The New York herald., 1879-09-20
IN7EROCEANIC CANALS.
SSnor De Gany Tells How De Lasssps Manip-
ulated The Paris Conference.
THE TEHUANTEPEC ROUTE.
Interesting Address Before the
Society OF Civil Engineers.

meeting was held last night at the rooms of the
American Society OF Civil Engineers when Senior
Francisco de Garay. Director General del Desapue
Gel Vale de Mexico delegate to the recent Congress
at Paris. the subject Of interoceanc transit gave
an account of that Congress The address occupied
more than three hours in delivery. The discussion
which was intended to follow was postponed until
Wednesday evening next. +'
Senior Francisco de Garay. after a few Introductory
remarks to his unfamiliarity with the English
language. said that he had great admiration for M
dc Lesseps and that he could only speak in terms Of
the highest respect of all the members of the Paris
Congress. The question of the interoceanic canal
was touched on at the conference OF the geograph.
cal societies in Paris in 1876 In 1876 delegation OF
what was known as the Company Universelle visited
all the proposed routes in company with Lieutenant
Wyse. They returned. declaring that the work was
not possible. Lieutenant Wyse subsequently favored
the Panama route. and induced to unite with
NJ. Lesseps in inviting 3 conference in Paris of q
number of engineers and especially those who were
engaged in the construction of the Suez Canal
These latter had worked with N. de Lesseps for ten
years on that Suez Canal and were therefore under
the influence of that gentleman. This confer.
ence was composed OF sixty-eight members
Of engineers chosen by NJ de Lesseps. and sxty-hve
foreign engineers who represented different govern
ments. The Mexican government was invited to
send representative, and he (seior de Garay) was
sent. and was requested by that government to
slider not the interests OF Mexico alone but the in.
terests of the whole world He had no fixed idea
then as to which plan he would approve The
Congress was divided into five commissions. There
was Little discussion. The printed report consisted
OF 900 printed pages. ana OF that the discussion
desire expressed by NJ de Lesseps that the confer
ence should be completed in eight days. The early
sessions were devoted to the reading of papers on
the Suez Canal. commerce and navigation In the
discussion of the latter paper it was expected that
Panama Canal ner YEAR. This WAS foIioweS nv vns
paper on the probable expenses and revenuo
founded on the estimate Of the suez Canal.
which had yet only reached 100000 tons per year.
and that revenue of eleven per cent would be pro-
duced after all the expenses were paid On the 29th
Of May the last report read and 1t expected
that there would bo then tree discussion. but M.
de Lesseps announced that 1t impossible to dis
cuss nything want of time and that the Presi-
dent, the Vice Presidents and Secretaries had met
and had decided to put the matter .
vote. The Secretary then asked tor vote
between the Bay OF Linon and Panama desira-
BILE. 70 this rs voted "yes." mo- and about s.
THE NEGATIVE VOTES
Senior De Garay said that he was among those who
abstained from voting because he thought 1t would
pledge him to that PLAN An eminent French engi-
neer proposed to the Conference that member
who had presented any project should be
then the proposer OF that notion pro-
ceeded to speak in reference to all the projects
and in reference to of them made very ridicu-
lous statements. The Panama line was held in
great favor by the French Commissioners. and espe-
cially supported by Lieutenant wyse. who. after two
years exploration, decided upon the Panama pro-
ject. The Tehuantepec line was evidently not In
favor, that the line which he (Sehor
NJ Lesseps to bring it beforeshe Conference, who
granted him that favor, but it ultimately de.
This was not done until Lieutenant Wyse gave de.
tailed particulars to his investigation Senior De
Garay was then allowed to say few words about
the Tehuartepec project but the members declined
to listen and he speedily closed what he had to
say.
of Estimates aud that the committee in their report
declined to be responsible tor these estimates, ex.
cept in general ways that they had found it impos-
sible at exact estimate. and that cuttings
seventy metres deep were possible to be estimated.
AS to the final vote there were only fourteen of the
thirty-two engineers on the Technical Commission
who voted in favor Of tie Panama Canal; eight
were administrators engineers of the Suez Canal
Company, and fourteen of the engineers of the
Technical Commission were against it, descrip-
tion of the Panama project was given, and it
said oy the Committee OH Estimates that the cost Of
the cutting would be 130O. 0.000f Sefor DeGaray
read extracts from an engineers report showing
the difficulties of construction. and which stated
that there frequently fall of thirteen feet Of
water per day during the stormy seasons, and that
it quite likely that the whole of the canal would
be inundated by single shower and the eruption
OF the waters of the adjoining valleys 1t <acu-
lated that the pressure of the waterfalls Of the
Chagres would be equal to 900 100000 Of gallons.
Senior dc Garay then said that all projects that had
tunnels should be opposed. because OF the great
time and money they would cost. and because it
PRESSURE 1t certain that diffcuties of that
character had been met with at Mont Cents and
ST. Gothard He did not think that any canal should
be constructed without locks. The Suez quite
exceptional. because it went through desert OF 100
miles and had no water sheds to contend with.
In reply to the chairman. the lecturer said that
the tide and fell the Atlantic side about
eighteen inches and on the Pacific eighteen feet.
THE MEXICAN PROJECT.
The Tehuantepec would require locks. The Mica
rsgua project would need twenty-five locks. and
had to encounter the difficulty of quickssnds.
In the Tchuantepec project there was an
easy country to work, and canal could
easily be made to the summit level Of the
lake. There was abundance Of water and there
no deep cuttings necessary. As to the cost Of
the Panama project. it was said by NJ dc Lesseps
that would be 000 O00f at least The fact was
however. that no calculation possible. The
Tohuantepec route had these principal features: -
1t 179 miles longs there act
ual cutting of 14i miles: river navigation
by the river Coatzocoalcos 30 miles; the
summit level 732 feet above the level of tho sea-
tho locks numbered lag; the feeder 27 miles
long. with tunnel of miles long; an artificial
harbor the Pacific side and improvement Of
the whole SO miles OF the river Costzocoalcos by
dredging.
vote was taken after Sefior de Garay resumed his
seat and it agreed to adjourn tho discussion
until " cdncsday evening next.