The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-07
1899
EDITORS CORRESPONDENTS
From our regular e.rsspOadsnt.l

The Overland route pia Lake Nicaragua and the riper
st. JOh"','Om the Atlantic 10 the Pssihe.-Ths adj
'"Htases and probable cost Of the completing lks Of
'"."0aa' and steamers pointed O.--PrObabls profits
voc ae''osd BY a company or government, construct
"s VIC 'a"''--Ihe facility for constructing ship
oa''a along hs Oa'sks Of the S. Johns 10 The lake,
a'aJ'0"' inc latter 10 the Paeife.-Ths probable cost
INC same and probable advantages and profits 10 be
dtrsd by a'uss 10 the whaLs ships Of iusyea besides
reuoluttoniTtng the commerce Of the ,OOrld-Ths
abundance @Bra1a GOOD on Lake .Nie@agua.-hs
UaIus as dys-UOOd.-Ths freshness Of the wOt,r n,
the lake, and u.s hsaLliiness oftis shores.
five suppose the greatest probable cost Of rail,
road from Port 81. Juan to Lake Nicaragua, 100
miles, to equal $4,000 per mile, with whares
landings, engines, &c, shall have an outlay OF
s2,Soo,OoO The additional fifteen miles and half
rom the western extremity Of the lake the Pacific
al the same cost, would amount To 1887 800 making
total Tor cost OF railroads ~ Ss7 500 TO open perma-
nent, safe, and expeditions route from the Atlantic 10
the Pacific Suppose the company, or nation, making
the roads puts two steamboats, on the lake Nicara-
qua TO complete this great overland passage; and
suppose we estimate their prime cost at s5O 600
each, or to make liberal estimate, say $4,000
each, equal to $3.50, 900 for both. This sum- added
To the cost Of the two railroads, would amount to
total investment Of S3,037 500. To sustain the ex.
Penses of engines, steamboats,, &c, would not
probably cost, at the very outside, over $4,000
per annum. Now, suppose the company to en,fr
into contracts to carry weekly daily mail across
the isthmus with France, England, and America. it
Is plain each government could afford to pay more
for mail service than the whole expense Of sustain
ing the route, with the interest on the amount of In
vestment, equal to slS2 $50 more The receipts for
national mail service and the receipts for the transport
taton Of goods and passengers from one sea to the
other would be immense. In addition to the three
powers named, all the other powers Of Europe
would yield revenue to the route by passengers,
goods and mails. Russia would find an advantage in
this easy and rapid transit the shmus By this
means Of communication, her own extensive pos
sessions on the northwest coast would become more
accessible and more valuable. The sailing and
am-yessels divergng from the Pacific terminus Of
the route to China to Callao, in Peru, and valps-
raiso, in Chill, to the Sandwich islands, to the
mouth of the Columbia river, to Pugets sound, and
to all intermediate points, would draw an immense
commerce to IL for transportation across the 18th
mus to the Atlantic terminus; and from whence
sailing and steam-vessels would again take il up for
distribution to all parts OF the world in the eastern
hemisphere.
A transportation toll on goods and passengers,
moderate as those imposed for like service
on our principal railroads, would not fail TO produce
an enormous revenue to the stock in such route
across the sthmus.
Captain Tyson says the water of Lake NicaTa-
qua is like that Of own great lakes, perfectly
pure and fresh, afordng excellent drinking water;
and that the heat of the climate does not exceed
that of New York in summer. The climate on the
lake Is healthier, where il rains less than on the
coast.
Instead of satin wood, as mad yertentIy stated in
former letter, the shores of the lake, and streams
flowing into it, abound with Brazil wood, which is
very valuable dye-wood. 1t sells in this mr. ket
at $40 per ton. 49,.
With the opening Of this communication, there
would be revival of trade and intercourse through
out the Pacific. New fields of enterprise would be
opened. Vast tracts Of country would receive ac-
cessions OF industrious, intelligent and ChristAni-
zing people Rich lands would become fruitful,
rich mines, explored, and made to pour forth their
wealth into the lap Of commerce.
It is no doubt desirable that ship canal should,
at early day, be made, to connect the two oceans
across tho isthmus at the point The construe-
ton of railroad first would rather accelerate than
retard the construction of canal. 20:
When Mr.. Thompson surveyed the route
for a ship canal in 1851, railroads with loco
motives were not dreamed Of. There be no
question but the country from Port St. John
to the lake, and from the western margin of the
same to the Pacific, is equally favorable for the
construction of canal as a railroad. The road
would greatly assist in making the canal; and when
completed, one could be used principally for passen-
ger and mail service; while the transit through the
canals and lake would be slower, it would at the
same time be made by ships crossing from one, sea
to the other. To form "A rough estimate of ship
canal from ocean to the other, it is only necessa
ry to state the following facts We have it is said,
300 whaling ships in the Pacific. The cost of sail
ing them, on average, 10 said.to be about equato
81 600 per month. .Ths time consumed by the pas
sage Of one Of these vessels from New York around
Cape Horn, and through the Pacific to point OPP
posite Panama, Nicaragua, is equal to four
n,onths-time home 10 to 80 days; or six or seven
months going and returning. 80, .s... y
II a whaler could pass through ship canal across
the sthmus from New York TO the same point, and
return, the voyage would only consume thirty or
forty days, or say, at the outside, month and
half This would make difference in time, be-
tween the two routes, Of about FIVE months, which,
to single ship, would make saving in expense Of
about Ave thousand dollars. Estimating each of the
eight hundred whaling ships TO save. the same
amount, and it would make total Of four million
dears on the business of that description Of vessels
alone! Suppose the canal 10 cost fifteen million dol
lars, the above saving on whaling shps alone would
nav between 25 and 80 per cent. on the entire