Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-06-26
TO JOIN THE OCEANS.
The Present Outlook for tn e
Nicaragua Canal.
COMMISSION OF INVESTIGATION.
Work AccomplIshed-The Project May
Yet Be Backed by the United States
Government.

Next winter it is believed the United
States will put itself behind the
Nicaragua canal. and by the passage
of the necessary act through Congress
assure the piercing of the isthmus
Early in July, Major William Lud-
low, U. S. A., Commander NJ T. Endi
colt, U. S. A. and Fred Noble. civil
engineer of Chicago, comprising the
/ Nicaragua Canal Commission, are ex
pected to return from Nicaragua to
Washington. The preparation of
their report will then be undertaken
and in August or September it will
be known whether the Government
will become financial hacker for the
enterprise or not. The report of the
Commission will be presented to the
President about that time. If it is
favorable to the project as now
planned. there is believed to be no
reasonable doubt that Congress will
guarantee the canal company's bonds
at its session next winter.
There is one vital point which has
always been kept in the background
by the promoters of the canal. and that
is that the concessions from Costa Rica
and Nicaragua to the canal provide
that the concession shall be transfera-
BILE under no circumstances ito foreign
governments or to foreign public pow
ers. - The canal company is restricted
also from transferring any lands granted
it to any foreign government, and all
transfers to private persons must be
made with these restrictions. This, it
is said by it's opponents, would pre-
vent this Government from acquiring
any proprietary rights. and without a
guarantee it could hardly be expected
to stand behind the enterprise. Sub
|, stantial evidence has been produced.
, however, showing that the govern
ments of Nicaragua and Costa Rica do
not consider the United States "for-
eign government" in the sense in
which the term was used in the con-
cession.
The Commission now in Nicaragua
is charged with the duty of investigat-
ing the practical stability and cost of
the proposed canal and of recommend
ing any deviation in the route of the
water way that may seem expedient
1t can readily be seen what task was
before the Commission. The first
duty was not so great as the second.
because three or four routes of a canal
across Nicaragua have already been
considered and accepted by competent
engineers. Nothing but informal re-
ports have come to Washington SO far
from the Commission now in Nicar-
aqua but these have been encouraging.
A dispatch to the Times-Herald from
Washington. referring to the work of
the commission appointed to inspect
the route and preliminary work on the
Nicaragua Canal. says the engineers
reached Greytown the eastern termi-
nus of the canal ON May 18th and be-
gan an examination of the property and
improvements of the canal company at
that port
One of the most important of these
is breakwater 1900 feet long which
extends out into the sea. The con-
struction of this was begun in Decem-
Der, 1889, with the result, as predicted
by engineers of increasing the depth of
water in the bay. SO that the depth on
the bar is twelve feet at the present
time. Notwithstanding the repeated
efforts of the engineers to prevent the
ravages of the teredo on the timbers
of this breakwater, the Commissioners
find that the wood was badly eaten.
The crumbling of the earth from the
cliffs and the washings from the sur
face drainage has not been as disastrous
as expected. and it is said this objec-
ton SO often urged against the FEAST
bility of the canal has fallen fiat
While the canal passes dhiough avery
I wet region where the annual preclplta-
ton is nearly twenty-five inches, the
effects of the movement OF such an
enormous quantity of water have not
been bad. and give no indication that
the sides of the canal will be washed
down in few years, an objection that
has been so often urged against the
project.
That portion of the anal already
built extending west firm Greytown
toward the San Juan riv was found
in splendid condition. The embank-
ments ON each side have stood the
effects of the weather remarkably we'll
and show no serious effects from the
rainfall. The hospitals and other
buildings were found in good state
of preservation. The railroad which
the canal company has built along the
route of the canal for the transporta
ton of material and men has already
been thoroughly inspected and found
in good condition.
About two weeks ago the Canal Com
pany moved on from Greyown to Lake
Nicaragua, and after visiting Granada
and Managua the capital, passed from
Nicaragua to the Pacifb along the
route of the canal. a distance of about
fourteen miles This section of the
route offers no obstacles to the con-
cfr y, -.