Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-21
Daily X EAGLE
FROM OCEAN TO OCEAN.
The Proposed Route Of the Mo
aragua Ship Canal

How 1t Is Intended to Conduct the Work
-uulzfng Both River and La1se-E1ca-
vations and Loots-Tho Healthful
Climate of tho Country.
Ok years from now, according to the
rose-coiored expectations of the protector Of
the Nicaragua Canal, large merchant
vessels will be seen sailing through from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, between the two
continents of this hemisphere, says cor
respondent in the Washington Star. After
this the imagination can hardly compass
the possibilities for commercial develop
menL The Nicaragua Canal Company are
getting ready to begin work very soon, as
the bill incorporating the company has be-
come law. 1t will take about year to
lay every thing out and to get through all
the preliminary part Of the work, and then
nVe years more, according To expectation,
20 get the canal cut through and the whole
work completed, so that the largest mer-
chant vessels can pass through from the
Atlantic into the Pacific by short cut The
cost of the work is estimated at S64, OO0 900.
and Engineer Menocal, of the navy. who
has made the surveys and estimates. saws
1t Will not cost more than that sum II is
tremendous undertaking, as it appears to
the popular conception of the work, but
Mr.. Menocal says there are no very difficult
engineering problems to be encountered,
and, as every part of the ground has been
carefully surveyed, it is held that nothin has
been left TO guessing, The work is to be
undertaken by private parties, without
Government aid. the Government having
fhFrar
than merely the duty it always has, to pro-
tect the rights Of Its citizens wherever they
may be- 1t has not been asked in this con-
necton to give any financial assistance,
and by direct expression Congress has dis
claimed any financial responsibility. 1t is
TO be an American work, however, con-
trolled by citizens of the United States
The project has been discussed for many
years, and various schemes for getting
through or over the narrow neck of land
that unites the two continents and sonar
ates the two great oceans have been sug-
gested. At one time, not long ago, it was
proposed that the Nicaragua canal should
be constructed by the United States Gov
eminent under the terms of d treaty be-
tween the United States and Nicaragua that
was submitted to the Senate for approval
put this idea was abandoned and the treaty
Withdrawn by President Cleveland Ii was
men left to private enterprise through the
expenditure of private capital, suitable con-
eessions being made by the Nicaraguan
government. Engineer Menocai has been
sn the ground for about sixteen years sur
veying and making a study of the topog-
raphy and physical features of the country
through which it is proposed to construct
thecanal, and surveys have been made by
several others. Captain Menoc5l has laid
out the course for the canal by the most di-
rect route possible, so that the natural
waterways will be utilized and expended,
and the actual canal cutting vial be, il is
claimed, very little 1.-The canal will put the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans in connection
right in the direct line Of the worlds trade,
and cut thousands of miles of distance and
weeks and months of time. The route of
the canal begins at Greytovn, on the At
iantic, or more properly on the caribbean
sea, running through cat, basins, river and
lake to the Pacific at Brito
The distance, from ocean to oc can is
1863 miles. By the latest survey the, canal
proper will be but little more than twenty
ty-eight miles, all the rest of the distance
al miles-being made by utilizing t he nat
ural waterways-the San Francisco md Rio
San Juan rivers and Lake NicaraCu g. The
number of locks Is reduced to six three
near either end. From Greytown here is
. distance of about twelve miles at sea
level. Then within the space of fou-. miles
there are three locks. Then are enter ed the
basins, broad and deep, formed by the con-
Btruction of dams, so as to con fine the water
within natural reservoirs and rais.e it to
The level of the lake. From there on tn rough
The Rio San Juan and Lake Nicaragua there
Is clear navigation for 125, the basin add
ing about sixteen miles of clear wat, srway
10 this After crossing Lake Nicara qua to
Rio Lafas there is a cut of about I'VE or
fourteen miles, part OF which is tn rough
rock, shree not difficult locks, and the Pa
cific ocean rs reached For the g greater
part of this distance the sailing is Elk pected
10 be almost as free as high sea navi, ration
Captain Menocal, in discussing the enter
prise with reporter, spoke most elithusi-
Rstically of the project.
Taking a map, be pointed out upon it the
course of commerce as it is expected TO be
through the canal, as it now is. The canal
will open up, as he pointed out, direct line
Of communication and an active trade be-
tween New York, Boston Philadelphia, Bal
tmore, New Orleans, Galveston ald all the
Atlantic ports, and all the Pacific ports of
South America, and our own coast that are
now accessible only after long, tedious
and dangerous voyage. The distances are
rorrespondingly shortened for not only all
the American ports, but for the European
and Asiatic as well
This saving of time and distance will. it rs
held, bring the commerce of tie Pacific
ports to the great centers on the Atlantic
seaboard and develop trade and in dustry in
ell directions.
More especially is 1T expected to develop
our trade with South America. a present
vessels coming from the Pacific ports of
South America find it just as cow enieut to
go to Liverpool as to New York tier they
have doubled the Horn, and they generally
select that market. By the new route any
Of the American ports would be almost at
hand after passing through the Nicaraguan
canal
Engineer Menocal has spent so much
time in surveying the route of she canal
and making study of the country that it is
all very familiar to him.
The climate, he says, they find not at all
firing. The fresh trade winds that always
blow over it keepi 1T healthy. or his large
surveying party none, he said. suffered any
sickness due to the climate. On the con.
,rary they went into The woods nd camped
n the open air with no protection but few
palm leaves-they led a free and active life
md were more healthy than ever before.
hen gained from ten TO twenty pounds in
weight after being there. The variation
n temperature is but slight, and during
he rainy season their getting soa ked did not