The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-11-25
Foundations Of O Town Completed. Telegraph
Line in operation, and All the Material
Ready for Burrying the Work.
An Inspection of the Route Shows 1t
FreefrOm Insurmountable Obstacles.
Description of Pekin's Famous Temple of
Heaven Recently Destroyed BY Fire
Queer Superstitions of the People.
THE r. ANAL.
An Enormous Amount of Work Done in Fiv,
Nlonths-The Route tn the Pacific.

An Enormous Amount of Work Done in Five
hionths-The Route To the Pacific.
MANGUA. Nicaragua, Nov. 4.-The canal
commissioners OF the Nicaraguan govern
ment, Don Jose Antonio Roman. president.
and engineer Don Macmillan Sonnesberg,
accompanied by Chief Engineer A. G. Men
ocal, of the Nicaragua Canal Company. and
a party Of Nicaraguan notabilities. arrived
here to-day. for the purpose of comforting
with President Sacasa in regard to certain
minor details concerning the American
canal. and to exchange congratulations
upon the official opening of the work on
Oct. % last. The commissioners. it is un-
derstood, will also make a report upon the
mount of work done by the Nicaragua
Canal Company since the landing of the
construction party on une 3. last, which
will show that in five months after landing.
practically ~roofless. and hampered in their
operations by the trying tropical rainy
weather of this country. the Americans
have succeeded in building up the founda-
tons of a town (which will be called Amer
ica), have landed material for, and nave
commenced to construct. a twelve-mile
a%queduct, Laid a mile or more of broad
gauge railroad, placed thirty-ive miles of
telegraph in operation, cleared the San
Juan, Juanillo. Descada and Silico rivers
of snags and rocks which INSTRUCTED navi-
CATION, have built twenty or more perma-
nent camps, landed all the pile-drivers aud
piles for the br-akwater, cleared the first
part of the route of the canal. organized n
perfect supply and transportation service.
l~. on-1 IL
perfected the sanitary arrangement so that
there is only a very small percentage of
sickness. and finally. have done everything
possible to win the good will of Nicaragua
and show the world what American push
and intelligence can do under the most diff
ticult circumstances Shortly after pre-
sentation of the report of the N~icaraguan
commissioners. the commissioner and chief
engineer. Menocal, will be received by
President Sacasa and his Cabinet.
The canal party left San Juan Del Norte
Greytown) on Oct. %. and on their waEuD
the San Juan river stopped at severar OF
the American camps bordering that scream
The members of the party, who include
several bidders for contracts along the line
of the canal. were delighted with the ma
iestic beauty of the San Juan river and the
imposing eXpanse of fresh water. over
one Hullulcu lHlltS itnS. anu lIOuf
sixty to eighty miles wide. which
forms the bosom of Lake Nicaragua. In
the southwestern portion of this lake are
two gigantic, inactive volcanoes. both over
5000 feet high. and growing upon their
slopes the finest fruit, tobacco and coffee
produced in Central America. The San
Juan river runs from five to ninety feet
in d~epth-the greatest depth being at Aguas
MOrtes. near Ochoa. and the s~ballowest
portions at the Machuca, Castillo and Toro
rapids, where, however, the river steamers
easily sail up the rapids. The latter will
disappear as the water of the lake and
river is raised by the Ochoa and other
dams, and it is good to bear in mind that
when the lake steamer Victoria. having on
board the American canal party. had crossed
the lake. and the member had seen the
canal location, which they, after passing
through the lake, will cut through to the
Pacific side of the ocean. an air line of only
eleven miles of land. river, swamp and basin
separated the American engineers from the
Pacific ocean.