The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-09
IT WYSE'S CANAL Project.
zur Nru ROrTE mar HH HiS SUR
~" rtvyD ICRONS THE ISTIfMUS.

80, ,hr pInn-Is " Practicable =
=, dc Ir,scp. intcrrsted In the Scheme.
,t,,t Iu,icn Napoleon Bonaparto Wyse
-, ,ho French Republican Navy arrived in
v.. .i,y fr ,m Wash ngton last week and sailed
wnIne-lny for Europe. llc went to Wash
,a,,,n ns ,he accredited agent of the Com
',,.on lnir.uahoud'e dEJplordijon Of Paris.
rhose President IL the proIrctor and builder Of
,hs sn.z Canal VI. Ferdinnnd de Lcsseps.
f,eut Wy.n was charged 10y that society to in
form the Ntvy Department OF tho assembling
4, pori. ON Nay Is Of an International Congress-
,odetermino upon the most feasible plan for an
,ctsr.o.o4uic canal through the lsihmus OF Pan
ANA. md ~ request that delegates be sent from
this country.
Lieut. Wysa has had command OF two en-
rineerinc expeditions to the Isthmus since
1870. hayirr previously spent six years there.
md il is owing To- the extraordinary results Of
these last expeditions that NJ. dc Lesseps and
his associates. feeling assured that feasible
rian for a canal had been discovered. deter
mined o. have meeting of the representatives
Of all the uatious Interested
Vessels with cargoes destined for San Fran
cisco. India. China. Japan. md the Sandwich
Islands w discharge at Aspinwall. II it is de-
sired 90 save the long passage around the Horn
Thcn,-tle cargo is taken across the Isthmus 10y
the Panama Railroad and loaded again In ships
onthrParin' This transhument is necessarily
very slow and expensive The little neck OF
land serar.tIng the Atlantic md Pacific oceans
isatit, narrowest point only twenty-six miles
wide yet the want Of canal through 1t
lengthcns by thousands OF miles the voyages
Of ships loutd TO California and the Indies.
From 81, York To san Francisco 10y tranship-
nent nt T. rnma is 5.30j miles; by way OF Cape
Horn. ig.j miles. To Shanghai. China. by
way of p.nema. 04i5 miles; 10y way Of Cape
Horn $3.50 miles To Calcutta. India. by way
ofpanamn. 1910 miles by way Of Cape Horn.
q 1000 miles, To Yokohama. Japan. by way OF
Panama. g.l50 miles hy way OF Cape Horn.
2o.8o0 miles. To Sandwich Islands. 10y way o;
Panama. ISL miles; 10y way Of Cape Horn,
1900 niles.
A chain of mountains. similar in formation
10 the Coriilleras Of North and South America.
extends throughout the entire length OF the
Is,lmus i, is this huge ridge or back
bone that attains at some points to an
elevation ~ 5000 feet above the level Of
the sea that has proved such n serious
bar TO the construction OF canal The
engineers iLat have visited this region have
sought in vain for pass or canon through
these mountains. Some of them however. have
discovered certain depressed portions. and the
result ha~ been projects tortuuneling through.
and systems OF lo kage over. those portions.
The climate also L. So unhealthy that in the
construct ON ol the Panama railroad every tie
ts said 10 Lave represented mans life.
In his expedition Of 1876 LieutWyse lost sew
eral Of his men and three officers. Among these
latter was Lieut. Gerster a Hungarian engineer
officer and the brother Of Nine. Etrlka Gerster
Lieut.. Wyse's father was the Right Honorable
Sir Thomas Wyse, X. c. b.. OF 81 Johns Mnnor
County Waterford Ireland. formerly British
Minister at Athens Greece. aud member for
.afH he
OF Prnce Lucien Bonaparte second
brother OF the Emperor Napoleon Bona
entailed. and Lieut.. Wyse was a Younger son.
he adopted the country q his mother when q
mere lad. Ar entered th" Frcnch navy n winch
service H. gained honorable distinction; lie
IL II slight build with dark complexion, black
hair and whiskers and unusually bright eyes.
