect beet magnates, too, Why should they tax ALL the people just ter help a scattered FEW? And the FEW? Beet-sugar MAKERS 1 Don't it really seem a sin Thus ter help an' fill thar coffers? Whar dew you an' I cum in? The farmer growin' beets hes got a contract price fer years, Free raw sugar wouldn't hurt him, an' of it he hes no fears. But melibc, like myself he's also growing fruit so nice Ter preserve it at a profit he needs sugar at a price! The repealing of the duty surely cuts the price in two Thct'll make a mighty difference, neighbor, both ter me an' you I Let the sugar manyfactrer make such profits as he kin Ter him it may seem right enuff but whar 'dew I cum in? An' I ain't a-goin' ter swallcr all the argyments they shout Thet the farmers need protection an' must bar raw sugar out. Common sense is plainly showin' that the people in the land Want raw sugar free in future an' its freedom will demand. 'Tis a tax no longer needed hateful to the public view, Taxing millions of our people to enrich a favored few. They can't blind me any longer with the foolish yarns they spin, While they're busy makin' money whar dew you and I come in? I'm a-goin ter keep on hustlin", talkin', pleadin' with my frends, Ain't no sense in lettin' others gain thar selfish privet ends. I'm a-goin' ter write ter-morrer to my Congressman 'nd say Thet he oughter do his best ter kill that tax without delay! Feller-farmers, do your utmost whether you grow beets or not To repeal the tax on sugar you can but improve your lot I Cheaper sugar helps your pocket, greater blessings you can win When we've three-cent granylated that's whar you an' I come in 1" Hwimataiaatatiaimm mmm tmw The Lincoln Eye and Ear Infirmary diseases and in juries of the EYE, EAR, NOSE and THROAT, ! BlIKDIKSS, DEAf HESS and CATARRH. 1 Contartousand Incurable rases not admit- I led. Patient bourdi. nurse! and treated. I Letter of Inquiry promptly answered- I Write (or announcement. I DRS. C1ARTBN & COOK, f Ocausts tasAartits in attendance. Lincoln. Neb. mmtmmmmmmmmtmtmmmtmtmimimmmtmmmmm KiaflJ X Better go about than fall Into the ditch. CT permanently cn ren. Xo lite or nerronfneM after "I I i flnt Atty' dm of Or. Kline' Omvt Nerre KMtor rr. Html fur PKKK !.) trial bottle and treatise. Ha. H. U. tUH, l.td-.Kll Arch Strwt, f blladalphla, 1'a. A man doesn't mind being a fool as long as he doesn't know it. Vbca Answering Advertisements Meatioa This Caper. There is no trick in dyeing. You can do It just as well as any one If you use PUTNAM FADELESS U YES. lioiling the goods for half an hour is all there la to it. bold by druggists, 10c. package. Few men have enough self-confidence to enable them to ignore their own mistakes. A good companion makes good company. Varaatlla Klrolaf The late John O. Nicolay waa a man of many and varied accom plishments. Beginning his career as a clerk In a country store, he became successively a printer, editor, pub lisher and proprietor of a newspaper, a private secretary, a diplomat and an author. Besides, he waa an accom plished linquist, a connoisseur of mu sic and art and something of a poet. As to his part in the preparation or. the biography of Lincoln, which was Jointly the work of Mr. Nicolay and John Hay, the latter is credited with the graceful explanation that he did half and Mr. Nicolay the other nalL Hero of Htmehli Dead. Father Aloysius Wlever, a Francis can priest, who died in the Santa Barbara mission, in southern Califor nia, on the morning made memorable by the death of President McKlnley, was the man who, in 1878, earned the title of "the hero of Memphis." He was a native of Vredcn, Germany, hav ing been born sixty-three years ago. He came to this country when 20 years old. In 1870 he removed to St Louis, and in 1873, when the plague of yellow fever broke out in Memphis, he voluntarily went to the stricken city and remained through the plague, rendering assistance alike to white and black. CANADA'S CAPITAL AROUSED. Never Wat There Such Kxcitement Physicians' Asioclntlon Trying to Kxplaln. Ottawa, Canada, Nov. 25th. This city is stirred up as never before. Some seven years ago the local papers published an account of a man named George 1L Kent of 408 Gllmour street, who was dying of Brlght's Disease and who at the very last moment after several of our best physicians had de clared he couldn't live twelve hours, was saved by Dodd's Kidney Pills. People who know how low Mr. Kent was refused to believe that he was cured permanently and the other day in order to clinch the matter the pa pers published the whole case over again and backed up their story by sworn statements made by Mr. Kent, in which he declares most positively that in 1S94 he was given up by the doctors and that Dodd's Kidney Pills and nothing else saved him, and fur ther that since the day that Dodd's Kidney Pills sent him back to work seven years ago, he has not lost a single minute from his work. (He ia a printer in the American Bank Note Printing Company.) Mr. Kent is kept quite busy during his spare hours answering inquiries personally and by