Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-17
CUTTING ACROSS.
Points About the Nicaragua
Canal.
Trade Which Should Belong to
Los Angeles.
The People Buy American Goods in
English Markets.
Mr. E. G. Bailey, Who Has just Returned
from the Canal Country, Gives
Some Interesting Informa-
tion-Commercial Notes
of Interest to Mer-
chants.

On Friday evening, at the chamber of
commerce, Mr.. E. G. Bailey, repre-
sentative of the Chicago press, spoke in
terestingly about Nicaragua. He told
how he had come to visit the country,
said that he had gone there prejudiced
against the country and the scheme,
then told how he had come to change
his views. He had gone over the route
of the canal on foot, mostly, had also
gone with Senator Miller's party. He
drew on the blackboard an outline map
OF Nicaragua, indicated the numerous
navigable rivers, told what things were
exported from the towns along those
rivers, which, according to his state
ment, were remarkably numerous. The
line of the canal was shown, and by his
account seemed remarkably good route
to traverse. The difficulties of the
work, however, were clearly shown.
When surveying the route. mile day
was good progress for party of fifteen
for the first one hundred miles inland
from the Atlantic coast. The Jungle
was worse than any that Stanley en-
countered in Africa. Stanley took a
mule with him on his African Journey,
but when Senator Miller undertook to
do so he found that he could not get a
mule $50 feet into the Jungle
without firing it into the
woods with cannon. A short railroad
there cost 10000 per mile, and tele-
graph line $3.50 per mile. The real cost
of everything has been less than the
estimated cost. The work has been
carefully planned beforehand, instead of
being done haphazard as at Panama.
At the latter place the officers built
mansions to live in before they went to
work, and wasted money, time and ma
terial. At Nicaragua the officers lived
in good but economical houses of gal
van:zed iron. They mean business, and
will do good work. They have spent
$4,000,000 so far, since the organization
of the company in 1889. If they go on
as they have begun they are just as sure
to succeed with it as some of your work
men would be certain to succeed with a
ten-mile irrigating ditch. The deepest
cut on the whole route is 180 feet in
depth.
In speaking of the peculiarities and
resources of the country, Mr.. Bailey
spoke of the higher classes of residents
as being possessed of the idea that they
must have imported eatables and i'm
hotels of the country, with the best fruit
visible from the window, the entire bill
of fare nearly consisted of American
canned meats, vegetables and fruits;
pineapples, bananas and dozens of al
most unknown fruits visible in the
streets, and apricots, peaches and ber-
ries served from the United States.
They say there that no one but an
American or hog eats banana. He
ate at one hotel some orange MARINA
lade that came from a bottle with the
private mark of firm at Riverside that
had been bought for the hotel from
Liverpool. The servants there eat the
native fruits, and the grandees will not
eat what their servants eat, consequent
ly they eat canned goods. Mr.. Bailey
said that it seemed to him that the
canned fruit might be spared the long
trip to England and back-it was hard
on the labels. The Nicaraguans bought
American goods from English and Ger
mans because the latter pack goods in
manner such as the means of trans
portation to the interior demanded.
Some goods have to be carried on mule
back, others in canoes, and the
packages must be made up appro-
priately. Kerosene oil sells there for
IS per fve-gallon can. The rich people
use it, but the poor people have to 60 to
bed with the chickens. There is rich
trade there that could be had even be-
fore the canal is finished. Thousands
of dollars worth of goods are being
bought there that could be sold there as
well by Americans as by German and
English. A good coasting trade could
be established by way of San Diego, ac-
cording to Mr.. Bailey.
Finally Mr.. Bailey said that he
thought the canal could be finished for
the $65, 100000 estimated, and that the
advantages would exceed the widest ex-
pectations of the most imaginative en-
thusiast. The traffic which passed
through the canal would naturally pass
up the Pacific coast to point near Los
Angeles before it started across the
Pacific to the westward. A coast
ing trade has sprung up along
the eastern coast amounting
to over 100000 year, and
there is no reason why it should not be
established on the western coast. When
the canal is through, the coast line oi
the United States will be practically
continuous, and the coasting trade Of
the Atlantic coast will be equaled on the
Pacific coast. If the canal company has
the money it needs it can complete its
work in the estimated six years of time
The only thing that is now delaying
them is the lack of money. A full one
tenth of the entire work of making the
canal has been done.. The work is con.
Quoted in business-like way, and the
men are all workers.
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