The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1876-10-14
The Darien Canal

IL does not appear tlsat .Ls pro5t. as
senoT Go@orZa tor . ship esa4. ou she
Cayclrlca route - either rags ona. ~
il likely 20 IL ihe one which wi.l ts
successtul.y prosecntcd No cansi car
D. osIllt scrrsys u. lstGutu+ .thoat the
aid of European capital. Iaa Lazyast
estimates oi co~t ever male faee been
G0.psj. 900. aud ibe higac-t go. J.o0e. .-
900. According e. C0mml.dore self.
ridges report ,ise whole -ngta e she
Gogarzs rgute wcu.d f.a 80 miles. and
ths c.f%t $50 UGo. $50 Coomosiore
-@ifsidge Advocated the Sapipi raate.
from tie mouth q the Atrato riyrg -
ChFi-chiri hay go tha Pacific 81 tails
route there wou'J he oAiy - m4.a- ot
canal. the re-t - the di.tsure b<sHE n
nayigabIe user. Bat three miles of the
excavation would be- a tuuucl. aud ,here
would ~ luc sago 81 @0O feet
According - = recent report, negat.a-
tions sill soon bc opeaed for canal
across the eisthmus by way ii Sicaragu-.
All that We cat gather from tiIgse -
nous reports IS that the i-thtDus canal
project - attracting uuususl attention:
and there will be no difficulty IN ob-
tanning a.! reasonable concessions. But
up 30 tins date the route has bot been
settled. ami anil not i5e until more ex-
plorations have been made. The pro-
ducts oi the Isthmus will have l.tti,. ia
huence IN settling the question. Nhat
j. wanted is the b,~t highway for mn
tions. The views Of thl~ nr that Cen
tral American state will have little IN
flnence. ANY one or all IF them will be
glad - grant the concession. ~ pres
ent the SGaraguan route looks the
most feasible. But IT i not far enough
advanced to inspire any great amount
ofeontidonce. When the practical work
Of Building canal Is begun. we shalt
probably find that VI. he lo~seps. If
SueZ canal fame, will be- closely lleuti-
fed with the new project.
The Darien canal will have AZ inter
national Importance The neutrality OF
the route will bc guaranteed and then
IL will make little difference who owns
the stock. But one thing l. evident, no
canal Will be built on the data already
collected There will be- fresh iuvcs-
tigation, and We shall then find that the
French engineers will be prominent in
the work An event of so much lmpor-
tancc must be preceded by the rip
ening OF public opinion, and 10y inyes-
LEGATIONS which leave nothing in doubt
Twenty years hence the direct route for
steamships between the ports ot san
Francisco aud New York will bc aero
the lsthmus. aui cargoes will 20 from
port 10 port without breaking bulk.
rhe steamship leaving New York for
this port, willarrive twenty five days OF
so afterward. LAYING down three or four
thousand tons ST freight, probably rs
often as oncs week Wheat-ladcu
ships from this port, bound To Liverpool
will 60 through the canal There vii
be very little business hy the way of
Cape Horn when the Isthmus route -
once open. The screw steamer will take
the place of the sailing vessel for much
of the business ou tine more direct route.
Once let there bo 4 complete demon-
stration that ship canal can bs cut
across. the lsthmus NJ any point north
or south, within 100 miles Of Panama.
and At a cost not exceeding Sloo ooo. 600
and the work will not be long delayed
At present the difficulty is not about
capital II IA about facts. The best
route II wanted. II may hc the shortest
one. but it must be the one having the
greatest advantage 81 that all compe-
tition by another route viii he fore
closed IL can hardly be saIt tha; this
Ultimate fat IA. hefu S.tflvt psa "a this
timo though there Is certainly gool
prospect that il will he settled ~ an
early day