Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1870-08-12

commenting on the necessity for Europe
70 maintain the peace, the London Times OF
the 18th ult., said - Russia and the United
States are the powers which the next gener-
alton will look upon ar the most formidable. '
But peace has not been maintained in
Eurcre. Two great powers are fghting, and
all others arming. The call Of workmcn to
arms. the losses Of life and destruction Of
property resulting, are probably least Of tie
injuries certain tof1liow. Such wars as that
now in progress in Europe unset;le the con-
fdencc in peace when attained. and placing
everything in suspense, limit enterprise and
effort. And Russia and the United States.
two great and friendly empires, viii certainly
not be tie less formidable, either actually or
hy Comparison, for these events
In 1919 a grant was made by the Nicara-
guam Government TO Cornelius Vanderbilt and
his associates, for a ship canal to unite the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans by way Of Lake
Nicaragua. But on account Of disscnsi5ns in
the company, nothing was done towards ac-
comprising the work The successful com
plction of the Suez canal turned attention
once more to the project Of canal lv way
Of the lsthmus of Darien. But the report of
the surveying party was adverse, and the
Nicaragua ship Canal enterprise has been
revived. \ meeting of prominent capitalists
was held in New York the other day t. con-
slder the enterprise. They were addressed hy
Mr., John +. Body. whose address is pub
lished in pamphie; form. This states that
the level Of Nicaragua lake at high water Is
lO3 feet above high water on the Pacific. and
il29 feet above the lowest tide led. The
fall to the Atlantic is 1914 feet to the level |
OF high water, and l0sl To the level Of low |
water in san Juan del Norte. or Grevto,gr.
harbOr. The distance over which thi. bl, /
is distributed is 70 miles Of good nsyirable
water, when the river is only half full.
The pre-eminent advantage Of the Nicaragua
route for an interoceenic canal is the mex
haustible supply Of water at the summit
level. The great Lake Of Nicaragua has an
average length of about 10 miles by an
average breadth Of about > miles, and re-
ceives the rainfall Of more than 200 by 30.
Il is the great reservoir Of water Of Central
America, which rnquestionable fact marks it
as the natural line for an interoccanic canal.
Mr.. Body says:
The line across Nicaragua, as SURVEYED and
aid down by Childs, is free frcm The objection
oi tunnels, great or small, snd has at is summit
level Of naVigabie water (from Castillo, On the
san Juan rlverto the first lock descending to the
facihc.) Of one hundred ard three miles without
IN impairment Of sny kind This is q sea Of
resh water at the summit. twelve feet lower ,
nan the reservoir in Central Park. city OF New ,
FORK, inexhaustible in quantity, sua the rim
Which confines it on the Poetic SIDE is only {
orty- eight feet high.
lie entire cost OF the work twenty years q
go was estimated at tbirty-one and half .
niliion dollars. lt is certain that French .
md English companies have, within a
e" years. made several attempts to r
JUAN an exclusive franchise for .
MP canal by the Nicaragua route. The
'resen' promoters of the ship canal enter S
prise' relying upon data old and new claim t
nat the only practicable route for sb;n .
anal, uniting the Atlantic and p.o;sa n
Oceans, is by way of the San Juan r;ro- Ii
AXE Nicaragua, and that this rou,e i e.
oasible that the work must be undertake.. >, &
It an early day. F