The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-16
THERE ARE OBSTACLES
In the Way of WouId-Be Mic
aragua Canal Builders.
TWO CONCESSIONS AHEAD
And the Government Has an
Eye on the Main Chance.

! Correspondence OF the Associated Press.)
Managua, Nicaragua, Sept. H.-Messrs
Edwin F. Cragin OF Chicago. Edwin Ever.
of the firm OF r Grace < Co. and Frank
5. Washburn of New York have arrived
at this capital The object OF their mis-
sion is 10 obtain from President Zelaya
authority TO attempt 10 organize a com
pany and obtain the necessary capital. es-
Inflated al sl0Jgp0.0g0 i ngold, 10 construct
4 canal across Nicaragua President Zelaya
mas placed taem in conference with the
acting minister OF public works, IN order
10 ascertain what they propose 10 accom-
plsn and what guarantees taey Will oceT
n regard 10 the proposed construction Of
an inter-ocean canal across the peninsula
OF Nicaragua There are. however several
obstacles IN the way al present that ap-
pear insuperaole to the organization OF a
new company, with concessions Ihat would
attract and satisfy capitalists.
One OF these IS ms fact that the Mari
time Canal Company OF Nicaragua" is still
alive, and that the charter is unimpeach-
able and is TO remain IN force until Octo-
Der, 1899, according TO the company, out
only until October, 1898, as claimed by the
government of Nicaragua However, the
company has strong claim to many years
further existence OF the life of its char
ter in the fact that, owing TO the numer-
Gus revolutions and other disturbances in
the country since the granting Of the char
s-l.v
unsettled by the infiiction Of heavy fines,
forced loans, Imprisonment and impress
ment by one political party or another into
the army, this being especially so in the
case of the laboring class, and causing
thousands of the natives to fee TO other
states for refuge, so that no extensive
work like the cutting out of canal chan
mel was possible in the circumstances.
Under the contract held by the company,
the government of Nicaragua is obligated
10 keep at the canal works a police force
sufficiently strong to protect the contract
ors, engineers and laborers and guard the
machinery, edibles and supplies.
This force was maintained at the store
houses and workshop at Greytown, when
work on the canal was commenced. but
subsequently, owing to fears Of revolution
airy troubles in western Nicaragua, the
government called off the police at the
canal for duty elsewhere and then Near
agua's protection ended.
Even if the existing concession to the
Maritime Canal Company Of Nicaragua,
chartered by the government of the United
States, were abrogated, there comes to the
oa cd gr7 1907 +ha
Caribbean and Pacific Transit company,
limited, Of Liverpool, England, for the ex-
elusive right of steam navigation on the
Rio San Juan del Norte for thirty years,
with other concessions of lands, timber,
etc This company desires to control not
only inter-oceanic transportation across
Nicaragua, but claims the privilege. in its
charter, to build and operate a system of
railroad and steamboat transportation suf-
ficient to ais ocontrol the interior transport
tation of the country. With such privi-
leges the English company is not likely to
sell out TO a new concern, even if the
latter succeed in having the existing char
ter of the Maritime Canal company an
nulled.
1t is not improbable. either, that the
government OF Nicaragua VIII grant a
canal-constructing charter or concession to
any new company until the government is
secured by a large sum on deposit as a
guarantee. and an equally large sum in
gold as bonus together with large per-
centage of the capital stock and the in
sertion of clauses in the contract, placing
the entire control OF the company under
the laws of Nicaragua and binding the
company not to appeal to its national gov
ernment for help in the event of any dis
pute between the company and the gov
eminent of Nicaragua.
Tomorrow September D5 Is the seventy
third anniversary of the independence Of
Nicaragua and all the Central American
states and their deliverance from Spanish
sovereignty. The occasion is 70 be cele-
brated here by sham battle on a hill
south of this city. between a force Of ar
tillery and infantry, followed by a review
by President Ze,aya, his military staff and
the ministers.
II is reported that President Zelaya will
issue a decree on September Is granting
amnesty 70 thousands OF NiCaraguans who
have fed from their homes during the last
few years. owing to poiNcal complica-
tions or from fear Of impressment into
the army during the frequent bloody revo-
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