The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-24
S135,OOO.OOO NEEDED
To Dig the Big Ditch Across the Mic
araguan Isthmus.

New York, Dec. 24-The preliminary
report of the Nicaragua canal commits
sion consisting of Gen. Haines, Admiral
Walker and Prof. Haupt has been com
pleted and will be read before the SER
ate committee either during the Christ
mas recess Of congress or Immediately
afterWard.
This report will give many details OF
construction in regard to the proposed
route and will give a close figure on che
entire cost of the undertaking as far as
human ingenuity can foresee.
A summary of these costs has been
made out in sections and without going
into the details of curves and levels
they are as follows: The eastern har-
Dor and Jetties viii require about 5000
600 cubic yards of soft excavation The
Jetties themselves require about 400 900
cubic yards of rip rap stone
The GreytOWn section of the canal
that is the section beginning at the har-
Dor and reaching to the east divide. win
require 100000 cubic yards Of earth
and clay excavations. The three locks
IN this section will cost in the neighbOr-
hood of ten millions dollars, complete
with three million yard excav walton This
section is about 1872 miles in length and
runs through the jungle country near
the coast. There will be zoo acres Of
clearing and grubbing also in this sec
ton. The incidental expenses viii
amount to little besides those above
enumerated; therefore they are omit
ted.
The divide section reaches from here
through the high rocky range of hills To
"a miles further. There are seven and
one half million cubic yards of rock in
this cut and about five million yards Of
earth and clay. The depth of this cut
VIII be mitigated by the height of the
canal which is here 112 feet above the
sea. The actual cutting will be about
200 feet in the deepest part. From here
begins the OchOa section which runs
through the San Francisco basin and
Florida lagoon. This is low country and
the cutting which will reach to the
Ochoa dam, 341a miles from the Carib-
bean sea will only add ten million
yards to the figures. making a trifie
over 40, 900 cubic yards to the dam
From here a summary of the cut
through the San Juan river viii aggre-
gate "a, 600, 900 cubic yards, with about
5000, 900 more for curve widening and
1000, 600 acres clearing and grubbing-
This will not include any of the dams
or entertainments, but simply the chan
mel cutting in the bed of the San Juan
river. This makes $4,000, 900 cubic yards
Of all grades of cutting to Lake Nicara-
qua. The cost of the OchOa dam. upon
which rests the entire feasibility of the
route, has not been accurately com
puted, as the undertaking is of so
colossal a nature as to be beyond hgur-
ing within a unit or even more. The
dam will be over I, 500 feet in length. its
foundation over 100 feet. AS the river
will have to be turned from its course
during its construction, it viii be seen
into consideration for an estimate of its
cost
The San Carlos embankment will cost
several million dollars. and the esti-
mates are being made. The cuts in the
shallow part of the lake will aggregate
10 900, 900 yards, making a total of So
100000 to the western division of the
canal.
The estimates for the western division
have not been made yet.
They are under the direction of Ad-
miraI Walkers son. V. w. G. Walker.
and they will amount to not less than
80 900, 900 cubic yards more, making a
total of 115 900 cubic yards Of all
kinds of excavation to the harbor at
Brito and allowing 9,OOOO 900 cubic yards
for dredging here, the total estimate
will come to nearly 125. 600, 600 yards. ex-
elusive of all dams and embankments-
1t will be seen that S135. 900 600 viii be
conservative estimate of the entire cost
of the canal, and this almost agrees
with that of General W. LudOw's re-
mort Of 1895