The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-11-15
THE WORLD OVER.
The Report on the Nieara-
guam Canal Route.
cq4NCES FOR A COLLAPSE .
10 Pay the PenaIty-Aftert their share
Americas PrOtest-Death of
H b CIahin.
THE WORLD OVER.
eqASCES FOR A COLLAPSE
The Nicaraguan Canal.

WASHINGTON, November 1.-THE re-
poFts Of Civil Engineer Menocal, United
states Navy, upon the Nica-agusn Canal
route, recently surveyed by party OF
which he was head. was made public to-
day The expedition sailed from New
York on December Goth, 1884, and ar
rived at the scene of operations on
January ed. 1885 The proposed route
extends from the harboF of Greytown,
on the Caribbean Sea to Brits, on the
Pacific. Its total length is 1898 miles,
OF which 1898 miles will be excavated
canal and 1902 miles navigation by
Lake Nicaragua, the river San Juan, the
basin of the River San Francisco, and
seven locks. Lake Nicaragua IS about
ainetv miles long, forty wide and will be
connected with the Pacific by the canal
and with the Atlantic by Slack Water
Navigation, in the River San Juan by
short section of canal from the River
san Juan to the basin Of the River San
Francisco, by navigation through this
basin and by canal, thence to Caribbean
Sea. The report describes IN minute
details the engineering features of
hree divisions into which it has been
cut. The apparent inSufficiency Of the
Suez Canal, says the report, to accom-
modate traffic of more than 1900, 600
tons a year without serious delay TO
navigation, is due to its reduced sec
tiOnaf area and inadequate number or
turn outs, shows that the dimensions
proposed in previous reports for
3 canal across Nicaragua should
be considerably enlarged. 1t is
proposed now not only to enlarge
the water prism of the canal by increas-
ing its width and depth, but to provide
also two large basins at the extremities
of the locks, where the vessels can wait
or pass without delay. These turn'outs,
together with the lake. the river and
San Francisco basin, will greatly facili-
tate navigation by the this route and
allow OF ships going in, opposite each
other at almost all points. The modi-
f2tion viii hardly involve an increase
Il the estimated cost of the canal, but
It has been thought best TO provide for
the unrestricted passage OF the largest
vessels of commerce and traffic Of not
less than 1900. 900 a year. The
proposed locks have q uniform
length Of $50 feet between the gates.
and at least q width of 65 feet.
It IS proposed that the canal shall have
Z depth of from . to 80 feet, with a
minimum width in rock and deep earth
cuts OF 50 feet ct the bottom. 1t is esti-
mated a ship may pass from Greytown
20 Brito in 40 hours. The estimated
total cost OF the canal IS $57 ,2S4 ,95S.
ghirty-tEo vessels can pass through
the canal in day, or IL
go II year, which, at the
average tonnage of vessels passing
the Suez Canal. viii give an annual
traffic of %, 40 900. This is based on the
theory that the lake and river viii be
GIFTED with beacon and range lights;
also that vessels can move at night as
veil as day. It is estimated that the
canal can be completed in six years, and
viii cost, including q contingent of %
er cent. added, $64, 04S. 697.