The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-06-04

| The watershed of the two includes about
12,000 square miles the surplus drainage
of which escapes from the southeast
corner.of the larger..lake, forming noble
river, the San Juan, which hiss course
of 100 miles, with an average fall of
about 10 inches to the mile, and dis
charges into the Caribbean through an
extensive delta. During the rainy season
the river has q powerful flow, and is
navigable for light draughu steamers, but
In the dry season it is obstructed by sand
| bars in the lower reaches, by several
rapids of considerable extent, and by
shallow channels in the upper reaches.
There are several aff1uents, of which the
chief is the San Carlos, draining the'lofty
ranges of Costa RIGA to the southwark,
and joining the San Juan about 81 miles
below the lake.
F, The surface elevation of the lake above
the sea varies with the seasons, with an
indicated maximum range of 10 o. ID
feet, and an average low stage Of about
1O2 feet above mean sea lsYel. It's western
shore is only 70 miles from the Pacific.
and the height Of the intervening divide,
l54 feet abo We sea, is the lowest that has
been discovered on the Isthmus. The
region between the lake and the Pacific
] has been thoroughly surveyed, and there
are no serious obstacles of any kind to
| the construction of canal from the lake
to Brito which would complete the water
way between the two oceans, with q total
length of ITO or $50 miles. The natural
| advantages of this route via tho river and
lake are conspicuous, and have claimed
attention from the beginning. The main
disadvantage is the absence of terminal
harbors Greytown, the Caribbean outlet
was formerly fine harbor, with 30 feet
depth of entrance and anchorage; but the
advance of the delta, and the drift OF the
waves and literal currents have enye-
loped the entrance with sand bar, and
converted ths harbor into a shallow
lagoon, with.not more than four or five
feet of water on the bar.
At the Pacific end the conditions are
also difficult; the natural harbors in that
vicinity, owing to formidable intervening
elevations, are not accessible from the
lake by canal, which must, therefore,
have Its terminus at Brito, mere inden-
tation in the coast line, with deep water
short distance seaward. At both ends,
therefore, adequate harbors must be Great
ed; in the one case by massive break
waters constructed in the open Pacific of
such materials and dimensions as shall
Withstand the ocean surges, and in the
other carved out of the delta by extensive
dredging out of the delta by piers of such
extent as to prevent choking by sand
drift.
Another formidable difficulty Is the
rainfall, which at Greytown exceeds that
known elsewhere on the western CONT
nent. Observations for the three years
1890, 81 and '92 gave minimum Of 2l4
| inches an average Of .267, and q maximum
of 1917, nearly 25 feet of water. On the
Pacific side these amounts for the years
| 1880 to 1894 are reduced to a minimum of
80 inches, mean 60, and maximum 105
In 1890 the Maritime Canal company,
which had acquired concession from
Nicaragua, and secured charter from
the United States Congress, made public
the particulars of its project, invited SUBJ
scriptions, and began work on the forma-
ton of d harbor at Greytown. Operations
continued until 1883, when they were
terminated by lack Of funds, and Con-
gress was appealed to to make the enter
prise national one, and to carry it to
completion by guarantee of bonds and
loan of public credit. When work was
suspended the actual constructions that
had been effected by the company were
twelve miles of railroad through the
swamp to the foothills, thousand feet of
jetty, three-quarters Of a mile of canal,
and considerable dredging in the harbor-
all at the eastern end. In addition, there
had been erected at Greytown several
buildings, including hospital, storehouso,
barracks and offices, workshop, etc. {:
and portion of the line, in both the
eastern and Pacific divisions, had been
partially cleared of timber.
Congress appointed a commission in 1895
which reported. the project as feasible, but
found it necessary to withhold approval
of several features of the company's
plans, deeming it prudent to double cost
estimates namely, from $4,000, 900 to
S133, 500, Ooo as representing the minimum
sum of all expenses. The Panama Canal
which absorbed $500, 100000 in making
! beginning was to have been completed
T! for $2lO 900, 000 The company's project,
based partly on the surveys in 1852 and
1878 by Childs and Lull. supplemented
by additional surveys made under it's own
! direction at intervals between 1887 and
1898. embodied constructions of formida-
BILE and unprecedented character, the exc
cution and maintenance of which, if
deemed practicable, would involve heavy
expenditures and be invested with serious
hazards The lake was to be raised to II
feet elevation, and the summit-level ex-
tended in both directions with d length
of 155 or 16O miles, the total distance from
Greytown to Brito being about It's miles
The effect these two immense dams were