The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-17
THROUGH THE IsTHMUs.
The Nicaragua Route Looked Upon with
Favor Three Hundred Years Ago.

The Nicaragua Route Looked Upon with
Favor Three Hundred Years Ago.
Philadelphia Times
From the earliest days of the Spanish 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 1867 Phillip III sent Antonelli to explore
the route. In 1719 and 1850 it was secretly sur
veyed by Colonies Hodgson and Lee, of the
English army. and during the latter year Nelson
tried, without success, to seize and hold it. 1t
was also included as one of Humboldts nine
routes. In 1880 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 in 1897, under the
auspices of the federal government Of Central
America, by Lieutenant John Baily an officer of
the British Royal Marines, who had resided for
thirty years In Nicaragua. The overthrow OF the
existing government soon after frustrated all
plans for building growing out OF Baily's survey,
and the project remained in comparative abey-
ance until 1874, when proposition was made to
Louis Napoleon, then political prisoner in the
fortress of Ham. to undertake the work, which
he readily consented to do provided he could be
released from prison. In 1876 the State of Nj
carag1a granted q charter to the Canal Napo-
leon de Nicaragua" and Napoleon, escaping soon
afterward, published in London pamphlet en-
titled Canal de Nicaragua" containing an APP
peal to capitalists in behalf of the projected en-
terprise. large amount of money was pledged
to this undertaking when the revolution of 1913
recalled Napoleon TO France where he engaged
in building empire, instead Of canal. The
next movement relative to the Nicaraguan pro-
ject was the seizure, in 1848 of the port of San
Juan de Nicaragua, or Greytown, by the En-
glish, which resulted in the now famous Clayton
Bulwer treaty between England 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 l849
called the American Atlantic and Pacific Ship
canal Company. 0. w. Childs, Philadelphia
engineer, was employed by the company to make
a careful survey of the route, which he did IN
1850 This survey was. at the request of the
company, referred by Mr.. Conrad. then Secre-
tary of War, to Colonel j. j. Albert and Major
w. Turnbull, of the United States Topographic
al Engineers who pronounced the plan the most
practicable of any which had yet been proposed.
The succeeding political complications, which
eliminated in the war of the rebellion, put an
end to all attempts on the part of American citi-
Zens to construct this great waterway. Between
1870 and 1873 the canal projects were revived and
surveys of all three of the favorite routes
were made, under the supervision of
the United States government, that
of the Nicaragua route being made
by Commander e. P. Lull. Mr. A. G.
Menocal, who was one of the Lull surveying
party, obtained soon after some concessions from
The Nicaraguan government, in return for which
he and his associates were to build the canal,
The treaty which has just been made between
the Nicaraguan government and the United
States, transfers these privileges, along with ad
ditiOnal ones to the United States which under
takes to build the canal as rapidly as possible.
The proposed new route will comprise trife
fifty miles OF canal, together with river and
lake navigation of 1l9 miles There will be
eleven locks six on the Pacific and five on the
Atlantic side It is claimed that the trip of or
binary sailing vessels from New York to
San Francisco will be shortened seventy five
days. to Hong Kong twenty-seven days, to
Shanghai thirty -four days and to Callao fifty two
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 that there less engineering diff
culties to be overcome by this route than any
other proposed, and that it can be constructed
with the least outlay of money. The chief draw
back lies in the Necessity of locks, which neces
sarily limits the traffic that can be carried on
through its agency,
AS early as IVA the route BY the Tehuautepec
isthmus was surveyed by Cramer Prior to this
period, in 1745, leading citizens Of Oaxaca had
agitated the subject. In 1914 the Spanish Cortes
passed decree for the opening of a canal at
this point, in the hope Of alaying the revolution
AIRY spirit of the Mexicans by this means. Or
begozo explored the route again ten years later,
i'll 1924. A survey was made by Garoy in 1872
after which Tehuantepec canal schemes seem to
have slept till 1872, when survey was
made by Captain Shufeldt, under the auspices of
the United States Government. This route is
about 10 miles in length, crosses an elevation of
$50 feet, which will require a good many locks
to overcome. The water facilities, however, are
claimed to be ample. This is the most northerly
of all the routes proposed, and is easiest of &C.
cess from New York and other United States
ports. The distance to New Orleans from Hong
Kong is $500 miles less than by way of Cape
Horn, and l ,2l8 miles less than by the Panama
route. From New York to Hong Kong the dis
lance by this route is 8,245 miles less than by
Cape Horn and l5l8 miles less than by Panama,
For the present this canal scheme appears to be
lying in allegiance, awaiting the fate of Captain
Eads's ship rail way project which he is urging
on the attention of Congress.