New-York tribune., 1875-01-28
THE DARIEN CANAL.

PLANS OF THE EXPLORING PARTIES.
TWO LINES TO BE sUBvEYED-THE oARELLA ANp
ATRATOSAPIPI PARrIEs-rHE LOGIC of lhH
pYIIcANs PIIGHr-THE ATRAro EASILY MADE
NAvIGABLE.
(FRox A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF rms rsiBUsE.I
AsPfNwALL, U. 8. of COL, Jan. 16-ln 1870
the frat Darien expedition was fitted out under the aus
pioes Of the Navy Department and the leadership was
conferred upon Commander seifrdge. -Four level and
transit lines were run. aud the prctonsons OF as many
routes to low summit levels forever set at rest NO
limo was found at all suited to the requirements OF any
iuteroeesnc canal Another expedition was undertaken
In the ensuing year. part Of the explorers working
from tho Gulf OF San Miguel the Pacific, and the re-
main ler from Columbia Bay the eastern coast Dur
ing this expedition the oNappl lne was nrs' sur
veyed and It's conditions favorable that IN 1873
exnedton vas sent TO explore its head waters
In 1874 Commission appointed by the President aud
composed OF distinguished engineers went over oo'h
the Napipi and Nicaragua lines the latter of Whcn hal
been surveyed the preceding year by ConWahuer Ln'
and Il IA In consequence OF the wshes OF 'nat bo'u
that the present expedition is undertaken In order to
explore more fully the Valley OF tue Naplp AMI It's
tributaries.
There arc now in Asrnwal two intcro ceanic survey
ing par,les One is under the command Of Capt Llll
u. s. N, aud is composed OF Leuts Lon'ze' CODY
Taussig and Very, aud Masters Collin ana Green OIL
naval ofcers. It's object IL the exploration Oh the ran
Lieut. Collins vita whom are associated Leuts Eaton,
Sullivan and Paine and Assistant SlrgeOn Norfcet. It's
object survey OF the AtratoNdpipi ne I'e Tor
mer party will begin active operations In the heu on
Monday the 10th inst 1t Is to survey what IS commonly
known as the Garelll line, whic1 Will now un1ergO
test that will determine its value. Command. .r LliS
party will proceed to dylie. and there separate
one noron will take tho Pacific and the other tho At
antic sope Tue line, at present located on the maps
uses the river Chagres channel to poat Just O.O"
Cruces nearly touching the railroad at thit point anu
dyergng thence It cuts 10 the north o tho rO@n o'ci
divide varouslY estimated from 200 10 l1O ee l hR"
and finally communicates with ths Pacific at point ten
miles north of Panama Tue total length OF tne uuo as
laid down Is ls miles, aud 20 OF these Will be on tno
CbaOres These hyures are not accurate but are tno
most Trustworthy that can be obtained at present. IL
this line shoul funn. even In moderate degree 'no
hros advocates the comparatively settled caaTdc-
ter OF the country aud the Immediate proximity oi 'no
| railroad will be powerful arguments IN its iavor
| On the other hand we may question the naN:aolhSo'
49,, for vessels 200 feet long Tie sudden and tre
mendous rises not infrequenty over 70 feet In nGe
d,y the current at such times ana the many Suuoh
| turns and tortuous windngs OF tue river pea, must
render its navigation uncertain ana dangerous eA
peliment system OF dises aud cuttings 10 oD'laIe
| tbese evils will be exponsve beyond measure. The
Mndi Swamp, through which II enters Lnoh pay 10 no
slight obstacle to the success OF the llne Whatever
NAV be- the merits or domerits OF the Garela ne IL VIII
DO carefully surveyed during the pre'ent dry seaso
The officers engaged In the Work have already hau eAPe
repce In tho wds OF Central AN rica ana thoy garry
with them to their task fund OF energy whlch IS as or
egn to this latitude as an ceoerS Ihe res'Ieht' Va
Panama ara inbaut that their favorite hne Is TO De
| suryeyed and The Panama Star aud Herald predeI'
| oraot re,uts Among other arguments more curious
than convincing 10 an impartial mnd Is one when from
its snguarity mention IL Is urged tna' shc
pelcaus IN flying from ocean 10 ocean invariably cross
on the Garella line, showing that ~ Is the o"eS' sum
mi, ,eveI This ingenious argument has already earned
for the party who survey this route the souorque
Of "Peicans" It's to hoped that they may acquire
nm hereditary instinct" for low grounds. and ke the
ncIican follow tho lowest levels Their abors viii be
1lshed in April and they will then return Wy steamer
to New York. .- - -1--.'
