The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-20

a broken chain OF mountains, whose height
= reduced 81 this point nearly 10 the lave,
" the STA. II is lI0 miles long sixty rnglss
vide and has varying depth Of from ten
70 30 feet. The San Jual EVER flows from
he lake eastward into the Caribbean sea
and ranges IN depth from il 70 10 feet
The summit Of the lake Is 10 fee. above
the level OF the sea.
There Will be three locks near either en-
trance Of the caral ard the level Of the
lake Will be extended about six.y-four rn!ies
down the river by the construction u a
dam Lisa feet long and sixty-five feet hIxh
across the San Juan river at cchoa. This
VIII rase the level Of the water 10 a denth
Of from thirty 10 forty feet. Vessels enter.
ing the canal on the Caribbean side will
sail on the ocean level r distance Of lss
miles. "a. which point they VIII be raised
by three locks TO the level Of the lake.
Thence they will proceed along the San
Juan river anu Lake Nicaragua 10 the
three locks on the Pacific. where they viii
be lowered within three and q half miles ef
the ocean.
These locks Will be similar 10 the one
built by the government at tho Sault Sse-
Marie canal, which connects Lake Superior
with Lake Huron. They Will each be so
feet long, 50 feet wide and 50 feet deep
The three on the Atlantic side will have
lift amounting in all 20 loo feet. Lock No,
l. which viii he nearest the ocean. VIII have
a lift OF thirtyone feet: No. 2. thirty feet,
and No. ;, forty-tive feet. The first lock
will be situated about thirteen miles from
San Juan del Norte tGreytown).
The complete lockage of a seAO-,ou
steamer will take about forty-tive minutes.
and it is estimated that it will take about
tweniy-eight hours to pass vessel from
one coast 10 the other.
The tests made by the engineers Of the
soil along the proposed route Of the cana.
show i to be of a superior quality and easy
TO work II can be excavated easily and
will hold its position along the hanks. Il
is not like the sandy sides OF the Suez canal.
which are constantly giving away and
making 1t necessary to keep dredging ma
chimes at work i'll the channel.
Most of the dredging will he compare
lively easy. TIE greatest difficulties viii
be in constructing the dams and locks and
cutting through the rocky hills. The eng,-
neers. however, who have studied the coun-
try and made the surveys state that the
work can be- done within the estimated
amount Of money. The estimates, how
ever, difTer very materially and range from
about so. .ore TO Sli0, loo 900. The esti-
mated cost OF completing the canal. accori-
ing TO Chief Engineer Menocal. who made
the first survey over the accepted route
was $50. 067. Sio55. with additional amounts
for emergencies OF sl3.o16 s35.i5. making
total Of s65, 0Si.l76 The statement made 10
the select committee OF the United sonata
by the members OF the commission APP
pointed by President Mckinley Of which
Admiral Walker was the head. was that
the cost OF the canal would he between
$100.0oo,ooo and si4o.no.o00. They have
agreed that the Nicaragua route has de-
cided advantages over the Panama route.
The concession granted the Maritime
Canal Company will expire IN October. 1884,
but the contract carries "A clause allowing
the time 10 be extended. There has beea
lictle or no actual work on the canal proper
Most of the money expended has been foe
the erection of houses, the equipment Of
railroad along part Of the route and the
construction of a breakwater al Greytown.
which has opened the old harbor of Saa
Juan del Norte.
The annexed table Will show tho distances
now TO be traversed by vessels md the
distance which VIII De saved " len the
canal Is completed: