The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-13
THE NICARAGUA CUT.
Three Times as Long as the
Panama Canal.
Fornsd able Task Of Severinr the yert~-
ers Of the ssthmus-Tctal Cost,
Sixty-fave Millions.

New Ners Mechanical News
On msp Of the Western hemisphere,
the distance between the Atlantic and Pa
oafe oceans. at the point Of their nearest
approach 20 each other. awiniles 30 appar-
eni insigni6canee. To the superficial and
uninstrssctea observer. il seems little short
81 absurd that the civilized world should
hsye used all its resources, vainly thus far.
to break through the frail connecting link
tor 80 II looss-ey which North and South
America are Joined together. and thus mar
rowiy escape being two continents instead
al one. Rut distances on q map Of half the
world are highly deceptive. The length OF
The Panama canal. IS proposed to be built.
Is Il miles hall as far. say. as from New
York 20 Philadelphia And the physical
difficulties 10 be overcome are such a. IN
multiply that distance tenfold as compared
with level country OF such geological and
typographical features IS would favor the
construction IL canal
There are still some reSolute spirits who
predict the successful completion of the
Panama canal. But the interruption ot
that work, whether permanent or not, has
brought the rival undertaking-thst of the
Nicaragua canal prominently before the
public, and brief description of its route
and the nature OF the task 10 be accom-
plished will be of interest 30 the reader. In
the first place. the Nicaragua canal. a. pro-
posed, - i1i's miles long than
three and half times the length of the
Panama canal. But there are coInpensat-
ing circumstances which are regarded as
much more than sufficient TO make up for Z
this excess OF distance. Lake Nicaragua a
part of which lies in the course Of the
canal. is a most important factor in tho
solution of the problem. This lake is the
largest in Central America, having an ex-
IRENE length of ia miles maximum
width OF ~ miles, and an area OF more than
1000 square miles. Ii is said To have ample
depth OF water and To be singularly free
from obstacles TO navigation. ont of tho
III y miles of the canal as marked out, 81
miles fall within the basin of the lake.
This, however, is not ali. There are sew
eral rivers-chefly the San Juan, by which
the waters of Lake Nicaragua are drained
into the Caribbean Sea-which will be made
to serve. with comparatively little labor. ne
a part OF the canal. The san Juan is said
10 he navieable by steamers of light
drauEht, even in its present condition, for
distance of sixty-four miles. and al
together il is estimated that eighty -four
miles OF the canal will coincide with the
for its purpose at relatively small expense.
This. added TO the fifty seven miles of lake
waterway, makes a total of f4i miles, and
leaves but thirty and one-half miles of the
canal for which nature has not made
partial provision, and which has therefore,
so to speak, To be cut out of the whole
cloth. Ii is in this thirty miles, doubtless,
that the main difficulty of the enter
prize will be encountered, and the
greater part of the outlay required.
Some of ii is OF a formidable
nature; for example. there Is at one point
layer of rock three miles in length 20 be
broken through. The river courses. more
over. may not be so tractahle as has been
assumed. The endless trouble which the
Chagres river has given the engineers OF
the Panama canal is warning not to
be too serenely confident on this point.
What other obstacles may arise To delay
the work or swell the expenditure, il is of
course impossible, even for those who are
on the ground and have the best means of
forming an opinion, to predict with GER
tainty.
The enterprise has. nevertheless, a hope
fui outlook and a determined and conf
dent spirit seems TO actuate its managers.
Ii is proposed that the canal shall have am
average depth of about thirty feet, and
minimum breadth of nearly eighty feet.
There are To be six locks. for which. il il
said, an abundant supply of water can
Always Ire relied on. The total cost Of this
canal is estimated at S65, 900 no0--a huge
sum in itself considered, but not quite one
sixth, according 10 figures lately given, OF
the enormous outlay thus far made on the
Panama canal.
Al one point or another-perhaps at
more than one point-the barrier between
the two oceans will no doubt be penetrated
sooner or later. II the hopefs anticipa-
tons Of those engaged in the work are not
most seriously disappointed. this will be
one of the final achievements of the nine
tenth century, and the year 1900 will see
the commerce OF the world passing without
interruption through this iong-desited
waterway between the Atlantic and the
Pacific