Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-12
CHIEF ENGINEER MENOCAL
Says the Nicaragua Canal Pro-
jeCt Is Feasible.
COST OF CONSTRUCTION
IS
Would De Entirely Cove, ;'y Si@ty-6se Mil
lion Ps's
The CANAL $ MISSION CRITICIZED
Not One of tl = hanges Proposed Was on
the $ of Economy or in the
Interest of a Better
COST OF CONSTRUCTION

Washington, April 11.-Chief Engineer
A. G. Menocal of the Nicaragua Canal
company reviewed before the house COM
mittee this morning the report of the
board of engineers who Investigated last
summer the Nicaragua canal project
Mr.. Menocal said that the only point
upon which there is an agreement be-
tween the Maritime company and the
board was the entire feasibility of the
project. As to this the claims OF the
company We're conceded and any differ
ence that exists as to the method of work
was measurable by increased cost of
construction. He contended that the nu-
merous changes proposed by the engineer
board resulted from their insufficient
observations made on a hasty trip
through the territory traversed by the
canal, which touched the canal route
here and there only, and the consequent
imperfect knowledge of the physical con-
ditions and of the amount and character
of the work previously performed Mr..
Menocal quoted figures to show that the
canal would be sufficiently large for all
practical purposes and so economically
constructed as to pay reasonable. divi-
dends on the capital invested. There
was a marked distinction, he said be-
tween such waterway and an Ideal ca
nal of ideal proportions, built regardless
of cost He thought II remarkable that
in the numerous changes proposed by
the board there is not one on the line of
economy or in the interest of a better
canal
Referring to the criticism of the board
that the hydraulic and geological data
collected by the company were INSULT
cient Mr.. Menoca1 stated that the inn
portance of such data was fully recog-
nized, but that the securing of such In
formation must be the result of many
years of careful investigation, and that
in a country like Central America, where
the range of rainfall varied as much as
100 inches from one year to another, ,theo-
ries based upon such observations were
practically useless.
Mr.. Menoeal took up and answered
specifically number of the criticisms
upon the plans of the canal company
made by the government commission de-
Tending and affirming the advantages Of
the company's plans.
Mr.. Menocal stated that he had accom-
panied the government commission on
it's trip over the canal route and at the
request of Representative Patterson
gave a brief description of the trip. The
commission was in Nicaragua about for
ty days and of this time about two weeks
were devoted to the examination of parts
of the route. When the lake was reached
the commission had taken steamer and
gone out some six or eight miles, maxi
ing a few soundings and taking a few
observations. They made no borlngs
along the line of the canal although in
struments and assistants were furnished.
They made no surveys except near Grey
town. The commission could have taken
the surveys, borings and other data fur
niShed by the company, examined them
in an office and expressed an opinion as
easily as could be done by the examina-
ton made The commission admitted
the practicability of the canal; but to
make an examination as thorough as he
had made would require years. The
commission passed the site of the Ochoa
dam without making any examination
of the site of the dam itself This was
an important work and he had a camp
prepared near the dam and provisions
for six days placed there. The commits
sion made two days examina tion OF
the country near Ochoa, but the site OF
the dam was not inspected.
The construction of the Ochoa dam he
did not consider very great engineering
feat for larger rock-filled dams than that
had been built.
Since his estima tes of the cost of the
canal had been made improved machin-
cry and appliances for such work had
been invented, and consequently the cost
would be much less. He firmly believed
the canal could be constructed and put
in operation for $65, 900, 600. This would
give the widest and deepest canal in the
world.
Col James Andrews of Allegheny City
followed Mr.. Menocal He condemned
the canal project entirely and made an
argument In favor of the Tehuantepec
Ship railway as the proper hing to build