The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-28
CONNECTING TWO OCEANS.
PROGRESS OF THE WORK ON THE
NICARAGUA SHIP CANAL.
Purchase of the Plant Formerly Used on
the Great Panama Failure - Tx senator
Warner Miller Presents "a Rosy View of

Purchase of the Plant Formerly Used on
the Great Panama Failure ~ Tx senator
Warner Miller Presents "a Rosy View of
the Future.
In an interview published in the New
York Tribune ofsunday, ex-senator War
ner Miller, president OF the Nicaragua
Canal Construction Company. said:
ave are now engaged in dredging Grey
town IIarbOr and building railroad along
the line of the canal i'm order 10 begin work
in the interior. The railroad has made
good progress during the summer. Mr..
Treat. the contractor, has just returned.
and reports that il Is going on rapidly ana
satisfactorily. ana the first section Of rail-
road from the Pacific ocean up 10 the point
where the canal intersects the river viii he
completed early in the fall. That will
enable the company 10 send in their men,
machinery. and supplies and begin work on
the interior line OF the canal. \ railroad IL
the first requisite. You cannot do any
thing In that country without it,.
MUCH PRELIMfN AIRY WORK.
"Of course the Nicaragua canal is an i'm
mcnsc undertaking, and Il great deal OF
preliminary work is necessary. We have
had 10 build our own whawes, barracks,
machino-shOps. offices, stOrc-hOuses, hOspi-
tails. and stores of all. kinds. because Mica
ragua is country in which there are no
supplies 10 be had. Everything has 10 be
sent from mere and elsewhere. and yOu can
see that before large force Of men can be
put 10 work these preparatory matters nave
10 be attended to. When GreytOwn llarbor
has been dredgcd ordinary vessels will be
able 10 come IN and unload AZ the wharYcs.
f,utaaI al huNfntr tn lilo the
sea and Usa lighters. The chief engineer,
Mr. McnOcdi, who was here IN the early
part OF the season for consultation, has AZ
rived AZ Grcyt0Wn, and frUm dispatches
sent bv him last week | learn that every
thing is satisfactory. oar prospects, in
decd. are excellent. II is estimated that it
will require six years time 10 finish the
canal. The minimum depth of water i'm the
canal throughout viii be thirty feet, and
will carry ships Of any burden. While the
distance across the isthmus is 40 miles,
there will be less than twenty-eight miles of
actual canal. The rest is free navigation,
either in the river or in the lake, so that
ships Will be able TO 30 at practically luil
speed for nearly the whole distance across.
the actual canal part is much less than the
~uez or than the Panama would have been
| if cOmpleted.'
The details Of the work proposed are
briefly as follows 4 breakwater at san
| Juan del N0rte and the deepening OF the
| harbor, dredging thence 10 the westward
| . Ii miles through alluyial ground; then a
| lock Of thirty feet lift. At If miles beyond
| there will be a second lock Of thirty-One feet
| lit. and dam across the small stream de-
seadO, above which will Doe TWO basins, sep
arated by another dam. and third lock OF
! fOrty-iiye feet lift, ahOrdng five miles oi
| free navigation; then rock cut about 81
miles IN length. followed by twelve miles
Of free navigation in the valleys oi two
small rivers. the san Francisco and toe
| NachadO. Here the water VIII Dee raised
| los dams and embankments. forming basins
which VIII connect directly with the san
Juan above a large dam across that river.
which will rli-e the surface level in the
| river and lake and secure additional free
navigation Of Gll4 miles in the river anc
jGi5 miles across the lake. On the western
side OF the lake tine canal enters cut o
| slight depth I'm earth and rock uine milc'
long. issuing thence into the lola basin
with 80 miles of free navigation obtained
by damming the small stream the hi'
Grandc. At this dam a series Of locks lower.
the level cighty-liye feet. and the canal pro
| ceed- i'm excavation down the valley of ia,
Rio Grandc Il distance Of two miles TO The
last lock. tidal lock off twenty o. thirty
feet lift. below which the canal enters One
luppcr portion OF the harbor ot lirlto, :.
! miles from the Pacific ocean, where break
water will be constructed. charging ana
making more cOmm0dious the present har
Dor.
SOME LARGE ESTIMATES.
.IIerc are summaries" added Mr.. Miller
(which vii. give am idea of the extent o