The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-19
THE INTEROCEANIC CANAL.


avail myself, with your permission. Of your i'm.
partial columns to make some remarks, which con-
slider opportune. upon the great subject Of ship
canal through Central America. and address myself
to the HERALD just because know that 1t IL not
BIASED with any preconceived notion nor got up
in the interest Of any particular scheme But this
very conviction OF mine has made read with
greet your leading article in the issue of the 10th
inst and entitled Light on the Ineroceanic Canal"
which alludes to Admiral Ammen's paper read before
the American Geographical Society on the evening
of the 9th inst.
In the first place. fail to perceive any new light
ON the subject since the Admiral only repeats there
what he had previously said. excepting perhaps that
he points little more distinctly to the speculative
character Of the wyse-Lesseps grant from the
Colombian government. Now. Whatever the roal
motives may have been for the Wyse party to apply
for the grant, it makes no difference so long the
work il feasible and It proves to be the best and
cheapest and for those who prefer to imagine ths
enterprise conducted in a scientific chivarous
spirit why. the guidance of NJ. de Lesseps. who has
purchased the original grant. is good guarantee
that Of any other man.
The portion Of your article which has most pain
fully impressed me is the following passage 1.-THE
point which will strike the public in this connection
most forcibly and perhaps with some surprise. is
Admiral Ammens advice that the government Of the
United States should consider the question Of the
interoceanic ship canal still undetermined not
wthstandng the unanimous recommendation Of the
Nicaragua route by the commissioners appointed by
President Grant in 1872. who filed their report In
1876. and should convoke international Congress
here which all the governments that repre-
scented at Paris should send their engineers 70 unite
with official commission of the oldest engineers
of our army and the ablest civil engineers OF our
humbly differ from the Interpretation you put upon
Admiral Ammen's proposal. To my mind it shows
that the Admirals honesty and conscience do not
now allow him be positive to the excellence Of
the Nicaragua route compared with others. M.
Menocal the Admiral's companion In that scheme.
seems to share the latters doubts or his desire Of
making evident to everybody what is perhaps; evil
dent only to a prejudiced few.
teroceanic Canals was read on the 18th of Novem-
Der last in New York. at meeting OF the American
Society OF Civil Engineers in which the NicaraguA
route was advocated, and nevertheless. the report
OF which significantly ends in this wise:-"It was
stated that NJ. Menocal deemed an additional paper
necessary in order that he might the better unfold
the whole scope OF the project before the society;
also that he proposes soon to return 70 Nicaragua.
where he intends to make still further investiga-
tons concerning the proposed canal
An eminent American engineer. General N. w.
Wright. who has thoroughly studied the subject, in
letter from Philadelphia dated June 49, and pub
lished by the HERALD on the 22d of October ult..
while giving the preference to the Panama route
upon the data hitherto known remarks :--'AIi sur
veys and explorations heretofore made have been
done in q hasty and superficial manner and adj.
them II was an impossibility in the time and with
the means at their command to collect sufficient and
reliable data for accurate estimate"
One of your contemporaries. in a leader of October
80. wrote thus Tho interesting report made by
ceedings of the Paris Congress the interoceanio
canal to which he was delegate, was accompanied
with the suggestion that there should be .
Congress. be ned America, review this ques-
ton of route for the canal The suggestion has been
espogsed heartily IN thus country: and 1t may be
Besides the name of General Wright might bring
forth here some others u no less responsibility
are those of Colonel Totten and Commodore Self
ridge who side with the Panama route in preference
to that Of Nicaragua. il intended to draw y COM
parison between the two routes. But I only
refer to them IN order to show that the
preference tor the latter is far from being
substantially unanimous" aud that new
surveys are Indispensable before emparking huge
capital in an undertaking, the result OF which for
the subscribers iS more or less doubtful. Nor do
agree with Admiral Ammen when he says that 'here-
after in the examination of the question only the
Nicaragua and Panama routes need critical examine
on thus dismissing all the other routes suggested
before tho Paris Congress mot 1t seems to me thas
route has not attracted all the attention 1t de-
serves. and that is the San Blas-Chepo route.
twenty miles to the east Of Panama. An American.
gentleman. Mr.. Frederick NJ. Kelly, who has spent
mo. little time land and in examining
Economist. published in Boston, on November
$ last. writes as follows :--"The San Bias route
being much the shortest or any proposed. and hav-
ing good natural harbors at both ends, easily APP
preached on wide. open sea, 1t is of the highest
importance. before deciding great problem
the best and only route for interoceanic canal,
that it should be thoroughly examined from ocean
to ocean. as 1t quite probable lower and shorter
pass may be found by thanking the suRsr-loAf-
shaped hills which traverse the Isthmus in that
locality. Indeed. it would be remarkable any
engineers, in their first survey had found the best
route without running traverse lines which every
engineer knows the importance OF in get
ting the lowest levels. 1t all shows how
timely Mr.. King, of Louisiana offered yesterday
in the House OF Representatives resolution for the
appointment OF select committee of eleven, whose
duty IL shall be to examine into the subject of the
selection of suitable route tor nteroceanic ship
canal. to which all petitions, memorials and reports
relative to such canal shall DO referred and which
shall have authority to report at any time.
Ii ~ my firm conviction that for tho American
people 1T il quite Indifferent where - canal be
opened. provided that it hest the CONNER
cial and political views of tho United states, and
that many. ii not all. of those who advocate the
Nicaragua route do IL in the belief that no other
would offer the same facility for the desired control
OF the whole business. But am confident that all
the substantial advantages soughtfor in thesNicar
aqua route might be secured in any other, the Pan
ANA one not excepted. and think l could prove 10
were not afraid Of encroaching too much upon
your valuable space. am. sir. your obedent SER
want, JUSTICE
WASHINGTON, Dec. IL, 1879.