Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-09-22
PANAMA route IS TIE BEST.
What Engineer Ward Says Of the cinal Across
the lslhmus.


New York. SORT. g2-R. q. ward.
who was f.r Ions time engineer and
roadmastcf " thepanama railroad. and
WHO IN greatly mucftcd iu the auc-
cess of the Panama canal. arrived M
this city by the steamer Finance from
Colon yesterday. lie discussed the In
tcr-occnuic canal scheme at length at
his home here,
Mr. Wards interest IN the canal IN.
b. rnya. only tho result Of bic having
studied the different routes b. living
on the lsthmus. lie IL connected with
90 company. Al hls sympa,hIea are
with the Panama company however.
and that route he thinks must cycn-
,ualiy be accepted.
Mr Wards Idea IL that any canal
might be built IN ten years time. riV-
iug % rough uuyEr at "a cun VI finl,-
Uuu 90 such cost would allow The
shareholders "a good pr0ht ana th'
. canal he rays, must fureli b. a sue
yyss.
The engineer pronrs the Panama
tout, aa against the Nicaragua fJut,
because Of the natural advantages OF
/ the former.
"Thcpanana canal" said air ward
I is but f0rty-fivc miles l0ng and haa
natural and accessible drep Wutri
ports ut both ends. ~ built with che
lork system u will have rock f0undu-
tons on which ne locks may be con-
Htructcd. while the maximum level Of
the canal Will be- cut down ~ lcaH than
100 feet should funds b. obtainabls
20 warrant the outlay the canal In fact
may be- cut " the sea leyel. ON tn
other hand the Sicsragua rhute. whicf
h 40 miles long, has neither the ma
tuIui or accessible ports at either end
and must NECESSARILY be built On m
lock system with a MAXIMUM level cS'
cecding "a hundred feet. II II without
rock foundation Tor most OF liz lock-
and for some of ~ enormous dams
upon the stability Of which thvfcaslblltl
Of construction II largely conditioned
My familiarity with the topography
NJ the Isthmun Of Panama leads me 1.
cal attention TO tho possibility and II
my Judgment the entire prncticahilit,
Of cutting "a sea loycl canal across tn
lrthmus " Panama, having only on'
lock and that lock Tor the purpose o
regulating the difference In the rise an,
I fan Of the tides between the Atlantic
and pncinc oceans. In my judgment
tho prnctlcabllity u cutting such 4
canal across the lsihmuH of Panami
n one OF ita chief advantages II will
81 course. cost morn. but II viii h
worth lmmeasurahly more than a loci
system canal and will be- subject Z,
fewer liabilities.
IN any event believe II In 60 the Ia
tcreHt Of the American people and IN,
duty of the American government q
investigate In most thorough, care
ful and Intelligent manner the ndvan
taEcs and disadvantage of the PAna
ma and Nicaragua routes. and ! an
entirely willing O. stand the conae
quencea OF any criticisms which ma,
result from my having thus espresso,
myself nH convinced uf the superior nd
yantngen possessed hy the Iathmus O
Panama over the isthmuH OF Nlcnra
qua nn d route for an lnter-occanl,
canal.
"rhe question IL not 30 mucl
which canal can be best built, as whlcl
canal when huii win best serve IN
purposes for which II will have beef
constructed. Ana / believe That th
American government should. ms tn
American people win Investigate care
fully before deciding definitely between
the two routes