Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-06-15
InterOCeaniG Canals.

with the east was greatly altered by
the Suez canal
The Frenchman DeLesseps, who
planned its construction, experienced
nearly as much difficulty in obtaining
assistance as Columbus in bong pro-
yided with ships Although thus
handicapped by some Of the leading
statesmen Of Europe, others were far
sighted enough To lend assistance. es
pecially the ruler Of Egypt, who here
showed himself the superior of Europe
an rulers by lending a helping hand
and buying considerable of the canal
stock.
After long delay work was begun
on the canal in the year 1859 and was
completed after nearly eleven years
OF incessant tJil;at its opening large |
number of ships from different nations |
were present to celebrate this great |
event and to give credit to the great |
Frenchman. As fate had ordained it |
the first ship which passed through |
the canal and paid toll bore the En-
glish flag.
The next great undertaking which
attracted the attention OF the world |
was the Panama canal Here DcLes- !
seps was again hindcrcd by the people |
this time ii being the Americans, but
he formed company aud commenced |
work which ended rs disasterously as
Napoleon last battle
Bat the feat Of dividing the two
American continents has not been
given up, various plans have been
proposed, and ample money spent in
surveying the new routes
The great event which demonstrated
the necessity of a canal, was the re-
nowned trip Of the ballleship Oregon
The anxious days during which the
American people followed in minds
eye, the long journey Of the noble
Da,,leskip, the finest in our llcet, down
through the lonely stretches of the
Pacific and her northern progress i'm
tha Atlantic, have done more to adj
vance the Nicaragua canal project
than fifty years ol ordinary labor
could have accomplished
All great undertakings must battle
with host Constructions, maintain
ed by those financial interests which
see in the projected Improvements
menace TO their monup0lics. We are
grieyed TO sec that companies which
were formed and spent great sums
tn facilitate the internal commerce OF
this nation are now working cease
lessly to hinder the construction Of
this canal winch may at first interfere
with their business, such narrow
mindedness we would credit To the
emi-harnarians but not 20 the Cdu-
Gated men who control transconti-
mental railroads
II WG may believe the reports trans
mittcd tous through centuries Of strife
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans were
once united near the vicinity where
the proposed canal is to pass, but ma
turG with the assistance Of man di~
yided them
The probable route of the proposed
Nicaragua canal begins on the Allan
tic coast about two miles above San
Juan del Nortc and runs thirty-hye
mile, by canal to lis Iuncture with
the san Juan river, the course oi
which is utilized for siXty-four and n
hnlf miles to it source in Lake Mica
"a ia The cross NJ Of the lake adds
nifty -fonr and onc-hall miles then it
proceeds through the valleys of Rio
del Media and the Rio Grandc TO the
Pacinc outlet at Brte eight miles
north of San Juan del Su, the length
OF the route i'm nautical miles being
one hundred forty-scyen.
The three great engineering difficult
ties which the Nicaragua route pre-
SCENTS are, first the recovery or max. |
inc of the eastern harbor san Juan del |
Norte. This was at one time the best |
harbor on the Caribbean Sea, but the |
Spaniards IRE followed their destruc- |
tive policy and partially filed up the |
harhor Volcanic erpptiuns and |
earthquakes completing the work
second the construction Of the Ochoa
dam, whore the canal unItcs with the
river; aud the Great Divide, which
carries the canal over the Cordilcras. |
By means OF the dam the waters of
the San Juan are raised Ia the lake
level which in eject eliminates the
longest and most dangerous rapids
Tbs cut oi the Great Divide attacks
The rocks at their very lowest dcpres
sious, ono apparently made for it.
The rock taken from this cut, which
is from Ill to 32s feet in depth sup
plies the material for the dam, locks
and embankments, to which ii will be
carried directly on the railway. and
for which otherwise stone must Toe
especially quarried anil bought Al
great expense. DcI.essep was obliged
To manufacture stone for the retaining
walls to hold back the drifting sands
N the Sue canal Gus ON the Mica
ragua line there are no shifting sands
to I'LL up the bitches rs fast rs they
are drcdgcd the engineer tnds the
soil working hand in hand with him,
for most Of the excavations are through
tenacious clay, weighted and stiff
fenced with volcanic sand, which forms
an imperyious cement. hardening like
rock under the tropie sun.
Nature here further lends a helping
hand for the Lake Nicaragua is large
enough TO hold all the navies ol the
void ana the high level determined
upon for the canal makes ii proceed
over rolling table land, cross cut at
the /, ny many valleys aud streams
All these valleys are to be flooded
and converted into deep basins by
closing up their outlets and all
depressions where the ground falls
below the contour OF the canal with
the entertainments and short sections
of the exeavated canal through the
the higher hills confNing the
valleys will connect the lakes or
basins. The result will be close
imitation of nature, forming broad
and beautiful water highway widening
out into spaci0us lakes, upon