Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1853-12-14
Il me Darien ShiD-CanAK

Government by company of British cap
italists to allow some public officer or Nengi.
neer to unite with them in making john sur
vsy of the proposed route Of the Darien Ahip-
canal. The object of this reques. is to lave
American as we'll rs English engineers EN-.
ployed upon the survey. and thereby to givs it
character calculated to command the conf.
dencc of capitalists on both sides of the Al.
lantic. Those who originated this great ente,.
prise wisely thought that the two leadins
commercial nations of the world Should be IN.
terested in il, and it is for this reason, and not
to procure any public grant of money, that
they make this application to our Government
aid are desirous that American capitalists
should participate in this accomplishment.
We presume that the opportunity this present
ed for obtaining thorough survey oF the most
remarkable pass.way between ,he Atlantic
and Pacific oceans will be promptly seized
upon.
If recent accounts can be depended upon.
and they bear every mark of being perfectly
reliable-no doubt can remain that the only
feasible route for making a ship canal between
tho two oceA"s he. - lest b-~n discovered. fc
is very remarkable that this extraordinary pass
at the Isthmus of Darien should no. have been
actually fourd and explored by any civilized
race until within the last year or two. Even
then the discovery was the result Of accident.
Though the land between the oceans was
known to be narrow at this point, it was gen.
orally believed that the great mountain range
of the Cordilleras presented an insurmounta-
bic obstacle TO any canal. But an English
traveller in that region having been seized by
the Indians, was carried down arver to the
sea. To his amazement he found that this
unknown river cleaved the great mountain
chain nearly to its base, and made perfect
feasible opening for canal, The matter was
laid before several eminent British capitalists
and toward the end of the year 1851, two able
engineers, Osborne ahd Ford were sent out to
explore and report on the route They per.
formed the work faithfully. and returned to
London in August, 1852. The route which
they explored was found to be forty miles in
length, extending from California Bay on the
Atlantic, to the Gulf of San Miguel on the
Pacific side. Both Of these bays afford harbors
OF the best kind, being perfectly sheltered,
with water close to the shore and large enough
to contain the nayies of the world.
On the Pacific side, the river Savannah can
be used for seven miles, being for that distance
thir'y-six feet deep at low wafer, and of ample
width for The largest ships. From that point to
the tlantic side ship canal must be cut for
thir'y-'hree miles. Owing to the remarkable
depression OF the mountain ridge made by the
gorge ofthe Caledonia river.'he cut through the
summit level wi be only abo 1T $50 feet deep.
The remainder OF the route is nearly level
The greut feature of this canal is. that 1t is to
be completely free from the impedment and
nuisance of locks. 1t is TO be simple, deep,
straight, and unimpeded channel from end to
end, SO that ships can be taken through by the
ebb and flow of the tides. The chsnfel is TO
be 80 feet deep and l60 feet wide, and the cost
estimating the excavation ss almost wholly
rock, is calculated al S37 100000, or only
about twice the cost Of the Erie Railroad,
and not mare than half the cost Of some of the
English railroads. A canal with the locks can
be made for half the money, but would be in
comparaby less useful
If thorough working survey should con-
firm, as it probably will, tie results of the first
examination, there will be capital enough
forthcoming to complete this ship canal ten
times over, for it will not only be the noblest
but most profitable engineering work in the
world. Nearly the whole commerce Of Europe
would pass through it on its way toIthe Pacific
Ocean, but it would benefit our own country
far more than any other. So far as the heavier
transportation of commerce is concerned, it
would be vastly more useful and economical
than any railroad to the Pacific though that
slso would have its peculiar advantages for
travel and lighter traic.-Cincinnat Enquirer
-------------
DTThe French papers say that the latest DIS
covery at Pompeii is a group of skeletons in
the act of flight accompanied by dog. There
are three human beings, one Of them a young
girl, with gold rings and jewels still on her
fingers. The fugitives had bags of gold and
silver with them. sna.ched up no doubt in
haste and darkness. But the fiery food was
on their track, and vain their fight, the age of
the one and the youth Of the other. The burn
ing lava rolled above them and beyond; and
the faithful dog turned back TO share the for
tunes of its mistress-dying at her side. Seen
by the light of such an incident, how wildly
that night Of horrors looms upon the sense -
Louisville Democrat.