The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-26

NEW YORK, Nov. 25.-A special to
The Herald from Washington says:
A serious blow has been dealt the
Nicaraguan canal companys project
for the construction of a, waterway
across the isthgnus by the report of
the Nicaraguan canal commission.
Inevitable delay and further and
more thorough investigation of the
entire subject are declared to be neces-
sary before even the engineering feast
bility of any canal across Nicaragua
can be decided upon
Your correspondent is able to make
public the review of the contents and
the text of the conclusions of the re-
port of the Nicaraguan canal commits
sion. This report is now lying on the
presidents desk and is being consider
ed by him in connection with his an
nual message to Congress.
The report is at such variance with
the numerous rumorS and predictions
which have from time to time been
published concerning it that it will
cause great surprise and disappoint-
ment among those who have hereto
fore placed credence in the rumors
Which usually stated ION the highest
authority" that the commission favor
ed the route proposed by the company
and placed the cost of the canal at
about $110,000,000
Should Not Be Done.
The report points out that it is
neither practicable nor advisable to
attempt the construction Of the Nicara-
guam canal upon the data at present
available, and that the undertaking
would be fraught with hazards too
obvious to disregard.
That the knowledge may be had of
the physical and typographical con-
ditions affecting the construction and
maintenance Of a canal across Nicara-
qua, upon which to form a final tudg-
ment as to the feasibility, permanence
and cost the commission recommends
an appropriation b Congress Of S350.GJ0
for extensive additional surveys and
examinations covering period Of
eighteen months.
With the data at hand however, the
commission makes a provisional esti-
mate of cost s133, Az, 1898. or nearly
double that of the maritime canal
company's unconditional estimate of
500. 1893, GEO.
The commission makes it's estimate
provisional" The commissioners saw
the existing data are inadequate as
basis for estimating the cost of many
structures. Some portions of the work
may cost more; others less
The report says the official estimate
by the company of $69, S93 $50 is In
sufficient for the work; that Gin sew
eral important cases the quantities
must be greatly increased, and in
numerous cases the unit prices do not
make proper allowance for the differ
ence in cost of work between the
United States and Nicaragua"
Very UnfavorabIe.
The general trend of the entire re-
port is certainly very unfavorable to
the canal company. The commfss. IN
refrains from any direct criticism of
the company's prospectus, but its re-
port shows that certain features which
the company has persisted in assuring
the public, through Congress. were
known to be absolutely safe and FEAST
( bic, If put in execution might jeopar-
die the practica biNty of the whole
system. and possibly destroy forever
the hope of a canal by means of the
San Juan river and Lake Nicaragua.
For instance. the maritime canal
company has proposed to construct in
Ochoa on the San Juan river. twenty
nine miles from Greyton, on the Car
rlbean, what is known as crock
filF' dam to hold the lake and river
level at a navigabie elevation and di
vert the line thence from the river to
the sea by canal in excavating. This
has, in fact. been one of the foregone
certainties of the project. and the
company has told Congress that this
enormous structure could he erected
for S977,273
The canal commission says ''ro:k
f1ll' dam cannot be built in Ocoa for
less than $4,000. 900.
The commission considers that too
much time and pains We're devoted by
the company to aseertaining the topo-
graphy of the country when it should
have paid more attention to the feast
bllity of the waterway across Nicara-
qua and it's cost.
Certain Features Commended.
The commission refrains from c.r11-
menting upon the company's methods
of making its surveys, and in a great
many cases, its failure to make sur
veys. Certain features of its Dlan are
commended. The report however, pre-
sents many very interesting compare
tive tables, which appear TO show the
astonishing insufficiency of the COM
pany'S data, the ineXplicable smallness
of the amount of work it thinks neces-
sary to be done and consequently a
comparatively modest estimate of the
cost of construction and completion Of
the canal.
The conclusions of the commission
are eigteen in number. They refer
largely to questions involved in the
detail and construction of the work.
Perhaps the most interesting portion
of the work is the section which gives
a comparative recapitula.ion of the
cost. This section follows:
Co. Board
Estimate Estimate
Eastern division. .S31, 399 S44 81 3o5 295
Lake & river div....... 5,992S75 26 234 343
Western division........ 20,549091 2S,1S6, 773
Lights and buoys....... $40, COO 500 030
Management ........... 4,0C0, 900
Hospital serv1ce......... LOCO, 030
Totals ...............s5S,244 ,717 Sill. 22z al