The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-29
THREE FEASIBLE ROUTES
Preliminary Report of the Mica
raguan Canal Commission.
ESTIMATES OF THE Cost
Low Level Rout May ost Anywhere
From sloo.ooo.ooo to sI5o.ooo.ooo.
senator Morgan Believes Former
Sum WIFI Be SUFFICIENT.

Washington. Dec. 2s.-Copies Of the
preliminary report of the Nicaragua
canal commission. of which Admiral
Walker is chairman, have been furnish
ed to Senator Morgan and others inter-
ested in the bill now pending in con
gress on that subject. The commission
has not fully worked out all the details
of the construction of the proposed
canal, but the report simply presents
briefly the views of the commissioners
as to the feasibility of the work and the
maximum cost at which it is believed
the waterway can be constructed.
Three routes are spoken of. viz, the old
low level. the high lever or Menocsl
route and ar intermediate route. n all
Of these. Senator Morgan says. the COM
mission considers feasible of construc-
ton.
For the purpose of arriving at an esti-
mate OF probable maximum cost the
commission submitted figures on the
NV level route which, the senator says,
is considered the longest and most ex-
p~ensive. For this quite Admiral Walker
estimated the cost would be s124. 900, 900
and Professor Haupt 1923. 900. 900. while
General Haine added 20 per cent. to the
figures because of various conditions,
chiefly the question of the cost of labor,
which, he thought. IL was impossible to
figure with absolute definiteness.
The report, says the senator, shows
conclusively hat the project is al en-
tirely feasible one. and that In its con-
struction the government has the choice
of any of these routes. 1t shows fur
Their, Senator Morgan stated, the abso-
lutte accuracy of the survey made by
Engineer Menoca some years ago. The
enato believes, however, that all these
figures are too high and expresses the
opinion that 800, 600, 900 will cover the
entire cost of construction. basing the
belief on what has been done in the case
of the Manchester. the Kiel and the
Chicago drainage canals and on the re-
duced cost of material n labor to-day
as compared with what would have
been necessary in the earlier decisions
OF the commission in the building of
the proposed waterway.
London, Dec. 29.-The Paris CORE
spondent of the Times says: At the
annual meeting of the new Panama
company to-day wednesday, a long
report was read. In addition to show
ing that no definite plan has yet been
adopted for the completion of the canal,
the report refers TO the American inter-
est in the Nicaragua canal since the
Decentralization war, n indicates
the means taken to %acquaint the United
States government and the American
people with the position and prospects
of the Panama canal. On this point ii
says:
I'VE have offered to place at the dis
posal of the United States every facil-
ity for EXAMINING our works and plans,
which will readily convince them of the
superiority in all points of the Panama
route. They will find in the treaties
existing between them and Colombia.
and in the facilities allowed by our
statutes. all the guarantees and adj
vantages which their national inter-
ests can reasonably require. The Pan
anna route is ~indisputably the maritime
highway. which can be opened to navi-
cation in the shortest time and at the
least expense"