The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-20
THE DARIEN CANAL.

MR.. A. G. MENocAL ADVOCATES THE ADOPTION
OF THE NICARAGUA RoUrB-MEErING OF THE
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.
meeting OF the American Society of Civil En-.
gineers held last night in the of the
citation No. 1O4 East Twentieth street. The follow
ing officers were elected for the ensuing year:-Prss.
ldent-AIbert Fink. New York. Vice Presidents
Jas. b. Francis Massach and Octave Chanuts.
New York. Secretary. John Bogart. New York
Treasurer. J. R. Croes. New York. Directors
William II. Paine. Brooklyn; C. Vandervoort Smith.
New York; E. b. Van Winkle New York;
b. Hermony. Kentucky; General G. r. War
rem. United States Army. The principal business
of the evening was the reading of q paper on the
subject "Interoceanic Canals" written by Mr.. A.
g. Menocal. civil engineer. attached to the Naval
Department of the United States service Mr. Memo
cal was detained duty at Washington. and In his
absence the paper read by Mr.. Charles II.
Meyers civil engineer. of this city.
The paper went deliberately into the different
projects that had been set foot for tho purpose
OF building canal across the Isthmus of Darien.
showing the results of the surveys that had been
made from the Bay Of Colon to that Of Panama by
Leutenants wyse and Reclus Of the French Navy,
Bayamo in the Bay OF Panama. by Messrs
Mac Danyal and Sweet also the studies
e. ss e
and OF which Mr.. Menocal was the chief engineer.
After reviewing Lieutenant Wyses plan ct length
Mr. Menocal says that Messrs. Wyse and Roclus sub
mitted the Paris Congress several sets Of estimates
and plans giving the calculated cost a. $2oS 900.
anna Railroad. He then goes to give
the estimated amount Of excavation required for the
route. By using the cross section adopted for tho
Nicaragua route the total number OF square yards
of earth and rock to be excavated 10 calculated u
1892 sos. This does not include lsoo0oo yards q
rock that would have to be raised from under water
BY using the cross section recommended by thu
Paris Congress as q basis of calculation tho
total amount of excavation would be 1O.0000O0
cubic yards in excess of the amount calculated
by Lieutenant Wyse The plan for the canal with
locks from Colon to Panama next received the St
tention of Mr. Menocal. He calculated the length
OF that route at forty-one and quarter miles and
tns cost at IN 1871 Dy
would cost: according to estimates Of the Pafi.
Congress. $261. $50. 595. the main digestion 70 II
which have elevation Of from 100 to 500 feet.
NOTHING TAKEN FOR GRANTED.
The Nicaragua route had, Mr.. Menocal said.
ceived his attention for the last eight years The
estimates and cost were based on data obtained from
granted in the formation Of the project The psper
goes on at length to give the curves laid down to
suit the topography and combats objections raised
to the route by writer in the Bulletin du Canal
Iateroceanique. Mr. Menocal calls attention to the
fact that Lake Nicaragua-she proposed summit
wide. and its elevation is about 1919 feet above
level. The paper describes in detail the
1 On sns part ' Of the route Which you'd
have to be built dams considered necessary
at Castillo, Balas. Machuca and San Carlos The
length Of the inland canal is down Ut 81 miles,
that Of lake navigation. soy miles; slack water
navigation by the river San Juan. 63 miles. giving
total length Of 81 miles from to ocean. The
following is recapitulation OF the estimated cost:
Western division. .$21 TIT
Eastern division. ...................2 5O20,91k
Middle division. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1858
Harbor of Greytown. 2S22, $50
Harbor Of Brito. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 2,3S7,7a
Total .$52,577. 7M
Add twenty-five per cent for contingen-
cies ......-............ -. l3,1lx,420