letter, but he is so grateful that he counts the time well spent. Indeed he and his wife have shown their gratitude to Dodd's Kid ney Pills In a very striking way by having their little girl born in 1896 christened by the name of "Dodds." Altogether It Is the most sensational case that has ever occurred in the his tory of medicine 'in Canada and the perfect substantiation of every detail leaves no room to doubt either the completeness or the permanency of the cure. The local physiclana have made the case of Kent and Dodd's Kidney Pills the subject of discussion at several of the private meetings ot their association. Ilelen Onnld's Vuaar Gift. Miss Helen Miller Gould has given to Vassar college two scholarships ot $10,000 each for the benefit of grad uates of the Tarrytown high school and of the Washington Irving high school at Irvlngton, N. Y. fee 1 1 iiunJi , : LU T0THeTAs tr is REFREsn And Acts . Pleasantly and (Jektly. With many millions of families Syrup of Figs has become the ideal home laxative. The combination is a simple and wholesome one, and the method of manufacture by the California Fig Syrup Company ensures that perfect purity and uniformity of product, which have commended it to the favorable consideration of the most eminent physicians and to the intelligent appreciation of all who are well informed in reference to medicinal agents. Syrup of Figs has truly a laxative effect and acts gently with out in any way disturbing the natural functions and with perfect freedom from any unpleasant after effects. In the process 'of manufacturing, figs are used, as they are pleasant to the taste, but the medicinally laxative principles of the combination are obtained from plants ' known to act most bene ficially on the system. To 5et its boneficizJ effects Jr bviy ihe erjirrMa.r.ufactvrcd by Louieville. Ky! s r"rrvc.ico.CJ. Mew Yorh'I.Y on un v all Dftuoeitvr HtCt 40 PC BOTTLt LVJ -j -j - -x - ja - r 3T Nicaragua Route Is the Best and Cheapest COST ABOUT $189,864,062. By the Panama Route the Coat la Eatl mated at tS3,37,S0tf, and In Addition the Canal Coneeealon Would Coat tbe United State 10U.I41.OOV. The Interoceanlc Canal Commis sion's report is in favor of the Nicara gua route and it will be submitted to Congress before the hollddays. Here is the report in full: The investigations of this commlBKlon have hown that the selection of "the most feasible and practicable route" l'or an isthmian canal must be made between the Nicaragua and Panama locations. Furthermore, the complete problem In volves both the sea level plan of canal and that with locks. . The Panama route alone Is feasible for a sea level canal, al though both are entirely practicable and feasible for a canal with locks. The time required to complete a sea level canal on the Panama route, probably more than twice that needed to build a canal with locks, excludes It from favorable consideration, aside from other serious features of its construction. It is the conclusion of this commission, therefore, that a plan of canal with locks should be adopted. A comparison of the prin cipal physical features, both natural and artificial, of the two routes, reveals some points of similarity. Both routes cross the continental divide less than ten miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Pana ma summit being about double the height of that In Nicaragua. Both Routes Itequlra Costly Dams. For more than half Its length the loca tion of each route on the Atlantic side Is governed by the course of a river, the flow from whose drainage basin Is the only source of water supply for the pro posed canal; and the summit levels, dif fering about twenty feet In elevation Panama being the lower are formed by lakes, natural In the one case and arti ficial in the other, requiring costly dams and water ways for their regulation and for the Impounding of surplus waters to reduce the effect of floods and meet op erating demands during low water sea sons. The investigations , made In con nection with the regulations of Lake Nicaragua have demonstrated that the lake affords an Inexhaustible water sup ply for the canal by that route. The In itial proposition, on the other hand, for the Panama route, la to form Lake Bohio so as to yield a water supply for a traffic of 10,000,000 tons, which can be supple mented when needed, by an amount suffi cient for more than four times that traffic by means of the Alhajuela reser voir. For all practical purposes this may be considered an unlimited supply for the Panama route. So far as the practical operation of a ship canal is concerned, therefore, the water supply features on both lines are satisfactory. The difficulties disclosed and likely to be encountered In the construction of the dams are less at Conohuda, on the Nica ragua line, than at Bohio, on the Pana ma route. Both dams, however, are practicable, but the cost of that at Bohio is one-half more than that at Con chuda. Commission Desires a Perfect Structure. A less expensive dam at Bohio has been proposed, but through a portion of its length it would be underlaid