Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-02-12
THROUGH THE ISTHMUS.
The Nicaragua Route Looked Upon
with Favor Three Hundred Ycars.
Philadelphia Times.

Philadelphia Times.
From the earliest days of the Span
ish conquest in America the 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 1852 Phillip Ii sent An
tonelli to explore the route. In 1779
and 1870 it was secretly surveyed by
Coils. Hodgson and Lee, of the English
army, and during the latter year Mel
son tried, without success, to seize and
hold it. It was also included as one
of Eumboldt'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
was 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 Balley's survey, and the pro-
jectremained in comparative allegiance
until 1914, when a proposition was
made to Louis Napoleon, then polit-
ical prisoner in the fortress of Ham,
to undertake the work, which he
readily consented to do provided be
could be released from prison. In
1916 the state Of Nicaragua granted
charter to the "Canal Napoleon de
Nicaragua" and Napoleon, escaping
soon afterward, published in London
a pamphlet entitled Canal de Near
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 1S40 recalled Napol-
con to France, where he engaged In
building all empire, instead of a canal.
The next movement relative to the
in 1848, of the port of San Juan de
Nicaragua, or Greytown, by the Eng
lish, which resulted in the now famous
Clay ton-Bulwer 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 Dy 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. J. Albert
and Maj, w. Turnbull, Of the United
States typographical engineers, who
pronounced the plan the most practi-
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 1873 the
canal projects were revived, and sur
veys 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. 2.
Lull. Mr.. A. @. Menoeal, who was
one of the Lull surveying party, OBJ
tanned soon after some concessions
from the Nicaraguan government, in
return for which he and ms associa-
tons 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 un
dertakes to build the canal as rapidly
as possible. The proposed new route