The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-04-10

anu uisihtertite1 engineers oi -
value, and almost a necessity u IL ~
hoped TO secure that degree Of unanimity
In carrying on the enterprise as IoF-
eminent undertaking. or else IN ananoon-
Ing u, which is desirable. My dinicui-
ties, said Senator Turpie, OF lndiana,
IN leading the opposition TO the Dill IN .he
senate. lie In the dam Of Ochoa, IN tnas
vast mud desert of San Carlos. III ina.
harbor of Greytown. with an men anu
half OF water on a sandy Deacn. ana
In that so-called harbor at Brito, "nlch
is an open roadstead. with no shelter
no shade. and on the shore OF the facl-
nc. The SueZ Canal Is without ioeNs'
on the sea level. IN a rainless resioi'
so that Its problem Of construction a.
cording 10 Mr.. Turpie. was only tnat %
piling up the desert sand 'in such quar-
titles as to hold the water wnicn goes
into 1t at about the depth OF thirty ies..
II would be impossible TO destroy ,hc
Suez canal: you could not cut II eNcep.
by making canal as large az Itself.
The Corinth Canal. wholly udewater Is
also declared to be indestructible. unless
you take the time TO build another
route" The Manchester canal Is
rot easily destructible, although Il
has some streams 10 zeal WIN,
which. however. are small ana quiet,
ard not tropical torrents. on inc otner
hand, as to the Nicaragua canal "a PICK
ana a shovel qpplied for instance, at me
corner Of the Ochoa dam for IF cen min
utes, would wreck the whole system
il IS further urged by the opponents OF
the canal that while the SueZ canal runs
through rainless region, the Corinth
through one of about thirty-four lnches
Of annual rainfall, and the Manchester
through one of about thirty-eiSht inches'
at Greytown the maximum Is twenty-five
rfrr
WITH the average twenty feet OF ram
annually. This rain, too, Is spoken oil
as descending sometimes almost in sheets
ana sluices, driven with great force py
the wind, so that the ordinary dump, eN-
cavated from any canal within the tropl-
cal rain belt cannot be used for purposes
o. construction. and in fact there never
has been any canal constructed Win the
ordinary materials in the tropical regions
Again. the heat OF the sun rs such that
the soil is cracked with large fssure',
and where the surface IS more exposed,
these crevasses become greater am
when that is followed by the rainy sea-
son, they turn In a very short period or
! time into immense Tayines and later into
lag0ons." Such are broad. general objec-
lions made TO any canal enterprise IN
the tropics.
Again, with regard to great dam
| WHICH, - u ne Dulii III tue bNotdAV 'hA7
| ley, by an embankment l,05O feet long and
20 feet high. so as to create two reser-
voirs, the objection is made that IT Is
| proposed TO construct the reservoirs with
rock fill, consisting of earth, with broken
stones outside. IL is declared that ac-
tual and recent experience, not only on
the Panama Canal. but In washouts on
the Panama railroad show that such rock
| fill VIII not stand. The embankments
on the railroad also have only one ex-
pOsure. while IA the reservoirs they would
have a double one, for besides the con-
| slant pressure from the water Within
the reservoir, they will have the great
| fall OF y or = feet during the rainy sea-
son TO Withstand. As 10 the Panama Ca.
nal, mot a single rock-nl embankmen'
| upon the Panama route lasted through
| the one rainy season. Nothing was lett
| but the rock cuts, nothing was left but
the stone collins" Again. it Is objected
| that at San Carlos. where the river
| leaves Lake Nicaragua, in its flow TO the
Atlantic, there has to be fourteen miles
Of dredging. and that must be built By
| wall canal for which no estimate has
been made. the only estimate being foi
| dredging.
But without giving further instances OF
| objections, it is evident that the time ha,
| come for a critical examination of then
| by experts, in the interests OF the United
| States. to see whether they are wei
| founded, or to what degree they car
be Obviated one point. however. which
appears from Mr.. Turpie's own state
| ment. is that, while the SueZ and Corintl
Canals cost only a out 81 10000 a mile. and
| the Manchester about 100000 a mile tn,
estimate for the Nicaragua is more thar
100000 a mile for the twenty-six miles,
and this difference ought TO be applca
bic 10 overcoming, 10 some extent the
! difficulties of which he speaks. Again
| Mr.. Morgan, in reviewing the statement,
! just referred to. brought out the opin
| ions Of several engineers, that the Ocho:
dam could be constructed in the wa.
proposed, and also that the objection!
10 rock MI as inadequate when used
were not we'll founded. General Gree
ley was further quoted as showing tina
while the rainfall at Greytown and tn
adjacent coast region, was excessive, q
some other points in Nicaragua it wa
not so. Thus. at Rivas, for a year, i
was only 74.53 inches. The same au
thority speaks OF the temperature a
| Greytown as rarely rising above 50 de
| grees, adding thats owing 10 the con
| tfguity Of the two oceans, the tempera
lures are abnormally low" for the lati
tude
| The main point. however for the pres
| ent is, that the Engineer Board. If /
does its duty thoroughly and sklfully
as there is reason 10 suppose that
will, may be able 10 give impartial an,
valuable testimony on all the points thu
at issue. II should be noted, also tina
Congress might authorize the canal pro
ject, even should 1t be found that tn
cost will be far greater than the com
pany has estimated. It might be salts
fed that the tolls would yield enough L
pay the running expenses and meet IN
interest. or possibly il might hold tina
the strategic value OF the ca
nal, and its general influence OF
the prosperity Of the country
would warrant taking charge OF
In any case. But. meantime, what tn
Board of Engineers can do is to inform
Congress of the exact facts. both as q
the aids and the drawbacks In building
such canal. from a professional poin
Of view. and wholly without regard 4
the interests or desires OF those who's
money or reputation is already involves
in this enterprise. II is confidently be
lieved that the result will be TO help IN
cause OF Government ownership OF tn
canal In the next Congress.
OUR FOREIGN 5KIDF. -