The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-03-26
Commercial Routes.

belong to that part Of the article WHO" 'P'
peared yesterday
Resume of advantages and Disadvantages
of the Panama Route.
The advantages are: The short as
rance Al 2 milcs-from sea TO sea an opeu
cat with but moderate average dcp'h oil
eyc,va,ion: an ample water-supply iair
bsrbors at the termini; the proximity 10 tue
railroad already constructed; the absence OF
high winds; and. IN common witntne Who'e
Is,hmns. the fertility OF the soil and the sa'
Iubrity of its climate, especially during inc
dry season.
. The disadvantages arc: The large ram
fall: the want OF stone for construction pur-
noses: the character OF some OF The swamps
on parts Of the line; the cost or the iecder
and the yiaduct; the prevailing cams In
Panama bay, causing tedious delay 10 SAT-
ing vessels; and, finally, the Tact lnat fand'
ma is 600 miles farther from san Francisco
than Briio, the Pacific terminus OF the MICA
raguan route.
The De LesSepS Panama Scheme.
Encouraged by his success in making a
tbrO,gh cut cf niucty-six miles through Tue
lstbu.us oi Suez. the Count De Lesseps has
organiz,da company and secured the sub
scr,nlion Of the necessary funds to accom-
nIi.h a similar undertaking at the lsthmus
~ Panama. While no obstacles can pc re-
oarded as iEsurmountabe by modern engl-
neqr,ny, the concurrent opinion OF AN
American engineers, that at THIS point
fbrovoh cut Is undesirable az we'll as imprac-
ticablc. iusti6es the apprehension tDal
thouoh the success Of the DE Lcsseps scheme
Is very probable, its remuDeraiiye character
as an investment is at least doubtful.
II. THE ROUTE BY WAY OF THE ATRArO, Ma
prpt. AND DoGSADO RIVERS FROM THE GULF
or UR.RA, on THE COAST or THE CARIBBEAN
SEA. TO THE BAY or CHIRI-CHIRI, on The
PACIFIC.
About 900 miles east Of Aspinwall the
GnIf Of Uraba receives the waters OF the
Atrato. a river which, rising among the
Andes. flows for 800 miles substantially
north in the valley between the Pacific coast
range OF the CordIlcras and the parallel
range TO the east For the first 10 miles toe
banks Of this broad and deep river are too
low for cultivation, being subject to con-
slant inundatlOn; above this point they are
higher and very fertile, though not mucn
cultivated by reason OF the sparseness OF
the population.
About 40 miles from it, mouth the Airato
is augmented from the west by the RIVER
Napipi. From this point to the Pacihc 4,
Chiri-Chiri bay the distance Is 30 miles, ana
IN 1912, and again III 1919, surveys were
made with the view Of jJining these points
by a sbip-canal.
The country through which the Napipi
flows i low and Swampy for ten miles from
it's confluence with the Atrato, when hills
are met with from 80 TO 100 feet high. Tbls
character Of the country continues Tor iour
or five miles. Tbcn there is an elevated
plateau for about TIN same distsnce. From
his pont 10 the Pacific The country Is very
blly-almost mountainous-tbe elevation
increasing as the ocean is neared, and reach
ING its naXimucl OF about 800 feet above
tide within mile Of the sea.
The alIuvia lauds, especially near the
Atraio, are exceedingly fertile; the forests
are dense and contain numbers Of trees OF
immense size and some Of great value. The
parasitic growtbS OF creeperS, mos. &c,
common TO tropical forests, and the dense
underground, reader il necessary to cut
trail in order to pass from point TO point.
The products at present Of this region are
Indian corn. vans. a little rice, plantains,
bananas, melons, guaya, and alligator pears
no oranges, lines, Lemons, or cocoa'nuls.
The plantan takes the place OF bread; The
tree bears five or six lunches year, each
bunch containing about seventy plantans.
The trees are planted ten or twelve feet
apart. An acre, therefore, Will contain
about 400, and it readily appears what an
enormous quantity OF food sm u pcr-
ton Of land will yield, and that Win
no cultivation needed except to cut
the weeds and bushes out two or three times
a year. For meat the natives depend almost
entirely on fish, in which the Atrato ana It's
tributaries c1ound. Some OF the natives
have few fowls and pigs, but most Of them
depend for Such things on the woods, winch
abound in wild hog, turkeys, ducks, quail,
grouse, and many other varieties OF game.
These natives, negroes and lndiaps uhe few
whites are Spansb), live III little huts on the
river banks, raised a few feet on piles, ana
made OF split palms, open on two SIDES anu
matched with palm-leayes. Their MODE OF
travelling Is chiefly by canoes, ioI only mere
and there are 10 be found "trails through
the dense forests. The style Of dress Is
close imitation OF the d" fi2-leaf' fashion.
The negroes count themselves Catholics
the indians have religion Of their own, OF
which little is known, doubtless because
there IS little to be known.
The climate is moist and enervatlng.
This regiou lies near the isotherm OF 81,
the hottest portion Of the Western Cont
nent The nights are cooler than the Gays,
and blanket or two increased the comfort
of the members Of the surveying paltie-.
The resources OF the country, as already
stated, are almost lImltleSs as 10 products OF
forest, field, and stream. To these must be
added the inexhaustbIc abundance Of lis
mineral deposits. Even with the rude me-
tbods and deSultory ways OF the natives, the
quantity Of gold now taken from the sands
OF the streams after the subsistence OF the
foods Of the rainy season is quite large.
Besides gold, platinum, silver, ana other
metals are known to abound, and also coal.
The description OF the proposed canal
may be summarily given thus: Iotal
length, 30 "a miles, the first five OF which
Orom the Atrato) are through swamp, FOL
lowed by II Oh higher ground, involving
II hft.lOcks OF 1913 feet each to raise the
level TO that Of the summit-viz., 143 feet
above mean tide. The Napipi is here crossed
on a yiaduct, aud the valley Of its tributary,
the DognGdo, followed for 4.Sl miles with
cutting required averaging 90feet, the deep
est cut beiug one OF 24j feet for only short
distance. Then comes the tunnel required
for passing the c.nal under the dividing
ridge to the Pacific slope. This tunnel is
TO be 3:5 miles and say 20 feet wide 10y 1O3
high. Its cost is estimated at 1872, 479, 100.
Then comes the descent on the Pacinc side
accomplished by 10 locks OF 1913 lift each,
distance Smiles.
The estimated cost is sos 100000
IL is exceedingly improbable that a scri-
Gus attempt to carry out this scheme Of IN
teroceanic communication will ever be
made. The cyciopean nature OF The pro-
posed tunnel is not OF itself sufficient OBJ
stacle, but this, in connection with the 100
miles Of river navigation, and especially the
close juXtaposition Of the locks on the Pa
cliic slope, sufiices to place this scheme at a