New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-30

Tho total length of the summit Level Is gwen a.
1As miles. 49,, r,ror distance between the
,h md bchoa occurred in the report on lsS TrT
calls for an addition TO the iengtn %, nbont four
iles Iuli used about this length OF so, Iaati N
the river and deducted IT rom u" INC summit level
Would be about 49, miles. and the to'a' "a''s"''o"
from SCI IN 1883 the locks to he $50 by 90
by % fee the bottom width or c!a Of ." excavated
cIn, g., Tho river l2j feet and In the lake l'o
le TGo estimated cost Of the project including -
me ror Contingencies was s6i.0SG 9'. but inc
tom for contingencies is made TO lncu"e o' tber
90 surveys hospitals. shops managehenl anu III, in
aceesorv cxpensea. ia addition to the cohs'ruc'o"
contingencies proper 49,. -, ,ho re,ort that the
od, u ~ WORK in Nicaragua should be estimated a.
create, than in United States put me UNI
ricas odoptcd do not indicate that the ,
pl"vsnc" has been made in al, cases. No boringS
were made TO ascertain the dcpth ol rtn
III 0choo Dam was to be built Of concrete. wild
foundations 20 feet below the river sutaSo .he
nstuTe Of the subacent riverbed was not ascer
tanned was it then known tha. ~ tos 9ent an
cxtensiyc system of cmbankments would be re-
quirod along its eastern coast
WORK OF THE CANAL COMPANIES
Under the direction Of the canal companies eight
survey parties were employed from Decemoer,
1881 to June. 1855, when the NUMBER was reuuO'u
a. ,yo or three A still larger force worked from
tbo enrnp OF 1859 to the summer of 1880. when the
narties were gradually dispensed with. ana tne
last one was withdrawn in 1891 Borings were con-
Rornss were made along the line OF the canal
the western division lake to Brit9 Was teIqeE b
and the east and west sides Of the lake VIE en
amined and the San Carries Valley ana cas-, Gre an
line explored A low-ievel line in the san Juan
Valley was located eastward from the Ochoa Dam,
but most Of the survey work was directed 10 ~
veloning the difficult topography over tne hiBn
level line through the San Francisco valley ana
the east divide cut along the line Originally pro
project as forth in tho final report on oca,i0h
by the chief engineer under date OF January; ~
Is iIon 5sD ana an important addition
Additional basins and dams are added IN the
Doseado Valley east OF the divide cut, provision IS
made for entertainments along the east crest OF the
San Carlos Valley TO retain It's howage me az IN
he extension OF the summit level westward from
the lake is provided for by the construction oi az,
other nigh eyei Gd aev c"nSerting the valley
above into a basin 46 miles long At the lake level
Of excavated canal The cost Of this project Is eS-
timated at s1SGf1A
THE HISTORY OF THE CANAL.
So much for the surveys The importance and
practical ity Of building canal through the
jsthmus connecting the two cot tinents was
though; OF long ago as $50. when the Spanish
Explorer. Antonio GalvaO. recognized the enormous
advantages - be gained by the construction OF
such a waterway. Almost every country in El.-
icct ard in ls4i Don Francisco CASTELAR,. a cit.-
zen of Nicaragua laid the project before Louis
Napoleon. In Frame. explaining what mastery
over the Nc% Wori such canal would give 70
the subject to be publ shed: and became Interested
in a $4,000 90 project. No one appeared TO be
Willing become the active organizer and the first
scheme was allowed to dic
Colonel Chids was OUT to make a survey by
a company organized BY Cornelius vanderbilt
ming the work. when sud lcnly the Panama route
came into prominence. General Grant who be.
a stock company. declared that the cost Of the