The times., 1899-09-11

! the Pacific near Brito head The latter is a
bold, rocky promontory 24S feet high,
which guards natural height in the coast
and affords an admirable site for an arti-
fclal entrance and harbor.
The streams of this section are small and
/ have limited drainage being nearly dry
| for five months Of the year. The slope OF
the upper Rio Grande, however, is steep
| and its bed is, therefore, sinuous and
| deeply eroded. Between Espinal and the
/ sea, distance of less than eleven miles, it
falls about 120 feet. The Topography OF
the valley Is however. well adapted to
| the purposes of canal on either bank, or
! TO the creation of an artificial basin by a
| dam closing the gorge through which the
/ lake drainage formerly passed TO the sea.
| The rocks on this division are sedimen-
tary and readily worked, being loose shales
| and sandstones with traces of calcium. The
material composing the coastal plain is
| light, sandy loan and easily eroded.
Along the San Juan River.
The country trayersed by the San Juan
may be conveniently divided into two sec
| tions. to wit: That portion lying above the
! confluence with the San Carlos in which
the deposit of sediment is relatively small,
and that below, in which it is large. Fur
ther subdivisions are suggested by the topo-
/ graphic conditions.
| From the lake to the first rapids, at Toro,
twenty-seven miles, the slope is gentle, be-
| ing about two and one-half inches per mile,
while the banks are low and the adjacent
swamps extensive From the head of the
Toro to the foot of the Machuca, en-
| bracing the four rapids, the fall is nearly
forty-three feet in twenty-three miles, or
twenty-five and one half inches per mile.
This comprises the rocky section of the an
piquf fal nivid ic he
of the river valley. Below Machuca occurs
stretch of about fifteen miles of deep
water, the bottom of which extends in
places below sea level known as the Aqua
Muerta tdead water). This is a portion of
the old river channel not silted up by the
volcanic sands brought into the Lower San
Juan by the San Carlos River.
The entire bed of the San Carlos River
has been carefully surveyed, with view
to determine its carrying capacity under the
regimen resulting from the creation of such
dams and locks as may be found best
adapted to convert it into navigable chan
mel for deep-draft vessels. The upper
river will require dredging from the lake
to the Castillo rapids, and as the channel
as proposed will be 300 feet wide at the
bottom and extend to depth of thirty feet
below the lowest lake level this cut will
largely increase the cross section and thus
enable larger volume to be discharged
without any material increase of velocity.
Moreover, the river falls about 1873 feet
below the los stage in the lake before
reaching the head of the Castillo Rapids, so
that a dam farther down stream impound-
ing this water would still further augment
the cross section by raising the surface.
As the capacity is regulated by the smallest
sections. ii is necessary to ascertain their
ICoo H.
under the new regimen.
Under existing conditions the ruling sec
tons CT the stream have been found to be
at the head of the Toro Rapids and Castillo
RAPIDS in that section of the upper river
between Port San Carlos and the Castillo
Yiejo.
1t appears that the location of the con-
trolling section would be changed from its
present position to point five miles from
the lake, while the area of that section
would be very nearly doubled at a lake eIe-
vation Of 10 above tide.
AS the maximum discharge required to
pass through this section, with a range of
six feet for the greatest luctuation, would
not produce yelocities exceeding S.3 feet
per second, such discharge would not ma
terially affect the stability of the channel
nor its navigation.
Instead of having velocities exceeding 12
feet per second over the rapids, which
would be submerged the maximum current
in the river under a discharge of 80 600
cubic feet would not exceed feet, or l 1-3
miles per hour, which would not readily
disturb the banks of this section of the
stream. With discharge of $4,000 cubic
feet, which is higher than will probably
ever be reached in the upper part of the
river, the maximum velocity through the
controlling sections would not, therefore,
much exceed 3 feet per second, imposing no
material restrictions on navigation.
History of the Project.
The history in brief of the Nicaragua
Canal project follows:
1805-Alexander Won Humboldt the IA
nous scientist, declared the canal TO be
feasible.
1S25-Congress of the United States of
Central America decreed the digging of
the canal
1s2s-Henry Clay. Secretary of State,
ordered the route examined.
1S35-Senate of the United States voted
favorably for it. President Jackson ap-
pointed an agent to examine it.
1S48-Nicaraguan Government contracted
for the canals construction. but the con-
cession lapsed.
1S49-Cornelius Vanderbilt ran an over
land route by wagon and~boat.
1S50-Neutrality of Nicaragua waterways
guaranteed by Clayton -Bulwer treaty
1S51-Canal company organized by Cor
nelius Vanderbilt.
1S67-Rear Admiral Davis advised the
United States against the canal.
1S76-Report made to the President by
Nicaragua Canal Commission.
DISSATISFACTION of capitalists formed
to build the canal.
18SS-New canal company organized and
Incorporated by United States Congress.
1890-Work actually begun at Greytown.
1S95-United States Senate passed a bill
appropriating s70,000,0 900 for the canal. Did
not pass the House of Representatives.
1S95-Commission appointed by the Pres
ident. 1t reported UnfaVorably.
1S97-Commission appointed, headed by
Rear Admiral Walker.
1S99-Commission reports in the strong
est terms in favor of the construction of
the canal.
FUNERAL OF JAMES B. EUSTIs.