The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-11-26
THE GREAT CANAL.
PRESENT PROGRESS OF THE IRE
MENDOUS WORK.
From Greytown tn Mansgua' Nicaragua
A Delightful Trip-how the san Jua"
f. Proposed to he Utiiixed.-An Enter
prising southern Republic.

-
prising southern Republic.
N.x.GrA. NICARAGUA, November D.
rSnecial correspondence. l-After long
hi. but most pleasant journey by wafer
from San Juan del Norte tGreytown), on
the Atlantic ocean. the Nicaraguan Gosern-
ment Canal Commissioners ana Chlei fhei.
neer 4. &. MenOcal. Of the Nicaragua 'anai
Companv. were on Sunday, November 81,
within eleven miles of the Pacific ocean.
having steamed up the san Juan river. up the
Machuca. Castillo. and T0ra rapids. ana
crossed the fresh water sea known IN Lake
Nicaragua in half a gale Of wind, whlcn
stirred the bosom OF this great, almost un-
known lake into angry beauty.
The Canal Commissioners are Don jose
Antonio Roman (president) and Engineer
Don MaXimilian SOnnesberg, and they are
on their way, in company with thet I'D.
gineer Menocal and party OF distinguished
NicaragiIans to confer with President
sacasa aud his government in reg ri 20 /.
few minor details Of the canal work and 10
continue the series Of cOngratulat0ry visits
and receptions following the official inaubi-
ration Of the work which took place on
October -. as detailed in my dispatches To
the RICHMOND TINES under that date.
The commissioners will make report on
the state Of affairs AT the Nicaragua Canal
COmpany's headquarters. and VIII also
make an inventory Of all work done since
the construction party landed on June 81.
This report and inventory will show that
the American engineers landed, rooiiess, on
the date last referred to, and that in five
months time. i'm spite Of climatic and other
difficulties. they have TO all intense and
purposes built up substantial foundation
Tor a town which will be named
America. and which already has attached
10 il complete hospital. ambulance and
transportation service. including over mll'
of br0ad-guage railroad. and the piping for
twelve miles Of steel teight -lnchl aqueduct;
a complete pole railroad outiit. eight steam
pile-priyers. and all the creosoied ana
other piles necessary for the aqueduct. The
American engineers have also built about
twenty permanent camps. cleared the san
Juan De-eadO. san Juanilla and other rivers
80 as to make them navigable; have tapped
Fort Castillo. on the san Juan. with the tel
egraph wire. though at this writing. only
twenty-seven and half miles are actually
i'm operation: hut. with few gaps now being
Joined through swamp-, sixty seven miles
of wire will soon be strung.
TIE CANAL ROUTE
is being rapidly cleared and is staked out.
Bv early spring the work will be in shape
for the dredges 10 commence their share Of
the great task.
II has beei-as will be seen by the above
outline Of work. rs well a. by previous dis
patches sent to the TINES
THE POLICY or THE NICARAGUA CANAL
COMPANY
TO begin at the beginning; TO do nothing
hastily, and 10 lay strong healthy founda-
tions for the American canal. This fact.
combined by the desire of the American
fl.tt la "a
win the appreciation Of Nicaragua. will. IT
is hoped. earn for the company the goodwill
of the American people and the sympathy
of the world at large.
The Americans of the canal party, who
have just reached Managua were delighted
with
THE BEAUTIES or THE SAN JUAN RIVER
and astonished at the grandeur Of Lake
Nicaragua.
We left san Juan del Nor;e on the steam
ship Managua. of the new American line,
known as the Nicaragua Mail Steam NaNI-
cation and Trading Company, of which
General Daniel Macauely until recently
prominent citizen OF ldidnlpolls. and al
WAYS a personal friend Of President llar-
rison). is the energetic manager
The scenery along the banks of the san
Juan river is beautiful in the extreme.
Palm trees. cOcOanut trees. orange trees,
rubber trees, plantain trees. banana trees.
and wild networks of creeping and anginr
tropical plants of all descriptions, line this
broad and deep river on every side. Ere
uuent showers temper the atmosphere untll
1 is delightfully."- cool. and this Rainfall also
serves 10 keep the foliage green 80 that W,
NAV be said tO be in tropical country WIN
its most attractive features as hourshing
Is the trees and plauts Of New England IN
,tead Of being scOrched up 10 crlspy noth-
.ngress as il il the case in most tropical
countries.
The san Juan. as your readers will judge
from my opening paragraph. Is even now
lcep enough 10 float small steamboats, up
the whole river, over lis so called rapids
md across iis heads. Lake Nicaragua. to
within eleven miles Of the Pacific. leaving
only that short barrier Of river, swamp
md one small hill 10 be cut through. and thus
connect the Atlantic Ocean with the racine.
ctr THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS,
But the amount Of water flowing down
the san Juan is too great to enable the river
10 be- utilized entirely for canal purposes.
besides the expense Of dredging its full
/ iength so a. 10 allow the largest ocean YES
| els 10 pass through such a canal would be
TOO great. hence the Nicaragua Canal Com
pany will make a straight cut twelve mile
! ong up 10 the Descado, through section
# the Sierra Madre mountains, known to
the engineers as the crock cut This cut
will be two and threc-fonrths miles long,
and then they vii zap ihe san Juan al
DchOa. where dam will raise The waters
Of the san Juan river 10 those Of the lake.
and then the Atlantic division Of the Mica
ragua canal will be- built
The same plan will be adopted or the Pa
cific side with regard 10 the Rio Grande ana
I Rio LaiOs. In both cases locks capable Of
/ holding twG large steamships, or one OF the
/ yerv iafgt - ocean racers, VIII I'M the YES
.Dls up N the required leyei. > alugal water
basins will also be utilized all along the
line to save cutting and dredging.
This system has been 80 perfected by
| Chief-Engineer MenOcal that out OF the l,V
miles Of canal which will connect the At
iantic ~iih the Pacific ocean only 2'A
miles require to be Gu, 80 -" ''Nfa'alsa' .
On our journey inland we easily stealne"
over the three "lapids,' lMachuca' ,asiii'
and TOroD 80 il is clldenr fhai win the rals-
| ing OF the waters of the river. on an aNeras'
twenty-five feet over these rapids. II VIII b'
easy for large steamships topass over theh :
while of course. blasting would soon cleal
away any Instructions which might not be
overcome by the raising Of the waters.
The commissioners and the chief an
gineer and party. while steaming up the
san Juan .iyer, stopped at a numberof
THE AMERICAN CAMPS,
and passed night at Ochoa and one AT
Fort Castillo, a fourth night was passed
! alongside the pier Of II. Forge, the port Ton
1 Lase = I.caragua of Riyas.
The Americas engineers and would-bt
contractors for work along the canal lint
were much pleased with the deep, even flow
Of The san Juan, aud they were loud in their
expressions Of aeiqHlshmani that Lake
Nicaragua and its border of rch pasture
land. backed by hills OF mineral wealth.
have not been developed by American capt
talists many years ago.
NEW ERA FOR NICARAGUA.
Happily, a new era has dawned for Mica
ragLa. American capitalists are turning
their attention TO iis lcng neglected land
English and American companies are now
working the mining district Of Chontales.
where but short time ago the natives were
content 10 crack rocks with hammers and
.el ths small amount of gold they 30 OBJ
tained 10 grasping jewelers.. who soon be-
came rich by these transactions. Two
I .e..It In. -lt