The herald., 1898-12-24
Associated Press Special Wire

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23--The preimi-
nary report of the Nicaraguan Canal Com
mission, consisting of General Hayn Is, Ad-
mral Walker and Prof. Haupt, he's been
and will be read before t he Sen
ate Committee either during the Oh ristmas
recess of Congress or Immediately after
wards. The report will give many details
of the construction in regard to tlie pro-
posed route and will give close figure on
the entire cost of the undertaking; as far
as human ingenuity can foresee.
A summary Of these costs has bee IN made
out in sections and without going into the
details Of curves and levels they are as
follows:
The eastern harbor and jetties will require
about nine million cubic yards of soft ex-
cavaton. The jetties themselves require
about 100000 cubic yards of rip rap stone.
The Greytown section of the canal that is
the section beginning at the harbar and
reaching to the east divide, will require 16,-
100000 cubic yards of hard earth ald clay
excavations. The three locks in Hris sec
tion will cost in the neighborhood of Sl0,-
100000 complete, with three million excava-
ton. This section is about 1917 niles in
length and runs through the jungle country
near the coast. There will be 700 acres Of
clearing and grubbing also in this section,
The incidental expenses will amount to
little besides these above enumerated, there
fore they are omitted.
The divide section reached from here
through the higher range of hills to "a miles
further. There are seven and one-half mil
lion cubic yards of rock in this cut, and
about five million yards of earth and clay.
The depth of this cut will be mitigated by
the height of the canal, which is liz 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 cut
ting which will reach to the Ochoa DAM,
341a miles from the Caribbean Sea, will only
add ten million yards to the figures, making,
trife over 40,OOO,OOO cubic yards to tho
dam.
From here a summary of the cut throue h
the San Juan River will aggregate "a ,OOo,W) 10
cubic yards, with about three million me re
of the curve widening and 1000 acres Gle ar
ing and grubbing. This will not include iny
of the dams or embanlSments, but simply
the channel cutting the bed of the San han
River. This makes 75O00,0 900 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 computed, as the un-
dertaking is of so colossal a nature as to be
beyond figuring within a unit or even more.
The dam will be over $1,000 feet in length.
its foundation rs feet below the bed Of Salt
River bottom and its rise 100 feet. AS the
river will have to be turned from it's course
during its construction, it will be seen that
many details will have to be taken into con-
sideration for an estimate of its cost.
The San Carlos embankment will cost sew
eral million dollars and the estimates are
being made. The cuts in the shallow part of
the lake will aggregate 100000 yards,
making total of S5,OOO,00O to the western
division.
The estimates of the western division have
not been made yet. They are under the
dliCSllOn VI <AoLiilldl w dlNcI b SUI, v. w =.
G. Walker, and they will amount to not less
than 3O,00o,0O0 cubic yards more, making
a total of ll5,O00,0OO cubic yards of all kinds
of excavation to the harbor at Brito and al
lowing 100000 cubic yards for dredging
here the total estimate will come to nearly
l25,000,0O0 yards exclusive of all dams and
cmbankments. 1t will be seen that Sl35, ,O00,-
900 will be a conservative estimate of the
entire cost of the canal, and this almost
agrees with those of General Ludlows re-
port of 1896.
The state department originally did not
contemplate formal opening of neyotia
tlons to secure the desired amendment of
the Clayton-Bulwer treaty until congress
had made some progress at least towards
the enactment of the Nicaragua canal bill,
the department wishing not to be placed in
the false position of negotiating for an OBJ
ject which congress might, before the con-
cluson, deem to be undesirable. After the
experience had with the general arbitration
treaty there is particularly strong disin-
clination to be again placed in this attitude.
However, now that the matter has been
brought into such prominence, the negotia-
tions may be opened at an earlier date than
was originally contemplated, though it
may be taken for granted that their initia-
tion will be an evidence of the president S
conviction that congress will pass some ac-
ceptable canal bill before adjourning.
Although, the gain to English commerce
that may be fairly expected to result from
the construction of the canal by the Ameri
can government will make the waterway as
important to Great Britain as it is to the
United States, there is still evidence going
to show that the British government may
seize upon the opportunity to ask for ouid
pro quo. 1t is hard to perceive just now
what shape this will take, but it is sug-
gested with considerable plausibility that
this may afford the key to the solution of
the reciprocity problem, which has so great
ly embarrassed the Canadians joint high
commission. In other words, in considera-
tion of the REIMBURSEMENT of her rights in
the Nicaraguam canal, England may ask
for Canada much more liberal reciprocity