New-York tribune., 1891-12-16
FOR THE NICARAGUA CANAL.
ACTION BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
THE DETAILS OF THE PROJECT OUTLINED BY

THE DETAILS OF THE PROJECT OUTLINED BY
WARNER MILLBR-ITs PROBABLE COST
The Chamber of Commerce was crowded yesterday
AFTERNOON with representative business OF this city,
among whom were Andrew Carnegie. II. o. Armour
Alexander L. Orr Charles s. Smith and Erastus Wiman
to listen to speech from Warner Miller on the Mica
ragua Canal in which he s trying to interest the New
YORK capitalists. 1t was a special meeting, but the
subject of the discussion attracted great attention.
Mr.. Miller introduced by Charles s. Smith, the
president of the Chamber, who declared that II this
country ever became the regulator of the worlds
meTce IT would be when the two great oceans which
wash our shores have been connected. lie declared
that the Panama Canal wes utter faure and would
nave no resurrection He closed by saying that IL was
OF the highest importance that the United States should
build the only canal to connect the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans Mr.. Miller was received with applause when
he stepped forward to speak. lie had made careful
preparation for his address before the NewYork bust
ness men, and he was aided in explaining the project
by large maps showing the course of the canal. lie
spoke for nearly two hours.
Mr.. Miller sketched briefly the work that has been
done up to this time, which consisted in making
careful and compes survey Of the Of the canal
the removal Of forests which II is to through. the
construction Of machine shops. OF barracks and hos
ptal for the woren the erection Of repair shops and
the dredging out Of the harbor Of GreyOwn All this
has cost between 81 900 and S50000oO and 1t has
been accomplished through the sae of the stock of the
Nicaragua Canal Construction Company. which is doing
the work for the parent company.
The distance from Greytown, on the Atlantic coast,
to Brito, the Pacific coast is about 40 miles, but
of this only twentysev miles are 10 be excavated
for the canal The rest Of the way is made on the
san Jran River, the outlet of Lake Nicaragua. In
the river rapids which can now be passed only at
high water but the rapids be removed and clear
course thus secured. At present a steamer which
built Wilmington is doing the entire lake trade
As to the important feature of the work-the cost
Mr.. Miller said that the engineers had ascertained
that it would be In the neighborhood of 900 900
This, he said, included S1OOO0Oo0 as a factor Of
safety. Board of Consulting Engineers, to which
the estimates were submitted for examination, raised
this amount somewhat, and Mr. Miller added that after
going the entire route from ocean 10 ocean, he
thought that the entire work could be accomplished
for not more than 100000, ,Ooo This is essentially
what the Suez Canal cost. That work now is paying
annually $1200000o, and this year it Is expected to
pay at least $15 O00O 900. At this point, Mr. Miller
declared that as long he was connected with the
company, no Government aid would be sought In this
respect he added he had been grossly msrepresened
lie tho lght that money enough TO complete the work
,ould be raised as money for the construction OF
'ailroads and other enterprises had been raised
At the close of Mr.. Mlllers speech Alexander L.
Orr introduced two resolutions one of the resolutions
thanked Mr.. Miller for coming to the Chamber and
delivering his speech and the other declared that the
enterprise entitled 10 the support Of the American
people, and called for the appointment OF committee
what action the body should take In connection with
IT, Both Of these resolutions were adopted unan
n @Oqsy S 9rew & cs@ 3 thai @ he fw 1t ss wS s !.
to the scheme but after he had looked into 1t he had
He therefore, had subscribed money 10 help carry 1t
along.
consists of Alexander f. Orr Charles s. smith, Il. o.
Armour, Richard F. Wilson and Cornelius n Bliss