The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-03-03
NICARAGUA CANAL
IS FEASIBLE
Canal Commission Has Finished Large
Part Of Work.
ESTIMATE MADE OF COST
DiHieaitiss Tia. Had TO Be Overcome By
the Suneyors-Nsny Interesting
Details as 10 Construction.

New York. March IA Litter % the
Herald from ISlyas. NIcaragra. SAYS:
The canal commits ssion has dnntee its
work on the division Of the canal be-
tween lake Nicaragua and the Pacific ana
win cross the lake IN q special trip tt day
or tomorrow. The revolutionary outbreak
delayed the commission 6ve dags. the
Victoria not being available. as Tie gov.
ernment was using the steamer for Lsrs-
porting troops:
A preliminary report on ,Ie caaal pio-
jeet could be made should II be requested.
for this session Of coneTsz it would
state ,lSas the canal Is wholly feasibis, al
though specific reports as 70 4 ihaFs i'm
portant features eoald no, mage.
The cost Of the canal. bssei on the study
ana observation made Nd 70 ,ts present
time Is reasoned at abou, slOlW ~.
Arriving at San Carlos ne putty VII
go down the San Juan liver as tar as
ochoa proceeding from thence to Grey
town over the Lille n Tic canal. The line
has been cleared an several well pio-
yisioned camps estlblisi.e,i for the rse
OF the party. The commission will make
thorough observations Of the tnps'gra2sy
Of the country geIesai =. rs well as OF
that Immediately conccraed in the c. mai
line.
J. W. Walker and his party have moved
their camp from San Pablo on the Lajar.
and are now several miles further vest
ward. the canal line being cleared inland
from the Iaks for about s'x nifles me
party Is working under Instrursihls to
determine that the -anal -. as laii q
present Is the only line ard tire CT jss-sec-
tions are being run i)0o feet on el.her side
Of the line. The canal companv's GRO, s.
sections were run 500 feet The present
survey viii consequently ,ssul; in a tcro-
graphical map showing 90 feel width
across the western division, save IN lccaI-
tiles where the higher land b,.stils The
present is the dry season On the western
side and It is an open = Ies.i5n whether
work on the rainy east side or work on
the dry west side is preferable. ws'kers
party has experienced g-est difficulty in
cutting It's way through tho very heavy
underbrush and lhe w1cN has b-cn re-
tarded in consequence.
The Alert. whose owners arc 10 make
survey at Brito. s'a,lar wor& 10 that
now being done by the officers OF the New
port at Greytown. aIrivsd ut San Jral del
Sur on the night OF February .. The
Alert was detained al AeApmco Ct, her
voyage down from San Frarcisco for
week in consequence Of the Illness Of Lieu
tenant Young. Lieutana It Janus in his
survey and surroundings OF the big lake
has made some inte ,esrng disco, s,its.
Surveys OF the coast line have dc, c'oTed
the fact that the shore line OF the !, wer
end runs out into the lake Eve nils fur
ther than existing maps show ii In
other words, the lake ai this point Is FIVE
miles shorter Than it has previously tttn
held to be. Lieutenant nanus has elso
found SO-foot ehanaal running tn, ee
miles nearer to the San Juan rlvtr en-
trance at San Carlos than present r,ans
or charts show. This would mean re-
duction of three miles i'm I've amount OF
dredging to be done from the ri er IN
deep water in the lake.
While eamped at La Tlor. She commis-
ssion studied the coast line at rr'to.
There is no harbor 1T BrIlo. There ls
merely an sndentation of the coast line.
but the construction and maintena zee of
harbor are not regard ID as li:hcLlt.
On this point nearly Ill ,he experts who
have studied the situation are egIeed.
The details alone remain to be worked
out and the Individual Of the e2npany
to be welded into one. II win not re-
quire nearly the time of the commission
to come to a conclusion ragard to the
harbor at Brito that 1t will to ,esch a
conclusion as to the La Flor oc the canal
company's project, The Ludlow commis-
sion of 1895 refused to consider & dam at
this. point at all, in conseI Itnce of tie.
unsatisfactory results OF the canal ccm-
pany's borings, anu suggested ai.other
route for the canal IN this vicinity. II
Will probably be months before the COM
mission finishes its discussions Of this fea-
ture. The views of mcmb .rs vary cor f.i Id
erably. An interesting compromise Of ne
situation has been suggested. 1t would
construct two tams, one at La Flor and
one at point il,s. west OF the divide.
some miles east OF La Flor. The en-. tern
dam would be on higher ground and Glout
40 feet high. By tnis compromise two
basins would be created instead Of one
and the La Flor dam woull become a
much less formidable undertaking. The
tax upon its strength and permeapihty
would be much less decreased 9.is svE-
gests u compromises when worked out,
may possibly become tha commissions
solution of the problem of the western
division should 1t deva1p that it is ftas-
ible in all its aspects aud no better solu.
tion be found. Final conclusions on this
point, however ~ wall as on oth,- i'm
portant features. win not be reached until
the reports of the various parties wncse
work bears so materially u,,on the whole
canal nroiect hava haan ,nada