The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-14
THE DARrEN SHIP CANAL PROJECT.
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the two oceans, but we have still entertained
a hope that feasible route in that quarter
would be discovered. It appears, however,
that Captain Selfridge in a recent despatch
says:-"We have finished surveying the
Darien and found it impracticable for ship
canal. 1 am now at work on the line from
the Gulf of San Bias, about eighty miles east
of Aspinwall, with better prospects of sue
cess. l expect to get through SO that the ex-
pedition can return to the United States
about the middle of June" This may be
considered as settling the question against
the isthmus route of Darien proper, and we
are not very sapguine that route will be
found in the neighborhood of San Bias more
feasible than that of the Aspinwall and Panama
Railroad
The little Gulf of San Bias is about eighty
miles down the Atlantic coast from Aspinwall
and between that gulf and the great Bay of
Panama on the Pacific we have the narrowest
part of the isthmus (about thirty-six miles
across) which divides North from South
America. Several small streams from the
backbone of the Continent descend into the
Gulf of San Bias, and it may be that some one
of them interlocks with the river Chepo,
which flows in the opposite direction from the
dividing ridge into Panama Bay. This river
Chepo is a considerable stream, and is at
several points within fifteen miles of
the Atlantic coast,s so that it is pro-
bable that some stream may be found on
this side which opens way, with very
little cutting, through to the Chepo, and
by it's channels to the Pacific. Hence, we
presume Captain Selfridge's prospects of sue
cess in this quarter. We are, however, pre-
pared for adverse reports, even from San
Bias, because the mouth of the river Chepo
is SO convenient to the old city of Panama
that we think if, by following the course of
that river, an easy outlet might be found
through to the Gulf of San Bias, the early
Spanish settlers of Panama would have found
it. In any event this exploring expedition of
Captain Selfridge will be very valuable to the
civilized world in settling all geographical
doubts as to the feasibility or impracticability
of ship canal at any point on the Darien
Istbmus between the mouth of the Atrato
river and Aspinwall a distance along the At
lantic coast of some three hundred miles.
We think it possible that feasible canal
route will be discovered from the Gulf of San
Bias; but we apprehend, from the reason
suggested, that the backbone of the CONT
nent in this narrow isthmus will be found
not to present anywhere the required depres-
sion for a through ticket by steamship with
out such labor of locks and dams as to
render the canal too costly and tedious to pay
Assuming that such will be the result of the
explorations of Captain Selfridge's competent
engineers, we shall be compelled to come
northward to the Nicaragua route for our
ship canal Nor do we think
that route exists for a ship canal between
the Atlantic and Pacific that has q fifth part
of the advantages of this route, and especially
for the United States. From New York to
San Francisco it will be the saving over a ship
canal at the Darien isthmus of over a thou
sand miles; and to sailing vessels, from the
calms and battling winds which prevail about
Panama, it will be the saving of at least q
month in the voyage.
We have heretofore had occasion to quote
from the book of Commander Bedford PIN,
of the British Navy, on ''The Gate of the
Pacific, some of his opinions and estimates
of ship canal by the Nicaragua route, and
in the hope of drawing the attention of our
Government to this route we will draw again
upon this English explorer. He estimates
the cost of ship canal from ocean to ocean,
one hundred and ninety-one miles, by the
Nicaragua route, substantially as follows
From the Atlantic, by canal along the
river San Juan to the Lake Nicaragua .e2, 100000
From the west side OF the lake aud TO the
end of tunnel or cut on the Pacific
Descent to the Paci1c... 100000
Total. c4, 800, 900
or twenty-five millions, five hundred thou
sand dollars. The level of Lake Nicaragua
above the ocean on either side Is about three
hundred feet, which will have to be overcome
by locks; but unless a lower depression is
found between San Bias and Panama Bay
than three hundred feet or two hundred, this
elevation of Lake Nicaragua taken into the
estimate, will not disturb the great advan-
tages of this route over any other one.
The present Emperor Napoleon, in PAM
phlet on this Nicaragua route for a ship
canal, written in 1917, says of it:-'There
exists in the New World State as admirably
adapted as Constantinople, and, we must say,
up to the present time as uselessly occupied
Qor the control of the worlds commerce. he
means). We allude to the State of Nicaragua.
AS Constantinople is the centre of the ancient
world, SO is the town of Leon, or rather
Massaya Gin Nicaragua the centre of the
new; ard if the tongue of land (6fteen miles)
which separates its two lakes from the
Pacific Ocean were cut through Che means
that the San Juan river, up into Lake Mica
ragua as it is, would answer for the time
being), she would command, by her central
position, the entire coast of North and South
America. Like Constantinople, Masssya is
situated between two extensive natural har-
bors (the two lakes) capable of giving shelter
to the largest fleets safe from attack. The
state OF Nicaragua can become, better than
Constantnople, the necessary route for the
great commerce of the world" and much
more to the same effect.
In the event, then, of the failure TO dis
cover any available route at the Darien 18TH
mus for ship canal, we would urge upon
General Grant an active movement in behalf
of a canal over the Nicaragua route as the
only available interoceanic canal route on the
Continent, and as the route whish, from its
geographical position, is the best of all routes
for the United States.
THE SCHISM OF SUFFRAGE