The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1872-12-26
Can Ship be Floated Across Darien
lsthmus?

Can Ship be Floated Across Darien
lsthmus?
The above is the question that is Just
now pressing itself upon the government
of the United States, and upon the great
commercial interests that are seeking new
and better routes for the traffic of this
country and the world. 1t is another
manifestation of the spirit which has dug
the SueZ Canal and built the Pacific rail
roads. Commerce is impatient of the long,
weary and dangerous route around Cape
Horn, which wears ont alike ships and
men, and seriously curtails the profits of
all concerned. The time is ripe for the
achievement, and the only question is its
feasibility in respect to the engineering
difficulties to be overcome.
Commander Selfridge, of the United
States navy, who has been engaged for
several years in making surveys of the
different routes supposed to be practicable
for canal, recently sailed to Join his ship
on the Pacific side, and will proceed with
the work until the question is settled
Three Ct the Central American states have
been surveyed in search for route, viz :
Darien, Nicaragua and Tehuantepec. Of
course canal can be made almost any
where by the expenditure of money
enough, but no place for a canal he'd
across the two latter states could be found
which did not call for an expenditure too
great to be thought of. The result of last
years survey, however, it is hoped, has
shown route in which the natural OBJ
stacles to be overcome are reduced TO the
lowest point, and at cost for the work
which can be readily met. AT the lower
extremity of the isthmus, Just where it
commences to broaden into the southern
half of the continent the river Atrato
spans large portion of its width, run
ming ENTHUSIASTICALLY and falling into the
Gulf of Darien. By using the channel of
this river which is broad and deep enough
for the purpose, the actual length of the
canal to be built would be but thirty three
miles. 1t seems a strange thing to con
template tunnel five miles long, as a
portion OF a ship canal, but one portion
of the Darien enterprise will be Just that,
unless later surveys shall show that the
highland can be avoided. of the remain
ing twenty eight miles, the canal will
need to be eXcavated to an average depth
OF forty feet, mostly in the rock For
reaching the summit from the East nine
locks will be required. and for the descent
to the Pacific thirteen. Since the success
OF the tunnel through the Alps and the
certainty that the Hoosac tunnel is to be
seasonably completed, this boring through
mountains is regarded as among the Ger
tainties of engineering science; and there
is no more difficulty, comparatively, in
making a tunnel for q ship than 4 loco
motive and train of cars. Tall ships would
need to send down their sky-scraping
spars before the transit, that's all
The question of dollars is always an
important one in works of this kind How
much will it cost? How much to keep it
in repair? And what will it earn Gem
mander Selfridge, after careful estimates,
puts the outside cost at eighty-five mil
lions--not by any means high one, when
the benefits of the improvement are con-
sidered. The repairs will be next to
nothing. The banks being in one portion
a natural river, and i'll the other rock
cut canal it will be seen that no expense
will be needed for keeping them in order
like, for instance, the enormous cost of
dredging the shifting desert sand from the
ship canal connecting the Mediterranean
with the Red Sea- For the income from
the contemplated work, we have but to
remember that time is money, and the
adage has greater force in its application
to the sailing of ships than to most other
industries. Take map Of the world and
measure the distance from New York to
any port in the Pacific by way of either
cape and than by way of the isthmus
canal. 1t will be found that it is very
great, and quite enough to compensate
for heavy tolls in the transit. A sailing
ship would save, on an average, u days
from New York to San Francisco, 67 to
the Sandwich Islands, So to Callao, "a to
Shanghae, 40 to Japan, and in proportion
to other ports. 1t saves, in short, the
weary voyage along both shores of South
America, and the dangers of Cape Horn
1t is not wonderful that this enterprise has
attracted 80 much attention, and is COM
mandlng so much exertion for it's de-
velopement.
The manner in which the canal shall be
built, in respect to its finances, will come
into consideration at later day The
government of the United States will of
necessity take prominent part, and pro-
baby be the chief promoter of the work
A treaty already exists between the Unit
ed States and New Grenada, which will
give all the protection that the enterprise
will need. An alliance between the two
governments was entered into in 1876, by
which the free transit of the isthm1s was
guaranteed on the part of New Grenada,