The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-10-06
CANAL e0nulssIOI's
kPelT IS READY
AN AoRKEHENT REACHED IA
voRIHo THE NICARAGUA
ROUTE.
Friends Of the Panama Canal Tried
Hard TO Push Their Scheme
to the Front.

Llill:on-dollar commission, so called
To distinguish it from other commits
siols appointed 10 consider various
Izthmian canal projects. wilI have It's
report ready some time before the
assembling Of congress. According TO
Il Present plans il may be expected 10 ap-
/ pear in the interval after the election
returns have been received and diges;-
Ct and before congress meets for its
last session in the present Mckinley
| administration Only abstracts OF the
report will interest the general public.
bu; the whole, in book form. viii be
ready for distribution TO members o.
ecLgress and others specially con-
ceraed.
The first question which the public
| viii want to see answered is, what
route does the commission recommend?
Il is said that an agreement has bean
reached on the Nicaraguan. Without
any definite announcement TO that ef
! fee. by the commission, there is much
| Incidental testimony tending to show
| that this is to be the verdict A man
who has watched the subject closely,
ana who feels sure OF the selection OF
the Niearaguan route. in discussing the
| subject, said to your correspondent to
| day:
L wish the widest publicity could be
| given to a statement recently put out
by James Thomas Ford, in che interest
of the Panama route. His four rea
sons for preferring it so easily answer
themselves that nothing could more
| firmly rivet the conclusion that the
Nicaraguan is the proper one than the
weighing OF these Panama claims NJ
Ford is vice president and general
manager Of the Cartagena & Magdalena
Railroad and Steamboat company and
has been consulting engineer for the
Colombian government on the Panama
| canal. His first argument on behalf
Of the Panama route is that it is only
forty-six miles long, as against 1S2 the
OTHER way. He estimates that vessel
could pass through the Panama canal
in eight hours and through the Nicar-
aguan canal in three days. The answer
to this is that the Nicaraguan canal
is SO much nearer the United States
AZ both ends as to make the extra
time in going through, which, of
course, he much eXaggerates, of rela-
lively little account His inference
that the cost of maintenance would be
prcportionately less for the shorter
route is sophistical, inasmuch as
through so large part of the Nicar- !
aguan route z vessel could travel
through a natural waterway, where
practically no expense would be neces-
sary for maintenance. While making
that part Of the voyage through the !
great fresh water lake the bottoms of |
the vessels would be most effectually |
secured of salt water barnacles; they |
fall OF and die in few hours in fresh |
water. This would be almost as good |
for ship as docking.
Mr.. Ford contrasts the maximum |
height reached by the two routes,
showing that the Nicaraguan is no
feet, as against 90 on the Panama |
While this is true, the grade TO be |
reached on the Nicaraguan by lockage |
is only about 80 feet, the rest of the
elevation being reached naturally On
the San Juan river. But even the full
difference which he claims is trifling
compared with the advantage OF having
an unlimited supply Of fresh water TO
operate the locks. In Panama there is
nothing at the top but an artificial lake,
and one Of the chief engineers Of the
French company told me that it was
very serious question whether they
could possibly impound enough water
there to run the canal for six months
in the year when there is no rain.
The next argument in behalf of the
Panama route is that the ports, Pana
ma and Colon, offer excellent natural
harbors. 1t is true that this route has
better harbors than the other, but that
is merely a question OF expense. Nor
is it true that the harbors at Panama
and Colon are without flaws. That at
Colon would require constant dredging
on account Of its shifting muddy bot
tom. while at Panama very expensive
jctties would be necessary The fourth
pea in behalf Of the Panama route,
that the labor question is all solved
there. has no force The people who
live along its line are those who came
there to work during the building of
the railroad or the canal, and their
descendants But a new population
wc1ld soon be attracted at Nicaragua,
from Jamaica, Cuba and the other
West India islands. Ii is also urged
thu. the existence OF the Panama rail-
road counts for something in favor of
that route. The cost OF laying rails
along either line is so slight compared
with the canal project itself as 10 have
no great weight. Mr. Ford estimates
That il the French interests at Panama
{ ould be bought on for So. 0e0 900 q
canal might then be constructed .or
sf45. o00. 600. Now the highest estimate
on the Nicaraguan route, and that by
a not altogether friendly commission.
was only $1s7. Oo0. COO
The Panama project lost its reason
was abandoned. II ever there Is to be
a sea-ievel canal across the isthmus IT
viii have to be at Panama. and the al
vantages Of such q construction are
obvious believe II would cost $780,
0oo. 900. but there IL no telling 10 what
lengths the commercial enterprise OF
the future may go. The moment the
advocates Of this rs1ie abandoned the
idea and entered into compe-