The times., 1898-12-12

The Nicaragua Canal has seldom been
In such danger as it is at the present
time. Unless the plans of Representative
Hepburn, Chairman OF the House Com
mittee on Interstate and Foreign Com
merce. go astray the Morgan bill. now
pending in the Senate. will be antagon-
lied by one totally different in the House,
, and action will be delayed for at least a
year longer. By that time the present
concession will have expired and there
may be great difficulty in securing an
other.
| AT the meeting of the House Committee
on Interstate and Foreign Commerce on
Thursday last Mr.. Hepburn was author
lied by the committee to draft a bill for
the Nicaragua Canal. Mr.. Hepburn had
been supposed to be antagonistic to this
measure and to be friendly to the rail
way interests that oppose 1t, but recently
he gave out long and well considered
Interview declaring himself in favor OF 1t
and expressing his belief that it should be
built The members of the committee
therefore felt perfectly safe in leaving the
bill altogether in his hands 10 be pre-
pared. 1t is now developed, however, that
Mr. Hepburn does not favor the Morgan
| bill, which grants aid to the Maritime
Canal Company. but will draft a measure
for the requirement by the United States
of strip of land ten miles wide reach
ing directly across Nicaragua and Costa
Rica following the proposed route of the
canal.
1t is argued that any such bill would be
fatal to the Morgan bill and to the con-
cession held by the Maritime Canal Com
pany. The date on which this expires Is
, October 10, 1889. and there is little chance,
It Is believed, that Nicaragua would ex-
tend 1t. II. then, the Hepburn bill should
fail to carry ii would be too late to take
action under the concession, and some OF
the new plans would haveto be taken up.
All this will require time, and will still
further delay the passage OF any bill.
This, OF course. is what the opponents of
the canal among whom are numbered
some of the Pacific Railway magnates OF
the country, really desire.
The sentiment in favor of the canal is
SO strong and so general that 1t would
be difficult TO defeat II directly, but the
proposal to construct IL in different way
would. it is said, be plausible enough 10
meet with fair reception by those who
are not familiar with NIL the circum-
| stances of the case.
The report of the Nicaragua Canal Com
mission will be submitted to the President
| within few days, ana will be sent by
him almost Immediately to Congress"
There is good reason to believe that it
will be in two parts. presented by the mi
spectively. The reports viii differ chiefly
on the question OF cost, the bulk of the
commission placing this at l0j.Gj0,oVJ
| while the engineer member will probably
submit the minority report alone. and will
| assert that the cost will be at least Sl33,
| 0oG, 600. The majority will no doubt give
| their reasons FOR differing from the engi-
] neer member on a question of which ne
| is supposed to possess technical knowl-
edge.
The report will submit estimates for
| four routes and for varying numbers OF
locks. The routes vary only on the east
ern side of the lake, the remainder fol-
lowing the line of the Maritime Canal
| Companys work.
The commission, 1t is understood, will
| favor an avoidance of the Ochoa basin
and the San Francisco River. The Lud-
| low board mas already suggested that the
Ociroa basin would be the greatest OBJ
stacle that would have to be overcome,
and the present commission thinks that
the San Francisco basin is quite equal to
\ it, The commissioners will therefore rec
ommend that somewhat longer route be
taken which will avoid both of these.
| The commission finds the canal practi-
cable throughout, its estimate for a depth
of thirty feet and an uncertain width
varying according to the nature of the
soil. The time required for its compile
tion is set at six years.