New-York tribune., 1880-03-10
THE INTEROCEANIC CANAL.
TREATY RIGHTS INVOLVED.

EXPLAINS HIS PLAN FOR A SHIP RAILWAY
The renort of Secretary Evarts which has
hoon sent to Congress in regard to the Inter-
oceanic Canal project contains history ol
mast NEGOTIATIONS with foreign powers. and
the treaties entered into by our Govern
mept on the subject. BY treaty WIN
the Republic of Colombia, now in force, tne
United States guarantees the neutrail'y oi 'no
Isthmus. and is therefore directly hvolVeo III
any canal project NJ. de Lesseps cOnc'uoeu ni'
statement before the House Committee ycsCer-
day. and departed for California. Captain
Eads EXPLAINED to the committee his plan Tor
a ship railway.
THE HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTED.
NJ DE LEssEPs CONCLUDES HIS srATEMENr-Mf'
HOMES sUGGEsIoNs-cApT4N EADs EA-
PLAINS HIS RAILWAY PLAN
WASHINGTON, March Count de Lesseps cioSen
his statement this morning before the House Select
Committee on the Interoceanc Canal, and both he
and Mr.. Bionne. of the French Navy, replied to va
riops ipouires on the part of members OF the COM
mitee in regard to the region of calms in The neigA
borhood of the Bay of Panama go,
Mr.. Bjonne su uggested as a solution of that diff
culty that the American commercial maine would
be changed by the lnteroceanic Canal from Salhng
vessels 10 steam vessels just as had been the eHec
of the Suez Canal on the English conmercia navy
He also suggested that sailing vessels might be pro-
vded with some auxiliary steam machinery Inree
or four miles from the coast line there was no inter-
ference as to the region OF cams The ocean oppo-
site Nicaragua and Tehuantepec was as subject TO
Gains as the region opposite Panama.
vote of thanks passed to Count dc LeSseps
for his polite attendance and for the information
he had given.
In acknowledging this courtesy, N. de Lesseps
said that while he not present to tax poiitcS'
but to give scientific views about the canal ne
could not refrain from expressing his delight Wlth
the Presidents message yesterday the subject OF
the canal because it would certainly be advanta-
ceous 70 have the protection OF the United States
during the work. and after tie opening OF the
canal. He had Just sent message to his son, at
Paus. saving that the presidents message assured
the political security of the canal"
Captaln EaGs, the protector and executor of the
work of the Mississippi jettes, read paper before
the committee, in advocacy of his plan OF ship
railway, which he has already presented to the
public through THE TRIBUNE His statement was
in substance as follows;
substantial and durable shin railway can he but
fOrhafthe cost OF canal with locks. ana ioI onelOuth
that OF a canal tide level such snip railway can oc
built in one-tnrd or oneOurth OF tGe tlIe neeu" o
the construction OF a canal When put shlps OF thc
tonnage can be moved with safety a, iour OF
five fines greater speed than in canal, greater NUN
ber of vessels per day eaa be transported Dy ne F @ @
capacity OF ship railway can be easy hlcr'as 20 70
meet the demands OF commerce. The cost or mamie
nance Of the roadway and rolling stock would DC much
less than that of the canal and railway be con
structed and operated localities where Is not pae
There " viii be nit COO feet long, in which the rail-
way Will 0e made n.0 1 lane e a erae OF one loot IN
hundred The cradle which the ship Is TO he htted
will be appropriately made, and the ship viii be Kept IN
place in tue by of blocks six or ten feet
apart. The railway will consist OF tweiye f5ds OF & de
three feet distance from each other and TO bear pres
sure Of ye % tons Ge benz x and hall tons
while at res. This five tons OF pressure on Tue urEg
W1nId not be more than three or tons, hut tho
wheels could he made 10 stand pressure OF tWey
The possibility OF deraiment s reduced by Tie nunD'i
Of rails ana py 5ne & gISae t et shin of OF The I
An increase Of irafc could DO easily provided FOR
the laying additional tracks and the great number OF
speed of twelve miles an there would be scarcely a
sign of motion on glass o water on 'aole I'D Tue sup
cabin.
Mr.. Conger inquired as to the safety on such
railway of large vessel of middle age, and
whether she wculd not he liable TO Il strain.
Mr. Eadss reply was that any vessel that was
built and was fit to be passed by underwriters and
was thought capable of withstandlng the gales and
hurricanes of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. was
capable OF being carried on this railway with abso-
lutte safety-ndeed, with as much safety as chld
in its mothers arms. lie said that his plan had
been received with favor by Mr.. f. J. Reed, the
Roach. Mr. Henry Steers and great number OF the
most eminent engineers of America.
When Mr. Eads had concluded NJ. de Lesseps said
that he had listened to Mr. Eads with respect, be
cause he knew him to be an engineer who had done
the most remarkable work OF the day, aud because
the most remarkable engineers generally studied
the most difficult things Still the plan OF rail-
way and of canal were totally different things,
and he on. de Lesseps Die not want to discuss
the plan of railway because 1t was
not his own plan nc all. II had never been tried,
though il had been proposed 1t had even been pro-
nosed TO him by Marshal valiant when he was War
Minister under Napoleon Ill., for the lsthmus OF
Suez If a ship railway were pract tcable OF course
II could be built anywhere.
Mr. Eads returned the compliment N aIudihg 10
The conmittoe thanked Mr. Eads for his state
nlent and Mr.. Appleton for acting as interpreter:
NJ de Lesseps departed to-day for san FRANCISCO.
SECRETARY EVARTS'S STATEMENT.
HISTORY OF PAST NEGOTIATIONS IN REGARD TO
THE CANAI-OUR TREATY RIGHTs-ThE UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT INVOLVED IN TIE CANAL
PROJECT.
WAsHISaroN. March 0.-Ihe documents accompa-
pying the Presidents message transmitted tO Con-
Qress Yesterday concerning the InterOceanic Canal
ouestion were Laid before the Senate to-day. The
most important of these papers is en elaborate re-
mort TO the President from Secretary Evarts, which
gives history of the various subjects involved and
astatcnent of the action and policy OF the United
States in regard to them from the earliest period OF
ourGoyernment. Secretary Evarts's communication
opens with the following statement:
The natural interest OF the United states in any con
nectOn through the American stninus mas not only al
WAYS emphaticaliY expressed by the Government
but It has been fully and distinctly recognized y Othe
Governments. from tho earliest period OF our National
existence. e As far back as 1897, plan
was submitted TO- aud considered by, the Government
OF Great Britain by which the possession or Louisiana
Florida to be given to the United States and
u was further proposed that the possession OF tue