Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-18
FROM SEA TO SEA.
The Route Of the Nicaragua Iatsr.
Oceanic Canal.
San Fraaeiseo Bulletin.

San Francisco Bulletin.
The Board of Trade held a special
meeting yesterday afternoon, 10 which
members of the Geographical Society.
members of the Academy of Sciences,
chief engineers, ship masters and others
were invited, to listen to an elucldation
of the Nicaragua interOceanlc project
by A G. MenOcal, Chief Engineer United
States Navy. and Chief Engineer of the
Panama and Nicaragua United States
Government JnterOceanic Canal SURVEYS.
Captain Merry said, before commencing
the subject. he wanted to say few
words. Arriving at San Juan del Sur,
after voyage of four and half months
from New York, by way of Cape
Horn, and encountering all the vicissi-
tudes of that stormy route, he found
a letter fourteen days from New York
awaiting HIM there, and as, for the first
time, he looked over the beautiful bay,
he thought the day would come when
ships themselves would come there from
New York in fourteen days He could
see that nature had marked out the path
for it. The bill authorizing the Mica
ragua InterOceanic Canal was now before
Congress. The administration favored
it. The only opposition they anticipate
was from members of the interior States,
who knew nothing, and consequently
cared nothing about a ship canal. With
these few brief observations. Captain
Merry entered upon his interrogatories,
eliciting replies of which the following
is the substance, presented in a connected
shape: The distance from the Atlantic
tn the Pacific by the proposed route is
IL ~
canal to be built are: Atlantic divi.
sion, twenty six miles; Pacific division,
seventeen miles-a total length OF fifty
three miles, against fOrtY-five miles, the
length of the Panama Canal. There will
be sixty three miles of slack water navi.
CATION on the San Juan river, and fifty
seven miles of lake navigation, crossing
Lake Nicaragua from the head of the
Pacific division of the canal TO San Car
los. or the head of the San Juan river.
The lake level, at average high water, is
about 10 feet above that of the sea.
The canal can easily be excavated through
the low lands by dredges. 1t is proposed
to have five locks on the Atlantic divis-
ion and seven including the tide lock-
on the Pacific division. In reply to
question by Professor Davidson, Mr..
MenOcal said be did not think it
would take half as long a time to put
ship through one of the locks as it takes
a ship to 90 into her siding in the Suez
Canal The loss of time would be in
significant. Professor Davidson re-
marked that the speed of vessels in the
Suez Canal was about five miles per
hour, and it took one and a half days to
go through. Ships are obliged to go into
sidings every five miles, to let other
vessels going in an opposite direction
pass. Mr. Menocal said that in the pro-
posed canal, for 120 miles. vessels could
pass each other at any point. The har-
Dor at BritO, the Pacific terminus, will
have to be enlarged by building break.
water. The cost will be about 81, 300,-
600. Engineers estimate the cost of the
whole work at $50, 100000 Work can
be commenced in ninety days after the
passage of the bill by Congress, and the
canal can be completed in five years.