New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-12
THE NICARAGUA PROJECT

Grant on the Nlcaraguan Canal PROJECT Is pu1lsheu
here in The IriJuae and is claimed to be the full
text OF an article which is to appear in The North
fmoricm RoicC for February. 1t opens
Wiz. brief history of the interest taken
by tie Governments engineers aud capital
ISIS, in tins country and Europe, III the construction
OF a canal across the ISthnus For more than fifty
years, It says. there lad been a settled conviction
that the interest of the American people in the COM
/ u'rrc OF tie world required a water communication
! fg'm sea t0 scl across the sthmuS of Daren. The
breaking cut 0f the civil war diverted attention
/ for time from this project. By the wonderful
! development since the war te value
| aud necessity Of an iutcroccanic canal
On this continent has again been brought into prom
ucncc. The States Of North aud South Amer. ca
1 lyre along taa Plciic furnish in large abundance
commodities that dud markets III almost every
: cruuiIy V Europe. or gUauo and nitrate trade
g. .u.rncu~c From the ports Of Chill nearly 100000
/ tons ot ir light are shipped eastward annually.
" re than million ton, of grain shipped cach
/ year from the I4cfc STATE, and Ierriiorc
here j. uo doubt that more than i.00C000 tons of
uicichaia,i," find their way from these regions to
thr In. aud require water communication in ofder
that they mly be shipped economically and profit
/ ably. Tn" great what crops of California and
/ Oregon, for instance, find tlcr way to Liverpool
around Capc lIorn m the freight rate OF 30 cents
/ %, lusi,- rate which would not carry it by Ial
| hall way to Boston or Ncw-York or Philadelphia
and thence TO IT. European destination. Australia
! alone would furnish 100000 tons Of freight to
/ th, canal.
! Leaving out of consideration the danger and de-
! lay, Of rounding Cape Horn. should not forget
/ that by the canal proposed the distance frcm
! New. YoI; 10 Hong Kong Is shortened $50 miles.
/ f,m Sew York to Yokohama $500 miles, from
] ,t...A ....i. Y.
/ Yor, f. Honolulu $3.50 miles, from Liverpool to
, Sn Francisco GO6j miles. and from Liver
! pool to Calao 4,37l miles. To Europeans
/ tn, advantages Of such canal would he
Great: 10 Americans they are ncalcuIab'e, forming
! n part Of ih, coast line of the United States. Il
! v,uid increase our commercial facilities beyond
calrl,lat,or. wiilc in no way interfering with The
interests # those lines OF railway across the cOntl
| mont. 4 continuous coast line connecting our
eastern and western shores promises an increase OF
c..,stWst navigation sufficient Of Itself 10 make
canal matter Of the utmos; Importance TO our
people.
ON the question OF the most feasible route
for the canal. General Grant sum
marizcs the objections to the Panama
scheme into the floods which visit that region. the
impassabc and unhealthy swamp7 lying along it's
route. 20 dea,rnctyc to human life that labor and
sitv for long aud expensive tunnels and open cuts
for saf, via,luct the want Of material for con
structiou the addition o., 800 miles 20 the distance
br,wrrn Nrw-lork AM ports on the west coast,
and liz, Ing Gains prevailing IN Panama Bay. He
ui1ccs the cost of ths Panama Canal at
> 900 coo coo. aud probably much more, including
the pa&men, 10 tL, Panama Railroad Tor Is con-
cr.-:1n and remarks: he American capitalist
v,nld hr likely 10 look in vain for dividends an
investment like thl4.
ADVANTAGES or TIE NGctnAGrA ROUTE.
Tuning from a routc whcA. hc SAYS has little TO
recommend it. either Of convenience or financial
success lie points ont the advantages OF the Nica-
rarna route to be the ease and economy with which
the. canal cen be constructed. the admirable ap-
proache- to 1t from the sea- both cast and west the
distance saved between Liverpool and tie North
American ports over that of The Panama route, the
! distance. saved also between NcN-Yoik and Other
Atlantic cities and the ports % the United States
| I'M, Pa, lGc: and the cost of the Nicaragua Canal
Ina, never been estimated above %l0o,000,0OJ.
! In fact. CivIi Engineer Memorial gives the follow
| ing a, his estimate ot the entire cost OF
the work after n long and critical examination:
Western division. from Port Brto to the ahe 1G;3
| uil.S: estimated cost. T21 .GsJ717. Middle III
! vision Lake Nicaragua JG.i miles; cost, T7l5, ,G3s
Eastern division from the lake 10 Gaytown, loS.i3
! miles; cost %25. .O2O.9l1. Construction OF Grey
| town halbor 50 81. .G}O Construction Of Bn'o
barbor. S2:i37. .739 Total miles, 1926. Total
estimated cost. S52.j77.7iS. subsequent csti-
mate. based on more recent surveys made by Mr.
Mcnocal, has reduced this amount to Sill9j,S39
and by abandoning the valley of the san
Jr,n RIVER in favor OF direct route
| to G,eytowu asccrtaned 10 be entirely
uractraI,lc the distance is reluc"d . 1887 miles,
! lie total caualIzaiion bring but 5J miles
| Eycn applying most literally The rule mar en-
oiuccr,' estimates arc almost always below The COST
nI rrat nuhlic works, the outlay Tor th" NcaIagut
| rcuIr yyonid moi be above %lOO.00o,OJO. Surveys
| have cdcyeoped extraordinary facilities i0r the WORK;
| Construction materials are abundant throughout
| the entire line. The harhoIs Oi BIl'o ana 'IeSi'"n
are cauahle of beng made CONVENIENT ah. eAceIitil
'Te water supply from Lake Nicaragua ~ zee from
| deuo.it and ~ abundant and eaH.lv oDialheu me
laEc itself beng the summit level OF me catl. ne
| raiufoU il nor excessive. The climate during the
| t%aI ,rinds * delIgltful he Conntry Is capable
| of nrnducug all the subsistence that WouIu De re-
uuired by tie laborers employed III the construction
| of the canal Tho local pfOhucuohs arc ,duaoc
| oi,i ;,,n,-t"ut articles of commerce. In lie con-
sirnrtion feeders, tunnels and Viaducts are not
| necessary If constructed on TINS rOnt1 on inc es-
| Tnotes Given n canal could Dot fan to be al
| erono,nical highway and a Pioh,doe invest
nemt. Estimating th' cost OF o me me cahai al; AZ
S75,00000o, charge o. I've ~ 'o cross income Of
| Si1 SiG on0 600 on the 4000.000 tons upon which
torneT calculations have been based. Deducting
from this ST 100000 for the expenses ol ~ lntaIa am n
ing and operating the canal, We n"No %0''O0'"oo
pa the net earnings OF the work.
IMPORTANT CONCESSIONS.
The concessions made by the Government OF
Nicaragua TO the Provincial Interoceanic Canal So
etv also give this route great advantages over its
Panama rival They avoid all interference by
e1s,om bouse officials except so far as to prevent
smuggling and violation Of custom n. house Laws
| nleGS GS Ehond of the canal one hundred yards
!, a''V width, it measured from the waters edge.
l. being understood that the lake shore snail meyer
- oooong1dered as the margin OF the canal within
~ 1one no illegal traffic shall be conducted and
io custom authorities VII watch ana prevent re-
smuggling in accordance Win tne pUrSDo