The herald., 1897-10-01
Suffer BY Concessions I
England
SOLE RIGHTS OF MAyIaA7
OVER WATERS NzHDrD Yo1 r
CANAL s.-5
The 0ovsrnmsnt 70 Take 1nmedlG(l
steps to Secure 1ull xnfoxma. &
tion IN the 1Zatteg Il
Associated Press special .wIrsI

ASSOclete0 &kebD opOSSA& - - - AZ n .etE41
WASHINGTON. Sept. W.-The repoet
that bill had been passed ~ the coe~
gress Of Nicaragua, granting . So-yeae
franchise to the Atlas steamship oo41s
pany Of London for the exclusive eteeln
navigation OF the Rio San Juen ~
Norts. with authority to deepen IT,
channel at various points. and a1so y
construct q railroad from LetO ouloo
to the river. cannot t,s ofacially ooa.
firmed here. If ths Nicaraguan Coz
gress has granted = concespion 70 IT,
Atlas Steamship Company. that actlon
may arouse quite : diplomatic dtDcus-
sion between the representatives of tho
Greater Republic Of Central Americo
and the United States. The solution of
the didiculty into which the three gov
ernmsnts seem TO be drifting may be
treaty between the United States ard
Greater Central America for the complar
ton Of the Nicaragua canal by this gov-
ernment.
WILL MAKu INQUIRY
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Sept. So.-1t ~
stated by persons familiar with Nioafa-
guam canal affairs that either the
United States or the NicaraguaniC Canal
company viii institute an inquiry ecn-
cerning the recent grant By Nicaragu4.
to the Atlas Steamship company. ~
British corporation. Of exclusive rights
Of navigation for the next thirty years
Of the San Juan river ana Lake Nlcaxa-
qua These two waterways are said t.
form two Of the links Of what will ulti-
mately be the Nicaragua canal.
The state department >rsUgl1lig re-
ceived report from Consul O'Hara of
Nicaragua, giving brief details OF the
concessions granted to the British COM
pany. and stating that It embraced varlv
Gus exclusive privileges in the Silicon
lagoon, the San Juan river and Lake
Nicaragua. Since then additional In
formation has become available a. to
the plans Of the Atlas company. Th4
Silicon lagoon II said to be on the rout6
Of the canal and there appears to be no
reason why this should not pass into the
exclusive control OF q British company.
The excavations beginning at Grey-
town and running west unite with the
San Juan river, which in turn leads to
Lake Nicaragua, after which the arti-
f1cial cut IL continued to the Pacific.
Under these circumstances 1t Il said
the exclusive privileged Of navigation
in these waterways for the next thirty
years would In effect limit the naviga-
tion Of the Nicaraguan canal. Whether
the concession makes any exception In
this regard Is not known. az Mr.. O'Hara
merely states that the concession II an
exclusive one. An official familiar with
Nicaraguan affairs said today the
rights Of the Atlas company would have
to be construed az subsequent to thooe
of the canal company and the latter'o
rights in the San Juan river and Lake
Nicaragua. he believed. would be fully
recognized by Nicaragua. But the dans
ger, he added, was that whensthe Amer.
lean companies concession expired two
years hence the British corporation
would succeed under the terms Of tho
recent concession to all exclusive riglta
in these two links of the canal For
these reasons 1t was believed that the.
government or canal company would
take steps to learn definitely II this ex.
elusive privilege extended to them ol
navigating the lake and river when
they became part Of the interoceanid
canal.
Secretary Long decided to send the
Newport. now at Boston. with the eom-
mission. The commission will sail about
the middle of November and willremai6
in the south during the winter.