The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-04-17
TIRE NICARAGUA CANAL
Engineer Endieott Reports the
Result Of His Work to
Congress.

WASHINGTON. April II, 1S96.-CivilI
Engineer NJ. T. Endicott, who was one of
the Board of Engineers which investi-'
gated the Nicaragua Canal route last
summer. appeared before the House Com-I
merce Comittee this morning. He de7
tailed the work performed at Nicaragua
The board spent several days at Grey-'
town, which he regarded as a most im-.
portant point. and in all ~ days at
Nicaragua. Thirty-four days of this
time were consumed in actual field
work and not A. as had been claimed
They left behind them party which
made some additional surveys extending
over a period of nine days more They
realized the Importance of the canal and
made an honest effort TO learn the true
state of affairs. He regarded the COM
pany's plans as impracticable in some
ways, and spoke particularly of the diff
Guilty of maintaining the summit level of
the canal without raising the, dams four
rect higher than was contemplated-a
change which would involve great expense
He showed that the danger resulting
from illness would increase the further
the work was extended into the INTERIOR
as the result of exposing the clay banks
While he regarded the company's plans
as impracticable, he did not doubt that a
canal could be built. He believed a
canal along the line of the proposed route
10 be practicable, and ne thought that
tions.
Speaking of the canal from a military
rather than a commercial Standpoint, he
expressed the belief that in the event of
war with Great Britain the United
states would have, to abandon it, not
being strong enough now to hold it, If
the USsted States possessed the naval
strength of Great Britain, it could easily
be mairstained. The canal, he thought
would cost $l33, 100000, not counting the
interest on the money invested. With
that amount the government could con-
struet canal with a nayigable depth of
28 feet.
Mr. Endicott was asked If the modifi-
cations suggested by the Board were
adopted if he would Still advise that the
Government should construct the canal.
ment purposed building the waterway.
He thought the United States ought to
own canal connecting the waters of
the Atlantic and Pacific. This was really
Of any route more favorable than the
one under consideration. He regarded the
the e1pense nvovea aT Woud a dea Be 0ne
From stragetfc standpoint, however, il
was the better of the two, as it could be
more>easily defended.
be used for ships of the largest class
Speaking of the Panama Canal. he raE
marked incidentally that the cairns there
We're detriment to navigation and that
the Nicaragua route was preferable in
asmuch as the trade winds at both ex-
trenlities favored sailing vessels He had
oee,Ia oeen informed ,,a that the Pamama an Canal
knew nothing personally of the matter.
The speaker was then questioned for
some time as to the Improvements made
Dy the canal company at Greytown ssBti
along the line Of the route. They work
at Greytown harbor he regarded as in
bad condition. The pier was worm eaten
and there was not much left there Of any
value. One mile of the canal had been
bullt at Greytown to depth of sixteen
feet. 1t was in good condition He
spoke of the plant generally at that
than $500, 900. The machinery was old
and. if the work were renewed 1t would
need to be supplanted by improved ma
ch1nery which had come on the market
since the present plant had been estab-
The plant when new was worth prob
He did not agree with Mr.. Henoeal
that the canal could be constructed for
$40, 600 or for anything less than the
Board s estimates. He would not ad-
wise Congress to build the canal now
He thought it better to delay and make
more exhaustive surveys and calculations
These surveys should be extended
through period of eighteen months, so
that the work could be protracted through
depends upon the hydraulic data. which
the company has not collected with suffl-
cient fullness, that delay in beginning
the work for this purpose was necessary