The herald., 1895-11-25
THE |NTEROCEAN|C CANAL
Not Likely to Be Constructed
Immediately
INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED
According to the Report of the Gov.
ernment Commissioner
The General Trend Of the Report Is Extremely
Unfsvorabie to the Company-Im-
menss Appropriation Asked
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
NEW YORK, Nov. 24.-A special to the
Herald from Washington says: A peri-
Gus blow has heen dealt the Nicaragua
Canal company's project for the consiruc
tion OF waterway across the isthmus by
the report OF the Nicarspuan Canal com
mi.sion. Inevtabls delay and further
and more thorough investigation OF the
entire subject are declared to be necessary
before even the engineering feasibility OF
any canal across Nicaragua can be decid-
ed upon. Your correspondent is able to
make public the review OF the contents
and the text of the conclusi ms of tn g
report of the Nicara. .uan Canal Commits
sion. Tnis report is now lying on the
presidents desk and i. being considered
by him in connection with his annual
message to congress. This report is at
such variance with the numerous rumors
and predictions which have from time 10
time been published concerning it that
1t will cause graf snrpr.s and disap
pointment among those who have here
tofore placid credencs in the rutuors
which usually stated ION the nisnest
authority tnat the com mi ission favored
the route proposed by the company and
placed the cost OF the canal at about
S1l0, 900, 900.
The report points out that it is neithe
practicable nor advisable to attem pt the
construction OF the Nicaraguan canal up
on thu dat. ct present available and that
the undertaking would BIZ Taught with
hazards too obvious to DISREGARD. That
the necessary knowledGe may be had of
the rhy sical and Typographical conditions
affecting the construction and mainte
nanoe of q canal across Nicaragua upon
nj nh RI {psy AL ina %
tne feasib lity permaneDce and cost the
commission recon- mends the appyopria-
tion by congress of $500 no for extensive
additional surveys and examinations COW
efing a period of eighteen months. With
the uata at hand, however. the com m ls-
Of S133, 472, 293 OF nearly double that of the
Maritime Canal compHny's estimate OF
$6s, 1913, 660.
The com m ission makes its estimate pro-
visional, the com ui issioners say the eX-
listing data are inadequate as basis for
estimating tbs cost Of manv structures.
Some portions of the work may cost
more; others less.
The report says7ithe official esti innate hv
tho company of 500, sS6, ,d60 is insufficient
Tor the work: that lin several i'm mpurtant
cases the quaht ties ust be greatly in.
creased, and in numerous cases the unit
prices do not make proper allowance for
United States and Nj arsgua"
The general trend OF the entire report
is c rt inly very unfavoraple to the Canal
company.
The commission refrains from any di.
ract CT ticism of the company's pros
pectus, but Its report shows that certain
features which the company has persisted
in uring the public, through coneress,
were anown to be solutely safe and
feasible, If put IN execution, might jenp-
ardzie the prsctica hility OF the whole sys-
TEN and possibly destroy forever the
scone Of canal by means of the San
Juan river and Lake Nicaragua. For in
stance, the Maritime Canal com pany has
proposed to construct in Ocnoa, on the
san Juan river, twenty nine miles from
Greytown, on the Caribbean, what is
known as ''roca fill' dam to h"lu the
lake and river levei at a navigable eleva-
ton ana divert the line thence from the
river t tue Sc by o canal IN excavatIng.
This has intact, been one of the forepone
certainties OF the project and the COM
pany mas tcld congress that these enor-
nous structures could be erected for
$977 273.
1be canal com m issinn says a rock fill
uam can not be built in Qchoa for less
than 81, 900, GOO.
The commission considers that too
much time and pains we're devoted by the
company to ascert.ining the topography
OF the country when II should have raid
more atenttiop to the Feasibility of the
waterway across Nicaragua and its cost
The commission refrains from COM
menting on the company's methnu of
mak ng its SUI veys and IN great many
cases Its failure to niaku surveys. Certain
features OF its plan are commended.