Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-02-13
THROUGH THE ISTHMUS.
The Nicaragua Route Looked Upon
with Favor Three Hundred Years


The Nicaragua Route Looked Upon
with Favor Three Hundred Years
Ago.
Philadelphia Times.
From the earliest days of the Span
ish conquest in America tie route by
the way of the San Juan river and
Lake Nicaragua has been looked upon
with favor by many canal projectors
As early as 1867 Phillip II sent An
tonelli to explore the route. In 1873
and 1880 it was secretly surveyed by
Coils. Hedgson and Lee, of the English
army, and during the latter y ear Mel
son tried, without success, to seize and
hold it. It was also included as one
of Humboldt's nine routes. In 1880
a company was formed in Holland to
build the canal, which, however,
never succeeded in doing any work.
The first complete survey of a route
clear across the state of Nicaragua
vas made ia 1888, under the auspices
of the federal government of Central
America, by Lieut.. John Bailey, an
officer of the British royal marines,
who had resided for thirty years In
Nicaragua. The overthrow of the
existing government soon after frus-
trated all plans for building growing
out of Bafley's survey, and the pro
iect remained in comparative allegiance
until 1914, when a proposition was
made to Louis Napoleon, then q polit-
ical prisoner in thc fortress OF Ham,
to undertake the work, which he
readily consented to do provided he
could be released from prison. In
1916 the state of Nicaragua granted
charter to the Canal Napoleon de
Nicaragua" and Napoleon, escaping
soon afterwafd, published in London
a pamphlet entitled Canal de Nicar-
aqua" containing an appeal to cap
italists III behalf of the projected en-
terprise. A large amount of money
was pledged 10 this undertaking when
the revolution of 1S4S recalled Napol-
con to France, where he engaged ia
building an empire, instead OF a canal.
The next movement relative to the
Nicaraguan project was the seizure,
in 1848, of the port of San Juan de
Nicaragua, or Greytown, by the Eng
lish, which resulted in the now famous
Clay onBalwer treaty between Eng
land and the United States. In the
meantime, private parties had not given
up the idea of the advantages to be
gained by the construction of this
waterway.
A company was organized IN New
York in 1849 called the American At
lantic and Pacific Ship Canal Com
pany. O. w. Childs, a Philadelphia
engineer, was employed by the COM
pany to make careful survey of the
route, which he did in 1850. This
survey was, at the request of the com
pany, referred to NJ. Conrad, then
secretary of war, to Col. ]. j. Albert
and Mai. w. Turnbull, of the United
States typographical engineers, who
pronounced the plan the most practl-
cable of any which had yet been pro-
posed. The succeeding political COM
plications, which eliminated in the
war of the rebellion, put an end to all
attempts on the part of American
citizens to construct this great water
way. Between 1870 and 1878 the
canal projects were revived, and sur
yeys of all three of the favorite
routes were made under the super
visioS OF the United States govern
ment, that of the Nicaragua route
being made by Commander E. ?.
Lull. Mr.. A. G. Menocal, who was
one of the Lull survey ing party, OBJ
tanned soon after some concessions
from the Nicaraguan government, in
return for which he and his associa-
tions were to build the canal. The
treaty which has just been made be-
tween the Nicaraguan government
and the United States, transfers these
privileges, along with additional
ones, to the United States. which I'm
derts kes to build the canal as rapidly
as possible. The proposed new route
will comprise trifle over SO miles of
canal. together with river and lake
navigation of 119 miles. There will
be eleven locks, six on the Pacific and
five on the Atlantic side, tits claim
ed that the trip of ordinary sailing
vessels from New York to San Fran
cisco will be shortened rs days, to
Hong Cong 81 days, to Shanghai 81
days, and to Collao SO days by this
route, From New York to San
Francisco this route, it is claimed,
will be ten days shorter than the
Panama route. There is little doubt
lhat :here are less engineering diff
culties to be overcome by this route
than any other proposed, and that it
can be constructed with the least out
lay of money. The chief drawback
lies III the necessity of locks, which
necessarily limit the traffic that can
be carried on through its agency.
AS early as 1774 the route by the
Tehuantepec isthmus was surveyed
by Cramer. Prior to this period, in
1745, leading citizens of Oaxaca had
agitated the subject. In 1914 the
Spanish coats passed decree for the
opening of q canal at this point, in
the hope of allaying the revolutionary
spirit of the Mexicans by this means.
Orbegozo explored the route again ten
years later. in 1924. A survey was
made by Garoy in 1912, after which
Tehauutepec Canal schemes seem to
have slept until 1872, wnen new
survey was made by Capt. Shufeldt,
under the auspices of the United States
government. This route is about 100
miles in length, crosses an elevation
of $50 feet, which will require good
many locks 10 overcome. The water
facilities, however, are claimed to be
ample. This is the most northerly of
all the routes proposed, and is easiest
of access from New York and other
United States ports. The distance to
New Orleans from Hong Kong is 9, 900
miles less than by the Panama route.
From New York to Hong Kong the
distance by this route is S,245 miles
less than by Cape Horn and 1,51S
miles less than by Panama. For the
present this canal scheme appears to
be lying in allegiance awaiting the
fate of Capt. Eads' ship railway pro-
ject, which he is urging on the atten-
ton of congress.
AN UNHAPPY CONGRESSMAN.