Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-07-20


very little fall per mile. The leyees gener-
ally inclose the bends OF the river-that is,
they do not follow the tortuous curves of the
river, but are generally built from one bend
to another, so that In floods the stream
is much wider than when it is within banks.
! The Government has undertaken to improve
the river and facilitate the discharge OF
its floods by making great number of cut
offs, by which the surface slope of the river
| is deepened and the current accelerated.
Szegedin is 150 miles above the mouth of
the river, and most CT these cut-offs were fin
| ished above the city, but those below were
not completed. The food waters were there
| fore facilitated in their descent to Szegedin,
but from there, the cutotfs not having been
completed, the accelerated flow was retarded,
and the river rose more than two feet higher
| than it had ever been known before. The
levees at Szegedin are from eight to ten feet
high.
! Q.-Was your object in visiting the Suez
Canal in the line of investigating its con-
struction.
Al wanted to inform myself as to the
character of the Isthmus OF Suez as compared
with that of the American Isthmus, SO as to
be thoroughly informed regarding the pro-
posals which I have made to the United
States Government to construct a ship rail
way across the American lsthmus.
| Q.-What were your. impressions in that
regard?
A.-The conditions presented by the two
| isthmuses are totally different, and that the
ship railway is the only practicable solution
of the American problem.
Q-But it is reported that the Nicaragua
canal parties have raised the money to build
| their canal. VIII not that interfere with the
proposition to build a ship railway?
A.-The cost of building canal, and the
time necessary to complete it, are so much
greater than that which is required for the
! ship railway that, although Mr.. Lesseps or
Mr. Menocal might have the money prom
ised to build their canals and five years start
| in the work, a ship railway will be shown to
be so much more economic, more advan-
tageous, more rapidly built and more prehta-
| BILE when built, that it would inevitably be
built and completed before either of the
canals could be finished. For this reason [
do not believe that ship canal will be con-
strucsed across the American Isthm1s. L
have no confidence. however, in reports that
the capital has been promised for ship
canal, either at Panama or Nicaragua. Cap
ital is excessively timid, and capitalists are
not going to furnish money to build a canal
at either place, when engineers OF the very
! highest standing in America and England de-
clare that ship railway can be built for one
quarter or one-third of the cost of the canal,
and in third the time. The ship railway
can also be maintained after it is built at as
| little cost, and will more effectually accom-.
modate the traffic and be more easily en-
larged to meet increasing demands of COM
merce.
Q.-About how long would it probably
take to construct ship railway!
| A.-This would depend somewhat upon
the location of the road, but one advantage
| which the ship railway possesses over the
canal is that any location which is suitable
| for the canal is equally suitable for the rail
way, while the railway may be constructed
at several other localities where it would
be impossible to construct canal.
-Four years from the time work was
commenced would be sufficient to
have the ship railway in working order.
and the Tehuantepec is quite as practicable
location tor it as Nicaragua or Panama. If
it were located there it would also shorten
the distance between New York and Cali
fornia at least 1.30G miles over the route by
Panama.
Q.-What is the objection to the tide-level
canal?
A-The objection lies in the enormous cost
which is involved in its construction, and the
enormous expenditure necessary for its main
tenance afterwards. It has been estimated
by MIR. Lesseps' engineers that twill cest$l6S,-
| 600 600 to construct the work, and this sum
does not include interest upon the capital
during the several years OF its construction.
His estimate for the Suez Canal was not half
as much as its actual cost. There are rea-
sons to believe that the real cost of the canal
at Panama would be more than double the
published estimate for tat least this is
the opinion of the ablest engineers in the
United States. When we undertake to exca-
waite canal below the ocean level there IS no
engineer wise enough to foretell what amount
Of water the ocean viii supply through
subterranean assures, to be pumped out
during the excavation. 1t is bad enough to
take care of the rainfall upon the surface,
which must be done in constructing any
canal This of itself at Panama is enor-
NOUS, whilst the necessity of damming the
Lesseps' plan, is another work the cost of
which would be very difficult to estimate.
Q.-You have spoken of the enormous
cost of maintenance. In what would these
consist?
Am dredging out the canal to remove
the vast quantity of soil and material which
would be washed down in the deep cuts into
the canal, and in the ordinary expenses which
attend all such works. The cost of maintain
ing the Suez is about 81, 203, COO per annum,
and the hight of its banks are moderate COM
pared with those which would be required at
Panama.
Q.-What is the objection to the Mica
raguan canal?
A-The greatest objection which occurs
to me is the difficulty OF constructing harbor
at Greytown l think this difficulty has
been greatly underestimated for reasons which
l have not time now to explain. OF course
the canal would be useless even if completed,
without good harbors at each end of it, and
think Greytown presents as grave difficulties
in the way Of constructing harbors as any
point on the I5thmus. Another objection
consists in the number Of locks which are re-
| quired by the plan. An injury sustained by
any one lock renders the canal useless for the
| time being until it is repaired. Ships must
also enter locks with the greatest possible
caution, to avoid injury to the gates, and such
caution involves great delay and annoyance.
Besides this the cost of maintenance OF the
canal will be largely increased by the cost of
repairs involved by the locks.
O.-Can the cost OF the ship railway be any
more accurately foretold than that of the
canal?
Att can be much more accurately ascer-
tanned because a careful topogrspheI's sur
yey of the country will enable you 10 tell ex-
actly the amount of excavation necessary,
and the work is almost wholly on the surface
of the ground. It will differ but very little
from that of ordinary railways, the cost OF
which can now be very accurately deter
mined beforehand.
q Although you nave already lntlmated
that you do not wish to give opinions in ref
erence to the subject of debris until you have
fully investigated the subject, could you say
what you regard the probabilities of inlprov-
ing the Sacramento river aud overcoming the
injurious effects from the hydraulic mining!
Al have come to California purposeiy
to examine into this question, and when |
have done so my views viii be given officially
to the proper State authorities; until then |
must be excused from expressing any opinion
upon the subject.
In conclusion Captain Eads remarked that
! he expected to be able TO fully investigate the
| subject in hand within four or FIVE weeks,
| when he win again return to the East.
PERsoNAL.-Captain James b. Eads, the
widely-known civil engineer, arrived in the
city on the Reno express yesterday afternoon
about 3 o'clock, and is stopping at the Ar
cade. He is accompanied by Hon. A. G.
| Cochran and wife OF st. Louis. E. r.
Hamilton and family left for Monterey and
Santa Cruz yesterday IN. d. Rideout is at
1 the Arcade, also T. III. Williams. Mrs. j.
| l.. Huntoon goes to Pacific Grove, Monterey,
to day -. Mrs. w. Il. S. Foye went to Santa
Cruz yesterday :. DIR. w. w. Light returned
| yesterday from Solano county. ii. II. Lin
/ nell. who has been travelling in the southern