The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-04
;Srom tie Qtlantic
to the Pacific.

~ IIIe |uS1ltss
Beautiful Scenes That Lie Along the
Picturesque Nicaragua Canal.
The great Nicaragua Canal question
is the sensation of the hour. The utter
collnrse of the Panama scheme served
to emphasize the necessity Of some 9TH
er maritime canal across the central
isthn,us. and the increasing growth of
commercial interests between the Unit,d
States and the Far East makes inter-
oceanic communication an absolute neces-
sity.
the problem of connecting the Atlantic
and Pacific has engaged the attention.
Several different routes nave been con-
sidered. the most notable one being the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec. the Nicaragua
route via Lake Nicaragua; the Pana-
ma the San Bias and Chepo, the Gale
donia Bay and Morti, the Calendonia
Bay and Sucubti, the Du Puydt. the
Cacaria and Tuyra, the Atrato and Fer
nando and the Atra to-Napipi.
TIE Panama scheme is now the rot
tenest failure of history, the Tehuante-
pee route by ship railroad, as proposed
some years ago by Capt Eads. has been
given UP, and all of the others nave
been abandoned, except the Nicaragua,
which is regarded as offering features
of advantage not possessed by any>other.
The United States Commission OF 1s42,
composed OF a trained general and adj
nliral and two scientific government ex-
pcrts. pronounced it so, and subsequent
SURVEYS have confirmed this opinion Inc
great success OF the Suez, Sault ste.
aIarie and Welland canals, and the cry
ing need of shorter route IMAM tait
around Cape Horn have offered constant
Incentives to engineering and commercial
iSenuty.
Mi conferred on the Nicaragua as the
most promising route. Its possession is
considered unique, exceeding CTlcralear
in strategic value. The way lies through
q country for the most TART saiuoriols
and rich in natural resources.
The possession OF an inter-oceanlc ca
nal there by the United States Govern.
ynent would constitute perpetual asser-#
ton Of the Monroe doctrine.
A sSHO RT ROUTE
The distance across the fsth1us Is
l6G miles; but 121 can be traVersca oS
way of Lake Nicaragua and the san .,Gan
River, already navigabie by ocean YES
sells, and twenty-five miles more traV-
ersod by natural basins to be filed SO
that only &c miles of artificial canal cut
tJn,r is needed, far less thar at Pana-=
ma.
Besides, the land to be traversed is
the lowest depression in the entire Cor
dllera range, between the Arctic sea anu
the Straits of Magellan. The crest me
and reserv DIR of the canal would be Lake
Nicaragua itself, only 10 feet ABOVE
the sea level.
It's outlet the San Juan river, can be
ayai,ed Of for navigation siXty-five miles,
and the lake itself is ffty-siN miles, SO
that. by cutting and Hpbuildins CHAM
neis from the Pacific Ocean twelve miles.
and from the Caribbean Sea westward TO
the river, thirty-siN miles, continuous
waterway can be obtained, which. by
means of locks and dams, can be na'l-
gated from ocean to ocean.
The country mere is so beautiful that'
as pleasure route, the trip will be one
OF the finest in the world.
! The cost of the canal will be enormous.
4 careful estimate of the work shows
that at least S1O0,COO090 will be required
for the purpose.
Thirtv-two vessels, it is calculated, may
pass through the canal per day. or H,6oo
in a year. If two vessels OF 2,GO tons
DISPLACEMENT each should pass through
at each lockage, 90. C03,CcO tons would be
the annual capacity. The net annual
tonnoge of the Suez Canal is nearly TO-
| CNGGO The time of transit will be TWEEN
| ty-eight hours.
II this canal were in operation to-day
! its benefits to commerce and especially
! TO the interests Of America, would be
| inestimable The United States Govern
| ment could absolutely control the destiny
| of the Western Hemisphere, for a naval
| station on that inland sea, with fortified
! telYnini and a fleet Of modern warships,
| would dominate the Atlantic eastward
| to the Windward Islands of the Hawaiian
| Isla nds and Samoa.
The marine distance from New York
! to San Francisco would be reduced by
! 1866 miles: to Hong Kong, China. by
| 4,oc0 miles; to Yokohama, Japan, 1000;
/ to Melbourne. Australia, $3.50; to the
! Sandwich Islands, 5000, and to Talpa-
raise, Chill, 5000. The marine distance
from New Orleans to San Francisco
/ would likewise be diminished by 1900
| miles: from Liverpool to San Francisco,
1,OCG miles: to Hong Kong, 100 miles.
| to Yokohama, 1900; and to the Sandwich
/ Islands. 5000.
The voyage from New York to the
I eastern entrance of the canal is 2Gl
! miles and from San Francisco to the
|. western entrance, 2,Ii76 miles.
A PAYING INVESTMENT.
! The yearly tonnage that crosses the
| Isthmus of Panama by ran a1ter iran,
] shipment. with that which goes around
| cane Horn, amounts to 100000, and this
tonnage would Immediately drain through
/ the Nicaragua Canal, besides a large
I. mart of the tonnage that now rounds
/ Cape of Good Hope.
i The tonnage that passed through the
| sau.r Ste Marie during recent sea-
son aggregated s.s2S, STA. or 3, CO., coo greater
than that OF the Suez Canal; but Wnen
the eastern and western commerce OF
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans Is COM.
pared with that of the basins OF our
northern Lakes. even these gigane,c
I figures are insignificant. With an annual
traffic Sof 100000 tons, the Nicarag gu
J Canal would earn revenue of 5000
COO.
among expert American engineers MS
10 tf,e entire practicability of the Nicara-
qua project. The only question now re-
{ naming is as to accomplishing the work
most economically. with a view to secure
cheap tolls Controversy OF the control
! and domination OF the enterprise by
, the United States has been settled.There
ore no politics in the scheme, except
interna tional politics.