by a de posit of sand and gravel, pervious to wa ter. The seepage might not prove dan gerous, but the security of the canal Is directly dependent upon this dam, and the policy of the commission has been to select the more perfect structure, even at a somewhat greater cost. The water ways at both locations present no Berl oua difficulties. The advantages In the design and construction of the dams are In favor of the Nicaragua route. The system of regulation at Lake Bohio con sists of the discharge of water over the crest of a weir, as the lake level rises under the Influence of floods In the Chargres River. The plan of regulating the level of Lake Nicaragua is less sim ple, though perfectly practicable. It In volves the operation of movable gates at such times and to such extent as the rainfall on the lake basin may require. The experience and judgment of the op erator are essential elements to effective regulation of this lake. The regulation of Lake Bohio Is automatic. The only means of transportation now found on the Nicaragua route are the narrow gauge Sllleo Lake Railroad, about six miles In length, and the limited naviga tion of San Juan ltiver and lake; but the Nlcaraguan Government Is now building a railroad along the beach from Grey town to Monkey Point, about forty-flve miles to the northward, where it pro poses to establish a commercial port. By means of a pier In the area protect ed by the point goods and material for canal purposes can readily be landed and transported by rail to Greytown. Such piers are In constant use on our Pacific coast. This railroad and port would be of great value during the pe riod of preparation and harbor construc tion, and should materially shorten that period. Panama Has Railroad In Operation. A well equipped railroad is In opera tion along the entire length of the Pana ma route, and existing conditions there afford Immediate accommodation for a large force of laborers. The Nicaragua route has no natural harbor at either end. At both the Atlantic and Pacific terminal, however, satisfactory harbors may be created by the removal of ma terial at low prices and by the construc tion of protective works of well estab lished deHlgn. An excellent roadstead, protected by Islands, already exists at Panama, and no work need be done there for either harbor construction or main tenance. At Colon, the Atlantic termin us of the Panama route, a serviceable harbor already exists. It has afforded harbor accommodations for many years, but Is open to northers, which a few times In each year are liable to damage ships or force them to put to sea. Con siderable work must be done there to create a suitable harbor at the entrance of the canal, which can be easily enlred and will give complete protection to ship ping lying within. Excavation Work Compared. 'The completion of the harbors, as planned for both routes, would yield hut little advantage to either, but the bal ance of advantages. Including those of maintenance and operation, Is probably In favor of the Panama route. The ex istence of a harbor at each terminus of the Panama route and a linn of railroad across the Isthmus will make It practi cable to commence work there, after the concessions ore acquired, as soon as the necessary plant can be collected and put In place and the working force organized. This period of preparation Is estimated at one year. In Nicaragua this period Is estimated at two years, so ns to Include also tne construction oi worning naruors nd terminal oiin ranroau lacunies. The work of excavation on the Nica ragua route Is distributed: It Is heaviest near Cnnchuda, at Tambcrolto and In the divide west of the lake. On the Panama route It Is largely concentrated In the Culebra and Emperador tuts, which are Method for Concentrating Wood. A cheap and rapid method for con centrating the enormous quantities of blood collecting In abattoirs has been Invented recently. The blood Is inject ed into an oven-shaped chamber, open at the top, and brought Into contact with a current of hot air ascending from below. All the water is evapo rated In this manner, and the blood powder Is carried to the receiving chamber. The product thus obtained la tasteieas, and contains 78.4 per cent 4 dlfeatible albumen. practlcstly on. As a rule, distributed work affords a greater number of avail able points of attack, contributing a quicker completion, but in either of these case vtih difficulties as may exist can be mjcseiafully met with suitable organi xatlan and efficient appliances. Labor Brarea Thera. The time required for constructing the Nicaragua Canal will depend largely on the promptness with which the requisite force of laborers can be brought to Nica ragua, housed and organised with the Io cs. Ions of heaviest work along the route. The cut through the divide west of the lake probably wtll require the longest time of any single feature of construc tion. It contains lS.OUU.uOu cubic yards of earth and rock execration, or a little less than 10 per cent of the total work of all classes Included. With adequate force and plant