The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-12-10
1t Will Connect the Atlantic with
the Pacific.

| was Don Jose de Acosta. and he declared
| with much solemnity that such an under
taking was flying in the face OF HEAVIER
and would be attended by some dire catas
trophe. Neither theorist nor critic pu
! the matter to a test. Saavedra died befor,
he could present his views to Charles V
and De Acosta forbore the pursuit OF tn,
ghost OF a proposition.
Gomara the Spanish historian, In his
History of the Indies" indicated -four
routes for an isthmian canal--Nicara-
que. Tehuantepec and two on the 18th
mus of Panama. This far-seeing man
wrote at that time: Mountains there
are, but there are likewise hands. Take
but the resolve and II can be made. II
inclination be not wanting there Will bt
no lack of means. The Indies, to which
the passage Is to be opened, will furnish
them. To a king OF Spain, when tho
object to be attained is the spice trade
and the wealth of the Indies, that which
is possible becomes easy"
1t remained for Phillip II. son OF the
Emperor Charles. husband OF Mary OF
England and ruler of the Great Armada.
to begin what may be considered the first
scientific exploration for transisthmian
waterway. He Issued In 1857 a commits
sion 10 Batista Antonelli an engineer, to
make survey. Antonelli reported later
against the Nicaragua route on account
OF the numerous difficulties encountered.
This was the second criticism and for a
time 1t appears to have settled the matter
as far as seafaring hidalgos and Spanish
engineers" were concerned. They would
have none OF the interoceanic passageway
of which their predecessors bad dreamed.
The project was, apparently, out OF the
question, except to the wicked buccaneers,
who were making, Just then such a strong
showing on the Spanish main. BY their
depredations these Ishma elites OF the cay
dotted sea had driven in 1870 the entire
trade OF Spain from Porto Bello to the
cape Horn route On top OF this Francis
Drake made his way in 1879 to the Pa
citic ocean through the Straits of Magel-
Ian and ravaged the coast so persistently
and so thoroughly that Spanish trade had
to be carried on by way of Lake Nicara-
que and the river San Juan--again, as in
Estete's time and as at present, the most
favored and practical route for trans
isthmian canal.
The buccaneers. all practical Williams
with an eye to the main chance, kept
up the search for an easy route to the
South seas. They had their headauar-
tiers at Bluefields and the Pearl lagoon
and from these points struck many blows
at spanish commerce. Time and again
they blocked the San Juan and harried
the interior by raids. The warfare thew
waged and the troubles in Spain prevented
me spaniards from returning to the quest
Tor the waterway and, despite the fact
nat commission was issued in 1916 to
Diego Fernandez de Velasco to report on
the feasibility Of an interoceapic canal
in the neighborhood of Carthagena. moth
ing came OF It.
AS If exasperated at the negligence OF
the spaniards to take advantage of the
opportunities within their grasp. the
forces OF nature We're let loose TO pile up
more obstacles In their path Between
iois and 1851 three new rapids the re-
suit of earthquakes formed In the river
san Juan. greatly impeding navigation.
Ihen came the seizure of Jamaica by the
English. local government was estab-
iished, and the first thing 1t did was to
take the buccaneers under its protection.
Morgan and others ragged up and down
the coast, veritable sea monsters, sackipg
ana pillasing wherever they won't in an
effort TO drive the Spaniards out and
leave free field OF wealth TO be explored
EDWARD Davis and a party of his piratical
comrades assembled the San Jusn in 1865
storined Fort San Carlos at the entrance
10 the great lake and burned Leon
Through this expedition the British learn
ca OF the Importance of the lake as a
nucleus for connecting channel between
me oceans and made tho first of a series
OF attempts 10 seize it,
me Nicaraguans viewed these incur
slons of the enemy with alarm. and. In
an effort 10 head off further depredatlons
proceeded to fill in the rapids with great
Tocks. undismayed by these. the hue
cancers assembled the river again as far
as Lake Nicaragua, where they were 1e-
pulsed. only after a desperate struggle.
II was during this incursion that Fer
nando do Escobedo. an engineer, In an
enort to further fortify the river did
that which almost DESTROYED tho harbor
OF San Juan del Norte (Greytown). with
the object OF diverting some OF the waters
OF the main channel to render its nayiea-
ton more difficult he opened the mouth
OF the Brazo Colorado. He attained his
'n}ect--the buccaneers could no longer
ascend the river--but he practically sion.
pea interoceanic transit and left a legacy
In Greytown harbor which II win tako
some millions TO make available.
!, with the opening OF the present century
me question OF an American transistb.
milan canal was given new promineSca
by the publication OF the obseryations
81 Alexander Won Humboldt on his expedi-
non TO Spanish America. The great