The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-09-06

Cause Of the Delay and the Favor
able Outlook tor the Work.

From the San Francisco Chronicle.
bast month the International Con-
gress on Inland Navigation met in
4 Manchester. A. G. Menocal, chief en-
gineer of the Nicaragua Canal Com
pany, read paper on the canal be-
fore congress, and some OF the facts
and figures which he states will be
found very interesting.
BY the route which has been definite
ly adopted for the canal, San Juan
del Norte, or Grsytowp, on the Allan.
tic, and Brito, on the Pacific, are it's
termini. the total distance from port
to port being 100 1-2 miles, of which
26 2s4 miles viii be excavated canal
and LAP 1-2 miles free navigation by
Lake Nicaragua, the river San Juan,
Z and through basins i'm the valleys of
the streams Deseado, San Francisco
and Tola. Lake Nicaragua Is the
summit line of the canal, and it's ele-
*yation above mean sea level is 110
Fieet. a
There will be but six locks on the EN-
tire canal, three on the eastern divi
sions, extending from Greytown to the
San Francisco basins 1S, Sd miles,
and three on the western division, be-
tween Brito and Lake Nicaragua, a
distance of II miles. Except these
/ two divisions the navigation will be
plain sailing, there being a clean sum-
unit level of l53 IA miles in extent
but of a total distance of 169 1-2
Xmiles.
Mr.. Menocal puts the cost Of the ca
\ $lfal at not to exceed 100000, 900, and
tsays that with an intelligent and bus
biness-like management the canal can
can becompleted in six years for the
work of actual construction and one
X year for making the necessary prepar-
Nations to commence active operations.
When completed he estimates the time
&eqnired for the passage OF loaded
yessl6 from ocean to ocean at %
hours and the number of vessels that
Nan pass through the canal in one day
4t 32. This, at the average tonnage
~ vessels going through the Suez canal,
III give 20, 100000 tons Of transit
z (raffic per year.
He explains the apparent delay
heretofore by showing that the har.
bor of Greytown must be wrested
Ilom the ocean by means of jetty
4I<y, 1880, has been to that end.
{<,me 700 feet of jetty or breakwater
ilRye been, constructed, and more is
now in process of building. This is
Dreliminary work which had to be
lone to make landing place for
opls, materials, etc.
The success of the jetty is shown by
fI,e fact that the old channel at Grey
own has been secured out by the
fiIFning of the current, and that deep
Wafes vessels have come up to the
cllg for the first time in % years.
8<lded to this is the information that
kac Chronicle published yesterday to
the effect that all the Slaven dredging
}lAnt at Colon had been bought by
tI1& Canal Construction Company, and
>xonld be transferred to Greytown at
4Hsce. This dredging plant did the
ht1yiest and most effective work on
f]lH Panama canal, and it's transfer
f0& the Nicaragua company shows
That effective work on large scale is
10 be begun.
Mr.. Menocal is now on the ground
at Greytown. II he is right in his fig
res and calculations, and there is no
yfasOn why his conclusions shonld
not be correct. then the beginning OF
xhe century will see the Nicaragua
anal completed and inoperation- 1t
" q great undertaking, and it is Of
Xital interest to the Pacific coast
w lit be carried through successfully