National Republican., 1888-06-03
1sTHM1AN TRANSIT ROUTES.
The Suez Canal, the Panama Canal,
and Other Like Projects.

ana pIneI
The most casual observer Of events can
not fail to note the strange advance in the
commerce and closer intercourse Of nations
so largely secured hy the shortened distance
routes and shortened voyages Of to-day.
New York and Liverpool are separated by
as many days only as the months of old
times; London from Bombay by eighteen
days only; from Australia by less than
thirty. IN the old world steam and cleo
tricity have thus revolutionizcd commerce
by the use Of the Suez Canal; on our side
a like movement advanced so far as rail-
ways can effect II by the Panama railway
and by our own transcontnental lines,
awaits a full development in the Openiug o
one or all of those projected routes across
our isthmus
The suez canal has in It the air Of ro-
nance as well as Of solid truth Thqt one
man, unaidcd by government or friends,
could got concession from an Egyptian
prince, follow II up by dangerous personal
exploration fiom the slimy shores of old
Pelusium TO Suez, travel In support OF his
scheme many times the distance around the
globe, overcome the oppositiOns of England,
Turkey. aud his own Gountrymen, and,
after fifteen years Of toll and calumuy, sail
fleet Nov. IL, 1869, from Port Said 10 Suez-
has in it story Of wonder surprising that
Of our well backed corporate enterprise.
Yet this Is Lcsseps's record
The results to the old world may be in
pant thus indicated: In March, 1870, the
canals first year, II passed but SO ships,
their net tonnage being less than $4,000
tons and their tolls but $780, $40. In March,
lsSS, It's record is of 80 ships, net tonnage
500, 12l, aud receipts from now reduced
tolls 5,Sl5,S03 francs, or 81 ,1I3, lGO. The
Oceana, Of the =. and o. Company, of $50
feet length and n feet beam, passed her
cargo OF G,000 met) tonnage and her pas.
scnger list OF l13 travellers to Australia
One hundred and eleven ships went through
by night by their electric light apparatus
making the 100 miles IN less than nineteen
hours. EsR and whose premier, Palmerston,
and great engineer, Stephenson, predicted
nothing but an early filled up "stinking
ditch and pooh.poohed II in parliament
and at Constantinople, has made millions by
her purchase Of the khediyc's shares, the
original 800 bond now commanding 2,2OO
francs. Is II not time for something like
this on this side of the waterY
THE AMERICAN ROUTES.
Our problem is really four centuries Old.
CorteZ and his succeeding cOnquistadosas
at first felt sure there must be Il natural
open strait. The great conqueror lost a
fleet and nearly his life IN its Search and
next urged Charles to build canal The
India gallcons were an easy prey to the
freebooteis, Drake and others, and their
transported cargoes when landed at
| Panama often the booty of Morgan and the
buccaneers. But Charles cared not to spend
across the seas. and he and Philip wer,
absorbed in European wars The problem
| fell sound asleep.
Revived In desire only by the Centra
| American states, after their release from
| the Spanish yoke, they have never had the
pecuniary means on the freedom from
| periodical revolutions to do more thar
| grant almo tcountlcss concessions to forcigl
parties profttng by their sale, but effectnt
| nothing,
| 1t was reserved for the United States tC
| open the way after the California gold dis
coveries by the construction of the Panam;
railroad-a road which Admiral FitZroy, o
the Royal geographical Society, said ''coult
have been built in 1910 by none but United
States men, The late Commodore Wander
bilt secured also contract from Nicaragua
and Col. Childs, for his company, in 1850
surveyed the San Juan route for canal o
II feet only in depth. banquet in New
York assured the stockholders of a canal
but no funds from England came and the
rush of travellers to California was NOR
directly profitable by the rough means pro
vided for them up the San Juan. No con
ccssion by Nicaragua. either when she in
vitcd the prisoner of Ham to take IL up
nor when negotiated for by Holland in 1890
nor any other grant to this dav, has effecte
much more than resurveys and estimates TO
he enterprise.
The United States government has no
been without appreciation of the problem
In 1856 Mchler, of the army, and Craver
Of the navy, made full but unfavorable +,
ports Of the Darien routes, and since til
opening Of the Suez canal the three route
to which, by repeated private surveys, tn
problem has been reduced have all been +,
examined for d canal-the Alvalo by Sc
fridge, the Panama and Nicaragua by In
and Collins. and the Tehuantepec by Az
miral Shufeldt. The results have furtht
struck out Tehuantepec canal by its Ii
locks, leaving Nicaragua for the Unite
States and Panama for the French.
THE PRESENT STATUS.
For the Nicaragua company the Senat
bill of incorporation wisely provides an !
sue Of Sl00,000,000, or possibly its doubl
for estimates, it is well known, cannot
precise where part Of u line has not bee
as yet subjected to borngs, and where IL
restoration Of harbor and its maintenan;
is to be something of an experiment. TT
estimates Of the Nicaraguan Engine,
Sonnentern were $l00,0000O0; those
Col. Mcfarland, United States e
gineers, Sl4l 100000, with labor
; United States prices, and those of Gei
Grants commission-Admiral Ammen al
the late Gen. Humphreys and Capt. Patte
son-S100, 100000.
The present survey party on the isthm'
is making favorable progress.
Meanwhile the lesseps company hay
been working on the Panama route wi
J fearful labor and outlay, but, it must
admitted, success thus far, and as the char
} Der of deputies have authorized Lesseps
new loan and the senate committee are ia
orable, the 100000 600 spoken of recently
the REPUBLICAN is likely to he forthcomin
Sooner or later that forty-seyen'mile rou
} will be opened for too much has been ;
ready done to permit ultimate failure.
Dispatches also announce contract L
tween Mexico and q British company
5 build Capt. Eads's marine railway aero
, Tehuantcpcc. So that we have the Fren
, in Panama, the English in Mexico, and o'
own surveying party In Nicaragua. II
one, two, or all three of these plans,
seems safe to predict completion. Asto q
' relation of the concessions to the Monr'
Z doctrine much has been uselessly advance
The mortality of the Panama route at lea
has no invite for settlements militatii
0 against United States interests. Coloni2
, tion is more likely for the uplands
Nicaragua and Mexico.
suEZ AND PANAMA.
, The solid difficulties of our isthmus be
no comparison with the short Suez rout
where no elevation exceeded 100 fec
: Across Panama Totten and Dirks recol
. mend to Lesseps a sea level canal on Ii
' where lat Culebera) cut more than
Q feet deep would be necessary. Is it il We
4 strange that locks are now substituted?
TIE TONNAGE DIVIDEND
cannot be estimated by the figures of t
past year of canal. The suez retur
show this. When the Mississippi Valley
e its loo, 600, 900 of people in the next cent?
u and the great river brings down the produ,
of the different climates from its source
= New Orleans, their, exchanges with tho
i of the western shores Of the Americas wi
Asia and Australia will confirm what the /