New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-02-16
THE JYTEROCKAN1C CANAL.

IF the treaty which Mr.. Caleb Gushing has
inst negotiated with the United States OF
Colombia for the construction of ship-canal
across the Isthmus of Panama is such as we
have n right to expect, Mr.. Seward has
achieved q success far eclipsing the glory OF
his icebergs and earthquakes. The project OF
q canal across the little neck Of land that
senarates the Atlantic and Pacific oceans is
nearly three and half centuries old. The
early Spanish adventures were quick to per-
ceiye the immense advantages which must Iol-
low the cutting away of this barrier; how IL
would give them easy access to the wealth. OF
India and control Of both the rich coasts OF
the two American continents. Barely forty
miles of land intervening between the
two seas, - and yet for those iorty
miles the trcasure-laden galleons had 10
coast along both sides of great
continent and risk the perils OF the stormy
cape. In the sixteenth century, Philip IL. OF
Spain sent two Flemish engineers to explore
the sthmus for proper route; but they en-
countered nsuperable difficulties; political rea-
sons also came up which rendered tho scheme
undesirable; and the canal project was put
under ban and death decreed against any one
who should revive it. In the present century
the plans of the old Spanish pioneers have
been canvassed over and over again with re-
dOublcd earnestness. The Government OF New
Granada has once or twice taken up the work;
France and Great Britain have entered into II
with zeal and our own country has devoted to
it extraordinary pains. The surveys OF the
tangled and dangerous forests by our American
engineers, several Of whom lost their lives III
the enterprise, form one of the most thrilling
chapters in the history of modern adventure
The task Of selecting a route Is no easy one,
nor will the labor of building the canal be
by any means 50 simple rs it may seem. The
inferior of the country is so absolutely unknown
that the surveyor must examine nearly every
foot of ground in person; there are few rec
ords of previous scientific exploration to guide
him. And though the strip OF land between
the two oceans is so narrow, 1t embraces nat
ural obstacles which it will require the genius
of superior engineers to Ovcrcome-obstacles so
great that it has repeatedly been sought to
avoid them by tie choice of long and tortuous
routes through the peninsula of Central Amer
lea. The great trouble is this, that right through
the isthmus runs the mountain chain which
connects tho great ranges OF the Northern ana
Southern Pacific coasts. To cross this range
with shp-canal involves tremendous system
Of locks cuttings, and enormous tunnels, high
enough and wide enough for the passage OF
large ocean vessels and locks require feeders
which at high levels it is difficult to find. These
obstacles however are only such rs money
and perseverance can overcome. The work
will pay in the long run but can the capital
4, Git
Canal is mere child's play in comparison with
a canal through Panama or Darien.
A. canal, however, the interests oi the world
imperatively require, and we cannot doubt that
the building of one is close at hand. Com
merce between the United States and the
Eastern coasts Of Asia, and the islands of the
great South Sea, is rapidly developing. The
traffic between Asia and Europe, also, has
been gradually making n highway Of the
American continent. even though the transit
involves a double transfer of cargo from ship
to railway, and from railway back again to
| ship. Ii is estimated that the saving in money
| to the trade of tho world by the opening OF
this canal will be annually nearly SJO,VO,OOO,
and the saving TO the United States no less
than S3G,OOO,OO0. The saving in distance in the
voyage from NewYork TO Calcutta will be
1000 miles from New-York TO Melbourne,
$40 miles from New-York to Shanghai, 1900.
There arc questions concerning the neutrality
of the canal in time of war which have been
difficult to settle, and We shall await the pub
lication of the text of Mr. Cushings treaty
with some anxiety to see how they have been
disposed of. All civilized nations, however,
seem yearly more and more anxious to lessen
the horrors of war, and render its burdens rs
light as possible to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and wo
doubt not that an agreement can be made
with which the contracting parties and the
world at large will be entirely satisfied.
MR. DELM1RS REPORT
Mr. DcImar has Dublislcl a sort of posihu-