this commission estimates that It can be completed In four years. This Indicates, under reasonable allowance for ordinary delays, if force and plant enough were obtainable, to secure a practically concurrent execution of all portions of work on the route the com pletion of the entire work might be exe cuted within six years after its being started, exclusive of the two years esti mated for the period of preparation. The securing and organizing of the great force of laborers needed, largely foreign ers, so as to adjust the execution of the various portions of the work to such a definite program of close fitting parts in a practically unpopulated tropical countrv Involves unusual difficulties and would prolong the time required for com pletion. The greatest single feature of work on the Panama route is the excava tion In the Culebra section, amounting to about 43,000,000 cubic yards of hard clay, much of which Is classed as soft rock, nearly 45 per cent of all classes of material to be removed. Eight Year Required. It Is estimated that this cut can be completed in eight years, with allowance for ordinary delays, but exclusive of a two-year period for preparation and for unforeseen delays, and that the remain der of the work can be finished within the same period. The great concentra tion of work on this route and its less amount will require a smaller force of laborers than on the Nicaragua route, llence the difficulties and delays Involved In securing them will be correspondingly diminished. The total length of the Nica ragua route, from sea to sea, Is 183.06 miles, while the total length of the Panama route la 49.09 miles. The length In standard canal section, and on the harbors and entrances, is 73.7K miles for fhe Nicaragua route and 3(1.41 miles for the Panama route. The length of sailing line In Lake Nicaragua is 70.51 miles, while that in Lake Bohio is 12.68 miles. That portion of the Nicaragua route in the canalized San Juan is 39.37 miles. The preceding physical features of the two lines measure the magnitude of the work to be done in the construction of water ways along the two routes. The esti mated cost of constructing the canal on the Nicaragua route is $45,630,704 more than that of completing the Panama Canal, omitting the cost of acquiring the latter property. This sum measures the difference In the magnitude of the ob stacles to be overcome in the actual con struction of the two canals and covers all physical considerations, such as the greater or less height of dams, the great er or less depth of cuts, the presence or absence of natural harbors, the presence or absence of a railroad, and the amount of work remaining to be done. The esti mated annual cost of maintaining and operating tie Nicaragua Canal is 1.3u0, 000 greater than the corresponding charges for the Panama Canal. Panama Route Shorter. The Panama route would be 134.57 miles shorter, from sea to sea, than the Nica ragua route. It would have less summit elevation, fewer locks, and 60.44 miles less curvature. The estimated time for a deep draft vessel to pass through is about twelve hours for Panama and thirty-three hours for Nicaragua. These pe riods are practically the measure of the relative advantages of the two canals as water ways connecting the two oceans, but not entirely, because the risks to vessels and the dangers of delay are greater in a canal than in the open sea. Kxcept for the items of risk and delays the time required to pass through the canals need be taken into account only as an element in the tima required by vesels to make their voyage between terminal ports. Compared on this basis, the Nicaragua route is the more advan tageous for all translsthmlan commerce except that originating or ending on the west coast of South America. For the commerce in which the United States is most Interested, that between our Pacific ports and Atlantic ports, European and American, the Nlcaraguan route is short er by one day. The same advantage ex ists between our Atlantic ports aid the Orient. For our gulf ports the advan tage of the Nicaragua route Is nearly two days. For commerce between North Atlantic ports and the west coast ot South America the Panama route Is shorter by about two days. Between gulf ports and the west coast of South America the saving Is about one day. The Nlcaraguan route would be the more favorable one for sailing vessels, because of the uncertain winds in the Bay ot Panama. This is not, however, a ma terial matter, as sailing ships are rapid ly being displaced by steamships. A canal by the Panama route will be sim ply a means of communication between the two oceans. The route has been a highway of commerce for more than 300 years, and a railroad has been in oper ation there for nearly fifty years; but this has affected Industrial changes but little, and the natural features of the country through which the route passes are such that no considerable develop ment Is likely to occur as a result of the construction and operation of a canal. In addition to Its use as a means of com munication between the