New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-06-07
TIE DARIEN PASSAGE.

Attempts to find a practicable canal route
across the Isthmus of Darien vie with explor-
ations for a Northwest passage in antiquity
and in the persistence with which they are
prosecuted. The difficulties of Cape Horn and
the Cape of Good Hope seem to grow each
year more insuppOrtable to those engaged in
the India trade and, now that steam seems
to promise 80 much for shorter route be-
tween the two hemispheres, commerce per-
sistently seeks the direct cut across the narrow
but mountainous Isthmus of Daren. So
much are the United States interested in
the discovery of some practical water
passage across this slender neck of land that
Congress has been liberal with its apprOpri-
atiOns for explorations and the Navy De-
partmenU has undertaken several expeditions,
of which The TRIBUNE has made frequent
and full report. In another part of this
journal we print a summary of the results
obtained by the exploring and surveying
party, commanded by Capt. Selfridge, which
has lately passed over the Atrato or
Napipi route. Three several surveys for
a ship canal have been authorized
by the United States GOvernment-the
Honduras, the Nicaragua, and the Napipi.
This last seems a holder undertaking than
any of the others it involves no less an en-
gineering exploit than tunneling a spur of the
Andes. 1t is proposed to select the Bay of
Cupica, on the Pacific coast Of Colombia, as
the western end of the canal, and, by tun-
neling the divide and utilizing the tributaries
of the Napipi, which debOuches into the Bay
of Cupica, strike the head waters of the
AtratO and so reach tide water at the head of
the Gulf of Darien. Various reflections in the
route are suggested and the estimated length
of the proposed canal accordingly varies from
one hundred and twenty to about one hundred
and fifty miles. The harbors at either end of
this route are good; and it is claimed that
they are superior to those of the more Northern
of the proposed routes. On the Pacific side, the
harbor at Humboldt Bay, forty or fifty miles
north of Cupica, offers an excellent sheltered
anchorage, as well as a feasible line to
the Atrato; but the Cupica route is con-
sidered better than this. AS before limited,
tho main difficulty apparent is that of the
tunnel, which must be cut through solid rock
for distance of three miles, and be suf-
fciently lofty to admit a ful-rigged ship. As
for the locks and other means of making the
sharp descent on the Pacific side of the rocky
divide the plans seem more promising, though
involving great cost and engineering skill.
Builders of the Darien Ship Canal, whoever
they may be, must go TO the Colombian Gov
eminent for a concession. The late Secretary
Seward had an absorbing interest in the
various projects for connecting the two
oceans, and authorized an application to the
Government of the United States of Colombia
for the required permission to explore the
Napipi route and construct the canal. Complete
success has not yet met orr application, and
Colombian journals have not hesitated to de-
clare that their local politicians were too
anxious to make "a jObn out of this
great undertaking to permit it TO pass
their Congress unchallenged Meantime,
efforts have been made by public-spinted
Colombians to interest European capitalists
in the scheme, but without success. The
work should be one of international CO.
operation, if it is undertaken at all. So far,
we have only gathered the first crude data of
desultory explorations Yet it is not impos-
sbe that this generation shall witness the
firm beginning Of work Shch has stimu