The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-14

have been an eve witness OF many scene SICKNESS
produced by the malaria OF ibe ietld swsmps. bnt
never heard other than hopeful expressions Tor the
scribed the noits on RAID OF the two surveys, and
the various incidents which characterized the prog
ress OF explorers 1t Is needless TO again refer TO
them. But now that the expedition has completed
IT. entire iaoors the wonderful energy s Sai Pere
ing; for looking back at the DAYS when the dangers
OF the undertaking came fast aud thick the explo-
rers may well congratulate themselves upon their
escape from the many Ills that enc0mpassed them.
Some Of the Officers Nicer and -, men o were as
sionally wadmg streams, buC mostly cutting
their passage through the denSest or underbrush.
expedltion was the promptness wi h which the sup.
plies were forwarded. The provisions on the Pacific
SIDE placed In charge Of Mr. J. d. J. Kelley, one
of the Officers OF the Resaca, who also entrusted
with the command or the steam launch at Pin0Rana,
while the surveying party was drawing the line TO
II not been for the tact urbanity and decision OF the
gentleman mentioned 10 Is impossible to conjecture
%g have seen The natives at
Plnogana, stubborn and ignorant as they seemed
were not slow IN ascertainng that the expedition
was, 70 some extent dependent upon them for the
canoes wherein TO convey the supplies, as the shall
lowness OF the Tuyra River prevented the steam
distance past the settlement ITSELF The two parties
met ON the "divde" In the middle OF April and alter
CAREFUL AND THOROUGH EXAMINATION
the lowest elevation found was 1888 feet Each force
then commenced Its return-that from the Atlantic
side to the ship Guard, and the other down the
Pacific slope to the Resaca, the latter party having
orders TO Draw line rom the mouth or the Paya to
wards might be completed. From Offical reports
It would appear that on both SIDES OF the summit
in the shape Of mountain ridges, which, from their
hopes Of an nterocean,c canal in The vicinity Of the
Tuyra river, This lact was not known until
the survey was almost entirely completed:
When II was announced , that no %9sco lower
Commander Selfrldgo ISSUED orders Tor
second survey or the = dlvlde," being then
isted more TO the southwark. since, ~ his own
Dar0metrical observation, ne had found something
was evidently q mistake. for more accurate inves-
hgation would as 'uredy have resulted IN the aus.
covery q a. least na ss 30
the breaking OF the Instrument fact unfortunately
not ascertained unnl the party had reached the
was then commenced and ended in the knowledge
OF even higher elevaion-nainey s7l feet-the time
explorers on the Pacific side returned TO the Resaca
on the lsy Of June, while the surveyors on the At
is Of sSSt Month"; One The result Of the ex
animation or the AtratO-Tuyra route shows It
10 be impractcabe, because Of the insuperable
barriers which IL pr0sents-nOt In the AtratO
River, which Tor canal passage is almost per ect,
but by the near approaches to The summit Setting
aside the iflcutles which elevation of 1853 feet
undoubtedly OFFERS the surroundings OF the cOun.
try by which IL Is assembled must forever dspel the
hope that an nteroceanc canal could be constructed
across the line surveyed. its impractcablty lies
In the fact thai the sum required to build 1t would
never be raised. But 1t is nevertheless. gratifying
THE EXPEDITION HAS SUCCEEDED
in opening up tract OF country hitherto unknown
VIII doubtless prove OF importance Ia times to come
Moreover the photographic work so faithfully car.
RED out In the Gulf Of barren will always be regarded
rs valuable even though the tnterOceanlc canal be
not commenced there. The route promised most
auspiciousy In the beginning and II the expedition
has done nothing more than to place beyond dispute
that the line is not feasible IL has accomplished a
great DEAL The country and its characteristic fea.
they ever were and Would probably ever he, ana II
the expedltiCn has not found canal route IN the
direction mentioned T. Is simply because It never
marv OF the 0per t1ons OF the expediti n, which was
conducted under the best possible plans, 1t IL now
commander, Selrrdge, deems to be the successful
portion Of the enterprise-nameiy. the discovery
ola
from Limon Bay, on the facific to the Atrat0, by
way or the Napp River. and thence to the Atlantic
have alluded to this line as one that was well known
IN connection WITH surveys across t the isthmus
called Napipi route has ever received the
same careful attention as 1t did IN the month OF
the Pacific to the Assntc The result OF that in.
vestigatl0n shows that the Inc ID not mpractlcable
Questions ss ioT the the gesess
glneertnG skill OF modern times as wen as for the
pockets OF capltalists anxious to invest In the
colossal enterprise. While one party was engaged
surveying no the Cue River towards the diyide' the
Resaca left Chtpagana and proceeded down the
having been ma g by Commander Selfridge, the
survey was commenced under the direction or Mr..
month";. and the result was declared TO be mighty
satisfactory. Having already described al me met
dens attending the examination i OF the NaplpI
features Of the route. From Lmon Bay 10 The
Arato oy way Of the MsRp the distance
OF the river. In straight line, however,
il is only twenty seven miles according to the sur
the construction OF an mteroccanc canal IN this
direction have been completed but the main charac
tcrisscs VIII ps suicient 70 convey an dea as to the
coming from the Atlantic should enter the Gull OF
Darlen and then ascend the Atrato River to the
moved before the Atrsto can be entered; but the
difficulties by no means great ~ to cause any
having been Thoroughly examined 1t is reported tnas
there are five fath0ms Of water the entire way up to
me Napipi ne current Itself nowng a. the rate OF
distance belna about one hundred and twenty miles
The canal would commence &C the NaDipl and
be only thirty-two miles, making the distance
from ocean to ocean about one hundred
aud nfty miles. At TIE confluence Of the Napipi
River the Atrato Is iorty.one feet above mean tide.
Nine locks, each OF ten feet M, would be con.
sircsea IRON from .hsS point towards me Inc
locks would be arranged so as TO keep the cutting
near The surface twenty-one miles from the Atrat0
The ninth lock would be constructed convenient to
the D0gado river, which nows into the Napipi, then
open cot Of 284 feet In depth and several hundred
feet long would be made TO the Atlantic portal Of
the 'hividen which Is G12 feet In height. This
mountain ridge IL about haif mile from the Pacific
shore aud rises almost precautionary on tnat sile
After the open cutting from the ninth lock would
come
TUNNEL THROUGH THE DIVIDE
four miles In length This tunnel Is 10 he sixy feet
wide ar the BOTTOM with total height OF 10 feat
ninety ieet above the water line After passing
through The tunnel with tODmustS housed vessels
would descend 10 the Pacific by means Of thirteen
locks, each OF ten feet liit-the depth or water
throughout the canal being twenty six feet. The
total cost for the construction OF this canal having
been carefully Calculated has been set down at
$iO6 o0o 0J0 and making an allowance OF S2 600 900
Tor contingencies, the entire sum wonld he about
one hundred and thirty millions oil dollars. Tho
length Of time required TO construct the canal Is
tinated to be twelve Years, This, IN brief, is the