Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1898-12-29

the Pacific To Grcytown on the Atlantic.
The Hrst half mile from Brito II at sea
level, Then III two miles tho canal rises
40 feet, throngh three locks 10 the sum
.s.. level. iAt miles long, then IN 4 u miles
Ii dcscends, through three locks, to sea
level again, aud then continues at sea
level on miles to Greytown. The esti-
mated time required for an ordinary
steamer to cross from one ocean to the
other is twenty.eight hours, Electric
lighting Is to make passage by night quite
fcasihe The allowance for passing
through locks is forty-tiye minutes for
each lack. Only twenty-siS miles OF the
I6S miles OF canal Is to be through excava-
TONS Some twcnty-onn miles h through
basins, and i2l miles through the lake
and the river. Provision should be made
from the first for Increasing the accommo-
tation when ii shall become necessary.
Widening can be carried on at the same
time that vessels are passing. so can
deepening. 10 increase the size OF the
locks, however, viii cause all traffic to be
suspended The locks In the present plans
appear to be too small for permanent use.
They are each to be $50 feet long, 70 feet
wido and % feet deep"
History of the Canal Scheme.
In December, 1881, Senator Miller Of
California introduced a bill In Congress
to incorporate "The Marine Canal Com
pany OF Nicaragua" with the purpose oe
constructing the canal. Gen. U, ). Grant.
Howard Potter u. d. Morgan, II. ]. jew
cit and other prominent capitalists were
concerned in the proposed enterprise. The
bill met with bitter opposition In Congress,
and was utterly defeated by the failure
OF the Marine Bank OF New York. In
which the Grants were ruined financially.
| The Nicaragua Canal Company was I'M
corporatcd in 1887, with former Senator
| Warner Miller as president, aud for a
! time made good progress. Its success In
! duced opposition, aud in 1889 the, Mari
| time Canal Company OF Nicaragua, which
received the sanction OF President Cleye-
| land was incorporated. Hiram Hitch
cock was the first president, but be was
subsequently succeeded by Thomas II.
Atkins. The work of digging the canal
was begun aud continued until financial
misfortune overlook the enterprise, the
construction company failing In the terri
bic panic OF 1893. The contract for the
construction was then awarded to Warner
| Miller Nicaragua Company, which still
holds its concession. Many attempts have
since been made TO secure the aid of the
Government, but the bills have failed to
pass both houses Congress, however, ai-
/ thorized the appointment OF a technical
commission of civil engineers to re-exam-
Inc the canal line, aud 1t Is the report OF
this commission which win be presented
to Congress In December.
The principal authorities on Transports
ton statistics have made estimates that
the Nicaragua route should divert from
/ 100000 to 100000 tous of low-ratG
freight. such as -four, dry goods, machin.
cry, coal, etc. from the overland traffic
Suppose 100000 tons were diverted tc
steamship lines from the Atlantic and gull
.n,gt., a. py tne canal -c {. With the
usual ocean tonnage from New York Il
the Pacific. and other vessels which would
20 through the canal, conservative cal
culation places the annual freight al
100000 tons. At the lowest Suez cana
rate this would give an annual revenue OF
| 2.St0,0 900. The route in favor runs from
Greytown on the Atlantic coast, via the
San Juan river and Lake Nicaragua tc
Brito. on the Pacific. The total distanc,
is ia miles, divided as follows:
Miles
BrttO to lnke,,... .1f.Zl
Lake Lajas to San Juan river. :. .565(
Slack water In the San Juan. 49,. .6S.54
San Francisco Basin ochoa to East
ern divide ..,.................. .12Ol
| Cut through the Eastern diyide..... 3.0(
Canal to GreytowH. H......,... .1G. As
The Nicaragua canal route was sur
i veyed first by Col o. NJ. Childs in 1S5:
for the then existing Transit company
which had established transisthmlan com
munieation with California by steamer
from Greytown by way OF the San Juar
river to Virgin bay on the west shore Of
Lake Nicaragua, and thence by stage tt
San Juan del Sur, about eight miles south
east OF Brito. The route selected by Col
Childs, who was an eminent engineer
has not been improved upon very great,
by subsequent surveys. The last survey
made by Mr.. Menocnl for the Govern
ment. lays the line along the Lajas ant
Rio Grande rivers on the west. BetweeI
the headwaters OF these rivers and tn,
divide is lower and the route more practi
cal than anywhere else. From there th'
| ra,,ta foode acrnae thn tnka fhencc hv Wat