Tho other party will make survey OF the Atrato'
oguado line and IS at present awaiting the ar
rival Of the United States steamer CauandagaA IS
to convey the explorers to tho mouth OF the Atrato
! Thence they will ASCEND to the mouth OF the NiWp''
where one party the lower grounos near the
Atrao, another Inc hilly sections rev WNri -
TO the general features OF tins liue over rrutuy az
thr ucraneers OF the Spanish asc"nd, ;he N"ppl
In their freebooting expeditions 10 the Pdciht. me
headwaters OF tho Nappl are bdNgioie Nv cahocs ~
point within short distance Of the Paclnc ocean
Ine trails in the hlIside. to facilitate lbc a.
OF light cannon are silll NsDe aug e % ss ".
the now river baye doubtless echoed TO the chorus
| OF many u drinking song. ,- - A., ,,a, ,
coast latitude GO north at the bottom OF pay called
Cnr chiri BY means Of 10 lock, ine the vrinGH GaHa
| Of the coast and at an elevation OF loo Ieet e
perces the COrdieras by means OF tunnel lhree uies
In length. Thence il tDerges INTO inc u"a'els Oh
the DOguado Tributary OF tho Napip Tie three n les
here involve deep cnts aud the crossing OF tue
Nappi to reach It's LETT bank viii involve some engineer
mg skill, With the crossing OF the river IA Tue Itd' u
6ruIties are suimOuned The remaining y Ellies arc
| dawn the gradually descending valley OK the rEeF
| TO the Atrato. Where the canal enters IL, 'he
Atrato has a mean breadth OF 1850 feet, and mean
denth of five fathOms In It's lower watera s With can
be measured ia miles aud its depth ny scores OF itet
The sole impedment at present u s nav GallDh Is the
| sbalow ness OF the the mouth. As thj is Hud
there will be no great difficulty in dredging channe
ana with the aid OF a couple OF wiug1ams the current
of the river itself will keep 1t clear Ihe wfter over
sO feet deem ON either side OF the bar and II Tree cha
mel we're once made the river whose mourn projected
by headlands, would at once 0e rendered nay iSe'
we have seem the total length OF the Napp Iue Is Is
| miles no portion OF which H. through 10" or sNIlnpS
country In fact lowest level OF the canal s 80 fc
above mean tide and line lies throHGh region as
hcalthful ns can be found in Central America. UpJL
the Atlantic SIDE Columbia Bay has anehUrdg, room Or
1C00 SHIPS ana at ChrISHIli on tnS 'N''' ~ -
thIng uDkuOWu. -. 49,, ,,..........
Tnese are the chief points In Its favor, The present
| eYueditiou Will make thorough crOeS3cctui' ~ t"o
Valley OF the Nappi, obtain DUrlngs lVF EARN lhi "a
extent of the basins OF the Nipip ana aii contiguous
rivers smother complete Line OF levels VII DO lh
from the Atratu Pa ihc. In short II s desire"
tDat ALI necessary data for the nual DO
Al sutyeIing work necessarily limited 10 the dry sea
| son which extends from January 10 May anu VOC oe-
~ the explorer VINO remains III tEc Wovi5 tho
| mills TIL the rails nave fairly set M
THE ISTHMUS SHIP CANAL PROJECT.
ADVANTAGES OF THE PANAMA ROUTE-ITs SHORT