The herald., 1894-12-23
THE NICARAGUA CANAL PLANS.
Some Valuable Facts About the
Great Undertaking.
The Route Which WIN Be Followed
Across the Country.
Che Natural Facilities Which VIII Be
Taken Advantage Of-Cost
oftho Work.


prospect that the Nicaragua canal meas.
ure may paas congress and the work Of
constructing the great interoceanio
water way be promptly begun. Whether
or not Senator Morgan is successful in
hie effort to secure government aid to
this great undertaking. 10 the end that
it shall finally be operated under gov
srnmsut control, the project will prob.
ably receive a full discussion by the
lawmakers at Washington and the pu b.
lie press, which may prove OF advantage
at some future time, should the bill fail
to carry in this session.
Under these circumstances tho sub.
iect OF the canal, its proposed route,
method of construction, the probable
tonnage, the effect on the commerce OF
the world, special benefits to this coast
and other topics of q similar order are
likely to possess unusual interest for the
public at the present time.
This paper will deal chiefly with the
proposed route and the method OF con-
struction.
II would seem that nature had intend
cd that the two oceans should be joined
at this point, 90 near has the work been
done to mans hand. While the total
distance across the continent is about
16S miles. existing waterways cover all
OF this but q miles, and most OF tho lat
ter is supplied with natural channels
and bseins as If intended for the con-
struction OF a canal. In lS49 Commo-
dore Vanderbilt, the greatest commerce
developer OF his time, put on a line OF
steam boats between the Atlantic ocean
and Lake, Nicaragua through the San
juan river, carrying freight and pas
sergers to the western shore OF the axe,
whence they could descend to the Pa.
cihc at Brito by short wagon route.
Many of the argonauts came to this
coast this way. A three-hours' walk on
land, and the continent is crossed this
comes so near being complete water
way, that it seems small task to do
the rest. Only eight years ago an iron
steamer was built in Delaware which
managed to make its way through tue
Atlantic to the mouth OF the San Juan
and up that river into Lake Nicaragua,
where it now plies between the lake
ports, approaching the Pacific so closely
that man may stand on the masthead
and look down upon the western
waves.
But while the Nicaragua route may be
considered the natural one for the con-
struction OF an interoceapic canal, it
must not be supposed that the under
taking 10 either simple or easy.
Ii the work is attempted and suc-
cessfully carried out, it will be one of
the most striking and brilliant achieve
ments OF the present era. While it in
wolves no genuine innovations in the en-
nj HaI ha lino
tion OF established principles Oh a
much larger scsle than ever before at
tempted and under new and peculiar
conditions.
Thus, for example, nearly ell canals
have locks. but mono have ever been
constructed of such size al will be re-
qured in the Nicaragua undertaking,
nor has any dam ever been constructed
OF such a character as that which ia to
be built at Ochoa to raise the waters OF
the San Juan TO the level OF the lake,
but the best engineers of the country
have declared its construction possible.
1ndeed5 it is solely because OF the over
whelming magnitude of the work and it's
great cost, that the commercial world
has hee:tated at the brink OF this great
undertaking and has called upon the
government, which is to be in the high.
est sense the beneficiary OF the project
to help supply the necessary capital to
carry it out.
The great canal will begin on the
Pacific side with the harbor at Brito
1t expected to construct breskwater
anc wharves at th,s point. making q
small harbor at u cost OF 81, 100, 900. The
Pacific at this point is almost entirely
Tree from storms and no great amount of
harbor room 10 required.
Almost on tho shore OF the Pacific
comes the first OF the six locks of the
canal which serve to lift veeses passing
through from ocean level to the summit
level OF Lake Nicaragua. height of 1853
feet, and lower them again on the other
side. Three OF these locks are to the
east and three to the west of the lake.
The one near Brito. No. g. ia the smal-
est OF the lot. lifting veseels from Il to
20 feet. according to the state OF the
tde. whether high or low. After passing
this lock the canal runs for a mile and
quarter througe fairly level country.
1ts surface width here will be 1874 feet,
which will admit of the largest ocean
vessels passing one another.
At place called La Flor we come to
locks No. 4 and 5, which arc built 80
that vessels pass directly from one TO the
other. The two accom plish lift of So
feet. 421a feet apiece, au extraordinary
height TO be accomplished In so short
d stance. Each OF these locks will be
built double 30 that two vessela may
pass through at the same time. The wa
ter supply for tho operation OF these
locks comes from Lake Nicaragua and
10 600 cubic feet per second will be re-
qnired. The cost of locke 4, 5 and 6 10
$1,000, 900.
Between these locks and Lake Nicera.
qua there is distance OF about 19 miles.
The western half OF this distance ia
taken up with the Tols basin. which
needs only to Ee damned at its outlet to
maintain the summit level OF the lake
to the locks. There is a narrow defile
between this basin and the Pacific beach,
which must be closed with dam about
1900 feet long and 20 feet high. 1t pre-
aents no engineering difficulties OF an
unusual character, and can be con-
ytructed at 0ost of about half a million
dollars.
Beyond tho Tola basin comes the
divide between the lake and the basin,
m irregular confguration mostly OF
lolid rock, where cut must be made
with maximum depth of 70 feet. ne.
sessitating the excavation OF 5000, 900
cubic yards. This ia the largest and
most expensive piece OF work on the
Pacific division of the canal and will
sost in the neigh borhood of 81. 200. GOO.
The total excavation on this division ia
l1tL milea ont of II miIaa of djstonca