The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-06-26

The recent l6vo mile iuh OF VIC ""'-
tloship OREGON from San Francisco TO
Key west called attention 10 TWO tHlHeS
regarding the American nation one OF
f.... vls f1ut Wc possessed battle
shin capable of doing something no ON
or shin of this Clas, in the world had
ever eCuallcd or Urproachedi ana the
other. and 90 less happy thought was
that 1900 miles of the voyage ana many
weeks OF national anxiety might nave
been saved 81 wc he'd been less dllatory
in pushing work 0n that key To Ameii-
cas- future greatness. the Nicaragua
canal.
I'M view OF the present rush Of mat
Ter before Congress 10 is scarcely prob
able that the bin providing FOR the con-
structou and government ownership OF
the canal viii meet with the attention
30 demands. The bin authorizes the gov
eminent Co secure the right of way from
tho countries through which the cahal
passes TO purchase the property or. ana
nav for the work done by the Maritime
Canal Company ON the Nicaragua canal
II am the effort and discussion caused
by the long voyage of the oregon around
South America had been directed toward
the construction of the Nicaragua canal
SIS comparatively short length would
have been made short work or And
the battlcshlp could have been at Key
West within two weeks from the time
She ietf San Francisco. When e IS con-
sidorod that 90 build this canal IT. VIII
only require twc0ty-seycn miles OF eN-
cavating 20 does not speak we'll for
American progress that the work mas
been delayed 500 long
LITTLE DIGGING NECESSARY.
Tho extreme length of the Nicaragua
canal from GrovtOwn ON the Atlantic 10
prito. the Pacific port is about 1852 miles
Vet 50 simultaneously has the proposed
route been laid out over navigahle va
tcr-courses that H2 miles Of this canal
is all ready for use by the largest ocean
going ships The comparatively short
distance left 20 Doe excavatcd is not with
in twenty miles of the number II would
tako 20 connect the two oceans by the
Panama canal laid out by De Lesseps.
Since the Maritime company's experts
laid out the proposed route at an esti-
mated cost of $40 10000 two commits
si0ns have been appointed by the gov
eminent 90 go over their work. The
first Of these the Ludlow commission
nut the probable cost 81 the canal at
sl73 10000 and added that tho company's
surveyors had not made thorough sur
vcy OF the route.
ID was also said that the effect Of the
tropioai rainfall on the axis OF the canal
had not been sufficiently taken into CON
sldcration. and several plans for engi-
neering works prepared by the com
paws engineers were criticised. IL was
recommended that q new commission be
appointed 20 go over the route carefully
with n new survey and settle the dis
puted points.
THE PROPOSED ROUTE
The second commission consisted Of
Rear Admiral Walker Of the navy. Colo
mel Hams of the Engineer Corps OF the
army and Professor Lewis NJ. Haupt OF
PENNSYLVANIA. The commissioners went
10 Greytown in the gunboat Newport
and had @ corps OF lo0 men, including a
naval detail and assistants from the Geo
logical Survey These. with two gum
boats for the survey Of the harbors ana
with The laborcrs engaged made "a force
of t0 men 90 push the work OF gath
erius the required data. When its re-
port is completed in an probability some
active steps viii Doe taken boy the gov
eminent 90 resume the construction OF
the canal
Tho proposed route begins IN tho eX-
trcmcIv shallow harb0r of Grcytown on
IN. Caribbean sea and extends up the
San Juan river to Lake Nicaragua From
tlc Jake comparatively short cutting
viii unite the waters Of the Atlantic
with those of Che Pacific at Brito. over
12l miles of navigation is already afford
ard the san Juan river ana aruuciL pa
Sins. created by the erection % dams
will afford tweuty-one miles more.
Perhaps the most difficult problem the
engineers viii have TO contend with Is
the making OF "a suitable harbor 40 Grey
town. IL is true that BritO is an open
rcadstcad and am artificial harbor viii
have TO be constructed. but This Is
comparatively simple problem 1ho ar
fcuity at Greyiown lies in the fact mat
the bottom there la continually Smlt-
inr making an unknown force % be
constantly provided against 10 as only
ID compars tiVclv few years since Grey
towns harbor was the finest on the Cen
iran American coast bat since the Mari
timc Canal company stopped work IN
1853 70 has become little better than a
muddy lagoon. Indeed English experts
have declared Grcytowu harbOr 10 be
the weakest point in the whole system.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE.
The Maritime Canal company did ac-
tual work ou the axis OF the canal for
three years besides the work done 90
Improve The haro0r OF Grcytown. about
. milo a. the canal was actually eNca-
waited to considerable depth. eleven
miles o. railroad were built for the trans
p9rtatlon of machinery the franchise
and property o. a steamship company
on Lake Nicaragua were acquired.
wharves, storehOuSos. workshops ana
dwelling fousese wcrc built and several
miles OF telegraph line put up.
Much timber wag cut 10 prepare
road through the tropical forcsts for
the extension o. the railroads ana teles
1rsph Ines. and FER further excavations
a good dredging plant secured. 'ogoiher
with much other necessary machinery.
According 20 the present plan the Mica
yagua canal Will have nix locks. Three
Of them will lift tho ships up TO the