The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-03-19
The NICARAGUA CANAL.

ReceDL &ONlCe> rom the NOGSt ttEV
favorable to the establishment Of
inter-oceanic ship transit within the
reasonably near future. One Of the
last acts Of the Fiftieth Congress
was TO grant charter to the Mica,
ragua Canal Company, which al
ready possessed one from the State
Of Vermont, but preferred TO be In
corporated under the national auth
ority. 1t Is understood that the
( sale OF bonds viii commence imme.
diately, and the work OF construe-
4 ton be entered upon at once, The
I route Of the canal Is already thor
( oughly surveyed, and estimates
made 4 strong probability may
now be assumed that the Nicaragua
Canal viii soon become an existing
fact.
I The prospect Of success is much
improved by the disastrous collapse
/ Of the Panama Canal Company. So
( long as that enterprise was actually
/ going on. II could not fail to act as d
great obstacle TO the promotion Of
any rival scheme, however much
more promising. The patriotic SEN
timent and characteristic hero-wor-
ship Of 5 great people have been
actively enlisted in its behalf. The
reckless and unfoundei statements
as TO the progress made and the
time required for its completion,
which have been kept persistently
before the world, have produced, to
3 considerable extent, their desired
effect. Notwithstanding all this, it
has now, to all appearance, gone
clean under
The wouId-be knowing ones who
undertook TO refute the statements
we made On this subject a few weeks
ago. and to assure the public that
the confidence ef the French people
in De Lesseps was unimpaired, have
made a sorry exhibition Of them
selves. The Panama Canal Com
pauy Is now admitted 10 be q bank
rupt and hopeless concern. The
canal Is less than half finished. 1t
has already cost twice what was
promised, and taken twice the time
originally proposed for the whole.
The plan Of an open cut had to be
abandoned for that Of locks, thus
largely increasing the expense and
proving radical defects in the plans
OF the engineers. The funds have
given out, and al efforts to raise
more have failed. It's great pro
moter, De Lesseps, has succumbed
TO modification and old age, and IS
probably dying.
It would be too much to assert
that the Panama scheme viii not be
again. It has made so much |
progress and Is so colossal g work, |
that some company may yet be !
formed to 90 on with it. For our
own part, We hope it may never be /
completed, and for reasons which We |
gave not long since. 1t traverses a |
hotbed Of pestilence. 1t Is in
region Of calms, and Is therefore IN
suited TO sailing vessels. It is too /
far to the southwark. We Of Hawaii /
are deeply interested in having the
transit located rightly
The Nicaragua canal viii be mainly
free from the objections named.
There appears to be no doubt that
the cost Of construction viii be small
IN comparison with that at Panama.
a longer inland route. It Is
mainly on existing water channels.
The San Juan river viii be raised by
g dam to the level Of the lake. From /
he dam to the harbor On the Allan /
lie viii be thirty-fve miles Of ezea-
7ated canal with locks, which viii /
encounter none Of those dificuI
les from foods, that have so compli-
3ated the Panama undertaking. |
From Lake Nicaragua to Port Brito
N the Pacific Is another canal Of
fifteen miles with locks, also easy Of /
construction.
We regard the Nicaragua canal as
N enterprise full Of promise to the
commerce Of the Pacific and to the
prosperity Of these islands. We
Wish It speedy completion.
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The Bulletin OF the IIth makes
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