two oceans, a canal by the Nicaragua route would bring Nicaragua and a large portion of Costa Kica and other Central American states into close and easy communication with the United Slates and with Europe. The intimate business relations that would be established with the people of the United Slates during the period of construction by the expenditure of vast sums of money In those states, and the use of American products and manufac tures would be likely to continue after the completion of the work, to the bene fit of our manufacturing, agricultural and other Interests. Nicaragua the Healthier. The Nicaragua route lies In a region of sparse population and not in a path way of much trade or movement of peo ple. Conditions productive of much slck-m-BB do not exist. On the other hnnd, a considerable population has long existed on the l'anama route nnd It lies on a pathway of comparatively large trnde, along which currents of moving people from infected places sometimes converge, thus creating conditions favoranie to epidemics. Existing conditions Indicate hygienic advantages for the Nicaragua route, although It is probable that no less effective sanitary measures must be taken during construction In the one case than In the other. The cost of construct ing a canal by the Nicaragua route and of completing the Ponama Canal, with out Including the cost of acquiring the concessions from the different govern ments. Is estimated as follows: Mraragnn SI ao,64,O09 Panama .... 144,833,368 For a proper comparison there must be added to the latter the cost of acquir ing the rights and property of the New Panama Canal Company. This commis sion has estimated the value of these In the project recommended by it at 140,000,000. In order to exercise the rights SCRAPS. To be vain of one's rank or place, Is to show that one Is below It. Stan islaus. At all seasons of the year B o'clock In the morning Is the coldest hour of the twenty-four. We are made ridiculous less by our defect than by the affectation of qual ities which are not ours. This year's harvest In the south of Ireland la stated to bo the best experi enced for a quarter of a century. ' ' 4 naraaaary for the construction of the canal and for Ha management after com pletion the United States ahould acquire control of a strip of territory from to sea sufficient In area for the conveni ent and efficient accomplishment of thaae purposes. Measures muat also be taken to protect the line from unlawful acta of all kinds to Insure sanitary control ana to render police Jurisdiction effective. The atrip should be not less than five miles wide on each side of the cents line of the canal, or ten miles In total width. No treaties now exist with anf of the states within whose territory the two routes lie authorizing the Unltsa States to occupy Its territory for the con struction and operation of a canal. wn" it has been determined to undertake tna work and the route has been selected, the consent of Colombia, or of Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, for such occupation must be obtained before the Inauguration of the enterprise, and one or more con tentions must be entered into by ins United StateK to secure the necessary privileges and authority. The republic of Nicaragua and Costa Rica are un trammeled by any existing concessions or treaty obligations, and are free to grant to the United States the rights necessary for the attainment of tnesa ends, and in December, 1900, demonstrat ed their willingness to have their terri tory so occupied by the United States Dy executing protocols by which It was agreed that they would enter into ne gotiations to settle in detail the plan and agreements necessary to accomplish the construction and provide for tna ownership of the proposed canal when ever the President of the United States is authorized by law to acquire the nec essary control and authority. Colombia Not Free. The government of Colombia, on the contrary, In whose territory the Panama route lies, has granted concessions whlcn belong to, or are controlled by the New Panama Canal Company, and have many years to run. These concessions, limit ed in time and defective in other ways, would not be adequate authority for tne purposes of the United States, but while they exist Colombia is not free to treat with this government. If the Panama route is selected these concessions must be removed in order that the r- 'biles may enter into a treaty to enu.e the United States to acquire the control upon the Isthmus that will be necessary and to fix the consideration. An agree ment with the New Panama Canal Com pany to surrender or transfer its con cessions must include a sale of Its ca.na.1 property and unfinished work, and the commission undertook, soon after its or ganization, to ascertain upon what terms this could be accomplished. Much cor respondence and many conferences fol lowed, but no proposition naming a price was presented until the middle of Octo ber, 1901, and after prolonged discussion It was submitted to the commission In a modified form on the 4th of