The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-02-03
TIE Dasssn snip Canal % he Pasinc.
ntoun tha Inndon Nsxs. Jan. Ia


Vfou the London News, Jan. ID
ThA attention Of the leading merchants and capt.
1olkte d Great Britain has been for some months
Tuned towards scheme for the junction Of the At
antis and Pacific oceans, by means Of ship canal to
nseaes ON the Atlantic and San Miguel on the Pa
-. The parties who have accorded their support
- the project include many Of the most well known
EAR that considerable progress has been made in
q requisite arrangements A full preliminary S0a-
eeeion has already been obtained from the republic
q New Granada; q report has been presented oy
Meags. Lionel Osborne and Henry C. Forde, civil
enGineers who were specially deputed to make
preliminary survey OF the proposed route; an ex-
0enely interesting pamphlet upon the subject has
.ss been 81 sS y and Dans have heeI
Uivately circulated amongst the most influential
narchants Of Great Britain, The route proposed is
~ shortest yet discovered, being only thirynine
IiAes across. The concessionaries are Sir Charles
FOX Messrs John Henderson and Thomas Brassey,
and Or. Cullen. In the report addressed to these
gentlemen by Messrs. Osborne and Forde, three
nodes Of e6ecting the inter-oceanic communication
are presented, calculated to cost fl2O0O,OOO, 81,
10000 and "a 500 900 respectively but for the two
lase named sums only very inefficient canal could
BE- constructed involving the necessity OF locks and
neehsnical appliances on an immense scale. ONT the
ether hand the deep cutting canal, the estimated
cag of which is eli 900 900 sterling, would be no
len than thirty feet deep at low tide, lao feet broad
a hottOm and loo feet at low waters surface Such
- -,
hsger than the trade of the world requires and
vo1ld form permanent, safe, and rapid mode of
aneit. The material to be cut through Is described
- being chiefly rock-a stratfed shale, with thin
form excellent side lining to the canal, and rem
der the cost of its maintenance merely nominal
This, accordingly, is the description OF canal which
the engineers state they can confidently recommend
% their employers and it is to the urtherance Of this
project that much attention is being directed. By
0e route proposed great advantage is taken OF the
natural formation Of the coast, and the
rivers Savannah and Caledonia. will also be
II essential service. This portion OF the Isthmus OF
Dosien is likewise stated to be in one OF the most
healthy districts owing to the absence OF swamps or
OveTowngs Of the river banks out OF the range Ofthe
tide, and TO the generally dry character Of the sur
rounding districts. Up to the present time it is
somewhat remarkable that, although so much atten
ton and writing have been devoted to this question of
ineor0ceanic communication, very little progress has
n reality been made towards carrying it out The
agitation in favor of the Nicaragua canal route was
tie moet remarkable yet noticed but the scheme ap
psas TO have dentivey fallen to the ground nor has
any succeeding project as yet met with influential
support. According to its charter the Nicaraguan
Canal Company was bound to construct a canal suf-
6Cently large to accommodate vessels OF all dimen-
s0ns; whereas the surveys and estimates that have
Mt the public eye all framed for the construction
Of canal only II feet deep, so feet wide at the bot
t0n, and lis at the top work OF this nature would
be hdcrously inadequate to meet the requirements Of
the very vessels for the accommodation OF which 1t is
trade with the east and the Pacific coast As the cost
Of 20 inadequate a canal by the Nicaraguan route
would be considerably upwards of six millions sterling,
i 10 BY means surprising that the capitalists OF Eng.
land and America have refused to commit themselves
10 the undertaking. 1t is obvious that no attempt
must be made to construct so gigantic work as
canal of communication between the Atlantic and
Pacific unless there is every prospect OF the work be-
ing executed in manner calculated to accommodate
TIE commerce OF the entire world. For canal OF
the large dimensions required, it does not appear
1ha4 the Nicaraguan route affords any facilities,
less, indeed, the parties engaged were determined to
vanquish every obstacle regardless Of COST in which
oAse the capital sunk in the work would probably be
- enormous that the undertaking would at once be
Invested OF all pretensions to remuneratve charac-
beS, the engineering Obstacles-including the con-
snction of harbors at points where nature presents
70 facilities for such works, and the dammng Of the
hike and river San Juan-being of the most serious
nature. In the facts that out of the twelve years
within which the entire canal was to be completed,
according to the terms of the charter three have al
ready elapsed without any commencement of opera
TONS and that the special protection accorded to the
canal company by the instrument known as the Clay
tn and Bulwer treaty was forfeited in July 1851
h8ve further proof OF the total failure Of the Mica
raguan canal scheme. This Isthmus Of Daren ship
canal is accordingly brought forward, and the state
vOrable character By the proposed deep canal it is
stated that the transit Of the largest vessels from
10 sea could be effected in five hours, instead OF two
days, as by the Nicaragua route. The promoters
offs harbors, the low elevation OF the land, the alb
sence of bars at the Savannah and Tuyra mouths,
the depth of water and great rise Of tide in the
former, it directness of and freedom from OBJ
atructons the healthiness OF the adjacent country
the exemption of the coast from the northers and
hurricanes the feasibility OF cutting a canal without
locks and the general absence of engineering dA-
fculties, as fully justfng them in asserting that it
II the shortest the most direct safe and expeditions,
and in every way the most eligible route for nterma
rine communication for large ships. One OF the not
least important advantages possessed by this route
II may be observed, IL the entire absence OF political
difficulties the territory in question being universal
~ recognized as part Of the extensive republic of
New Granada.
As regards the benefits that would be derived from
the execution of ship canal on the scale proposed,
very little difference Of opinion exists the SURFACES
Of the entire mercantile world being in its favor. The
vast saving Of time that would be effected by the
adoption Of such passage would enable ships to
make two voyages where they EoT make one; other
great benefits, consisting in the saving OF expense in
their navigation of wear and tear OF interest on the
value of ship and cargo, of insurance on ship cargo
and freight and in great dminution of shipwrecks
and loss Of life at sea. The saving OF time IS not
merely to be estimated from the direct dimnution Of
che distance to be traversed between Europe and
America and the east aud west coasts Of the Pacific,
and rice cerSG, but also from the avoidance OF tine
lo8o time occasoned by Gains In the low attitudes,
hard gales of the capes the very long tacks to the
eastward and westward and beating against the
trade winds and n1onsoons Another great
benefit to shipping would consist in the facility
with which they could re-victual, or take in water
u coal-an arrangement by which they would have
much larger portion OF their capacity available for
the stowaee of merchandise II is further expected
tha4 the emgrants to Australia would take the 18th.
mus route as Sydney could be reached by steam Ia
from fifty to fftyive days from southampton, and
th2t il would also accommodate the rapidly extend
ing trade with that important portion OF the British
empire. The prospective advantages to New Gra-
aads are 80 immense that not.a doubt can he enter
tanned of a continuance Of the cordial cooperation
already accorded by the government to the ship
canal project. The scheme indeed, involves the
generation of that portion Of the American conti
nent, az the uneultvated and uninhabited tract in
fhe vicinity of the canal territory would be quickly
covered with population, and the necessities OF COM
merce would soon establish large commercial cities
" the termiui of the canal. New Granada would
thus take much higher ground in the family of ma.
rioDs, and in the increased valne of the lands and