Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-01-13
Tn. lsrnMIAS CANAL.

The project Of q ship canal across ""
,.,,ov i.,bmus connecting North AND
sou,h America. which has been under
ai.cu.sion for many long years. ecu
approaching a practical solution through
The rivalry Of routes aud projectors. pe
Ls..sp. has evidently become tired Of
discussing with others a. to the most
feasible route, and como to the coneiu'
,ion to take the initiative and carry bis
own choice in the matter into execution.
With this view he is now in Panama
with his engineers and has commenced
the surveys OF that route. In this c0an'
try the Nicaragua route has tho prefer
snos q being nearer home and making
tho distance from New York or New
Orleans to San Francisco some hundrsds
Of miles shorter than by the Panama
routs. Moreover. 1t would open up .
larger extent Of better and moro eligible
country. From Europe to the islands
and countries Of the Pacific this differ
NICE In distance Is less apprsciable, and
the proposition hinges more upon tho
facility Of construction and feasibility OF
the canal itself.
De Lssssps and his coadjutors favor
the Panama route a. the shortest and
most practical. requiring no locks and
giving . direct ocean level between tho
Atlantic and Pacific. Tho greatest OBJ.
stacls il Q tunnel which has been set
forth Is necessary at one point.
and IL that cannot be avoided the
canal il not likely to become
reality very soon. for = tunnel OF the
siss required would be no easy thing to
sxoavats, secure. or keep open. An
other objection urged by American
engineers 10 that the heavy rise and fall
Of the tides would internationally create
too strong q dow or rush Of water
through the canal. This, however.
might not prove no detrimental a. sup
posed. and any trouble from that source
could DO obvistsd by means Of flood.
gates or similar arrangements il neces.
sary. At any rate De Lesseps, bearing
In mind his Suez canal success. has full
faith in his ability 10 solve the Isihmiau
canal problem and 10 disposed to put his
ideas and plans into effective operation.
In . we'll written article on the sub.
jsct, he sets forth the following prac.
tioal views upon the comparative merits
Of the Panama and Nicaragua routes:
It 10 very essential aud important in tbs
construction Of the proposed canal that II
should, - nearly a. possible. keep . ses
water level. and only by the Panama route
10 this possible. II 10 also important tina,
tho canal should be FREQ from short curves,
At the present day. when large steam yes
sells are 10 use. tho longest Of which
reaches l40 metres. II Is impossible thai
such Q canal should follow tho course Of
rivers which have very short angles; IL ID
therefore necessary TO make the lines oil
such Q canal nearly straight. or at leas,
with curves having . radius Of not less
than 1000 metres. Hence 10 would be im'
possible. In the waters Of Central America,
70 build Q canal with lines sufficiently
straight for tho reception Of these great
steam vessels. whose dimensions. on the
other hand, could not Do seriously re-
stricted. Ia former times navigation was
carried on in sailing vessels, and IL 10 well
known that the Americans, whose steam
marine Is not a. yet greatly developed,
have heretofore endeavored TO discover .
passage across the isthmus suitable for
Mailing vessels. II was with this view that
they directed attention to the Nicaragua
Canal. which seemed 10 be the point best
adapted TO navigation by sailing vessels
from the fact that there IL In the interior OF
that country an i~nexhAustible reservoir In
the Lake Of Nicaragua, 20 that their first
conception was based upon the old meth
ods Of navigation. But in our time the
Suex Canal has contributed Its experience.
When I began my investigation Of that en-
terprise tho average tonnage OF vessels
going from India TO Europe was 500 tons,
We now have vessels Of 5000 tons, which
carry upward Of 1000 persons.
II 10 obvious, therefore, that, a. naviga-
ton has itself changed, and a. sailing YES
sells have come TO occupy . very subordi.
nate position in the higher ocean marine.
Q canal suited to the maritime conditions
Of the present day IL IN absolute necessity.
The experience Of the Suez canal proves
that the plan adopted In its construction
was the true one, The old fashioned sail
ing vessels cannot carry great cargoes Of
merchandise. II Is for this reason that
vessels have been heightened. .
The easiest and the shortest point Of nav
igsble transit IL therefore indispensable.
The Niearagus canal does not fulhl these
conditions. Although the route Of IL 10
not across the widest, still II traverses
nearly the widest portion Of tho isthmus;
ID 10 295 kilometres long. with Il locks.
However suitable 10 might have been when
only sailing vessels were employed. to
endeavor to avail Of inland waters for the
construction Of Q maritime canal. We must.
at the present day. when the use Of steam
has led 70 the lengthening Of vessels to an
extent before unprecedented. conform to
the sxigencies Of that species OF naviga-
ton. Twenty years ago nobody supposed
that there would ever DO vessels ii0 metres
long: nevertheless, the engineers who
constructed the Suez canal foresaw the
Importance Of curves Of largo radius. and
u 10 BY means Of these that the largest
ships are enabled to traverse 10 with ease.
In conclusion. I do dot hesitate to declare
that the Panama canal will DO easier to
begin. to finish and TO maintain than the
canal Of Suss.
Another evidence Of the business pros