November, to be Included in its report to the Presi dent. The Itemized statements appear In an earlier chapter of the report. The total amount for which the company offers to sell and transfer Its canal prop erty to the United States is $109 141,500. This, added to the cost of completing tna work, makes the whole cost of a cnnfi bv the Panama route $253,374.SoS. while the cost bv the Nicaragua route is S1S9, 884,062, a difference of $63,610,796 in favor of the Nicaragua route. States Must Bo Compnated. In each case there must be added the cost of obtaining the use of the terri tory to be occupied and such other privi leges as may bo necessary for tho con struction and operation of the canal In perpetuity. The compensation that the different states will ask for granting these privileges is now unknown. There are certain physical advantages such as a shorter canal line, a. more complete knowledge of the country through which It passes and lower cost of maintenance and operation, in fovor of the Panama route, but the price fixed by tho Panama Canal Company for a sale of its prop erty and franchises is so unreasonable that its acceptance cannot be recom mended bv this commission. After con sidering all the facts developed by th Investigations made by tho commission, the actual situation as It now stands, and having In view the terms offered by the New Panama Canal Compnny, this commission is of the opinion that the most practicable and feasible route for an isthmian canal to be "under the con trol, management and ownership of the United States" is that known as the Nicaragua route. THE MINORITY REPORT. George Morrison of the Canal Commis sion Favors Panama Route. Following is a summary of the minority report of George S. Morrison of the Nic aragua Canal Commission: While concurring in the excellence of the greater part of tho majority report, I was unable to accept the conclusions at which my colleagues have arrived. I ac cept the location for tbe Nlcaraguan Canal as one to which I can suggest no Improvement:1.. I consider that the esti mate does not make enough provision for unknown conditions and contingencies. The cost of the work on both the Nic aragua and the Panama routes has been estimated at the same unit prices and with the addition of the same percentage to cover "Engineering, Police, Sanitation and General Contingencies." The excavation of the Panama Csnal has been opened for nearly its entire, length, and the character of tho material, to be removed can be examined in post-.' tion. On the Nicaragua route tho character of material has been determined by bor ings which, though unusually complete, do not give the definite information thut is visible at Panama. At Panama-there are fair harbors at bom enus ot ihe canal that are fully ade quate for all demunds during construc tion nnd connected by a railroad In high condition, the country is settled and many of the necessary accommodations for a large working force are there Be fore the eastern section of the Nicaragua Canal can be begun a harbor must bo created at Greytown, convenient lines of transportation which do not now exist must be provided, as must also the m?ans of housing and caring for a largo labor ing population, nearly ail of which must be Imported. The preliminary engineering has been done at Panama and the general contin gencies have been reduced to a minimum. Comparing modified estimates, the cost of completing the Panama Canal would, be V;7,000,000 less than the cost of building the Nicaragua Canal. On the Panama route two concessions must be extinguished before such rights can be acquired. They are the contract of 1867, by which tho l'anama railroad holds its present rights, and the Wyse concessions, under which the French ca nal companies have betii operating. The settlement with the French must be simply an extinguishment of their rights; the authority to build tho canal must be derived from a new treaty with the republic of Colombia. The Panama route has advantages over the Nicaragua route In cost of construc tion, In cost of operation and In conven ience when done, while Its use Is less likely to lend lo local International com plications. If tho United Btates govern ment is to build an isthmian canal the Panama route Is the best. The French rights must first be extin guished, and whatever this government may pay for such extinguishment will be salvage to tho French. If theso rights cannot be extinguished tha Nicaragua route is available. GEORGE S. MORRISON. Hteel Ronfs. A new patent steel roofing will short ly be placed on the market, and it la asserted that this product will com pletely displace galvanized Iron for roofing purposes. The system of man-, ufacture consists of steel strips bent cold In the press, tha covering being formed of plain galvanised sheets bant back on the edges and locked into tubular rafters. Works for the manu facture of this product on a large scale are being constructed at Dar lington, England. 7 JE , X ( 'i, ' ' Tv'' BU .4. ytofm a 5?' IMP. II .J I1 "ii M in - ll l,.llt ' ,'"l:vi'.''..'-.i-'w.' .'Li