, 1891-01-10

swamp between the San Juan Lagoon md
Bernard Lagoon. Soon after beginning,
heavy rains set in and the swamp WINS
flooded IL the depth Of fInm onH Ia four
feet. Most of this work for d distance Of
two miles Was dOne in water thee feet
deep and much Of the work tor four miles
more IN water two feet or more in depth,
making u total Of Sd miles Ofswamp water.
A ter the rails were laid the trans of dirt
brought from the mouth of the Canal, were
pushed ouL and unlOaded and aSthe bank wAS
raised above the water the track was raised
and put into shape on a solid Oadbed o fSand.
In order to make the road safe at All times.
the grade has been put above the highest
watermark. TIL most difficult portion of
the road is now completed and tor - dis
lance of about seven miles the track Ia laid.
The road is we'll equipped for construction
work, having two powerful locomotives, one
weighing 36tOnS and one A tons, and -
heavier and still more powerful one ia on
the way here. Fifty car OF varionS kinds.
and one excellent steam shovel AMI all
necessary appliances are on hand. At the
terminOuS Of the railroad a fine wharf 80
feet by 264 feet has been built, all the tim
Der for which vas creOsoted IN the best
possible manner. 1t ia provided with u
derrick and steam hosting engine, and haR
a railroad track laid on it, 80 that materials
may be loaded directly from the lighters on
the cars by steam. Over 100 feet of this
wharf is in twelve to fourteen feet of water.
A breakwateT for the prOtt elton of the
entrance of the harbour now being COLI
StIuCted at the eastern terminus of the
Canal, was begun III December 1889, and has
already been built out a distance Of near
~ Il thousand feet into the sea, anc lie now
being continued and will be carried out q
distance Of 900 feet. The hreak water ia
fOrtX-twO feet in width and is constructed
of cleOsOted timber. The spaces between
the rows Of piles are filed with brush mat
tresses loaded with rock. AS this is being
filed in, the waves bring sand and deposit
it SO hat the whole space is thoroughly
filed iii, making q structure OF great
strength and durability. For the purpose
of handling materials economically n stand
ard guage railroad track has been laid on
the per. The bar in front Of the San Juan
Lagoon has long been known az one of the
most dangerous places on this coast in
rough weather, yet the breakwater has been
carried forward through the sNrf which
prevails here during several months vt the
year, without ever stopping on account Of
weather, and without All accidc mt of any
kind. The dredging nIant pnr chased Of
the American Contracting and Dredging
Company hL COtOU, cOHSlS Ting OF seven
dredges, several steam tugs in Il lighters
and u Machine shop, tx nearly MI here
The dredges are being put III order as fast
as possible and two have already got to
work and one is now engaged cutting q
channel across the bar to deep water out.
side.
A contract has been let 10 the North
American Dredging aud Improvements
Company of New York for dredging one
million five hundred thousand cubic yards
in the proposed harbour at the eastern
terminus. This Company now has here
two powerful dredges for the work, and as
soon as they begin work the Canal Compa.
ny's dIedges will begin the excavation in
the Canal.
A contract has been made for clea ing
the right OF way from Lake Nicaragua to
the Pacific Ocean. aud work will soon begin
Oh this portion.
All material used in construction work
here has been Of the most durable kind.
The timber for bleakwAter, railroad wharf
aud permanent bI ridges is crposOted in the
best possible manner. Creosoted ties
from the Unite Il States are being used, at
n cost of :bout four times what ties of na-
tive~ wood could be bougtt for. in order
that the work shall he aS durable 40
possible.
At nn early date an hospital WAS sstA-
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