The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-01-12
TELEGRAPHIC
GRANT.
The General Turns His Atten-
ton TO Literature, and
Writes a Strong Canal
Ar ticIe.
The Panama scheme q Hum
bug, but the Nicaragua
Route is lust the
Thing.

The Panama Scheme q Hum.
bug, but the Nicaragua
Route is lust the
ThIng.
New York, 1.-The following is from
General Grants article in the North
American ReDfelO containing his views
on the Nicaragua Canal The following
portions are the most striking: After
stating the necessity for shortening the
route between the Atlantic and Pacific
ports and referring to former efforts to
get car al both on the part of this coun-
try Central Americz and European
countries until the breaking out OF the
civil war in this country, this project pre-
sented an impartial topic for considera-
ton and overshsdowed eli questions re-
lating solely TO industrial Development in
international com merce, and ended in re-
suits when have given new and vast in
terest and importance to every enterprise
which can add power to the republic and
advance the prosperity of It's peopIe.
Stepping ct once into the front rank
am ng powerful nations Of the earth the
United states has entered, - it were,
spontaneously upon a career OF Develop |
meat almost unparalleled in the history |
of the world, by the growth OF states |
along the Pacific Coast, by the erection |
OF transcOntinental lines of railway, By |
the occupation Of new lands, by the |
opening of new mines, by increasing the !
mechanics and manufacture enter
prises. by the Introduction of her pro- /
ducts on massive scale in the commerce
OF the world, by her devo-
requires incessant industry among
all classes of people and the cheapest
possible means of intercourse and trans
| portatiOn, the United States has given
| new and deeper importance to every
| method by which industry can be adj
vanced, and commerce Can be promoted.
II should not be forgotten that the states
Of North and South America living
along the Pacific furnish in large album
nance those mmOdilies which are con-
sIanily supplied to markets in almost
every country of Europe. The gusno !
and nltre trade Is immense. From the :
ports of Chill nearly 400, 900 tons of =
freight are shipped eastward annually.
More than loo, 600 tons Of grain are :
shipped each year ffom the Pacific states
and terrific les There is 10 doubt that :
more than 4, UO0, 900 IONS of merchandise :
find their way from these regions to the .
east and require water communication in ?
order that they may be shipped economi- y
C lily and proft6bly, and this is the mer-
chsnGise TO woich railway Transportation
across the continent is wholly inappli-
cable. The great wheat crops OF Califor- !
MIA and Oregon. for instance, find their Z
way 10 Liverpool around Cape Horn at .
freight rate of SOC per bushel, a rate ?
which would not carry it by rail hallway Z
to Boston or New York OF Philadelphia, =
to be there shipped to its European desti- I
nation. In addition to the commerce of I;
North and South American ports referred u
to, there may be estimated also the adj
vantsges which would accrue to the trade
OF Australia aud the remote East Indies
bound to Great British, and which would 81
undoubtedly add millions of toas of II
freight, seeking passage through the tt
canal. When we consider the time and II
distance, saved by the canal for this vast n
amount OF merchandise, by sverting the a.
passage around Cape Horn, and the i'm G
portanee in these days Of rapid transit, N
of ready approach 10 the destined Il
market, we can readily understand the q
value of the enterprise to the producer, and is
shipper and consumer slike, leaving out OF
of consideration the dangers and delays A
of the Cape. We should not forget tha'by a.
the canal now proposed LILO dIsLsa 90 from al
New 70 k TO Hong Kong is shore ned II
$50 miles, New York to Yokohama CT
g 500 miles, New York to san Fran Ell
cisco $500 miles, New York to tt
Honolulu 6,7SO miles, Liverpool al
to San Francisco 6,O65 miles, il
we need no longer question the value Of fo
the inter-ooeanIc canal on the western "
continent as we have long since aband- hi
oned all doubt of the value Of the Suez &C
Canal TO the commerce Of the nations of 70
the east. To Europeans, the berefts and b
advantages of the proposed canal are +
great; to Americans they are incslculable th
A canal properly tructed and organ ca
lied wOulu increase our commercial IA 81
cilrties beyond calculation. Interfering I'd
in no way with the Interests of these oil
lines Of rail gay which connect the At 10
lantic states with the Pacific, but tending If
rather t. stimulate and increase the ac- pl
tiyity out of which their traffic grows, it 81
would cheaper all staple transportation Sc
and add greatly to the ease and economy us
of migration from the east to the farm d.
ard mines Of the Pacific slope. That the th
canal will be of great benefit to the COM b.
merce Of the United States, also, n;
there cap be no doubt, meet te
ing, as we do, formidable COM V
petition in the carrying trade to rc
foreign ports. We fnd in our IS
coast wise navigation an opportunity for A
the profitable use of American bottoms, OF
protected by our own commercial laws, hC
a continuous coast line connecting our tt
eastern and western shores. The prom 81
ised increase Of this navigation Is sufi- 81
Gent of itself 10 make the canal q matter es
of the utmost importance to our people. sc
In view of these advantages the question N
naturally arises as to the most feasible CT
route for the canal, both as regards econ 81
omy OF construction and convenience of re
use. On this point it would hardly seem
as il there was room for cont versy. The 81
difficulties which surround the Panama hi
scheme have been so frequently and so is
forcibly set forth that they need not be CT
deliberately repeated here. The foods Of C,
this region, caused by the sudden and
immense rainfall, have attracted the at II
tention Of the most careless traveller, and n
have perplexed and COMPOUNDED the scien-
tifc engineer in his attempts to provide d
some method by which to overcome the =
difficulties which they create. The i'm "
pa,ssb and unhealthy swsmps lying y
along this route have always been con- :;
sideIed unfit for q water course, and so y
destructive to human life that labor and | y
death seems TO have Joined hands "
there. The necessity for long q
and very expensive tunnels and =
open cuts has sdded vastly to the ex :.
pense of the route when eStlmated anH 10
the obstacles to be overcome by engineer
ing. The most careful surveys have 4
always developed discoursging vsnt Of :
material for construction. The addition .
of 500 miles to the distance between New =
York and the ports on the west cozst OF :,
the United States. by the Panama route, :.
over tat Of any other feasible route pro
posed, and the long aud tedious Gains 2
which prsvail in Panama Bay, have
never failed to create opposition to this u
route in the minds of nsvigators. The
enormous cost of the Panama Canal,
moreover, has never been denied. Con- !,
sidering the engineering difficulties at
t ndiDg tue diversion Of the Chsgres
River and the necessary construction OF :
Al artificial lake to hold its foods, to- 4
gether with the tunnelling or open cuts to
! which aliGsion has already been made,
| the cost of this canal cannot
be less than four hundred million, =
and would probably be much more, in i
cluding the payment 10 the Panama rail
road for its concession. American CAPT
tsIists would be likely to look for diyi- !.
4 ! 4 -. in Y