The San Francisco call., 1896-03-30
Interesting Digest Of the Report
of the Congressional
Committee.
TO THE WATERWAY
Healthfulness of the Route and Its
Av ailability to Sailing Craft
Commended.
BY CAPTAIN w. L. MERRY.

When the Board of Engineers appointed
by authority of the Fifty-third Congress to
examine the Nicaragua canal made its re-
port to the President, an incorrect version
OF its contents was given the public
through an Eastern journal. The publica-
ton of this important paper by the Gov
ernment has consequently attracted much
interest, and has been, in some particulars,
an agreeable surprise to the friends OF the
canal.
The healthfuIness OF the Nicaragua
canal route is commented upon as an I'M
portant factor In its favor. The report says !:
There seems little reason TO believe that the
general conditions in Nicaragua involve any
special rate OF mortality. So lar as statistics
are attainable they indicate healthrul cOndi-
tions and the absence of epidemics.
Only human Ignorance and the neglect of
sanitary precautions would occasion an exces-
slve mortality" page 49,
The commission states that "there seems no
reason 10 apprehend danger from earth
quakes that will imperil the stability of canal
construction" thus dismissing one Of the theo-
retical objections occasionally alluded to-.
page 15.)
rhe erosion by the action of water
(heavy rainfails, whlcn are cOpiouS on the At
lantic Coast and decrease rapidly inland) is
found. by observation, to be so inconsiderable
es to remove all anxiety on that score and.
with surface canal, the water encountered
will be under the control of engineering skill.
page 39.)
The variety of products produced in
the country, 'natural and cultivated, +,
are remarkable an important observation,
in striking contrast with Suez and Panama,
indicating that the development which will
ensue in the vicinity of the canal after its con-
struction is actively commenced will soon
create q commerce which will pay the cost Of
maintenance. page 16.)
The prevalence of steady trade winds
over the line of the canal and in the ap-
proaches to both terminals is remarked upon,
proving that the Nicaragua canal will be
available for sailing vessels again in con-
trast with SueZ and Panama. 1t is largely due
to these perennial winds that Nicaragua en-
joys healthy marine tropical climate, with
cool mig hts and dminlmized N malarial influences.
pages 1S and %.
The availability of labor to be obtained
at Jamaica from population of 100000, from
which 10 600 to &c, 600 excellent negro labor
ers can be contracted for at fair wages is noted
as an important advantage. page 49,
After thus commenting upon the great
advantages which the canal engineer Iinds
to encourage his skill, the report enters
upon the criticism of the work already
done, and of the plans outlined for the
completion of the work. L may here re-
mark that the engineers who have adopted
the present plans are, like those who make
the report, mostly in the service of the
United States Government and using,
aside from their own surveys. those OF
other American, English and French en-
gineers, since ChIld's survey for Wander
bilt in 1852. The commission was only
forty-one days In Nicaragua, of which
about one-half were used in examination
of the canal line, and the residue ex-
pended in visiting Managua, the capital OF