Morning journal and courier., 1888-02-18
HE AMERICAN rsramus.

.-rofessor Brewer Delivers n Highly
 Instructive Lecture at North ShemeId
 Hall on the Various Schemes to Con
 meet the Atlantic nnd Pacific Oceans The Bad Failure ofthe French Pana-
 ma Canal scheme - The Nicaragua
 Plan the Most Feasible.
 Professor William H. Brewer delivered the third in the course of mechanics lectures at the North Sheffield hall last evening. There was present large and intelligent audience who listened to the remarks made with the closest attention. The lecture was most instructive and entertaining one. The sub ject was "The American Isthmus."
 After defining the Isthmus geographically
 to some extent, and speaking of the vast in-
 crease of ocean commerce in the last ferty-fv
 years and the vast importance of an Isthmus
 canal, he told of the worldwide interest for
 three hundred years past in securing pas
 sage from ocean to ocean. He spoke of the
 narrow places on the Isthmus, the climate,
 the heavy rainfall. Proceeding he said
 ''Travel across this Isthmus began early
 and canals were suggested and projected the
 first century of it's settlement. There were
 numerous schemes, only one of which I will
 mention. That was the famous Scotch set
 clement on the Isthnus. In 1895 the Scotch
 parliament passed an act for a company to
 trade with Africa and the Indies, and in con
 nection with this William Patterson, the founder of the Bank Of England, determined to establish 8 colony and city on the Isthmus> of Darien as a general emporium for the commerce of the world.
 "This project had an immense run in Scotland. Subscriptions sucked up all the money in the country. Twelve thousand men went 10 the Isthmus in 1898. Sickness, discentent, disappointment and the Spaniards soon almost destroyed the colony. During the days of his early diversity nllia NaD01aOn maid visit tO the Tafhmuq and became interested in the great question. He prepared scheme for canal by way of Nicaragua. This was printed in 1S46, but was not published. Copies appeared in Eng
 land in 1s49. With the discovery of gold in California new attempts were made to make the connection. A scheme to construct railroad was started backed by New York moneyed men. A party went over in 1S49
 and constructed railroad, which was not finished until 1855. This was known as the Panama railroad and for time it was most profitable investment. The stock in 1869 reached the 364 point, but then began to de- crease until in 1870 it was worth only 106. "In 1880 some twenty-three routes for canals or railroads had been surveyed. but up to this time nothing has been accomplished except the Panama railroad.
 "At present but two schemes may be said to be before the world; the French scheme for canal at Panama and the American for one at Nicaragua. The Panama scheme is the outcome of 8 convention held in Paris in 1879. It was decided to build canal with no locks. The great engineer, De Lesseps, was the prime mover in the convention. It will be about fifty miles long. There are three great barriers to this De Lesseps canal which, in my mind, are insurmountable. First there is a mountain two hundred and ninety feet high to be out through and add to this the depth of the canal, twenty eight feet, makes three hundred and twenty foot high wall to pass through. Then we hear that the mountain is sliding. Secondly, the changes of..the river Chagres, which rises forty feet at time They propose to stem the torrent by erecting dam one hundred and forty-six feet and four thousand feet long. It has not been built yet. Thirdly, there is the deadly climate to con- tend with. I have told my classes in physi- cal geography that the French or De Lesseps canal will never be completed and that it is failure, and that in it's abandonment, which is surs to come, crisis will be caused and change made in the French government. I has been spent up to the end of last year $212, ,00O, 900 and it will, it is said, take at leasts6ve years moro time ard $313, ,000, 900 more The cost will finally reach $1 000- 0eO,OOO.
 f'The Nicaragua canal scheme would, in
 my mind, be more feasible and practicable. q believe that the commerce of the world
 now needs the canal.
 'tI believe it will be built before the close
 of this century.
 ''I also believe that the Nicaragua route
 will be the route."