The New York herald., 1879-12-17
PIERCING THE STHMUS.
De Le5seps' View Of the In
teroceanic Canal.
MASTER OF THE SITUATION
The Eminent Engineer Feels Sympathetic
Drawing Toward America

Drawing loward America
The January number of the North american RerieU
II one Of unusual Importance and contains among
other notable contributions article by NJ Ferdi-
nand dc Lesseps the subject of rhe Interoceanio
Canal" We take pleasure in laying before the read
Of the HxRALD few extracts from this very in
teresting paber.
NJ. Do Lesseps begins by calling attention to tho
importance Of the project the carrying of which
Ia felt to be q necessity by the whole world. The
want Of maritime highway across the Isthmus"
no says. ''has been more sensibly felt since the
immense development of Californa-a development
already beginning to be shared by other countries
which border upon the Pacific Ocean. and which
would be much more pronounced If there were
canal which would place them in easy communica-
ton with Europe and with the Eastern States Of the
great American Republic"
rnowSs AT THE CLOSED DOORS.
The writer regrets that the American commission
nat with closed doors. 1.-THE minutes Of these con-
ferences were not even communicated to the Con-
gress of Paris by Admiral Ammen. The public as
we'll Is the Congress has been permitted to know
only the conclusions of the American Commission -
BY way of contrast the proceedings of the Con-
gress of Paris held up for admiration. Its
meetings held in the most public manner
and all the discussions of its commissions and sub
commissions published in ertenso in magnif-
cent volume of GOO pages, which all the world may
read; it has thus vindicated its Independence and
the exclusively scientific purpose of its lapors. It's
decisions do no. fear the light and the great public
the final arbiter. will appreciate tho value
of the discussions of Congress which
called together an elite Of engineers. Of
statisticians and of learned men Of every
o1lx1~
several plans discussing their lsbors at great
length, and especially the very remarkable Of
Americans, which elected the admiration Of all the
members. 1t is only necessary to read over the
port of all the conferences. that monument Of
science which the delegates Of all nations helped to
srect during the fortnight devoted to the study Of
the Interoceanc Canal to with what impartiaity,
with what attention. with what ftnessfor the work
The various projects were examined. and the
which taken to compare them. and the impor-
tant position occupied by the American represents
lives. Those gentlemen were received with the
greatest cordalty and treated with the highest dis
est opportunity for presenting the results Of their
investigations and their plans which, moreover. re-
served IN attentive and conscientious examination.
MISTAKES OF AMERICAN EXPLORERS.
II tho researches Of the United States explorers In
many respects well worthy Of consideration. did
not furnish practical solution Of the question 1t is
because in the United States the conditions
which have been created by the great fact Of steam
navigation have not been sufficiently considered; in
this instance the country which has always been the
advance leader in reform has forgotten its own
traditions. In the examination made Of different
projects the United States the only plan thought
of has been to make use OF inland waters
for constructing q maritime canal. and they
o1v Tod 10 of11dv Tho 1,<Ao
by which they would secure constant level
OF sea water for the purposes of navigation In
= channel cut from to the other. At tho
present day, however when large steam vessels are
An use the longest Of which reaches 140 metres s
impossible that such canal should follow tho
of rivers which have very sharp angles II is
therefore necessary to make the lines OF such
Q radius Of rot less than two thousand metres.
Hence it would be impossible in the waters OF Gen.
tral America to build canal with lines sufficiently
straight for the reception of these great steam
ses whose Dimensions, the other hand. could not
be seriously restricted In former times navigation
was carried in sailing vessels and 1t is well known
that the Americans whose steam marine IL not
yet greatly developed have heretofore to
sailing vessels 1t with this view that they di
rected attention to the Nicaragua Canal. which
seemed be the point best adapted to navigation by
sailing vessels from the fact that there il in the III
terror of that country inexhaustible reservoir in
the Lake of Nicaragua. that their first conception
was based upon the old methods of navigation.
But in time the Suez Canal has contributed it's
luveStlgatlOn
enterprse the average tonnage OF vessels going from
India to Europe was 500 TONS We now have vessels
Of 5000 tons. which carry upward of two thousand
persons.
1t IL obvious. therefore, that. as navigation has
Itself changed. and sailing vessels have come to
occupy . very subordinate position in the higher
ocean marine, canal suited to the maritime condi-
tions of the present day is absolute necessity.
plan adopted in its construction was the true one.
The old fashioned sailing vessels cannot carry great
unfyt, dron In hfc hat
vessels have been heightened. y The easiest
and the shortest point of navigablc transit is
therefore Indispensable. The Nicaragua Canal does
not fulfil these conditions. Although the route OF ir
IL not the widest still 1t traverses nearly the
long, with twenty -one locks However suitable 1t
might have been when only sailing vessels were en-
poyed TO endeavor to avail of inland waters for the
construction of maritime canal. must, at the
present day. when the use cf steam lns led to the
1engthening OF vessels to an extent before unpre-
cedented. conform to the exigences OF that species
OF navigation. Twenty years ago nobody supposed
that there would be vessels lao metres long;
nevertheless, tho engineers who constructed the
suez Canal foresaw the importance of curves of
large radius. and IL is by means of these that tho
largest ships enabled TO traverse It with
OPPOSES LOCKS.
. M. do Lesseps expresses himself opposed to
locks. and he then gives his reason for that opposi
tion:-
eat Bordeaux. for example, magnificent floating
dock for large packet boats has just been completed
1t has lock, admirably constructed Mt tho Creti-
sot Iron Works. single person can operate tho
gates the and al the outlet the gates
opened by u depth or water or cight or eight ana
half metres; II is vast improvement; and yet.
great IL is the Congo OF the Transatlantic limo.
occupied an hour and half In passing through 1t.
Here hour and half lost. without counting
tho time which required to slacken the speed OF
tho vessel. 1t would require only few such vessels
In canal to put stop to practical navigation
through It,"
REJECTED SCHEME.
When Messrs. Wise, Reclus and their companions
returned from their explorations OF the lsthnus
they brought with them the outline plan OF canal
from the Gulf OF Limon to Panama without locks.
crossing the cordilleras either with tunnel or
surface cutting.
These explorations furnished all that was wanting
to an exact knowledge of the American Isthmus
throughout its entire length. From the combined
labor OF Americans and OF Frepchmen ii now
possible with entire certainty solve the question
of an nteroceanic canal. The time had arrived for
realizing the wish expressed In 1s75-namely. to
convene an international congress to which all tho
Investigations made and ali the plans proposed
should be submitted. Accordingly, in the carly
part Of 1879. in concert with Al. Henry Bimne.
secretary of tho commission nominated by the
gcograp hca societies, sent invitation to all
chambers OF and scientific socoties with