Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-08-06
The Isthmus Canal Project.

1t is currently reported from Washington
that the president and his cabinet are unani-
nous in their disapproval of the plan for an
international canal which was adopted at
Paris, and which is now being so vigorously
pushed by De Lesseps and his associates.
While in favor of the end sought, they pre-
fer to have the practcability of thu various
plans first considered by an association of
competent American engineers. In substan-
tial agreement with this view is the report
of the American members of the Paris con-
ference, which is just made public. They
say, in substance, that the question is by no
means to be considered settled, notwithstand-
ing the apparent agreement of the members
of the conference, in which French opinion
had controlling influence. They say it was
quite apparent that there were two parties, of
what we would call spectators, represent
ing different grants from Central American
governments; that such personal interests
are unfavorable to relative consideration of
natural advantages between two or more
routes and that the United States should
consider the question as still undetermined,
notwithstanding the action of the confer
ence We should form a commission of the
ablest engineers in our army, and invite the
best civil engineers of the country, with rep
resentatives from other countries, to join in
full discussion with view Of removing the
question from all extraneous influences so
that the subject of constructing canal
under the most economic conditions may be
considered with reference solely to the COM
mercial and international interests involved
Our commissioners unite in pronouncing a
canal at the sea level, according to the De
Lesseps plan, as hopelessly impracticable in
a commercial sense, that is, that it cannot
be made to pay, though it might be possible
to construct such canal if it should be
adopted as national undertaking, with
command of unlimited means.
The Paris conference has at least brought
the subject into public notice, and all the
plans and routes which have at any time
been proposed, are again revived. The
Nicaragua route is favored generally by
the United States engineers. The New Or
leans papers are talking of the Tehuante-
pee route, which traverses the narrowest
part Of the Mexican territory north of the
peninsula of Yucatan. A canal by this
route would be longer than any other pro
posed, but aside from its length the difficult
ties are supposed to be less, as the summit
to be crossed is lower The great advan-
tage, however, is that as a route between the
Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United
States it would be very much shorter than
the Panama or the Nicaragua route. More.
over, if ship canal for large vessels were
thought to be too great an undertaking, it
would be perfectly practicable and not very
costly to make a canal of sufficient capacity
for smaller craft by which, through the
Mississippi river and its tributaries and the
comparatively protected navigation of the
Gulf of Mexico, merchandise from any in
terror point in the United States might be
carried by water without transhipment and
delivered at port on the Pacific, whence
ocean vessels might carry it to California,
China or Australia. Such a canal would
doubtless be of great value to the commerce
of the United States, and especially TO the
Mississippi valley. In the matter of dis
lance it would have an advantage for our
commerce of at least thousand miles over
any other route.
Amid these canal rivalries Captain Eads,
who has just finished his undertaking of
opening the mouth of the Mississippi,
than any of them, inasmuch as it is cheaper,
its feasibility can be demonstrated and its
cost closely estimated beforehand, and it can
be constructed in much less time than q
canal. His plan is to build railroad across
the lsthmus, which will carry ships with
their cargoes from ocean to ocean with speed,
certainty and safety. He proposes to have
at each terminus docks into which the ship
may be received, and when it is properly
, secured the dock is to be raised by hydraulic
power to the level of the railroad, which will
of course, be very broad and probably with
several lines of rails, instead of two only as
on ordinary railways. He apprehends nc
difficulty in transporting ships without in
jury and thinks that the transit need moi
occupy more than twelve hours. The pecu
liarities of his plan he thus describes
1.-THE plan of ship rail way which propose ha,
three views of novelty in 1t by which 1t Is greatly
| af ham Ia tha In. al
the vessel Is taken out Of the water and placed OF
a cradle, another is the fact that the railwa,
tracks are absolutely straight and have no chang,
becomes necessary turn-tabe Is introduced Ion,
enough to receive the ship with the ocomotv,
which draws it, and the change Of direction Il
made by turning the tnrn-table to suit such
change change OF grade is accomplished a
the same time where II is necessary. Each end o
turn-tabe Is supported on rollers which rotate oil
tracks especially placed for them; II q change o
grade be necessary the tracks at one end incin
in one direction and at the other end In the oppo
site direction, 80 that when the turn-tabe
turned few degrees one end has been raise
while the other has been correspondngly lowered
and at the same time tracks on the turn-table ar
brought into agreement with those eonstitutin
the new grade. II II not contemplated however
that any grades will be encountered over fift
feet to the mile, and am inclined to believe tina
we shall have none more than twenty-six feet /
the mile"
, Captain Eads says railway on this pla
can be constructed at onefourth of the cos
and in one-fourth of the time that would b
required for canal that capitalists al
ready to furnish all the money needed q
| soon as he is ready to begin, and that With
the next four years he hopes to be able
q tranship the largest merchant vessels full
a loaded from the Caribbean sea to the Pacif
+ ocean. Captain Eads has invariably su
ceeded in his projects, and II this shoul
= prove failure it will be his first.
4 PLAIN SPEAKISG.-The New York Hera
s addresses itself in pointed article to NJ
}, Tilden. II says You can never be pres
g dent Of the United States, Mr.. Tilden al
" with your clear head and practical mir
j. you ought to see this as everybody else So
e it. You have doubtless certain power
IS your party, for you can probably ruin
d chances, if you want to, by forcing it
d take you, or by leading faction to defe
it If 1t refuses TO submit TO your demant
- | E;thar u,ouI1 ka "a l.. Al = =.