The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-06
The Isthmus OF Darfen-The Newly
Discovered Ship Canal Route.

Tho Isthmus or Darfen-The Newly
Discovered Ship Canal Route.
In the graphic and exceedingly interesting
letter which we published yesterday from our
special correspondent accompanying the ex-
petition we have the details and the results of
another exploration by Captain Selfridge, for
a ship canal route by way of the Atrato river
to the backbone of the Continent, and thence
across to the Pacific Ocean and the results, we
think, establish the route for our first Ameri-
can interoceanio ship canal. Beginning en-
the Pacific side the exploration followed the
Napipi River to its chief tributary. the Dog
uado then passing up that stream to the
dividing ridge, to point where, in crossing.
we strike q tributary of the Atrato. and
thence down that afauent to the main river,
which is navigable thence to the Atlantic for
the largest ships at oil seasons of the year.
By this route the entire length of the canal
required for ships of deepest draught will be
but twenty-eight miles, twenty-five of which
will be through an almost level plane. leaving
six miles of rock cutting through the dividing
ridge. including tunnel under the mountain
of three miles in length. To keep the cutting
on each side of the dividing ridge near the
surface some locks will be required, nine in
all. The only serious obstacle in the way is
this dividing ridge, and if we cannot get over
it with ship canal Captain Selfridge calcu-
lates that we can get under it. and from
ocean to ocean, at q cost Of seventy millions Of
dollars.
This is not the American isthmus ship
canal-a through cut without lock or tunnel
for which the commercial world has been
dreaming and hoping for three hundred years
that route somewhere would ultimately be
found; but from the explorations made of all
the isthmus passages from Tehuantepec ia
Darien, the Atrato is the route which Gomez
nearer to the essential conditions required fol
an isthmus canal than any other. These
essential conditions are:-
Fsrst-A good harbor on each side, as tho
outlet and inlet Of the canal.
Second-An abundant supply Of water fol
the canal from the summit level, at all seasons
of the year.
Third-The shortest available route at tho
least cost Of construction, with the least pos
sible amount Of lockage.
Now, while the Tehuantepec route is too
long, and requires too much lockage, it offers
only poor and insecure harbor at either end.
The Nicaragua route with the advantages OF
the line Of q navigable river most of the way,
and an inexhaustible reservoir in the great
Nicaragua Lake at the summit level, and espe1
cially with the advantages of route between
New York and San Francisco thousands OF
miles shorter than the Atrato route, has still
the great drawback Of very poor harbor.
shallow and exposed on the Atlantic side
and anything but good one on the Pacific
side. The same may be said of the harbors Of
the Panama route. The Atrato route, on the
other hand, offers deep, safe and commo-
dious harbor on the Pacific and Atlantic sides.
1t also offers an abundant supply of water fol
the canal, from its summit level, at oil seasons
Of the year, and the shortest available route.
with the least possible amount of lockage, in
comparison with any other route explored.
The Peruvian government, fully awake to
the importance of this great enterprise. appears
ambitious, first, to share the honors and thu
profits with the United States which will
surely be realized from ship canal by thia
Atrato route; and, next, it is by no means i'm.
probable, should the United States withdraw
from this route, that Peru, with the neighbor.
ing South American States, assisted by
England will undertake the work. We pre-
sumo that President Grant will seize the first
occasion to submit to Congress the report Of
Captain Selfridge on this Atrato route ex.
ploration Of 1873, with the reports of the sur
veys made or now in progress of other isthmua
routes in view of ship canal. If SO we can
not doubt, from all the facts before us, that
Congress win be drawn to action in favor Of
this new route from the Atrato, as Offering
more substantial advantages and Inducements
for an isthmus ship canal, with smaller OBJ
structions, than any other route from Tehuan-
tepec to Darien.
SENATOR RARsON BRowNrOw has written a