The sun., 1895-04-08
THE NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD.
Points on witch It Can Furnish Valuable
Infnrrn alton to COnprcnn.

Inform alton TO Consrcrs.
| WASHINGTON, April Tho three engineers,
| Major Ludlow OF the army, Mr.. Endicott OF
| the navy, and Mr. Noble OF Chicago, who have
been appointed to investigate the practicabilty
| and cost of the proposed Nicaragua Canal, or of
| any deviation from its present limo which they
! may recommend, have most important duty
before them. They are to report before the next
session of Congress, and perhaps their con-
clusion may have much influence upon the de-
ci8ion Of that body in regard to the assumption
OF the enterprise by the United States
The constitutionality of this assumption Is q
| question with which, of course. the engineers
will have nothing to do. but In any case that is
not likely to stand In the way of the project.
There is also question in regard to the Clayton
Bulwer treaty, but that document is either no
obstacle at all or one easily removed. The real
objections made to the project are engineering
difficulties. That Is to say. the point raised Is
as to whether tho cost of constructing and
maintaining the canal will not make 1t mpos-
sible for the receipts to provide for and reim-
burse the interest on It's bonds which tho Gov
ernment under the plan, Is to guarantee.
It is this fact which renders an examination
Of this question by competent and dsinterested
engineers OF so much value, and almost neces-
sty II it is hoped to secure that degree of una
nimity In carrying on tho enterprise Gov
ernmcnt undertaking, or else in abandoning 1t,
which is desirable. My difficulties" said Sem
ator Turpie of Indiana, in leading the oppos-
tion to the bill in the Senate lie in the dam of
Ochoa, in that vast mud desert of San Carlos,
In that harbor Of Greytown, with an inch and
half Of water on a sandy beach, and in that
called harbor ut Brito. which Is open road
stead, with no shelter, no shade, and on the
shore of the Pacific" The Suez Canal is with
out locks, on the sea level in a rainless region,
that its problem of construction, according to
Mr.. Turpie, was only that of pilng up the desert
sand :" in such quantities as to hold the water
which goes into 1t at about the depth of thirty
feet. 1t would be impossible to destroy the Suez
Canal; you could not cut 1t except by making
canal as large as ITSELF" The Corinth Canal.
wholly tidewater. is also declared to be "indc-
structible, unless you take the time to build
another route" The Manchester Canal is not
easily destructible. although it has some
streams to deal with, which. however. are small
and quiet; and not tropical torrents; On the
other hand, ns to the Nicaragua Canal pick
and a shovel applied. for instance, at the corner
of the 0choa dam for fifteen minutes, would
1t is further, urged BY the opponents Of the
canal that lille the Suez Canal runs through a
about % 81 Inches OF Of annual rainfall. and nd tho
Manchester through one OF about 80 inches. at
Grey1own The , maximum M is 20 feet: 81 and Y the
as descending sometimes almost in sheets
the wind. so that the ordinary dump. ex-
cayated from any canal within the tropi:
construction. and in fact there never has been
amy canal constructed with the ordinary mate
the sUeR shn He soil IS erked W
large assures. and where the surface is more
posed, these crevasses become greuter. and when
that Is followed by the rainy season, they turn
in o very short period of time into immense
ravines and later into lagoons" Such are broad.
general objections made TO any canal enterprise
Again, with regard, to a, great dam which is
ment 1850 feet long and 20 feet high. SO as TO
create two reservoirs. the objection is made that
Is m 70 o tRf Nth
outside 1t is decl ared that actual and recent
experience. not only on the Panama Canal. but
In washouts on the Panama Railroad. show that
such rock fill wi i'll not stand. The embankments
on the railroad also have only one exposure.
bio one. for besides the constant pressure from
the water within tho reservoir they will have the
rainy season to withstand. As to the Panama
Canal, mot single rock I'LL emban nkment upon
tho route lasted hr1uEh me one rainy
ing was left but the stone cotiins;" Again. it is
objected that Va at san Carlos G. where the river
that must be built by wall canal, for which
no nc, estimate I'm to- has been made the only estimate
But without giving further instances of objec-
critical examination Of them by experts, in the
they are well founded. or to what degree they
pears from Mr.. Turpie's own statement Is that.
while the Suez and Corinth canals cost only
about Sl.000.OO0 a mile, and tho Manchester
about S2.Oo0,O0O mile, the estimate for tho
Nicaragua is more than, S3,oOo.0oO mile for
the twenty-six miles, and this difference ought
TO be applicable to overcoming. to some extent.
the difficulties of which he speaks. Again. Mr..
Morgan, in reviewing the statements just re-
ferred TO. brought out the opinions Of several
engineers that the Ochoa dam could he con-
structed in the way proposed. and also that the
objections to rock fill as inadequate when used
were not well founded. Gen. Greely was fur
ther quoted !, showing that while the rainfall
at Greytown and the adjacent coast region was
excessive. at some other points in Nicaragua it
only 74.53 inches. The same authority speaks
OF the temperature at Greytumn as rarely rising
above ,a, 80 degrees adding that. 3wng to the
tuEes are abnormally low F" for the latitude.
The main point. however. for the present, is
thoroughly and skilfuly. as there is reason to
suppose that 1t will. may be able to give Impair
gress might authorize the canal project. even |
should it be found that the cost will DO far |
might be satisfied that tho tolls would yield |
enough to pay tho running expenses and meet
the interest, or possibly IT might hold that the
iiuence on the prosperity OF the county would
warrant taking charge Of it. In any case. But
is to inform Congress of the exact facts. both as
to the aids and the drawbacks in building such
. canal. from professional point OF view. and
sres OF those whose money or reputation Is al
ready involved in this enterprise. 1t is conf
IDENTIFY believed that the result Will DO to help
the cause of Government ownership Of tho
canal In the next Congress.
SION OF RETURNING PROSPERITY.