The New York herald., 1879-09-23
Report Of Sweets Survey Of the San
Bias Sea Level Canal Route.
oNR HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS NEEDED.
Observations and Conclusions Of an Explorer Who Has
& Spent Thirty Years and Fortune in
lnteT@eanc Interest.

during the past twentyseven years in the interest
OF o ship canal across the Isthmus are matter of
official aud mercantile record. HERALD represen-
tative called on both gentlemen, who were busly
contemplating map Of the Isthmus, and In re-
sponse to query Mr.. Kelley said. "The HERALD
shall certainly have any and all information it cares
for at my hands. The public in general and the
mercantile community in particular are greatly the
HRRALD's debtor already. and the interest it mani
tests in this all important ship canal business is
most encouraging element In the enterprise"
'.How long have you been studying this matter
Mr.. Kelley?'
.sTwenty-seven years. The canal project is my
hobby. and have spent more time and money at it
than all the rest put together. havo sent at my
own expense seven engineering parties to the
1sthmus. and know every inch Of it. got Congress
to make an appropriation by which two govern
mental surveys were made and paid for. The aim of
my life has been and is to find sea level canal
route" 81 aai5}a 4r. ss,s.
.'Not q lock route?"
'No, q sea level route. In my opinion the San
Bias route is tho best thus far found
''Where is that?" ' Fa~
'.Thirty miles below Panama. It is only thirty
miles long,
"Dii you have 1t surveyed?"
81 did. in 1854. Colonel Totten, whose ideas the
HERALD printed few weeks ago, and engineers
Trautwino. serrel. Campbell and Sweet agree that
It is the best route-in fact the only practicable
no lock route"
"Did you have q report nader
81 did; Mr.. Sweet made it..
'.Can tho HERALD have it?"
Certainly. It has been printed. 1t contains
facts Of universal interest Suppose you talk with
Mr.. Sweet He is the engineer who made the survey
and the report"
THE SAN BIAS SURVEY.
Mr.. Sweet smiled benignly and said:-
''In the winter of 1864 under the direction Of
Frederick M. Kelley. Cyrus Butler and Luke T. Mer-
rill, of New York, Mr.. A. McDougall, myself and
complete corps OF engineers made careful survey
of the San Bias route. in order to determine its
feasibility for ship canal without locks, and since
then have crossed and recrossed the Isthmus SOW
eral times carefully noticing all the advantages and
disadvantages for constructing the work."
"What do you think Of the decision Of the Paris
Canal Congress in May last?"
ESQ far as adopting q level canal the decision
OF the Congress was wise and just but in selecting
the Panama route for that purpose believe they
made great mistake. as cannot how it is pos
sible by any system of drainage to prevent the food
wsters of the Chagres River, during tho rainy
season. from oyerhowing and filling up the canal
with debris from the large water shed the Allan
tic slope. thus interruptng il not destroying.
Dc Lesseps' genius and wonderful resources
may devise ways and means to overcome
shese difficulties on personal examination of
the ground which he proposes to make in
Lesseps, in spite of the opposition of the ablest
European engineers. raised S100.000,000 and built
the Suez Canal, which, without locks, has proved
great financial aud commercial success. Therefore
his views and opinions upon the subject entitled
to the fullest respect and consideration OF the Amer
can people,"
"Do you think the Paris Congress was pledged be-
forehand i'll favor of q sea level cana?"
"No, do not. and its decision was wse because
o sea level canal-for economy in maintenance,
and facility in passing ships-woud prove ad-
tune, IL not disgrace to modern civilization, to
build o canal with eighteen or twenty locks
turbulent stream proposed on the Nicaragua or
Napipi routes We're u canal to be built on either of
these lines with its proposed locks and
duplicate locks, amounting in all to thirtysix
or forty in number. 1t would prove
30 expensive tedious and dangerous that ship.
owners. ship captains and insurance companies Of
the world would demand deep, wide cut, without
locks, through the narrowest part of the Isthmus,
in order that vessels might quickly and cheapy
that will uso the canal. and will direct the course
which commerce shall take in quest OF speed,
safety and economy. In that case there would be
two canals, and it needs no prophet to tell which
one would become worthless. 1t should be borne in
mind that the ever expanding wants of commerce
demand sea level canal. which for capacity and
durability must be constructed not for day, but
all time and what does few millions moro or less
signify in a work of this importanceY
"What was the result OF your survey Of the San
Bias routey'
WHAT ENGINEERS FOUND.
1--WE found the total length OF the San Bias route
to be thirty miles from ocean to ocean, which is by
far the shortest of any proposed and without other
than tidal locks. The Bayano River the Pacific
side available for canal purposes, with a nominal
outlay, for q distance OF about ten miles from its
through comparatively fiat and healthy country,
with agradual increase of cutting 60 the depth Of
t50 feet to the southern Pacific portal OF the pro-
posed tunnel, a distance Of nearly nine niles The
length of tunnel was fixed at seven miles. and from
thence nearly four miles of an open canal to the
Gulf of San Bias" --'.n.-t
How about q harbor?
''The Bay OF Panama furnishes magnificent har-
Dor the Pacific and the Gulf of San Bias unsur-
passed the Atlantic. The rise and tall OF
the tide on the Bayano River at the divergence
OF the canal is nearly thirteen feet The tides on
the Atlantic side from and halt to two feet
from ebb to low These create necessity for tidal
lock and tidal dam on the Bayano River terminal
Bias the entire length of the canal must be fed
from the Pacific and its waters maintained ut the
.'what are the estimated dimensions?"
"The dimensions of the canal. outside of the
nnnel, estimated at 100 feet bottom width,
IS feet water surface. and % feet in depth.
he section Of the tunnel Is 10 feet bottom
Ssnce sprin9s the arch giving us feet from tne
ttom OF the canal to the crown or 90 feet from
water surface. This section contains s4o square
3ds or say 2s2 cubic yards. per foot forward. The
q of the canal. by careful estimate. may bo sum-
nized as follows:-
Lathouse on Chepillo Island. .......... $4,000
h'oval OF bars in Pacific Harbor and
yano River. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 136,6S4
IN lock at Great Bend ................ 675,Si4
paacross river ut Great Bend. ......... 174,631
Gr Bend cut. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2O9 s35
Nelhannel for tho Mamoni River...... 1l5752
Canto south end of tunnel. .......... 13 U33 943
Tufl through tho Cordillcras. ........ 81 1O3, 200
sCano Gulf OF San Bias ........... H. 3lS
Locine feet lift at San Bias ,......... 5OGOl7
Ligpuse on Butler Point. ........ 1900
Add enty-hvc per cent for contingen-
ciehd engineering. g................... 90 500 $50
Totstimated cost. slo4 OF $50
Eliminating tho cost OF the tunnel the heading
was AIMED with an area of 243 square feet at 500
per ct yard, and the remaining portion at 40 per