Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-02-10
THE CANAL.
Board of Engineers Make a Re-
port to the President.
In Their Opinion 1t Will Cost $685.
472,S93 to Construct II.
These Figures are sGd.OOO.oOo In E,cess
OF tho Estimate OF the Company Tho
Climate of Nicaragua Misunder- cHN
stood-Recomm ttous Made.

WASHINGTON, Feb. SIN judgment
OF the board of engineers which thor
oughly investigated the subject last
summer it will cost Sl33, Az, sD3 to CON
struct the Nicaraguan canal These
figures are S64, 100000 in excess of the
estimate of the company which now
holds a charter from Nicaragua
to build the waterway. The board
which made the investigation
consisted of Lieut.. Col. William Ed
low, of U. S. A., Mcrdecenu Endicott,
civil engineer in the United States
navy, and Alfred Noble, also civil
engineer. Tho boards report, which
is included in 200 pages of type-writ-
ten manuscript, was sent Friday by
President Cleveland to the house. The
board sailed from Mobile, Alu, in the
United States steamer Montgomery on
the 9TH day of May last arriving at
Greytown, Nicaragua, six days later.
They returned in the Montgomery to
New York on the 2lst of the
following July. On the day after thei"
arrival at Msna5ua a special audience
was accorded them by President Ze-
laya and cabinet, and they were grant
ed the free use of the state telegraph
and OF the government vessel on Lake
Nicaragua. They were accompanied
by the chief engineer and an assistant
of the maritime company, through
whose courtesy, the work of investi.
cation was greatly facilitated.
The most serious problems affecting
the design and construction OF the
canal system at the present time, the
report finds, are those involved in the
heavy rainfall and subsequent dis
charges from the lakes and streams
whose variations of surface and volume
must be taken into account.
The report shows that the climate of
Nicaragua is misunderstood. 1t is the
continued moderate, in conjunction
with the high humidity, that so seri-'I
ously reduces the value of physical la.
hor in the tropics. The natives are not
likely to prove useful in the severe and
steady work of canal construction
Jamaican Negroes who have been en-
ploycd on the Panama railway are |
docile, and. from n trol cal stand |
point Industrious and fairly etfec-
tive. Wages are only about one
half as much as in the United States,
but the efficiency of the laborers is |
roportionately much less Machinery
will be used largely, but will be of lit
tie value after the completion of the
canal. There are now no shops or fa-
cilities of any kind on or near the ca
nal line, and they will have to be sup
piled as adjuncts of the work. Skilled |
labor will have to be imported. Fuel
will cost more than double. Freight
on materials and supplies will increase
their cost greatly, particularly If sent
to interior points
A large part of the report is devoted
to description of the character Of the
soil, the work necessary to be per.
formed at points along the proposed
route and the expense attached to
this work.
Detailed recommendations with re-
gard TO tho locks. dams and basins are
given.
The report closes with the following
general con clusion:
The official statement by the compa-
nv of 6.4C6, $50 is insufficient for the
work. In several important cases the
quantities must be greatly increased.
md in several cases the unit prices do
lot make proper allowance for the dif.
ference in cost of work between the
United States and Nicaragua The
provisional estimate by the board is
1893, 472, 500.
1t should be understood that the
existing data are inadequate as basis
'or estimating the cost of many of the :
structures; but in the judgment of the
BOARD the entire project can be acs
for about the total amount OF
is estimate. For Obtaining the neces-
'ary data for the formation of canal
project, l5 months time. covering two
Try seasons and an expenditure of
$780, 600 will be required.