New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-09
LIGHT on THE NICARAGUA CANAL

LNHI w me wv iHhH' II t+'-''''|'
No report on the Nicaragua Canal route has
vet been made by the Commission sent out 10
investigate the matter, Of which Admiral
Walker Is president and Professor liaupi ana
General Hams are members. But the testimony
of the members before the Senate select COM
mittee. on June 1917. has been printed. and In
dicates clearly some of the results of the invcs-
tigation The Commission was engaged most OF
four months in personal examination. having
with II party of about two hundred ana nifty
men, of whom about eighty were engineers"
with highly competent gcologist and hydro9ra-
phcr and the best instruments for scientific III
vestigation including ten boring outfits. ana
the work Is still in progress But the invesiiga-
tion which seems To be the most thorough of
the many which have been made in thar field
has already confirmed the accuracy Of the Men
oral survey so far as il went and of much in
formation obtained lay later inquiries. while it
has brought To light interesting and important
ponts which appear highly favorable to the
project.
II is found by accurate examination that the
rocky formation which had been supposed 20
make necessary an extensive and costly break
water In order 10 form secure harpor AT
Rrlto. does not exist. Admiral Walker testified.
the other members agreeing, that safe anu
ample harbor cohd be constructed by mere
dredging Of the mangrove swamp below Inc
Brito headland with comparatively short
lefty running out from it, Next as 10 the widc
variation in the depth Of Lake Nicaragua. for
merly said to he as much as fifteen feet which
formed an important difficulty In plans hereto
fore considered. the Commission finds no evil
danco that the variation is so great and It's
competent men at the work appear TO believe
that the task Of regulating the flow of water
will he much diminished. in part by controlling
tho connection with Lake Managua and posi-
bly by controlling stream which can be III
vcrted into IL.
More important still Is tho conclusion. In
which the Commission appears 10 be unani-
NOUS that the great risk and cost Of unusually
high dams on each side can be avoided. On
the west side the opinion seems TO favor Il direct
canal not connected with the river. On the
east side there is suggested dam at MachucO
dropping some twenty-five feet at that point,
and thus bringing within a moderate height the
dam at Ochoa. Behring'S have cleared away an
important clement of doubt by revealing solid
rock bottom at both points where the impor-
taat dams are required. and also at the san
Francisco cmtankmcnt. though II may he found
more desirable to avoid that expensive part Of
the work entirely by a deeper cut across the d.
vide No final conclusions have been reached
nor has all the needed information been OBJ
tanned on these points. hut tho Commission
seems to be entirely satisfied that the work
can be complcred with less risk and probably
iexs cost than previous estimates have indi-
Gated.
The question Of harbors Oh the lake was N
vestigated. with the discovery that better To-
cation can be chosen on the east side. saving
two or three miles distance. At Greytown the
difficulties can only be surmounted by Jetty OF
about three Thousand feet. with a shorter one
en- the opposite side, and by more or less con-