The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-11-23
FROM OCEAN
TO OCEAN.
An Engineer Tells of the Pro.
gress on the Nicaragua Canal.
The Great Engineering Scheme Which Is to
Be Carried 0ut-Raising the Lake Level.
The Health Of the Employees.

MNlR. MAX REFER of st. Louis,
aXIS member of the staff Of engineers
1%s1y employed in the work on the Mica
ragua Canal. recently visited his home, ana
to representative of the Post-Dispatch
gave the following interesting account OF the
work on the canal as far as it has pro-
crossed:
Beginning at Greytown Harbor," said
Mr.. Reber, ''the Atlantic port of entrance to
the canal, the company has built break
water cut into the haIbor 700 feet, which
has changed the current along that coast
until it tends inward to the canal. In the
lagoon formed at the canal entrance two
large Hercules dredges are employed In
deepening and enlarging the entrance.
These dredges, by the way, are part OF the
Slavin plant used on the Panama Canal,
Slavin being the only American employed
in that work. His entire plant was pur-
chased by the Nicaraguan company at cost
of over $1,00o,000, and consists OF eight
dredges, each with capacity OF go, 600 cubic
yards of matter per month, four steam tugs,
several lighters, and much other machinery
necessary in canal construction work. Work
ing from Greytown into the interior, what Is
known as the Eastern division, is now at the
Divide Cut, about thirteen and half miles
from the coast. This cut is the highest point
Of elevation reached along the entire route
Of the Ncaraguan Canal, the elevation being
about 404 feet above the sea level, the surface
of the water there being 40 feet above the
sea level Through the Divide Cut the rock
is being cut 324 feet deep TO create the pas
sage way for the canal. In doing the pre-
liminary work in this cut diamond drlil
as used and a careful study of the material
supplied by cutting away this rock forma-
ton was made. with the result that the
engineers are assured of plentiful supply
of good rock for bieakwater building. bal
lasting, etc. This material has already been
used ON the breakwater at Greytown Harbor.
in work on the San Juan River and at Ochoa.
and in building embankments and other
similar work along the canal route.
"a grand ngineering scheme is now be-
ing carried out in the building of the Mica
ragua Canal through the interior of the
country along Lake Nicaragua by system
of damming the river at Acton. which will
have the effect of carrying the level Of the
lake to W ithin eleven and half miles OF
the Atlantic coast and about three miles
from the Pacific coast. The drop down to
both coasts will then be made by means OF a
series of three locks on each. This will be
especially practicable on the Atlantic coast,
where there is very little tide-not over two
feet-and the three locks there will be all
that is necessary. On the Pacific coast, In
ADDITION to the three locks similar TO those
on the east, there will also be necessitated
tide-lock similar to that constructed sue
cessfully at Sault Ste. Marie.
The company has already completed
railroad running about ten miles into the in
terror from Greytown through the swamp
lands to the Divide Cut, over which all ma
terial used in the construction work IS car
ried. The railway is built UPON corduroy
rOad-bed, made, as you are aware, by build
ing on foundations oI felled logs laid cross
WISE along route previously cleared by
THE ADVANCE GUARD
OF laborers that always goes ahead of the
construction work proper The country In
the interior between Greytown and the Di-
vide Cut is one vast swamp, where the wa
ter lies q bout three feet deep. The growth
of tropical vegetation and wild shTubOeryls
most dense, and the work of clearing the
route ahead Of the construction gangs is
most arduous i'll consequence. With the
completion of work TIL 0ugh the Divide Cut,
however, the Near. guam company will have
overcome the most difficult problem in the
construction of the Nicaragua Canal, and
will also have secured a supply OF rock ma.
terial Of the utmost value in every phase OF
the work. 1t is the absence of just such ma
tera as that supplied from Divide Cut that
operated most strongly against the Work on
the Panama Canal. Leaving the Divide Cut
the construction of the canal onward to the
Pacific coast will be comparatively easy,
and will be pushed with all the rapidity pos
sible to good work and without too greatly
increasing the cost of the canal.
1t is estimated that the Nicaragua Canal
will be completed and open Tor traffic be-
tween ocean and ocean within four years
Fr1,. .sVNtf rttNn AC n a nv
pendture so far, or the total cost of the
canal when completed, am not at liberty to
talk. as that information will be made pub
lie in the reports Of the company at an
early date. The staff of engineers has for
some time past been busted with estimates
their figures have been duly forwarded TO
the mead officers of the company from which
the fficial report will be issued.
THE entire work of the construction
party is under charge of Chief Engineer A.
e. Menocal. Mr.. MenOcal is by birth a
Cuban, but has been Civil Engineer in the
United States Navy for many years, and Is
brilliant and entirely able officer. Under
him is staff of fifty engineers, and with
each engineer is gang of eighteen laborers,
constituting the survey party or construction
gang. The headquarters of the company at
the canal are at Greytowp, where are
located the buildings of the paymaster de-
partment, the general offices, the chief
hospital, etc. Every vessel coming to Grey
town brings laborerS and material for the
work, and these are at once form arded along
the railroad line to the point where they are
needed at the time of arrival. The working
parties in the field live in tents. There are
about 1900 men In all employed now on the
entire work.
80 far, tile health of the construction
party has been comparatively good, the
great sickness and mortality that decimated
the ranks of the force engaged in the
Panama Canal construction having been
avoided by the strictest sanitary system pos
| sible under tha circumstances The medical
staff employed by the Nicaraguan Canal
Construction Company is large and entirely
adequate to the demands made upon it. Be-
sides the permanent hospital
AT GREYTowN.
Emergency hospitals are Tut up Mt every
| point along the line. The great danger to
| health is, Of course, the swamp fever COM
mon to all tropical coasts Contrary to
| common belief, this fever can be easily
cured provided it is taken in hand at the
| very start. Ii it is ever allowed to hasten
| upon man, that mans health is broken as
| long as he remains in that climate, IL he re-
covers at all from the fever. AS soon as
| workman complains in the least he is taken
| into the emergency hospital at once and
put under treatment. The man him
self has no option in the matter,
| 1t is the company taking care of its working
material and leaving out the humanitarian
| aspect Of the question. it is most excellent
| plan from business point of view. 1t
| keeps the men in much better working
trim than if they were forced or allowed to
| wo.k with the fever on them until they
| could work no more. Under this prompt
treatment, the swamp fever. as a rule, sue
| cuubs very rapidly. Some never have it at
| all. Although have been. as said, at the
| scene of action for the past eighteen
months, l have never had touch of the
swamp fever, and have enjoyed uninter-
| rupted good health. The one greatest cause
OF the fever is excess in drinking, or. fol-