II Is " Il nervous temperament. and has the
clear-cut features that are peculiar TO the Bona;
Brunswics he exhibited on Saturday a COPY OF
the report II his late expedition that has Just
Tho eSp-itlons that have usually visited the
Istumu-. especially from this country. have
been composed OF several large ships Of war,
with lars" .nmpanies, and have cost hundreds
otthousends of dollars Thr surveying parties
from the rhips Guard and Nipslc. IN the SCI
fridge rAp petition, TO run lines II levels through
the mountains. had ench marin" guard 10 pro-
teot them from the Indians. and laid telegraph
wire a. hry went along. TO keep the communi-
cation open with the ships. Not SO, however.
with Lieu. Whse's eNp"ii ition; lie lad with hin,
Only ii.ut. Kec.us Of the French navy and
Messrs. Z. 5 "a Of the United States Of Colom-
la, J.. Nrrarugghe Of Belgium. L. Lachnrme.
hnl l.. louylr s-0ur. IN his report ne says that
a'n0uEh Nr wits given carte hienche rs i9r hs
money WIS concrrned, the entire expedition
cost boat 10000 francs. or $1,000 The only
outside n--i stance rendered iii"m was when, Tor
irw rk- the French cru ser le Dupetlt
Ihular- and Thee frigAte Bonnet. belonging 20
tAe il.e' ot Admiral MHudct. s'nt their spare
n.-u a~l.l .t,run levels anl cAalis. BY means
o!NSnlt|I number Of Iudmns. caeh armed with
ama.h-'o 81 short heavy sword like cutlass.
IIHFNI IH4N
vi irrNgu-h tnui covers the ls.Auus.
L.rut. Nr-" dis vrr.d "a larse mountain
stream oi. the Atlantic side that was prevented
ouy ly t w range 81 hills. as con pared with
the n'l-. inr- OF the range. from connecting
m @ .nr-e, t"cu stream or t.r Pa'illt SIDE;
The nlsu. It" d .n"r"nce between tie ur'cs Of
tr-" streams IL hut thlrtJ klom'trts r. or about
ei-hic"u miles, with but very snort section ol
its larr1W.-i rp ut is twen'y-six miles wide,
lrr~. hy uuu2ln. Two large mountain streams.
t.r'u' lHrfir ertal would rrluirr 70 DE only
ni'""l ln'.H1 30 eat"ut. The point in the noun
t'h .Ni 'HtN Wil'n w9ull 70" hf'esSatY 70 Guy
u hhuHNtily d"ur 7srd, and the muterihl 81
-ut difficulty AS compared with other por-
tgl- 4 ti.ti .uuuiains.
Lieut.. M1,t raIis the new route the Acantl or
Iut..t i'.t'. On- portion will have To- be tun-
nelHI iorH dis,pnc. Of seven miles. 1t starts
on the Atlantic side at Acant some distance
sUniN ~ Cane Ilhurono. Although not natu,
fal har 9. .tLomatrrials exist by which itmighl
D. mai. H -uis one. The construction OF q
hhNu tr-ihwatrr only would Do necessary
HIt'l l'NN tNf A'hnll, "a flbuht4lu range llttS l'
g. pis-rl rl. Ils il is proposed to tunnel, From
lhis l..Ni. Lr says. ihe canal VIII be OF com
Itrny il .a-y construction IA an engineering
pghl ni Ni"w. II will pass through the valley
~ ur u .-t amt come out again by way OF tht
duyIa vi ttunf, that elnpues into the Gun VI
Dan miguel.
la"ul Mysa also surveyed another. which he
ca the Yrr route. beg gnning in the Gulf OF
Uft'n. THIS If ulmC IT double the length OF the
lli"r lll". hut with the exception OF the tunne
u''H h.l Present as many eng neerlng dlHcul
u'7. IN" upper route. including the length o
tle rivers. would hn about forty miles long
me greet iliiiculty in the wer route is IN tht
many il.. tam ridges that have 10 1e passed
NDi1 IN ID" upper route the only rldge Of any
n-'qu o. 'o Is the mountain spur, slopni
dl"n from the Pie de Gandi, where tho tunne
Will hay tI be dug.
Lmut Ny-. started on his first expedition iT
uelh, o' 1875, After six months work he re
Iqrhed Co., France tOr about four months rest
~ began again in September. 1877. and I'm
ishel IN March. The work was carried OF
A. Tv9to expense and not. under th'
iren'h Government. Lieut.. Wyso has de
Mayed BIS own expenses throughout !
surveyed should bs the one selected
~ lhe coming International Congress. he say
YOU'D le all the reward he desires.
- canal BY way OF Lieut., Myse's northern
Iouls " ND cost he thinks. In the neighbor
l nool oi slZlOOO.0OO. He IA now preparing al
,e,iIhhte Tor tue southern route. lie IL satlsll.I
.hat were either OF these routes accepted, IN
"Iis from the vessels using II would easily pal
lad N.a