New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-11


site should be fully explored with reference 10 'he
ncneral2 All locks should have width Of not
Jess than eighty feet If the navigation De ntended -
provide for the passage OF war vests daI ves
future deyelopr in the case OF commercial 'ss
seis The United states snip Iowa and others OF tne
c.ass have beam OF 2 feet incnes S19 f s.
iS All streams affecting the canal route shou.d
be gagged TO ascertain their regimen h arg San n, an
and san Carlos rivers should be careluH! ue'.i
nj rainfall observations should be made at sew
eral consecutive points over the entire route from
Greytown TO Brito. ,,,,. -, ~.
line proposed by the company is feasible pnt III III
view OF tine Ts Ssns snd nj the
adoption Of any route l. inexpsd;ent umv ed
and compared
ALTERNATIVE ROUTES.
IS Ful explorations for alternative routes in the
eastern division should ude the so-called 10"
level line the left bank Of the san Juan 70 '"e
San Juanil.o and thence ID Greyiown, ana more
particularly full investigation should be made as 10
the praotlcabiliiy OF extending the canszatlon OF
the river the vicinity of the serapiqui b! means
OF comparatively low dams .
H. The cost OF WORK particularly N the eastern
division. viii be Increased in consequence oil ne ne
heavy rainfall. but from observations MADE ils
destructive effect completed Work VIII De mu'"
.ess than that OF frost in the United states, 49,,
IS. The climate Of Nicaragua Is mild equhoie a'la i
unfavorable as compared with portions 6, OF ,ns
United states, the vaue Of physical labor II n1urh
ing OF earth excavations Will be attended as esc-
where by the development of malaria! diseases, pu'
not of a specially malignant type. .
are manfesty declining and there seems sa rS re1
character to in,perl the stability o. canal con-
20 The Official estimate by the company OF So
400 $50 is insufficient. for the work. In several I'M
portant cases the quantities must he ercally IN
/ creased and In numerous the unii prices 90
make proper allowance for the difference =,
cost of work between the United states ana
p. The provisional estimate by the Board is sa2.-
412.9s3 1t should be understood that The existing
data are inadequate a basis 70: estimating thce
cost OF many Of the structures some portions "l
Judgment Of the Board tho entire project can ne
executed for about the total amount of It's esii-
%. For obtaining the necessary data for. the for
nation of final project. eighteen months time;
$4,000 will be required
RAINFALL AND CLIMATE.
Speaking Of the cost of work and ire estimates.
the Board says:
Before fixing unit price; for an es,imG ;, Of cost
care large amount of data relating. to cos: o.
similar work IN the United states Severa cor.
have ey mined the maps and pans. and have allied
the Board BY furnishing estimates Of cost OF various
! perience in the execution OF work the trop9'
have also given inrorInailon Of grea, value j.
ragua at prices ruling in the United States The
@ o Ssus Is , Of H CA'A y S FS' ssa
in this respec; between the two coasts on TIE
day in the year The annual rainfall is ave or six
tines as much as on the Atlantic cc So@s, Of sne
on one occasion there was rainfall OF 81 inches IN
four hours. At another time fall OF inches in
nine hours was noted.
ThS sgs Of or @ to asGm @
moderate temperature; the heat becomes very on.
pressive when physical excrtion Is made on account
of the high humidity Substantially the same con-
a he
rainfall will increase largely the cost OF exclvatinC
V oa Of bnlns the where
may prove difficult to solidfy the material properly
concrete for the locks su!ces and we.rs for which
it may be necessary to provide ten.porary shol,er
and to less extent the cost Of rock excavation ana
Other work. West Of :he mouth o, he san Carlos
the ranf 6an dg season ana I" s v
1 north Of the canal line. between ne axe ga ,ae
I Earl Flint. an American resilen; since 1850, Tn
greatest annual rainfall in this period va. a.
at this point Where the conditions along the western
ues as sS f4 vs MONTHS IRE y
little higher han A. Grey,own but the h,umidiiy
much more favorable.
THE LABOR QUESTION.
Another cause for higher cost OF work in Central
America is the comparatively ineffective manual
labor which has to be relied upon. The natives OF
! Nicaragua not likely TO prove useful laborers
| in the severe and steady work Of canal construc-
ton Negroes from the Yves. Indies. principally
from Jamaica. have been employed largely at Pana :,
ma ana the Costa Rica Railway. Under good
management they are jocile and from a tropical
/ point of view are considered industrious and fairly
effective. They will undoubtedly form the labor
supply for the canal: Wages are only abou! one
half much in the United States but the a.
icency Of the aborers is much less In proper tion.
There is marked c9neurrence In cpn:on OF inose
struction work in Central America that the cost
of work. due to inei a:t labor and unfavorabc 10
cation and climate. Is about twice as much as in the
United States.
little value after completion OF the canal. and
hardly any OF 1t will be worth removal: Its entire
ton. making the plant charge higher than usual.
Repairs OF plan, win be. expensive There are now
canal line and they will have 10 be supplied as
adjuncts OF the work. There is skilled labor in
rates OF wages much higher than prevail here Ex-
ira men will have to be kept on hand transporta-
paid. and 1t may be said that the expenditure on
account Of payrolls and travelling expenses win be
cost more than double. Freight on materials and
supple: WIN increase their cost greatly p,TtIcu-
ore that i' the rule applied manual Sor viii hold
good also n cost w w be- 09s By ON hs sna
y eesst the factor should be somewhat greater than
far ne By Soss' the iS Sanitary
ditions in Nicaragua are favorable. During the
GreytoSr westward the health record Of the men
who were mostly Jamaica negroes; was very good
eep 'ng are the ay may
I a different result. The Jamacans. however. suf-
fered little when employed in the construction OF
the Rica Railroad where the cuts throush
the hills were very heavy and IL - believed that
with these or other acclinited laborers under com
plee police control and subjected 10 judicious SAM
tarv regulations there will be no more sicknes s
than occurs on public works in many parts Of the
United States.
OPPOSING THE LOUD BILL
uARpsHIps IN MAIL TRANsPoRTATIoN INCURRED
BY THE RAILWAY COMPANIES.