The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-09
THE NICARAGUA CUT.
Transforming the Desert Into a
Hive of Industry.
GREAT WORK OF AMERICANS.
How n Harbor Is Being Made at Grey
towp-Cutting Gap Through the
Backbone OF the Continent
orey,own, Nicaragua, Letter in the New York
Times

trait of American character and that ca
pscity for conceiying and carrying out vast
enterprises, which Professor Bryce so often
dwells upon in bis American Common
wealth, /" can in no place aud In no circdm'
stances be better exemplified than by visit
to his once pok town and By viewing tue
works OF the Nicaragua canal
E ehteen months ago the first expedition,
consisting of men and material for the great
work. landed here through the sur on
sand dune There was no advance party,
no preparation for the strangers or their
stores. They were over 1900 miles from
their source of supply. 100 miles from ter
egraph station. through country oil I'M
penetrable swamps, dense virgin forests
and shallow, INSTRUCTED streams. These
pioneers, and those who have joined them
since. have built quarters for 1000 men (the
number now employed on the canal) ana
for n hos. of executive officers. Store
houses, machine shops and hospitals have
been erected. Six miles of railroad have
been constructed, eight miles OF forest,
through a bottomless morass, have been
cleared several hundred feet in width, and
100 miles of telegraph wire connect the pio-
ueers with the outside world. Vast stores
OF material and tools, locomotives, steam
shovels and dredges have also been COL
lected and repaired and made ready for
work.
But the most impressive TX OF all is
the creation OF harbor. Thirty years ago
the port OF Greytown was deep and COM
modious haven, capable of admitting the
largest vessels, but the waning currents OF
the sea and the San Juan river have piled
up the sand until she harbor is now a mere
lagoon, and its main entrance, where the
river flows into the ocean. blocked by q bar
with only six feet of water on it, and on
which the waves break ceaseessly. On the
northwest side of the harbor a narrow
sandbank separated the lagoon from the
sea.
To cut this, dredge out harbor OF sufii-
cient depth and channel out to the six
fathom line, was the problem Mr.. Menocal
had to solve. He determined to make SER
wants of the forces that had created this
sandbank. He built u breakwater TO wind
ward OF the proposed entrance and perpen-
dicular TO the beach. 1t is now 800 feet in
length and is to be in all about 1000 Its
purpose is to arrest the shifting sands car
ried along by the waves to the angle where
the bank touches the main coast. Ii has
been highly successful, and the river flow
ing into the lagoon, finding Its course I'M
opposed BY the oceans waves. cut its own
way through the bank into the sea. chan
neI 800 feet wide ana four feet deep. In
this one of the great dredges that came
from the Panama canal is at work night
and day, and another joins her this week.
They will cut q channel 500 feet wide and
80 feet deep.
The inner basin will be, when completed,
204 acres In area and OF an average depth
OF twenty feet, ano it is expected that the
harbor will be done and ready for use by
February OF next year. Then steamers
can enter a pertecty-sheltered port and
discharge at the company's wharves. Now
they anchor two miles from shore in the
open sea. are unloaded by lighters, which
must go IN through the surf-a slow and
expensive method, and even this is, in bad
weather. I'M possible. On one steamer load
ed with coal demurrage was paid to so
large an amount t$l2 ,000) that the coal.
when landed on the beach, had cost the
canal company over $40 ton.
The sum estimated TO complete the har-
Dor was, IN round numbers 81 600, 600, and
Captain Eads said it could not be done for
twenty times that sum, and IL will be fin
ished for less than the estimated sum.
In the spring the work of actual excava-
ton will begin. Two Of the great dredges
Will be placed side by side anu Will dig to
depth oil fifteen feet in aiiuvial soil and
mud Tor distance OF nine and twenIy-nine
hundredths miles to the first lock. These
will be followed by another brace of Dig
gers, WI CHI will complete the eplh to the
required twenty-eignt feet, and the width
Will be 28S feet 1T the top and 10 feet at
the bottom. When this is competed al
most as much work will have been done as
has been accomplished on the Panama
isthmus at cost of s265 000,000.
but such excavation as this is held here
TO be mere chiid's play. The most difficult
work OF the canal will be the cutting of the
great assure through the EASTER d vide +"
his cut Will be within a fraction of three
miles long. its greatest depth 29S feet, and
the average Ill feet 1t contains II per
cent oil the entire excavation of the
canal, and will cost $50 600 O0O
% per cent of the estimated
total cost-truly stupendous work The
material TO be removed is solid rock and ~
needed for the 0choa dam, for the break
water. and Tor the mis- along the basins,
anu were this mil not there the material
would have Ia be procured from some other
and more expensive source
The contract is let for Ibe railroad from
dreytown 10 this great cut. seventeen
miles. Five OF the six miles already COM
pleted lead through the swamp heretofore
mentioned, and this portion has been An
expensive anu unique bit of railroad con-
structlon which cost 500 600 a mile. and
the wonder Is that 1t coud have been built
at ali. The bed is practically great cor
uuroy ROAD composed of LAYERS of logs laid
At right angles 70 each other to A deptl, Of
slghi or ten feet, and this structure is COW
ered with sand. Ii forms an excellent road
bed. Some Idea OF the depth of the aliuy-
lai deposits oil the swamp may oe gathered
When II IS told that piles tor the construction
OF short bridge over the San Juanillo
creek were driven down ninety feet From
lhiS stream the ground Is sold and the bed
: prepared Tor the track for i've miles more.
he lies are al OF creosoted wood and tue
rails OF steel; indeed. II i a noticeable fact
mat the materials used in the various con-
HrucuonS OF the canal are the very best OBJ
salhaoie The plies composing the break
"aier, Tor instance, are creosoted. sixtee II
pounds OF carbolIc acid 10 a foot and cost
k10 each.
The salaries paid are fairly good, but not
excessive, and all the employees are housed
ara TED by the company. The common
.aborers receive about SIS month and
Their board ana lodging. They are under
eulSclphne almost military in It's severity.
No lqnor Is sold on the company's reserya-
non ana none is obtainable nearer than
oFeytown, two miles distant. The labor
srs must he in their quarters at 8 p. M.
anu cannot thereafter leave until next
morning az the BEGINNING OF working hours
Without special permission, and every care
: taken OF their physical welfare. and, in-
deed, OF their spiritual too. rs The company
atoNs $50 month TO black Protestant
minister In Grey town, who announced his
avn advent by the publication that The
ate Mr.. Proud. OF Jsmslca- VIII shortly
Dpen church on the plaza in Greytowu.
The entire conduct of the work here re-
1ec's the highest credit upon the eonpan
ana mon The intelligence anu hoerallty OF